Who are we?

Inspired by some well-known theories such as the Lexical Approach (Lewis) and Global Simulation (Levine), we engage our students on a virtual trip through the British Isles. The 'bag of lexis' reveals a series of proposals related to the different stages, and on this journey the students are confronted with a series of steps, by choosing where to go and deciding what that would actually entail (buying a train ticket, getting something to eat and read, etc.), only to be met with a 'bad card' that would involve - very much like in real life - a delay in the trip (for more details about the actual types of activities, go to the project).

The whole concept was created to stimulate students at a school for health and social care in Ticino, Switzerland. Learners rarely get the sufficient exposure to English outside of school, so it is imperative that they should maximise their time in the classroom. This way of planning an entire school year around a virtual trip could be the solution. The course book has not been replaced, but it comes in the background, along with the grammar book. In this concept students and teachers set the pace, decide where to go, what to do and, most importantly when to do it. Each destination offers activities that are vocational or related to everyday problems and situations - the goal is then to stimulate students to use English as the tool to overcome a problem or complete a task, using real websites and material to get as close to reality as possible. By using situations that are real, students get motivated and learn skills that would serve them well in life. The whole idea is easy to use and to scale up/down: therefore, the general structure and its didactical principles can be adapted to any classroom and any type of student.