We believe that, whether in person or online, children learn best through play. You can help us bring more play into the virtual classroom. Will you join us?
This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 1. Last year, EFBA successfully piloted the 2019 EFB@ Digital French project, and—with your support—we were able to develop our digital learning infrastructure, just in time for the pandemic. Now it’s time to expand and improve with our 2020 project: Realizing Play-Based Pedagogy Online.
Let’s be honest: It’s hard to engage young students in online learning, but it’s not impossible!
How? Adding interactive learning games, puzzles, audio books, and other activities to our teachers’ toolboxes for our students, native and non-native French speakers alike. These dynamic learning activities will be reused and improved for years to come.
Why? By increasing students’ excitement for online learning, we stick to our core EFBA pedagogy and keep our students’ love for French and learning alive, regardless of how classes are delivered.
Technology is everywhere. It is now part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly: learn.
Students and camp counselors enjoy exploring different worlds together in Le Club EFBA!
Giving Tuesday is the perfect occasion for EFBA to raise funds to launch Realizing Play-Based Online and provide accessible, engaging tools and resources to our EFB@ Digital French instructors and students in our online classes.
Our goal is to raise $2,000. We have created a fundraiser page on Facebook.
Don’t have Facebook but still want to support our work? You can donate on our website.
Why Facebook? In celebration of #GivingTuesday on December 1, Facebook and PayPal are matching donations made to nonprofits (a total of up to $7 million) on Facebook. Facebook will start matching donations at 5 am PST on Giving Tuesday until the match runs out. So, starting from 5 am, the earlier you make a donation, the higher the chances will be of having your donation amount matched!
Of course, you can donate before December 1, but your donation won’t be matched (no problem!).
Funds will be invested in tools, resources, and teacher training such as:
- Books and audiobooks in French for elementary school students, to help children discover the pleasure of reading in French
- EFBA teacher-created online games, designed to complement core textbook units and levels for practice and review in a play-based format
- Costumes and props for teachers, stimulating students’ creativity and allowing their imaginations to go wild
- Subscriptions to Minecraft: Education Edition or other platforms for middle school students, allowing them to interact and work collaboratively to design the French classroom of their dreams
- …And more!
1/ Provide teachers, students, and families with access to interactive and exciting educational materials, helping children stay engaged and connected in an online learning environment.
2/ Supplement our part-time teaching model with entertaining resources and games for at-home practice, therefore increasing knowledge retention.
3/ Enhance our play-based pedagogy with new digital tools in a safe and engaging space online. When children play, they learn faster and are more interested in absorbing language and culture.
4/ Celebrate student achievements and accomplishments with the EFBA community. Online learning can sometimes feel isolating, but we are all in the process of learning and teaching French and Francophone culture together.
5/ Teach children to build a healthy relationship with technology and use electronic devices for educational purposes.
6/ Promote the French language as a means to unite families and involve parents in how their children learn and practice French.
7/ Develop interesting, play-based content to support children who require reasonable accommodations, such as a reduced course of study due to disability, injury or other conditions.
8/ Offer professional development opportunities for teachers to expand their knowledge and use of interactive digital learning tools.
We exist for you and by you. Without the support of individuals like yourself, EFBA would not be sustainable. Thank you in advance for your support!
Celebrated on the Tuesday following U.S. Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday is a movement to create an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season. Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 by the non-profit 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation as a response to commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday). Giving Tuesday inspires millions of people across the globe to show up and give back to causes and issues that matter to them.
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