TEFL Methodology: Project Work
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- Nadrzędna kategoria: Metodyka
- Kategoria: TEFL Methodology
PROJECT WORK
A PROJECT is a planned undertaking which has a goal, whose achieving means finishing it.
Projects may be individual or group works.
Why are project works motivating?
- Ss take personal responsibility
- Ss are actively involved
- Ss have a sense of achievement
- project works are good for mixed-ability classes - every S may participate
Relevance of project works:
- project work meets the needs of Ss
- project work provides integration of target language with other skills and knowledge
- project work provides natural / semi-natural context of language development
Educational values of project work:
- Ss develop key competences:
- solving problems
- how to learn and organize one’s (group) work
- cooperation and collaboration (in group projects)
- project works offer a way to the development of whole person
- project works offer a way to cross-curricular studies
Project objectives:
- linguistic (while doing a project Ss simultaneously acquire some language)
- how to use a dictionary
- connected with the content
Some basic hints on starting project work in class:
- involve Ss
- start small
- give Ss freedom and responsibility
- start with group projects
- help Ss get the access to necessary information
Possible downsides / obstacles
- projects take time
- projects need extra costs
- L1 appears
(Don’t worry about them, they’re necessary evil and you’ll find ways to overcome some of them!)
Planning a Project
1. Define the thematic area (connect it with the fields of interests), for example:
- personalised project (lifestyles, hobbies, family, homes, school)
- the world around us (nature, culture, the media)
- fantasy and imagination
2. Decide on the final task (= what are Ss supposed to do?):
- tangible end product, for example:
- story
- letter
- poem
- descriptive writing
- play
- interview
- brochure
- booklet
- newspaper
- poster
- news programme
- chart
- model
- picture
- map
- photograph
- audio recording
- video recording
- non-tangible end product, for example:
- role-play
- simulation
3. Define the project objectives (= what are Ss supposed to learn through it?):
- language (vocabulary, skills, grammar, functions)
- other skills, for example:
-
- communication
- cooperation
- learning to learn
- finding and processing information
- solving problems
- self-development
- other content (content-related knowledge /skills)
4. Plan the content (= what do Ss need for doing the Project?):
- information to collect
- language to be learnt and practised
- skills to learn and practise
5. Plan the process (= how are Ss to do it? when are Ss to do particular parts / stages of the Project?)
- time
- place
- groups
- division of work
- stages of work
- ways to collect and store information
- materials
- ways to record the process
- feedback on the process
- ways to get support
6. Plan evaluation
- what exactly is evaluated
-
- product
- content
- language
- process
- cooperation
- contributions
- some / all of the above
- who evaluates
- teacher
- students
- teacher and students
- when the Project is evaluated
-
- the end of the Project
- stages of the Project
- how the Project is evaluated, e.g.:
-
- points
- questionnaires
- marks
- journal
- applause
- once again, you’ll need to specify the objectives (whether they are achieved)
Bibliography
Bartram, M. and Walton, R. 1991. Correction. Mistake Management. Language Teaching Publications: 1991.
Brumfit, C. 1994. Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Byrne, D. 1990. Teaching Oral Skills. Harlow: Longman.
Byrne, D. 1990b. Teaching Writing Skills. Harlow: Longman.
Harmer, J. 2001. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Harlow: Longman.
Ur, P. 1996. A Course in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
