How to Introduce Project Work into Your Classroom
I learned about project work at teachers’ training courses. The work
seemed fresh and challenging and different from the traditional way of teaching. When I
decided to introduce project work in my classroom, I began with:
Reference Materials
One can find numerous project ideas in modern English courses (Headline,
Project, etc.). However, it is necessary to understand what a project is and how it
works. The following books may help you:
PROJECT WORK, Diana L. Fried-Booth;
PROJECT WORK, Ramon Ribae and Naura Vidal;
PROJECT IN LINGUISTICS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RESEARCHING LANGUAGE,
Alisin Wray, Aileen Bloomer, and Kate Trott;
PROJECTS WITH YOUNG LEARNERS, Diane Philips, Sarah Buswood,
and Helen Dunford;
PROJECTS IN BRITAIN: 22 PROJECTS FOR STUDENTS, Michael Lewis;
etc.
Why Project Work?
Teachers know very well that the knowledge they give to students is not
easy to use in real life as a means of communication, since the way it is taught implies
rather formal perception. Recent methods of language teaching/learning focus on
communicative approaches that are close to narrowing the gap and increasing the motivation
for language learning.
However what is still needed is a kind of work that allows the motivation to come from
within the student, and not from without. This means that, on the one hand, students
should have the possibility to decide themselves what they will do and how they will do
it, and, on the other hand, they should be personally interested in the work they are
doing. A teacher is necessary, but rather like a guide than a dictator.
Of course, this work should have some final product which motivates the learning process
and makes it assessible.
Project work meets these requirements. It is helpful to fill the gap between what students
want to do and what the teacher thinks they must do.
A Project – What Is It?
It is longer-term creative work, done either individually or
collectively, which combines investigating the topic and presenting it in written form (a
text; an interview; a chart; or simply inscriptions) illustrated with photos, pictures,
diagrams, etc., and followed by a discussion on the matter.
A project requires spending considerable amount of time on finding and processing
information, developing a final product and presenting it, so it is done in stages. The
work naturally involves various linguistic skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and developing other abilities: creative thinking, artistic presentation, and
communicative abilities. It may be either group or individual work or combine both. This
makes this kind of work different from a typical illustrated composition.
Possible Problems
The benefit for the student is clear: he or she is working on a topic
of interest and is using language as a means to express his/her idea(s). What has already
been learned can now be put to use, and that which is needed can be learned. But for the
teacher the project may incur certain problems. These are:
a) Organization
Projects do create extra work. The teacher may already find it difficult to keep up with
regular lessons planning. Projects require an additional commitment, e.g. establishing
closer contacts, finding suitable sources for material, etc.
b) Monitoring
Students working on a project need a teacher to keep track of what they are doing. This
requires regular checking of what the students have heard, seen and learned.
c) Personal problems
The teacher needs to be ready to help the students deal with difficulties which may arise
at any stage of the project. Lack of interest may ruin the idea, so the teacher should
stimulate the students somehow (promise of an excellent mark is not the only means). If a
student completely refuses to participate, the game will be lost. Do not waste time.
Neither you nor the students will enjoy the job which is aimed at awakening creative
abilities through interest in the topic.
Developing a Project
So, for a project to succeed a good working relationship needs to be
established. The students must be able to cooperate both with each other and with the
teacher.
The length of time spent on a project will certainly depend on the amount of time
available and on the nature of the project. For this I have opted for a flexible approach
which will allow groups to work at their own speed. The same project may take as little as
six hours or as long as twelve weeks to complete. The teacher should sense whether to
lengthen or to shorten the project according to the need.
But however long or short the project may be, the work will generally fall into three
parts:
1. Classroom planning. The students in collaboration with the teacher
discuss the contents and the scope of the project. Ideas are also discussed for projected
interviews, visits, and for ways of gathering the necessary material.
2. Carrying out the project. The students leave the classroom to
perform whatever tasks they have planned, e.g. conducting interviews, making recordings,
gathering printed and visual material, taking pictures, etc. At this stage the oral
material can be gathered in the native language to be subsequently translated into
English.
3. Reviewing and monitoring the work. This includes translating, (if
necessary), discussion, and feedback sessions both during and after the project, including
advice and comments offered by the teacher, group analysis of the work and self-monitoring
of the students.
Stages of the Work
Actually project work will pass through certain stages. These are:
1. Introducing the idea and definition of the project’s objective.
2. Collecting and processing information.
3. Group activities and discussions.
4. Design of written and presentation materials.
5. Organization of materials and developing the end-product.
6. Final presentation.
This can, of course, be adapted to suit the requirements of each
project.
What Kind of Project?
Once you have decided to get yourself and your students involved into
this kind of activity, you will have to consider the theme. Of course, the idea may come
from the students who can be interested in investigating many topics, for instance,
in-class relationships, pop singers’ lives or their pets’ behaviors. However for the
study process it is more reasonable to suggest a topic which fits logically into the
curriculum.
Here are some project ideas to be developed at school:
British customs; American influence on your way of life; house plants; and many others.
Some ideas are very natural as a project, for example “Family”. It is natural to start
with and can be done at any level, from elementary to advanced. Of course, the projects
will look different and involve different types of activities:
A. Pre-elementary Level (oral course) Description:
The children make a family tree to illustrate the words denoting the
members of the family with their photos.
Activities:
1. Draw a family tree and place the photos on the branches. The names
of the family members can be mentioned. Point out the relational links between the
members.
2. Practice the names of different relationships. You can teach “His/her name is?”,
“What is his/her name?”
Skills:
Drawing, cutting out, memorising words and phrases.
B. Elementary and Low – Intermediate Description:
The children invent a family to live in a flat. They then make a mobile
to illustrate their family tree.
Activities:
1. Show the children the pictures you have made and stick them on
the board. Arrange the pictures on the board like a family tree.
2. Make some flashcards with family vocabulary, for example: granddad, aunt, etc.
3. Practice the names of different relationships using the flashcards. Stick the names
under the pictures on the board.
4. Practice describing the family members, for example: Aunt Mary has got black hair and
blue eyes. Show the relationships through a possessive form: Mary is Nick’s wife.
5. Explain to the children that they are going to make their own family mobile.
The family members can be imaginary creatures, for instance,
aliens, monsters, or dinosaurs.
Skills:
Painting, cutting out, listening to instructions and to each other’s
presentations.
C. Intermediate Description:
Some real object is a very good final product of a project. It can be a
family album, where each page presents details and personal aspects on some family, for
instance: the first page shows the photos with names (full names and/or nicknames); the
second page gives information on the age, dates of birth and zodiac signs; we can learn
about professions and occupations on the third page; the fourth page gives details on the
appearance and features of the members of the family; the fifth page can be devoted to
hobbies; etc.
Activities:
– collecting and processing information on family members
– arranging photos, illustrations and texts
– practising vocabulary related to the aspects under consideration
– practising grammar (degrees of comparison, articles, etc.)
– asking questions during presentation of the materials
Skills:
Communication; arranging and systematisation of materials collected;
speaking, asking and answering questions.
D. Advanced Description:
On this level some problematic topics can be the content of a project.
It may be a comparative study of the current state of families as social institutions.
Activities/skills:
– Researching, drawing and labelling family trees.
– Surveying, interviewing people.
– Reading newspapers for figures and facts (e.g. divorce rates, male-female roles).
– Summarising information in charts, graphs, tables of figures, etc.
– Discussions; expressing viewpoints on problematic matters.
Start with individual work, of course. Students should first get used
to the idea of creative work. They are to understand what the teacher wants from them. It
may take some time to achieve this.
It is natural to begin with a short illustrated composition; just call it Project No. 1 in
order that the students can get used to this notion and understand that this kind of work
is to be continued. They should not write much on the topic, but rather express their
ideas through pictures, photos, tables, etc.
For example, our first project with 7th graders was called “Plane”, (in the school
course by Klementieva and Shannon’s Happy English-2, part 1). The task was rather
general: to give some information concerning planes or air traffic with appropriate
illustrations. There were no limit to ideas, however, there were some restrictions to
follow:
a. the work was to be done on a standard sheet of A4 paper;
b. the time limit was up to three weeks;
c. the illustrations should correspond completely to the chosen topic;
d. the text should not be long but the information must be interesting;
e. to get information the students had to consult reference books, encyclopedias,
magazines, etc.
Finally, the ideas spread from the history of aircraft to the working
schedule of an air hostess. The presentation of work turned out to be a rather complete
coverage of the theme “Air Transport”.
At low levels a project can be based on a picture or a series of illustrations on a topic
with vocabulary terms. Here is an example of our starting project “My Dream House”.
Description of the Project “My Dream House”:
Age: 11-12 Time: one week
Project Description:
The aim of the project is: 1. to study words and expressions relating to the
structure of a house (names of rooms, parts of the house inside and outside, pieces of
furniture). Students “build” a house of the pictures of rooms taken from magazines; 2.
to practice future tenses (I will; there will be).
End Product: a. A picture of a house made of the pictures of rooms taken from
magazines, b. Discussion “What there will be in my dream house”.
When placed on the blackboard, houses can make up a street which can be used as material
to study traffic words and expressions and prepositions (across, next to, opposite, etc.).
Getting a Project Started
During lessons with the students you have become familiar with their
reaction in handling communicative activities. (We have already agreed that a project is a
highly communicative and motivating way of teaching/learning). You have also learned if
they find these activities useful and enjoyable. If their reaction is positive then it is
time to launch the project, assuming agreement has been reached that a project sounds like
a good idea. What next?
How to Explain the Idea
If you have access to your own or somebody else’s previous project
work and can display what was done, this always acts as a stimulus. If there is no
previous project work, then you have to rely on enthusiasm and ability to inspire a group
and then to allow them to field both their own ideas and yours, rather like the initial
step.
I hope this does not sound vague, for any teacher who has read this far will have realised
the open-ended nature of project work and will appreciate that there is no magic formula,
except perhaps the phrase “Why don’t we?”
Be prepared that the initial explanation may be time-consuming and even emotionally
exhausting: everybody knows that it is difficult to launch a new idea. You may have to
respond to a series of questions only to find that the initial enthusiasm dies. It may be
disappointing, but on the other hand, the experience will no doubt prove useful when the
next occasion presents itself.
Problems in the Early Stages
Once the idea has been fully accepted, you need to talk with the group
over possible problems. At first students may definitely fear that they will not manage
this new and challenging job. However, they soon catch the idea and I can assure you that
they react positively to this work. If it comes regularly as Project 1, Project 2, your
pupils will get used to the succession and will be ready for and even look forward to
Project 3, etc.
By listening to and considering the students’ opinions, and making your opinion
secondary, you will let them know that each and every contribution they make is important.
Individual students should be encouraged to lead discussions and make suggestions over how
to structure activities, what needs to be done, how to use language skills, etc.
At the start of a project “Ecology”, students may discuss what they don’t like in
the nearby surroundings, and suggest different ideas for monitoring the area of the local
river, developing the yard around the house, interviewing people in the streets on
ecological problems. Whenever you launch an idea, students will always suggest some new
and fresh thoughts you would never think of. The point is, they may respond in an unusual
and unexpected way, and the teacher should be prepared to accept situations that are not
traditional. Actually, no reactions should be anticipated, all opportunities should be
open, even to “weak” students. The worst thing is lack of interest in this work; it is
in the hands of the teacher to arouse the students’ interest.
By Marina Tropinskaya,
School No. 1732, Moscow
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