The Project Based Learning
Project is an intensive experience that engages students in activities that are interesting to
them and important to the courses of study. The project is designed in 1919 in America in order
to find information about something and to produce something new or to improve something.
The term "Project" occurs in pedagogical dictionaries and methodology books in different
combinations, e.g. Project Teaching, Project Method, Project Approach, Project based
Approach, Project centred approach, Project based Learning often abbreviated as PBL. So, the
project is a pedagogic framework to learn and to teach a topic . A key characteristic of project-
based learning is that the project does not focus on learning about something. It focuses on
doing something.
PBL is defined as a learning strategy and a systematic teaching method which involves
students in learning knowledge ( collecting information ) and skills ( Reading , Writing ,
Speaking and Listening ). Simpson states that PBL is an approach opens the door to
communicative competence , authentic learning , learner autonomy , cooperative learning,
language profeciency and self-esteem . Project-based learning which is suitable for the teacher
to teach English and for the students to study and develop their four English skills
simultaneously. PBL is one of the most common methods to make students active, creative,
communicative and innovative. So, it is a creative activity of a schoolchild. PBL is a modern
approach used to design and create learning processes for learners at different levels and
contexts.
Types of Project :-
- Encounter projects enable the students the direct contact with native speakers, as a short visit,
a class trip or a school exchange.
- Text projects, the students work with various materials, like literature texts, newspapers and
magazines, video and audio materials.
- Class correspondence projects combines encounter with native speakers and work with
written and visual materials, such as letters, audioletters, videoletters, photo stories. (Legutke
and Thomas 1991, p. 161 – 165).
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Stages of Project Based Learning:
1- Preparation .
2- Collecting data .
3- Presentation .
4- Evaluation of a project (by the students and the teacher).
The Main Components of PBL are:
1- The role of student. A student-centered approach is intended to place more responsibility
for learning on the student. Shifting the dynamic between teacher to student means that students
gain more control over both what as well as how they learn. The teacher gives the space for
students´ work and he does not influence it expressively.
2- The role of a teacher . The roles of teachers need to shift from the traditional giver of
information, to the role of a guide, facilitator, or learning advisor (Snehi, 2011). In the project,
the teacher is acting as advisor (or consultant) and coordinator making a project does not mean
(more work) for the teacher if he is able to plan and organize it well and he makes the students
to take the responsibility for the end product. The teacher functions as a “guide on the side”
rather than as a “sage on the stage.” Thus, students learn to be more self-reliant. The teacher´s
role according to Haines (1989, p. 4(:
1. Initiating role: The teacher decides when it is the suitable time for a project and how long it
should last. Then he should also (introduce a broad discussion topic which may develop
naturally into a project.
2 . During the project:
a) The teacher is an advisor being prepared to advice and help if the students ask for it,
b) As a referee he is assisting to solve out arguments and differences of opinion,
c) As a chairperson, from time to time groups will report their activities to the whole
class. On these occasions the teacher can také on the role of an objective chairperson.
3. Finally: When the project is coming to its end, the teacher becomes an organiser being
actively involved in the organization of displays, the final production of written reports, etc. As
an evaluator, he encourages the students (to evaluate the project work process for themselves)
and he should be prepared to comment honestly on what the students have reached.
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Kratochvílová (2009, p. 35) and Fried-Booth (1986, p. 9) argue that the teacher motivates the
students for the project and supervise their work by giving advice, suggesting and evaluating
their ideas but they both emphasise that the project work is the student-centred activity . At the
heart of successful PBL is teacher’s ability to support and direct students.
3- The Content of Curriculum . The teachers may connect it with the content of their project.
Benefits to Learners :
1- It allows the students to work fairly independently - They can choose to find information that
really interests them, rather than always being directed by the teacher.
2-It gives students an opportunity to work at their own level .
3- It can be an excellent way of developing language skills, especially reading and writing.
4- The students can make projects by using new technologies such as creating power point
presentations .
5- Students become responsible for their own learning .
6- It develops their four skills. PBL plays an important role in improving students' language
four skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. e.g. it is used to develop the students’
listening skill when the students watch the video, listen to the teachers, and answer the
questions about the video covering all indicators of listening skill.
PBL is used to develop the students’ reading skill when the students read the explanation
how to do the project and examples of the project and answer the questions to check their
comprehension covering all indicators of reading skill.
PBL is used to develop the students’ writing skill when they write the results of the
project by paying attention to all indicators of writing skill.
PBL is used to develop the students’ speaking skill when they discuss and conduct the
project and when they present the results of the project in front of the class which is followed
by questions and answers and respond to the comments. The project work helps to bridge the
gap between language study and language use.
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Use one of the following three strategies to organize the proiect work for your
class:
1- Divide the class in groups of 6-8 students and give each group a name. Each group is
responsible for allocating the required roles and producing material for the school magazine.
2- Treat the whole class as a group capable of producing material. You collect articles,
whenever it's appropriate and take on the responsibility of selecting material for inclusion or
display'.
3- Create a committee of students from the class to act as an editorial board. The rest of the
class act as contributors, ie, they all submit material to the committee. The committee decides
on what is suitable for inclusion or display.
Project work is very motivating because :
a) It is very personal - The students are writing about ,themselves, their lives, their town, their
dreams and fantasies, their own research into topics that interest them.“ (Hutchinson 1991, p.
11). He continues that because the project is very personal experience for the students, its
meaning and presentation are very important for them and that is why they put a lot of effort
into doing it right,
b) The students are (learning through doing) (Hutchinson 1991, p. 11) – they are not just
receiving and producing words, they are also collecting information, drawing pictures, cutting
out pictures, arranging texts, colouring, carring out interviewing and surveys .
:Some ideas for project work in the language classroom
. Design Comic Strip -1
.Favourite Object -2
Create Poster or a leaflet -3
4- Design Application .
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