Week 5 Project Based Learning

Time flies. Unconsciously, we are in the half way of our journey and getting closer and closer to the final project. As always, the week starts with reading articles to provide us with adequate knowledge about the topics of the discussion and tasks. Some of the articles I found interesting are:

1.  http://www.ascd.org/cache/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx (Seven Essential things for PBL)

2.   http://www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=385.html (PBL instruction by Susan Gaer)

3.    http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-getting-started-resources#graph2 (edutopia  about expert opinions of PBL)

4.     Creating A Rubric : Tutorial

This week our discussion is about the PBL (Project Based Learning), one of which goals is to enhance the 21st century skills (collaborative, communicative, critical thinking and technology).  PBL is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this active and engaged learning, students are inspired to get a deeper knowledge of the subjects. Sylvia Chard (University of Alberta) said “The major advantage of PBL is that it makes school more like a real life.”

PBL activities are arranged to fit students with different learning styles to exhibit their acquired knowledge. The projects you want to start should be appropriate to a range of grade levels and subject areas and should have the value for the students, school or community.  A successful PBL in EFL class usually focuses on real-world subject matters, involves student collaborations, accommodates a clear focus on form and other aspects of language, and is process and product oriented. That’s why, it takes a thorough plan which includes the time frame, fund, the roles as well as stages of process and assessment. For the project assessment, Rubric is set with the dimensions (tasks) to be evaluated and the specific criteria to evaluate the tasks. Rubrics help teachers to assess the performances of students, and show students how teachers grade their work. I have created a Rubric for a Reading Comprehension class using “Rubistar”. (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?&screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2508588&)

For the project step this week, I have to propose some technology related tools to resolve the major issues in my EFL class, which is “Students cannot express themselves well.” Google Docs helps students practice writing and teachers respond to the work outside the classroom. Audio Boom aids students to practice speaking through Podcasting, while Blogging lets students write their reflections about what they learn monthly and share it within peers and teacher. These activities outside classroom with the help of technology will motivate students and improve their speaking/listening and writing skills. Hopefully, students will get used to and get confident in expressing themselves in English.