Making full use of the application of project based learning in teaching unit 9, English text book 11, education publishing house THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HOANG HOA 4 HIGH SCHOOL[.]
THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HOANG HOA HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENTAL INITIATIVE MAKING FULL USE OF THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN TEACHING UNIT 9, ENGLISH TEXT BOOK 11, EDUCATION PUBLISHING HOUSE Author: Dang Thi Hoai Thu Position: Teacher Subject: English THANH HOA, 2018 SangKienKinhNghiem.net TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page I- INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Objects of the study Methods of the study II- CONTENTS OF THE STUDY Theoretical background Practical background Applying PBL in teaching unit Results of applying method 15 III- CONCLUSION 18 Reference books Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix SangKienKinhNghiem.net I- INTRODUCTION Rationale Today the demand for English to study, research, work and live in the domestic and international conditions is increasing in both quantity and quality Especially, in the context of rapid and deep integration as today, the need becomes even more urgent for not only individuals but also the whole nation The needs of teaching and learning foreign languages require a comprehensive change in all levels of education, disciplines, materials, facilities, methods and motivational attitudes of all participants in the process of teaching and learning foreign languages, in English Facing such demands, the Ministry of Education and Training has implemented the project of foreign language 2020 according to Decision No 1400 / QĐTTg (Decision of Prime Minister) dated 30 September 2008 The project has set the overall goal of "comprehensive reform of teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system" By 2020 most Vietnamese young people will be able to use their competence of foreign language confidently in communication, learning to work in an environment of integration, multi-lingual, multicultural; Foreign languages become the strength of Vietnamese people, serving the industrialization and modernization of the country." To achieve that goal, the Ministry of Education has implemented a number of specific measures, including changing textbooks as one of the solutions to help teaching and learning foreign languages have many positive changes The new English book 11 is one of the pilot materials in some high schools nationwide In the book, the difference from the old one is the Project section at the end of each unit To better understand the methodology of project-based teaching, as well as to maximize the effects it brings, I forcefully chose and applied Project based learning (PBL) in teaching many units in English textbook, Education Publishing House, with the aim of enabling my students to “experience what SangKienKinhNghiem.net they are learning about and the opportunity to relect on those activities” (Silberman, 2007:8), since “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through transformation of experience” (Kolb, 1984) In what follows I shall concentrate on “Making full use of the application of PBL in teaching speaking skill in unit 9, English textbook 11, Education Publishing House”, but many of the points apply to other languages, too Aims of the study This paper endeavors to demonstrate the value of PBL in ELT in general and English teaching in particular Therefore, my theme focuses on making clear about some issues below: - What is PBL? - Why is PBL? - How is PBL applied? Objects of the study This study was conducted in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam It has 3,496,000 inhabitants (GSOV, 2014) In this province, the predominant native language is Vietnamese However, English is currently the most used language in the world (Michel, 2014) in different fields such as science, technology and education This is the reason why there are many bilingual schools and schools that teach ESL in Thanh Hoa province Here, there are a total of 798 high schools: 89.6 % public schools and 10.4 % private schools (GSOV, 2012) This study was carried out at a public high school that teaches ESL: Hoang Hoa high school, Thanh Hoa province The participants were 11th grade students In total, 100 students took part in this study, all of them have fulfilled English text book 10 in the previous school year Methods of the study My study is conducted by qualitative methods in order to collect a number of information, compare, and then, analyse data By using the SangKienKinhNghiem.net combination of these methods, my theme will make clear the questions in this topic, and reach effectively the targets of the essay II- CONTENTS OF THE STUDY Theoretical background According to Wikipedia, Project-based learning (PBL) is a studentcentered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems.[1] Students learn about a subject by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, challenge, or problem.[2] It is a style of active learning and inquiry-based learning The experience of thousands of teachers across all grade levels and subject areas, backed by research, confirms that PBL is an effective and enjoyable way to learn - and develop deeper learning competencies required for success in college, career, and civic life Why are so many educators around the world interested in this teaching method? The answer is a combination of timeless reasons and recent developments PBL makes school more engaging for students Today’s students, more than ever, often find school to be boring and meaningless In PBL, students are active, not passive; a project engages their hearts and minds, and provides real-world relevance for learning PBL improves learning After completing a project, students understand content more deeply, remember what they learn and retain it longer than is often the case with traditional instruction Because of this, students who gain content knowledge with PBL are better able to apply what they know and can to new situations PBL builds success skills for college, career, and life In the 21st century workplace and in college, success requires more than basic knowledge and SangKienKinhNghiem.net skills In a project, students learn how to take initiative and responsibility, build their confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage themselves more effectively PBL helps address standards The Common Core and other present-day standards emphasize real-world application of knowledge and skills, and the development of success skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, communication in a variety of media, and speaking and presentation skills PBL is an effective way to meet these goals PBL provides opportunities for students to use technology Students are familiar with and enjoy using a variety of tech tools that are a perfect fit with PBL With technology, teachers and students can not only find resources and information and create products, but also collaborate more effectively, and connect with experts, partners, and audiences around the world PBL makes teaching more enjoyable and rewarding Projects allow teachers to work more closely with active, engaged students doing highquality, meaningful work, and in many cases to rediscover the joy of learning alongside their students PBL connects students and schools with communities and the real world Projects provide students with empowering opportunities to make a difference, by solving real problems and addressing real issues Students learn how to interact with adults and organizations, are exposed to workplaces and adult jobs, and can develop career interests Parents and community members can be involved in projects Practical background It is a matter of fact that TIENG ANH 11 is the second of a three-level English language set of textbooks for the Vietnamese upper secondary school It follows the systematic, cyclinical and the theme-based curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education and Training on the 23rd November 2012 The aim of SangKienKinhNghiem.net this set of textbooks is to develop students’listening, speaking, reading and writing skill with a focus on communicative competence so that when finishing upper secondary school, they will have achieved level three of the Foregn Language Proficiency Framework for Viet Nam (Equivalent to B1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) GETTING STARTED contains a menu listing and the skills taught in the unit, a conversation introducing the overall topic of the unit, some topic-related vocabulary and the main grammar points, a number of activities to check’s students’ comprehension and provide practice of the teaching points in this section LANGUAGE includes Vocabulary, Pronunciation as well as Grammar Vocabulary give in- depth practice of the words and phrases presented in GETTING STARTED and additional vocabulary for use later in the unit Pronunciation include aspects of pronunciation that can be problematic to Vietnamese students such as sound clusters, weak form, stress patterns and intonation Grammar introduce and practice the main grammar points in focus They are presented in meaningful contexts and follow the thre- stage approach to language teaching SKILLS includes Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing Reading contain a topic- related reading text developed to suit students’ interest and age The vocabulary and grammar points learnt in the previous sections are recycled in the reading text The text also provide an imput of language and ideas for students to use in the Speaking, Listening and Writing sub- sections that follow Speaking includes three or four activities which are designed and sequenced in a way that ensures an uninterrupt link between them Listening consists of four or five activities which aim to develop listening skills such as listening for general ideas and/ or litening for specific tinformation Writing guide students through the writing process and focus on the specific text types rewuired by the syllabus SangKienKinhNghiem.net COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE includes sub - sections Communication provide language consolidation and free practice of intergrated skills This section recycles what students have learnt in the previous sections and introduces extra vocabulary for extension The activities are less controlled Students are encouraged to express their ideas and opinions freely Culture providing information about the ASEAN countries and English speaking countries around the world connected to the cultural aspects of the unit topic It helps students to broaden their knowledge of the world cultures as well as deepen that of their own Vietnamese culture LOOKING BACK offers revision and consolidation of the language learnt in the unit PROJECT is aimed at providing students with an opportunity to apply the language and skills they have learnt throughout the unit to perform a task in real – life situation Students are aked to survey or carry our research to get information about their friends, their neighbourhood or to broaden their knowledge about the real world The project activities often involve teamwork which develops team spirit Much of the work for the Project can be done outside of class, at home or during break time It goes without saying that many teachers have been trying hard to find suitable teaching methods and, to a certain extent, these methods can fulfil the aim of helping students understand and know thoroughly the contents of the lessons Nonetheless, how will the class be if these methods are applied in all the lessons? Will the students find it interesting to learn whereas they can find the exact answers for the tasks in many reference books? Will the completing tasks in the text book help students learn how to take initiative and responsibility, build their confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage themselves more effectively? Will the students have chance to build important skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication in a variety of media, and speaking as well as SangKienKinhNghiem.net presentation skill? More important, will the students be connected with comunities and the real world while studying in textbook only? PBL bearing many good points as mentioned above can bring to a new change in teaching process I therefore forcedly implemented PBL in teaching many units, of which Unit 9, English text book 11, Education Publishing House brought my students as well as my teaching much joyful experience and core value Applying PBL in teaching Unit 9, English text book 11, Education Publishing House The process of PBL can be varied, depending on the real situation in terms of students’ ability and the content of each unit By my experience in learning and teaching English, instead of teaching lessons in each units; that means teaching Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing skills and language focus in turns traditionally, I have forcefully and successfully applied PBL in teaching unit 9, English text book 11, Education Publishing House in the following stages English 11, Unit 9: CITIES OF THE FUTURE, P 57 (Volume 2) Project: CITIES OF THE FUTURE Work in groups of four to six Discuss and decide on your own ideal city of the future You can expand the ideas you braned stormed in the COMMUNICATION section Include the following points: - The city’s name - Geographical features: location, area, population, weather conditions - Infrastructure: means of transport, environmental conditions, energy souces, treatment of waster - People’s life and work: education, health care, working hours Take notes of your group’s ideas and think about how to organize them Then design a poster to promote your ideal city Add some pictures to illustrate it Introduce your poster to the class Present the features of your city and explain what makes it the most liveable city in the world Time: days SangKienKinhNghiem.net 3.1 Stage 1: Discovering real situation related to the content of the lesson Many students find schoolwork meaningless because they not perceive “a need to know” what they are being taught They are unmotivated when told they will need it later in life or simply because “it’s going to be on the test” With a compelling student project, the reason for learning relevant material becomes clear: I need to know this to meet the challenge I have accepted In this stage, as a classroom teacher, I could powerfully activate my students’ need to know content by launching a unit in a way that engages interest and inititates questioning This could take the form of a lively discussion Also, in this stage, I gave out many driving questions to my students Good driving questions capture the heart of the project in clear, compelling language, giving students a sense of purpose and challenge The question should be provocative, open-ended, complex, and linked to the core value of what you want students to learn It could be abstract (What are features of a liveable city?/ to what extent you think a liveable city should be?); concrete (Is the city you are living in a liveable one?); or focused on solving a problem (How can we change the attitude of the people to make a liveable city?) 3.2 Stage 2: Negotiating the Criteria for Evaluation I and my students decided that the projects should be assessed by fullfiling the questions in rubrics including self assessment rubric, peer assessment rubric and teacher assessment rubric (See Appendix 6) and checklist (See Appendix 4) Once the criteria were clearly defined, the students realized that they might have to be modified in the future 3.3 Stage 3: Deploying projects - Dividing groups SangKienKinhNghiem.net In the first place, I divided my class in to groups of six, and appointed the leader of each group (Students worked in groups of 6) - Assigning tasks The group’s leaders assigned the task for each members In terms of making a project feel more meaningful to students, the more voice and choice, the better The leaders should assign the tasks depending on each member’s ability On one end of the scale, groups’ members should also discuss on how to design, create, and present products In the middle, I might provide a limited menu of options for creative products to prevent students from becoming overwhemed by choices On the other end of the scale, students could decide what products they will creat, what resources they will use, and how they will structure their time Students could even choose a project’s topic and driving questions Basing on the topic in units 9, Cities of the future, my students chose posters to be their final products During this stage, students in each group use the check list (See Appendix 4) and Project team work plan (See Appendix 1) and Assessment for group work skill (See Appendix 5) to check the work and the duty of each member SangKienKinhNghiem.net (Groups’ leader distributed work to members) 3.4 Stage 4: Conducting the project A project should give students opportunities to build such 21st century skills as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology, which will serve them well in the workplace and life This exposure to authentic skills meets the second criterion for meaningful work—an important purpose A teacher in a project-based learning environment explicitly teaches and assesses these skills and provides frequent opportunities for students to assess themselves Being given the Guidelines for poster layout (See Appendix 3), the students in each group worked on preliminary sketches until they decided on a final design Besides, students gathered information from many resourses such as websites, newspapers and their real lives They then compiled imformation, deciding on what pictures and information to paste on the posters Finally, they decided on how and where to put information and pictures on the posters During this stage, Check list for poster (See Appendix 4) was also used to check the tasks of all the members SangKienKinhNghiem.net 10 (Students gathered and compiled information and pictures) (Students drew their poster) During this stage, I served as coach, moving from group to group to guide the students' work As I did so, I asked myself the following coaching questions: SangKienKinhNghiem.net 11 Do the students have a clear understanding of the task? Does each student have ownership of her role within the group? Are the students attentive and working together cooperatively? Are the resources that students use geared to their comprehensive level of understanding? Are any groups stumbling in a way that is blocking their work due to heightened emotions? My role as coach obtained a clarity of purpose throughout this process Prompted by the coaching questions and the checklist, the students used their own intellects to solve problems while attaining a higher level of learning 3.5 Stage 5: Presenting the project In this stage, students became aware of the ways their presentations meet the criteria of assessment The teacher-coach using Teacher’s assessment (See Appendix 6), observed how engaged they were in presenting their projects Each group in my class showcased its poster to the class, explaining how the product was achieved as well as presenting the content, the core value of the project Not one student was absent on the day of the competition “HAPPY CITY” (Group 1‘s presentation) SangKienKinhNghiem.net 12 “SFELCITY”(Group 2‘s poster and presentation) “SINGAPORE CITY” (Group 3‘s poster) “PARADISE CITY” (Group 4‘s poster) SangKienKinhNghiem.net 13 “DREAM CITY” (Group 5’s poster) “SMART CITY” (Group 6’s poster) “NATURE CITY” (Group 7’s poster) SangKienKinhNghiem.net 14 3.6 Stage 6: Reflecting on the Process and Evaluating the Process In this simulation, the students discussed what they enjoyed about working in their groups, and how one student's idea would spawn another student's idea They discussed what they liked about the materials and what they found to be frustrating Students shared their reflections to note what they had in common and what was special to each group or to each individual personally They reviewed the criteria of assessment and discussed how well they met them The teacher assessed students’ posters basing on the criteria discussed before I used my assessment rubric (see Appendix 6), combining with students’ self assessment rubric and peer assessment rubric (see Appendix ans 6), to evaluate student’s work, gave them comments as well as compliments (Students assessed peer’s work) (Teacher evaluated, commented, and gave marks) Results of applying PBL in teaching unit 9, English text book 11, Education publishing house In order to assess the effectiveness of applying this method to teaching unit 9, I have compared my work within many classes (11 A1, 11A7, 11 A3, 11A10 school year 2017-2018) SangKienKinhNghiem.net 15 At the beginning of the school- year, before I apply PBL approachin teaching, I tested attitude of 100 students from classes: 11 A1, 11A7, 11 A3, 11A10 (in which there were many good students in 11A1 and 11A10) The statistics was shown as follows: Before the application of PBL Number of students Percentage 40 40 % 11 11 % 20 20 % 5% 10 10 % makes school more engaging for students improves learning provides opportunities for students to use technology connects students and schools with communities and the real world helps address standards (skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, communication in a variety of media, and speaking and presentation skills After a year of applying PBL, the result is better: After the application of PBL Number of Percentage students makes school more engaging for students improves learning provides opportunities for students to use technology connects students and schools with communities and the real world helps address standards (skills Compared with a year ago 95 95 % increase 55 % 83 83 % increase 72 % 65 65 % increase 45 % 90 90 % 95 95 % SangKienKinhNghiem.net ncrease 85 % 16 such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, increase 85 % communication in a variety of media, and speaking and presentation skills he result means that the implementation and solutions used in the school year 2017-2018 have brought good effect on students’ learning attitude Before using this method, most of my students could traditionally complete all the tasks in the text book, with the help of their teacher However, they easily forgot the vocabularies, the topic as well as the contents of the unit To a certain extent, after each lesson, students seemed to know the floating part in an “ice berg”, not really understand the deeply sinked part in the unit, in other words, it is the core value of the lesson (class without appying PBL ) It is a matter of fact that when applying applying PBL in teaching in general and teaching unit in particular, my students enjoyed working together to creat their groups’ outcomes, they seemed to be very eager for each unit SangKienKinhNghiem.net 17 because they like dealing new challenges Here, I enclosed video clips recording my students’ presentation.( Please, watch video source in the CD enclosed) (Class with PBL application) Here, I felt the sense that schoolwork is more meaningful when it is not done only for the teacher or the test When students presented their work to real audience, they cared more about its quality Once again, it is the more, the better when it comes to authenticity and even more important than any other things, all the students could find out the core value of their projects; that is: “To make a city liveable and sustainable, it is our responsibility” Additionally, all the students in my class also had the chance to express their wish in the name of the cities such as: “SPEL CITY” (Group 2); “SINGAPORE CITY” (Group 3); “HAPPY CITY” (Group 4); “PARADISE CITY” (Group 1); “DREAM CITY’ (Group 5); “SMART CITY” (Group 6); “NATURE CITY” (Group 7) III- CONCLUSION Conclusion Teaching method is a product connecting theory and practice in order to help students acquire knowledge, practice their skills and solve the problems Changing teaching method, according to me, firstly is changing the phylosophy of teaching By the end of the lesson, students can find out the core value of the problem and apply them in to their real life Besides, changes is also shown as SangKienKinhNghiem.net 18 ... understand the methodology of project- based teaching, as well as to maximize the effects it brings, I forcefully chose and applied Project based learning (PBL) in teaching many units in English textbook,... forcefully and successfully applied PBL in teaching unit 9, English text book 11, Education Publishing House in the following stages English 11, Unit 9: CITIES OF THE FUTURE, P 57 (Volume 2) Project: ... marks) Results of applying PBL in teaching unit 9, English text book 11, Education publishing house In order to assess the effectiveness of applying this method to teaching unit 9, I have compared