Brie Laura Mihaela Modul pedagogic postuniversitar Nivel 2, an 2 LMA, en-fr

Project work Save the Planet!

I would choose this theme for a project in the English class, because it can be used with students of different levels, since many of the textbooks include a unit related to environment or environmental problems. Depending on the level of students, this project can take different forms. For example, for secondary school it can consist of a poster with pictures showing several environmental problems, and solutions to solve them or advice for improvement. The aims of the project would be to get all students actively involved in classroom activities, even those who do not have very good language skills. They will be motivated by their team to get involved, and make a better poster than the other teams. The competitive spirit always makes them get involved. Even if they only search for pictures or involve in the organization of the poster, they still have contact with the target language and consolidate their knowledge. For this project work, the groups should not exceed 4 persons, because it will be difficult for them to cooperate. The project work would extend on two classes, during the first one, the teacher would explain the task and decide the groups, and pupils would gather material and make their posters, while during the second one, they will present their work. The presentations will be short, they will be asked mainly to state the environmental issues that the world is facing and give one or two solutions, as they have put on their posters. The project work is intended mostly to revise vocabulary related to environment. There will not be too much involvement of the teacher in the work of the group, in order to leave them more freedom and let them develop their creativity. The only thing the teacher has to explain clearly is what the poster should contain (what it should be focused on: problems and solutions), other than that, pupils can organize their work as they wish. For students in high school, however, who have a higher level of knowledge, this project may be a little different, as it would require more research on the topic, the use of visual aids for presentations (Powerpoint), more time, and more responsibility, as they will also be involved in the assessment of the other groups projects. The main aims of this project, in this case, are to practice public speaking, develop vocabulary related to this topic, ability to criticize, defend or analyze and suggest solutions (they can use their creativity to find different ways to solve the same problem), as well as personal skills for presentations (gestures, voice, body position).

Brie Laura Mihaela Modul pedagogic postuniversitar Nivel 2, an 2 LMA, en-fr The duration of the project work would be of three classes. During the first one, the teacher would decide on group size (probably 5 or 6 persons, since the project is more complex than in the case of secondary school pupils). Then the teacher splits the students into groups, based on their performances and level as observed in previous classes, so that in each group there would be different types of students (mixed group). This enables students with lower performances to learn from their peers and the others, to help them. After setting the groups, the teacher explains the task and gives guidance over the methods of investigation and sources. The teacher then will present the rules for the presentation, when they will be given and how long they should be (the time limit). It might also be a good thing to give the students some guidance on how to do a presentation. The teacher must also clearly explain how they will be evaluated: there will be two marks for each group, one given by the other groups (peer assessment), based on the quality of the presentation (organization, ideas), the relevance of the information presented, and one mark given by the teacher, based on the quality and accuracy of the language and vocabulary used in the presentation. The average will be the final mark. Each group will receive feedback and their marks will be explained by the teacher and peers, as it is important that they dont decrease the students self confidence. The assessment should be constructive, being intended to make students improve their skills or fill the gaps in their knowledge or language. Students will be required to work during the second class, but also at home. I think it is a good idea for the teacher to have the opportunity to observe them while working, in case they might need help or suggestions on group organization or on including all students in activities (sometimes, students with low performances tend to be left aside in order not to slow down the work of their team mates, or sometimes one or two students tend to take control and not share work with others). However, there will not be too much guidance during the project, unless necessary, in order give the students freedom and also a sense that it is their work. During the last class, the groups will present their work, each student should say a few words (they can decide who will present what), in order to give everyone the chance to express himself in front of the classroom, as they will be faced with public speaking at some point in their life. During the presentation, the others take notes in case they want to ask questions at the end, or write down comments to explain their mark. The approach of this type of lesson is student-centered. Students are responsible for their own learning and they learn by doing, instead of listening to the teacher. Thus, since learning is 2

Brie Laura Mihaela Modul pedagogic postuniversitar Nivel 2, an 2 LMA, en-fr active, they will remember better. It is also a good way to consolidate knowledge and language learnt during the previous lessons. The general aims of a lesson of this type are to develop students ability to work in groups (team work skills), to develop researching skills, improve language and vocabulary, as well as develop assessment skills which sometimes allows them to self-evaluate (by comparing to the others works).