Week 12: Project-based Learning and ICTs

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Maximizing the Benefits of Project Work in Foreign Language Classrooms

By: Bülent Alan and Fredricka L . Stoller

This article presented how by including project work teachers achieve language learning. Something I want to remember from this article is that teachers can include project-based learning projects but in order to be maximize the project has to include collaboration, communication and critical thinking. The benefits of project-based learning projects are: engaging, gathering information, motivating and promoting autonomy.  Besides, project-based learning projects can be use during any course, the project work can be create depending of contextual factors, language program objectives, and available resources. In the article the author mentions short examples of project work in agriculture, engineering, physical education, EFL and tourism, during the project works teachers showcased a real-world project. Something I learned from this article and that every teacher should know was that at the end of a project base students has to gather information, develop critical thinking and use the language. My favorite quote from the article was “project work can be more effective when teachers relax their control, when students regard the teacher as a guide, and when students provide feedback on the experience so that projects can be improved” (  Sheppard and Stoller 1995 ) . The article showed that the big success of project works in learning is because it focusses on real word subjects/ topics , collaboration  , language focus and emphasis on the final project.