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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Abstract …………………………………………………………………. 02
Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 02
Part One: Review of Literature
1.1 Project -Based Learning: Concept Defining ……………………. 03
1.2 Benefits of Project -Based Learning ………………………….… 04
1.3 The Process of Project -Based Learning …………………….… 05
Part Two: Pedagogical Implications and Applications
2.1 Introduction ………………………………………………… 08
2.2 Project -Based Learning: A Set of Implications for the Supervisor..08
2.3 Project -Based Learning: A Set of Implications for the Teacher ….10
2.4 Implementing Project -Based Learning in Moroccan EFL classes:
Second Year Baccalaureate as a model ………………………
2.4.1 Scenarization of the project components …………………….12
2.4.2 Using Project Work in Second Year Baccalaureate Classes… 14
Conclusion ……………………………………………………....…15
References ………………………………………………………….…..….16
Appendix: Sample Projects for EFL classes …………………….…....…17
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Abstract
This article focuses on how English language teachers can capitalize on the
content and language learning benefits of Project Work in the Moroccan EFL
classes. To explore the topic, we examine the characteristics of Project Work
through defining the concept, outline the features that maximize the potential
benefits of Project Work, and present a simplified procedure to carry out Project
Work activities. The second part deals with implications and recommendations
for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) supervisors and teachers to integrate
Project Work into their own practice. We conclude with practical implications to
implement Project Work in Moroccan EFL classes taking second year
Baccalaureate as a model.
Introduction
In traditional classes, learners have been asked to demonstrate their knowledge
through writing papers or taking tests. In Project Based Learning, there has been
a shift to other sorts of tasks learners can perform to show their understanding.
These may include construction of physical objects, presentations, computer
programs, Web sites, videos, and other forms. There has also been a focus on the
process of preparing and performing these tasks, because it is in doing things
that learners construct their initial understandings. "Doing projects" is a long-
standing tradition in education (Grant, 2002). For over 100 years, educators have
reported on the benefits of experiential, hands-on, student-directed learning. A
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lot of research has been done about the benefits, the procedures and the
implementation of PBL in education.
Part One: Review of Literature
1.1. Project-Based Learning: Concept Defining
Boss and Krauss (2007) define Project-Based Learning as an activity in which
students “ investigate open-ended questions and apply their knowledge to
produce authentic products. Projects typically allow for student choice, setting
the stage for active learning and teamwork.”(p12)
Project-Based Learning is a comprehensive instructional approach to engage
students in cooperative investigation. Students' abilities to acquire new
understanding are enhanced when they are "connected to meaningful problem-
solving activities, and when students are helped to understand why, when, and
how those facts and skills are relevant." (Bransford, Brown, & Conking, 2000,
p. 23).
Project- Based Learning is becoming one of the more effective and more
popular methods of instruction .Thomas (2000) explains that Project-Based
learning requires “complex tasks, based on challenging questions or problems,
that involve students in design, problem-solving, decision making, or
investigative activities; give students the opportunity to work relatively
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autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminate in realistic products
or presentations.” ( p1)
According to the Buck Institute for Education (BIE), Project-Based Learning is
“a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and
skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic
questions and carefully designed products and tasks.” Retrieved from
http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook_introduction/#history. Bu
ck Institute for Education. Date Accessed: 12 December 2012.
Based on the above definitions, we deduce that although PBL is popular as an
approach, it lacks a universally accepted model or theory and one can find in
literature a diversity of defining features. In language teaching, and on the basis
of the most common defining features, we can define Project Based Learning as
a systematic and effective way of teaching which engages EFL learners in real
tasks to come up with their own products in any of the language skills.
1.2 Benefits of Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning first appeared in the field of business and industry.
Later on, it was adopted in vocational training and then in education in general.
As an approach, it has demonstrated its effectiveness and efficiency in many
ways. From an educational point of view, Project-Based learning:
Is learner centered and intrinsically motivating.
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Encourages collaboration and cooperative learning.
Requires students to produce a product, presentation, or performance.
Allows students to make continuous improvement.
Is interdisciplinary and can be used in different subject areas.
Is long-term (can cover more than a couple of class days).
Has an impact on life skills like self-management, group process, time
management, organizational and problem-solving skills.
Makes use of the technological tools.
Helps students develop confidence and self-direction
It focuses on concrete, hands-on experiences and learning by doing.
It allows students to investigate real- world issues and practices.
In Language learning, PBL is a useful way to integrate the four skills.
It meets the needs of learners with varying skill levels and learning
styles.
It helps learners to make choices or decisions.
Is challenging; focusing on higher-order skills.
1.3. The Process of Project-Based Learning
There are different models of the instructional sequence or procedure in Project-
Based Learning. Some of them are complex and detailed; others are simplified
and easier to implement.
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Andi Stix and Frank Hrbek (2006) suggest the following model to the
implementation of a project in class:
1. The teacher-coach sets the stage for students with real-life samples of the
projects they will be doing.
2. Students take on the role of project designers, possibly establishing a forum
for display or competition.
3. Students discuss and accumulate the background information needed for
their designs.
4. The teacher-coach and students negotiate the criteria for evaluating the
projects.
5. Students accumulate the materials necessary for the project.
6. Students create their projects.
7. Students prepare to present their projects.
8. Students present their projects.
9. Students reflect on the process and evaluate the projects based on the criteria
established in Step 4.
The Nine Steps of Project-Based Learning Model: Andi Stix and Frank Hrbek,
Teachers as Classroom Coaches, 2006.
Another model is suggested by professional development organizers at the Buck
Institute for Education (BIE) using the following five principles or stages:
1. Begin with the end in mind and plan for this end result.
2. Craft the driving question; select and refine a central question.
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3. Plan the assessment and define outcomes and assessment criteria.
4. Map the project: Decide how to structure the project.
5. Manage the process: Find tools and strategies for successful projects.
This model can be presented in the following diagram:
Figure1: Project Design Procedure: This model is based on the Project Based
Learning Handbook (2007) developed by the Buck Institute for Education:
http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook/
In spite of the variety of models, most projects share some common features.
The basic phases found in most projects include selecting a topic, making plans,
researching, developing products, and sharing results with others.
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Part two: Pedagogical Implications and Applications
2.1 Introduction
The implementation of Project- Based Learning differs greatly from one
instructional setting to another. In some settings, simple, non-elaborated tasks,
used in a single class session, are labeled as projects. In other settings, more
elaborate sets of tasks over an entire instructional unit are used as projects. In
settings like these, the benefits of project work are maximized because students
are actively engaged in information gathering, processing, and reporting over a
period of time. Using Project -Based Learning effectively as a supplementary
instructional component in Moroccan EFL classes can be of great benefits to the
learners. It can promote effective language learning in a context where learners
have very little exposure to the target language .Therefore, encouraging Project -
Based Learning should be a shared responsibility between the supervisor, the
teacher and the syllabus.
2.2 PBL: A Set of Pedagogical Implications for the Supervisor
Projects that are structured to maximize language, content, and real-life skill
learning require a combination of the supervisor’s guidance, feedback and
engagement. This responsibility triggers a set of pedagogical implications for
the EFL supervisor at both levels of knowledge: declarative and procedural.
Some of these can be stated as follows:
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Supervisors need to be knowledgeable about the underlying principles, the
benefits and the instructional procedures of PBL.
To foster the culture of Project -Based Learning, supervisors should adopt
a Project- Based Approach to in-service training sessions they carry out
with teachers. Instead of dealing with topics and themes as isolated items,
the supervisor should resort to a systematic way of training teachers based
on a project with a clear, effective, feasible, and collaborative action plan.
Supervisors need to support teachers and train them in using PBL. This
can be done through workshops, presentations, and demo-lessons tackling
practical and feasible issues that can be implemented in classroom
projects.
Supervisors need to adopt a systematic way of taking into consideration
and tracking students’ projects in EFL classes through project portfolios
kept by the teacher.
Supervisors need to recognize successful and distinguished projects
through sharing those experiences at the level of their pedagogical areas.
Supervisors need to encourage the publication of students’ projects either
in local or provincial newsletters, school website or blogs.
Supervisors may also think of building an item bank of students’ projects
that can be used as a reference for teachers.
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2.3 PBL: A Set of Suggestions for the Teacher
Project-based learning functions as a bridge between using English in class and
using English in real life situations outside the classroom, which seems to be
challenging for the Moroccan EFL learners. Therefore, Project-based learning is
only possible and effective in classrooms where teachers support students by
giving sufficient guidance and feedback. The teacher must clearly explain all
tasks that are to be completed, provide detailed directions for how to develop the
project, and circulate within the classroom in order to answer questions and
encourage learner motivation. In order to create effective project-based learning
activities, the teacher needs to:
Set explicit learning goals and objectives for the project.
Identify the targeted language skills in the project.
Consider the content and purpose of the project.
Help in deciding about the form of the final project.
Consider the resources available and how to use them.
Help in grouping the students depending on the nature of the projects and
of the class.
Act as a coach, facilitator to help students with their tasks and tools, to
explain difficult concepts and procedures, etc.
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Act as manager to make sure that the learners produce something related
to the task, that they get engaged in meta-reflection (look critically at their
own work) and that they discuss and share with others.
Act as a resource for the learners as they work through their problems and
find solutions.
Monitor learners so that their goals and processes are appropriate.
Act as a counselor if learners have difficulties in working in teams.
Help the learners to establish a timeline and intermediate deadlines before
submitting their projects.
Identify Generic Skills (communication, collaboration, creativity, whether
multimedia should be used, and how the teams should function).
Consider the Values & Attitudes ( responsibility, open- mindedness … )
Provide help in the planning stage.
Create, together with learners, rubrics for assessment upfront, so that the
learners know what is expected of them. These rubrics facilitate self-
evaluation, peer evaluation, evaluation by the teacher, and by experts.
Set up enough time for learners to present their projects.
Provide feedback and encourage students to reconsider their projects.
Celebrate success and encourage distinguished projects.
Document learners’ projects through portfolios.
Share successful experiences with colleagues in the same school.
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2.4 Implementing PBL in Moroccan EFL classes: Second Year
Baccalaureate as a model
2.4.1 Scenarization of the project components
In Project-based learning effectiveness is not guaranteed if the teacher simply
asks students to do projects, to engage in writing activities, to learn together or
at least to share each other's ideas. Because of linguistic difficulties in the
Moroccan context, we assume that the risk is quite high that learners find it
difficult to start, come up with low quality products or are otherwise
unproductive. Therefore, some researchers suggest creating semi-structured
pedagogical scenarios that define an orchestrated sequence of learning activities
as a preparation for the project. This is what Dillenbourg, Schneider and
Synteta, (2002) call the scenarization of the project components . For each
phase of the project, the scenario specifies the tasks that students have to
perform, the composition of the group, the way that the task is distributed within
and among the groups, the mode of interaction and the timing of phase.
However, this does not mean that these are merely instructions that the learners
have to follow. In other words, when designing and executing pedagogical
scenarios, the teacher has to establish equilibrium between the freedom left to
students that is necessary for project work and motivation on one hand, and
certain guiding principles on the other hand.
To simplify the implementation of Project-Based Learning in Moroccan EFL
classes, we suggest the following table:
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Project Phase Things to be done Teachers’ role Students’ role
1. Deciding on the
topic, organizing
the groups
- Students explore the
resources in order to
create a frame for the
project.
- Students create
groups
- help students frame
the topic
- Facilitate grouping
- create interesting
questions and
categorise the
problems.
- create project
groups.
2. Deciding on the
final product
- each group decide on
the project product:
presentation, brochure,
film, debate...
- provide assistance
- discuss choices
- discuss and make
decisions about final
products
3. Mapping the
project and the
process
Group members make
a project plan
including: timescale,
tasks, responsibilities,
resources, risks, scope,
stages, participants ...
Help to formulate the
students’ projects:
hold meetings,
provide necessary
materials and
equipment.
Plan the project,
select the roles and
define the contents,
tasks, timing, scope...
4. Searching and
gathering project
information
Group members search
and collect data: books,
Internet, surveys ...
- help with resources
and materials
- search and gather
information for the
project
5. Crafting the
project
Group members
analyse and organise
data and craft the final
product
- help with
organization and give
feedback
Organize, synthesise
and summarize the
findings and craft the
final product
6. Presenting the
project
Presenting the project
in class, school or
elsewhere
- coordinate students’
presentations.
- help with logistics
Students present their
projects
7. Feedback and
revision
Group members get,
discuss and share
feedback; and revise
the project for
improvement and
publication
- Provide and discuss
feedback
- share and publish
the project
-Discuss and reflect
on feedback
- Revise the project
for improvement
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2.4.2 Implementing PBL in Second Year Baccalaureate Classes
Project-Based Learning in the Moroccan EFL classes refers mainly to the micro
activities (lasting only over a single or a few lessons) which can be used to
complement traditional instruction as it is done through the textbooks. These are
often the only realistic alternatives in today's organization of the Moroccan EFL
classes and the school system.
In the Moroccan EFL syllabus, Second Year Baccalaureate students are
supposed to work on a project after every two units. However, most students
find it difficult to understand and carry out the suggested activities effectively.
To simplify the task for teachers and to encourage students to do PBL at earlier
stages, we suggest the following activities:
Theme / Topic Suggested Product
Family / Personal relations Family Tree
School / Education Interview : School Facilities and Activities
Food and Drink Cookbook : Moroccan Traditional dishes
Hobbies / Recreation Photo Story: Memories from your holiday
Shopping and Shops Catalogue: shopping places in your town
Health and Welfare Healthy Menu: preparing a restaurant menu
Transportation Electronic Picture Dictionary
The Arts Poster about Favorite Artist
Science and Technology PowerPoint Presentation: Electronic Devices
Nature / Ecology Class Wall Magazine: My Pet
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At later stages, and when students get acquainted with PBL, we can move to
more challenging tasks. We suggest the following activities:
Theme / Topic Suggested Product
Cultural Issues Portfolio: Aspects of Moroccan Culture
Media Debate: Role of Media ( TV, Internet ….)
Women and Power Web Quest : Distinguished Women
Citizenship Brochure: consciousness raising campaign
Gifts of Youth World Club E-Magazine: Successful Young People
International Organizations Flyer / Leaflet: an international Organization
Society and Social Problems Public Speech: one of the social problems
Sustainable Development Oral Presentation: development problems in Morocco
Science and Technology My Ad: advertisement about an electronic device
Environment/ Ecology PowerPoint Presentation: Endangered Animals
Conclusion
Project- Based Learning allows students to reflect explore their own ideas and
opinions, exercise voice and choice, and make decisions that affect project
outcomes and the learning process in general. However, its implementation calls
for strong school support, and a collaborative culture between supervisors,
teachers and students. Teachers can use the key ideas underlying Project-based
learning in some measure in any classroom. Using real-life problems to motivate
students, challenging them to think deeply about meaningful content, and
enabling them to work collaboratively are practices that yield benefits for all
students.
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References
Bibliography:
Andi Stix and Frank Hrbek (2006), Teachers as Classroom Coaches.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, USA.
McGrath, Diane (2003). Artifacts and Understanding. Learning &
Leading with Technology, February 2003. Vol. 30, No. 5
Solomon, Gwen (2003). Project-Based Learning: a Primer. Technology
and Learning, January 2003. Vol. 23. No. 6.
Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss (2007). Reinventing Project –Based
Learning. International Society for Technology in Education
Bulent Alan and Fredricka L. Stoller (2005).Maximizing the Benefits of
Project Work in Foreign Language Classrooms. English Teaching
Forum.Vol 43.No 4 . 2005
J.Roodney Turner(2009) .The Handbook of Project-Based Management.
The McGraw Hill
Thomas, J. (2000). A Review of the Research on Project-Based Learning.
The Autodesk Foundation.
Webliography:
http://www.ascd.org/ ASCD (the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development)
http://www.bie.org/ BIE (the Buck Institute for Education)
www.edutopia.org (The George Lucas Educational Foundation Web site)
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6. The International Restaurant
Restaurant nameBlack Cape Café OwnersPaula, Margarida, Filipa, Joana
Inside: In our “Black Cape Café” there are black chairs and white tables. The walls are black and there are electric focuses on the walls. There is a big kitchen. It’s a big space and good atmosphere.
Outside: There is an esplanade behind the café. In the esplanade there are white chairs and black tables. There are some white and black parasols and some plants. “Come to Black Cape! It’s sweet escape! “
The International Restaurant Boulevard
7. My Super Hero
Her name is Fantomasia. She is 30 years old. She can become invisible, fly and run fast. She can't cook, climb or garden. She has got brown hair and blue eyes and little ears. She is tall, slim and beautiful. She likes animalsShe hates water.
Fantomasia
My Super Hero
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8. What a Menu!
What a Menu !
9. My Fable
The Mouse and the Lion
Once a lion trapped a mouse under its large paw. The mouse pleaded for its life, so the lion let it go. Later the lion became tangled in a hunter’s net and roared in distress. The mouse rushed to help. “You’re too small to help,” said the lion. But the mouse nibbled at the net until the lion was free.
My Fable
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