Воссоздавая ситуацию из реальной жизни, проект представляет собой попытку превратить обычный учебный процесс в мотивирующее волнующее событие, принимая участие в котором учащиеся смогут приобрести разнообразный опыт, направленный на развитие как образовательной, так и социо-культурной компетенций. Идея проекта базируется на так называемом «task based» подходе, который предполагает создание конечного продукта на основе заданной модели.
Проект состоит из трех стадий, две из которых – первая и заключительная – выполняются в классе, в то время как вторая может быть задана в качестве домашнее задания. На первой стадии осуществляется подготовительная работа: изучается модель будущего проекта, отрабатываются лексические единицы. Второй этап посвящен созданию собственно продукта: плаката фитнесс-центра, который студенты и представляют на заключительном уроке. Заключительный урок проходит с использованием современных коммуникативных технологий и дает возможность вовлечь в обсуждение всех учащихся, делая их активными участниками учебного процесса.
Проект также может рассматриваться как эффективное средство оценки, которое можно использовать в качестве альтернативы традиционным тестам.
Using projects in teaching English. “Sport and Healthy Way of Life”.
Purpose
The target of this project is to create a motivating learning environment which would allow learners to practice their both receptive and productive skills and to show their knowledge of grammar and lexis on the topic “Sport and Healthy Way of Life”. The idea of the project can be used for 12 to 18 year old learners as a round up lesson after studying the corresponding topic.
Alternatively, it can be seen as an attempt to work out an effective means of consolidation, assessment and control.
Methodological Approach
The idea of the project is linked to the task based approach which means that the learners are supposed to create a final product following a certain model. A good example of a model can be set by the text about Bluewater Sports and Leisure Centre (Appendix 1, Click On 3, Virginia Evans-Neil O’Sullivan, Express Publishing, 2001) which gives students an opportunity to get a clear picture of what their own work should look like. The final product should look like an A3 format poster of an imaginary Fitness center designed by an individual student or a group of students. (Appendix 6)
Topic
The topic chosen for the project is highly motivating for students since most teenagers are keen on sports and keeping fit. Besides, most teenagers are familiar with the topic: everyone has been to a fitness center and knows what it is like so it isn’t an abstract idea but a real life project. Creating one’s own fitness centre means emotional involvement which is essential for effective learning.
The topic can be seen as a favorable one from the point of view of developing social-cultural competence. The idea of keeping fit is closely linked to the idea of healthy way of life and the discussion of the necessity of different sports activities as a means of taking good care of the body. Besides, the end of the lesson is designed like a real life situation where students get a chance to practice their speaking skills trying to join a sports centre, something that they may have to do if they live in an English-speaking country.
Stages
The project consists of three stages, two of which – the first and the third ones - are соmpleted in class, whereas the second one is assigned as homework. The first stage can be regarded as a preparatory stage. At that stage the students are given a text as a model for their future work. (Appendix 1, Click On 3, Virginia Evans-Neil O’Sullivan, Express Publishing, 2001) The use of the text as a starting point for the work has a lot of advantages. Firstly, the children get exposed to a well-structured sample of a written text on the topic. In the process of the text analysis students have some practice commenting on the contents of the text, looking into the logical links between parts of it. Secondly, the text can be used both as a source of ideas for their future projects and as a context for introducing the relevant lexical items. In terms of the ideas, the students can use the prompts from the text concerning the contents of their posters: what facilities to include into their center, how to present the material so that it looks attractive from the point of view of a customer. As for the lexis, in the process of discussing the text the students are encouraged to choose the most useful lexical items which would allow them to cover the most essential issues of their work. Also, some exercises can be done in order to practice some specific phrases (Appendix 2, Click On 3, Virginia Evans-Neil O’Sullivan, Express Publishing, 2001).
At the second stage the students prepare a poster of their own sports center. This can assigned as either an individual task or a group one depending on the preferences of the students and the way the teacher sees it best. If a group option is chosen, the members of the group will have to reach an agreement on a joint vision of the centre and then take different responsibilities while carrying it out. The most important idea is to create a colourful, eye-catching poster supported with an exciting description (Appendix 6)
The third stage is a lesson which is devoted to the presentation of the project (Appendix 4). It takes place in class and it combines in itself both monologues which are devoted to each poster and group discussions when all students will have a chance to express their own points of view, give arguments in their favour, agree and disagree with the opinion of their classmates, in other words, practice all the corresponding communicative skills. The participation in the lesson can be viewed as an alternative means of assessment, since the teacher has a chance to observe and assess each student’s performance in a variety of situations where each student demonstrates their knowledge and skills.
The Role of the Teacher
The teacher’s role in the project varies depending on the stage. At the very beginning when the teacher has to explain the task, to go through the model with the students and to teach the lexis the teacher’s role is traditional. At the second stage students work independently but they may need the teacher’s help in terms of choosing the material or dividing responsibilities inside the groups. In the final lesson the teacher ceases to be the center of the class work and acts more as a coordinator than a source of knowledge, which is in line with requirements of the modern communicative approach.
Conclusion
To sum up, the project is an attempt to turn a usual learning routine into an exciting motivating event which enables a student to get exposed to a variety of experiences and thus encouraging them to make the most of their time developing their both receptive and productive skills. The project also provides the teacher with an effective assessment tool which can be used as an alternative to traditional testing.
