Didactics of English

Project Based Learning (PBL)

Professor: Dr. Uvaldo Recino, Ph.D
Flipped learning
Watch the video in the file Project Based
Learning- - Why, How, and Examples and answer
these questions.
1.- What do we mean when we say that a lesson
has constructivist elements?
2.- What are the 8 project designed elements for
standard PBL?
3.- What are the 8 elements for project based
teaching practice?
4.- What are the questions you should ask
yourself to know if you are doing PBL right?
Essence of the Project Based Learning
video
There are different types of learning
methodologies: Lecture, Textbook Assignment,
Class Discussion Led by Teacher, Student
Debate, Student Led Lesson and Project Based
Learning.
Many of them have constructivist
elements. Students learn while doing.
Teachers help students to construct their
own knowledge rather than to reproduce
facts.
Essence of the Project Based Learning video (cont.)
There are 8 essential Project design
elements for Gold Standard PBL:
challenging problem, sustained inquiri,
authenticity, students’ voice and choice,
reflection, critique and revision, public
product.
There are also 8 elements for Project based
teaching practices: design and plan, align
to standards, build the culture, manage
activities, scaffold student learning, assess
student learning, engage and coach.
Essence of the Project Based Learning video
(cont.)
One of the biggest elements of PBL that teachers
and students struggle with is students leading
most of the learning and teachers becoming the
guide on the side.
It is important to build responsibility among
learners and foster the proper classroom
environment.
Students need to be engaged, that is, they have to
find personal meaning and value in the work, they
need to persist in the work, they have to volunteer
their own resources: time, effort and attention.


 Essence of the Project Based Learning video (cont.)
These are the questions to answer if you want to know if you
are doing BBL right: Are your students engaged? Are you
becoming a guide on the side? Are students asking each other
questions? Are they finding information independently? Are
they becoming more independent in their learning? Are they
learning in a new way? Are you getting any push back? Is
anyone uncomfortable doing things in a new way? Are you
working more on providing scaffolding and working with small
groups rather than providing whole group messages? Are you
starting to replace traditional learning models instead of
stopping class “to do” PBL? Are your students making choices
about their products or processes as they learn? Are your
students learning while doing instead of learning first and
THEN doing ?


Project Based Learning (PBL)
… can be incorporated into any learning
situation. In the strictest definition of PBL,
the approach is used over the entire semester
as the primary method of teaching. However,
broader definitions and uses range from
including PBL in lab and design classes, to
using it simply to start a single discussion.
PBL can also be used to create assessment
items. The main thread connecting these
various uses is the real-world problem.
There are some characteristics of good Project Based
Learning problems:
The problem must motivate students to seek out
a deeper understanding of concepts.
The problem should require students to make
reasoned decisions and to defend them.
The problem should incorporate the content
objectives in such a way as to connect it to
previous courses/knowledge.
If used for a group project, the problem needs a
level of complexity to ensure that the students
must work together to solve it.
The problems can come from a variety of sources:
newspapers, magazines, journals, books,
textbooks, and television/ movies.
Simple uses of PBL
Choose a central idea, concept, or principle that
is always taught in a given course, and then think
of a typical end-of-chapter problem, assignment,
or homework that is usually assigned to students
to help them learn that concept. List the learning
objectives that students should meet when they
work through the problem.
Think of a real-world context for the concept
under consideration. Develop a storytelling
aspect to an end-of-chapter problem, or research
an actual case that can be adapted, adding some
motivation for students to solve the problem.
The problem needs to be introduced in stages so that students will be
able to identify learning issues that will lead them to research the
targeted concepts. The following are some questions that may help guide
this process:
What will the first page (or stage) look like? What
open-ended questions can be asked? What learning
issues will be identified?
How will the problem be structured?
How long will the problem be? How many class
periods will it take to complete?
Will students be given information in subsequent
pages (or stages) as they work through the problem?
What resources will the students need?
What end product will the students produce at the
completion of the problem?
Why use PBL in the classroom?
Students presetations help them build
better communication skills
Project assignments allow students to
work with their hands and complete tasks
to develop 21st century life skills.
Projects are assigned as group work, so
the students work in collaboration with
others.
PBL increases students’ engagement.
Students enjoy working in projects.
How to implement PBL in our classroom?
1.- Begin with a driving question. It should
be specifically aligned to a learning goal.
2.- Inquiry process. Students should apply
learned knowledge, ask and answer critical
thinking questions and locate resources.
3.- Find a solution to the driving question.
Students solve the problem with creation,
models and presentations.
4.- Students present their findings.
Group work-5 groups-30 minutes
Watch video 3 Project Based Learning- Why, How,
and Examples again to review what we have studied
and 4 Project Based Learning for English
Language Learners in the WSP to answer these
questions. Then, discuss your answers with your
peer(s).
1. What is the use of PBL for English language
learners? Reflect on some of the speakers’ opinions.
2. What are the benefits of group work while doing
PBL?
3. What is the relationship of the native language and
cultural traditions and PBL?
4. Comment on the girl’s experience in doing a
translation in Spanish.
5. What is the instructor’s final conclusion?
Demo lesson assignment
Think of a real world problem that you would
like a group of EGB students to solve in the
English classes and plan a 30 minutes lesson
for them to develop a small project as team
work and present their solution to the class.
Use the information provided in the videos to
implement the use of the PBL method in ELT.
Use the lesson plan template adapted from
Jeremy Harmer again.
The date and time to share your lesson plan
and to teach a demo lesson is in the next
slide.
Presenting teams and demo
lessons date and time
Class 1
Team 8 DOMENICA SERGIO and ANGELICA
Team 7 SAMANTA B, SAMANTHA T and GABRIELA P
Date and time: Thursday, Jan 30th (10 to 11)
Class 2
Team 8 ALEXIS, SILVANA and LANDY JOSELYN
Team 7 KEVIN , ALEJANDRA and NUBE
Date and time: Friday, Jan 31st (8 to 9)
Flipped learning
Watch the video Flipped Classroom Model- Why, How,
and Overview and answer these questions.
 We have been using some elements or variations of the
flipped classroom model in most of our classes this term,
but we are going to study this methodology in depth in
our 1st class next week (Tuesday, Jan 28th).
1.- What are the two main reasons to flip your classroom?
2.- What can the teacher do during class time when
he/she flips the classroom?
3.- What do students of today learn from?
4.- What does the flipped classroom look like?
5.- What tools will you need to flip your classroom?