Hello Miss H.,
Thank you for your interest in Project-based learning as a methodology for English language learning. As a foreign language teacher I have created multiple projects to support early language development. I will outline a couple of projects that have been effective for first and second year French students. Ultimately, the methodologies for FLL and ELL are complimentary so I hope you find these useful in your thesis development.
First: Teaching for learning – “Me, the teacher.”
In this project, students will prepare materials for use in teaching visiting primary school students. Students create a picture dictionary digitally or in hardcopy integrating teacher or student identified vocabulary in the target language. I identified vocabulary such as numbers, shapes, colors, body parts and some basic actions that could easily be visually depicted. In groups, the students develop a lesson plan integrating their completed picture dictionaries for use in teaching. Students deliver their lesson, using their picture dictionary, in the target language, one-on-one, to a visiting primary school student. At the end of the project, students will reflect on their process, products and the project.
At my site, students loved this project so much they begged to do it again this year. In response, I have arranged for a series of six visits and am allowing the students more autonomy as they develop their French learning materials. They will be placed with the same small group of students for all six visits.
I am attaching a link to a short video on YouTube of the students on presentation day. In watching this video you will observe high school students using their picture dictionaries to teach vocabulary to our visiting elementary students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5iW-8CUHKA
Second: TPRS meets PBL.
Many foreign language teachers use a variety of teaching methodologies to promote language acquisition in the classroom. One in the repertoire is Total Physical Response Storytelling developed in 1988 by Blaine Ray. Blaine Ray took the instructional strategies of the Natural Approach and TPR developed by Stephan Krashen and Tracy Terrel’s work even further to promote language retention through storytelling. It is loved for its near extinguishment of native-language use in the classroom. In using this methodology, teachers can simplify a story, teach students the key vocabulary in the story through pictures and actions, tell the story, and then select from a variety of extension activities. When TPRS meets PBL, you allow students to take more ownership in their learning.
In my class, groups of students were asked to select their favorite children’s story in their native language. They then simplified the story in their native language. For example, they put the verbs in the appropriate tense respective to their language proficiency in the target language. They also replaced complex words with simple vocabulary and then standardized it throughout their version. At this point, they translated the simplified text into the target language. The next step was to create a storybook. They presented their book to the class. They got into character and prepared skits to act out their story.
In reflecting on the project, students felt they had made progress in vocabulary acquisition, writing proficiency, oral fluency and pronunciation. Many remarked on their increased systemization of grammar tenses and structures.
In launching this project in my own class, I had a group of students select “The Three Little Bears” as their story. Rather than just simplify and translate the story, they actually created their own version called, “Santa and the three snowmen.” The students then taught their elementary peers French vocabulary through the storybook they had created.
I hope you find these examples helpful.
Cheers,
