PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN AN ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS

CLASSROOM

CHI DO NA

AN GIANG UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION

- The importance of English language

- The importance of being able to use

English for careers

⇒ English for Specific Purposes

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

An ESP course:

• develops learners’ English language ability and other necessary skills

• provides learners with an understanding of future career

(Ahmed, 2014; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987)

CHALLENGES IN AN ESP COURSE • A learner-centered approach (Hutchinson and

Waters,1987) --- misunderstanding in the roles of teachers and learners

• Specialised knowledge (Basturkmen, 2010; Tudor,1997)

According to Nguyen and Pham (2016)

• Learning environment and materials

• Learning objectives

• Language proficiency

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING - Experiential learning, learning by doing

(Petersen &Nassaji, 2016; Fragoulis & Tsiplakides, 2009)

- A series of tasks with authentic situations or problems designed in an open-ended way (Foss et al, 2007)

- An incorporation of traditional “research” with more real-world, field-based interviews with experts (BIE, 2015)

BENEFITS

- An integration of skills for learners’ language and professional development (Petersen & Nassaji, 2016)

- Students’ interest and motivation (Legutke, 1993)

- Students’ independence

Essential elements of a project • Challenging problem or question • Sustained inquiry • Authenticity • Student voice and choice • Reflection • Critique and revision

(BIE, 2015)

QUESTIONS

1. What are EFL teachers’ and learners’ perceptions about PBL in ESP courses?

2. What are the difficulties that EFL teachers and learners face when using PBL in ESP courses?

3. What needs to be done to make a better use of PBL?

PARTICIPANTS

- 30 English-major students

3rd year

B2 level of language proficiency

- 3 Instructors

DATA COLLECTION

1. Projects - A business project (3 weeks - second

half of the course) - Presentations, marks, and feedback 2. Questionnaires - Perceptions on the use of projects - Difficulties - Suggestions

Descriptions of the projects

• Group projects (How to start business)

• Guidelines on key elements of a business project

• Student’s self-selection of topics

• Research, consultation, observation

SMART

• Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Relevant • Time bound

(Evaluating your project –

Flinders University, Australia)

What the students did

- An English language center - A flower shop - A restaurant - A tourist company - A fashion shop

Main points of students’ projects - Reasons for choosing the topics - What they needed to prepare before starting

their business (experience, budget, location, staff,…)

- Advertisements - Services and prices - Competitiveness - Profit - Challenges and Solutions

How could the students complete their projects? • The topics of interest

• Their experience

• Their intended future career path

• Their sources of information and supervision

• Their research

How to evaluate the projects

- Relevance of project topics - Required elements of a project - Feasiblility - Language use - Professional knowledge - Q&A

STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD PROJECTS

Benefits (Students’ responses) Percentage 1. Much time to complete the projects 100%

2. Opportunities to get to know the business area of interest in depth

100%

3. Teamwork and collaboration 66%

4. Use of English for specific Business area

84%

5. Broader network and relationships 54%

6. Improve skills through oral presentations and written reports

81%

7. Not much pressure 84%

Benefits (Teachers’ responses) Percentage

1. Chances to work closely with students 100%

2. Opportunities for both teachers and learners to get to know different business areas

100%

3. Teachers’ and learners’ development in English language for Business

100%

4. Not much pressure for both teachers and learners

33%

5. Creating students’ interest in the course 100%

6. Supports for learners’ research, critical thinking, self-study skills

100%

CHALLENGES

• Specialised knowledge

• Elements of a business project

• Materials and supervision

• Assessment

SUGGESTIONS

• Foundations on specialised knowledge

• Appropriate materials (in English with appropriate levels)

• Workshops and speakers on how to carry out and evaluate projects

REFERENCES Ahmed, M. K. (2014). The ESP teacher: Issues, tasks and challenges. English for Specific

Purposes World, 42(15). Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info/Articles_42/Documents/Ahmed.pdf

Basturkmen, H. (2010). Developing courses in English for Specific Purposes. Basingstoke: Macmillan

BIE. (2015). Gold standard PBL: Essential project design elements. Buck Institute of Education.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A learning-centered approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Legutke, M. (1993). Room to talk: Experiential learning in the foreign language classroom. Die Neueren Sprachen, 92(4), 306-331.

Nguyen, T. T. H, & Pham, T. T. M. (2016). Difficulties in teaching English for Specific Purposes: Empirical studies at Vietnamese universities. Higher Education Studies, 6(2), 154-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/hes.v6n2p154

Petersen, C., & Nassaji, H. (2016). Project-based learning through the eyes of teachers and students in adult EFL classrooms. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 72(1), 13-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2096

Tudor, I. (1997). LSP or Language Education? In R. Howard & G. Brown. (Eds.), Teacher Education for LSP (pp. 90–102). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.