Erica Harris, Ursala McCormick & Julie Vorholt Academic English Studies (AES) Lewis & Clark College TESOL Convention March 27, 2014

Developing Projects Related to Your Course's Textbooks

Overview •  Introductions & Procedure (10) •  Project 1 (10) •  Project 2 (10) •  Further examples (10) •  Design your own project (50) •  Plenary discussion/Q & A (15)

Introductions Who we are... About our program..

Lewis & Clark College •  Small liberal arts undergraduate school •  Portland, OR

Academic English Studies (AES) program ~100 students •  Low-Intermediate entry level •  Intensive English language program •  Emphasis on academic language skills and content-

based learning

Literature Review Project-based Learning (PBL): •  Theoretical basis. •  Motivates students. •  Motivation = key element in language learning (Fidaoui,

Bahous, & Bacha, 2010; Gilmore, 2011). •  Students’ motives should be connected to goals

(Rubenfeld, et al., 2007). •  Uses authentic materials. •  Projects illustrate the integration of language,

technology, and media (Dooly & Masats, 2010).

The Process: Thinking Outside the Textbox

1.  Notice the gap! 2.  Commit to developing a project. 3.  Reflect on your knowledge as a teacher and what you

want your students to learn. 4.  Brainstorm ideas based on your context and student

learning objectives. 5.  Determine feasibility and choose the appropriate

project. 6.  Decide how it will be assessed and develop the

assignment guidelines. 7.  Implement!

Project 1

Type of Class: Communications

Level: Intermediate

Objectives: Public speaking skills, Team building, Learning the process of designing a product or service, Present in a poster session

Text: Four Point 1: Listening and Speaking Intermediate

Chapter Topic: Business: The World of Entrepreneurship

Schedule (how far into the semester): near the end of our 6-week summer course

Project 1 Cont. Overview of project: Unit 3 “Business: The World of

Entrepreneurship:” 1.  characteristics of an entrepreneur

2.  developing a company

3.  analyzing a new business

Details of project (timeline): 3 week unit

Introduction Guest

Speaker Vocabulary Shark Tank clip

SWOT Analysis

Impromptu Speeches Assessment

Group Project: New Business

Venture

Presentations & Poster Session

Project 1 Cont. Examples:

•  Guest speaker: entrepreneur •  TV show: Shark Tank •  Project: New Business Venture •  Presentations & Posters

Assessment: •  Unit Test (45% of grade) •  New Business Venture (35% of grade)

Reflection: •  Very positive responses (survey); engagement & motivation •  “I like this lecture style, of a group project and watching a video

related to the lecture. “ •  “I liked listening to others’ presentations and I also improved my

own speaking skills, so this is a good opportunity.”

Project 2 Type of Class: Seminar/Communications Level: Advanced Speakers

Objectives: Research, Use APA citations, Learn to make graphic posters, Present research in front of large group

Texts: Human Ecology & Omnivore's Dilemma

Chapter Topic: They have a few choices

Schedule (how far into the semester): Introduce at Midterm (about 8-9 weeks into a 16-week semester)

Project 2 Cont. Overview of project and details:

•  Students are assigned partners based on topic interest. •  Develop a research question and use at least 5-7 sources. •  Write an annotated bibliography exploring the question. •  Organize and design a poster that is both creative and informative. •  Present their poster with LC undergraduate students. •  Write an extended research paper changing the initial research

question into a thesis statement.

Project 2 Cont. Timeline: The students are given around 5 weeks to work

on this project.

Examples: To be shown.

Assessment: This project is worth 15% of their grade and is assessed based on the objectives given.

Reflection: This project has been very successful in the past. It gives students the opportunity to research, be creative, and participate with undergraduate native speakers.

Further Examples

•  Low Intermediate Level: story PowerPoint project •  Intermediate Level: Pamphlets for communication •  Multiple Levels: iMovies •  Intermediate Level: Creating commercials for products •  Advanced Level: Creating orientation resources for

other students

Design Your Own Project Level Skill Topic Textbook Beginning Reading &

Writing Stories of Immigrants

Q: Skills for Success, Book 1

Low-Intermediate

Listening & Speaking

Media Studies Lecture Ready 2

Intermediate Listening & Speaking

Elections & Student Government

Four Point: L. & SP. 1 (Intermediate)

High-Intermediate

Reading & Writing

Sustaining Planet Earth

Making Connections 3

Advanced Content-based Perceptions of Nature

Human Ecology

Design Your Own Project Work in small groups (4-5 people): 1.  Create groups, quick introductions, choose roles (10)

•  Roles: timekeeper, recorder, reporter/presenter 2.  Scan and survey the text (5-10) 3.  Brainstorm project ideas (10) 4.  Choose your project (5) 5.  Develop assignment guidelines, assessment tools

(15-20)

Design your own project Class: Level:

Unit/Chapter topic:

How much time given:

Details/End product:

Plenary Discussion Q & A

References, Literature Review Dooly, M., and D. Masats. 2011. Closing the loop between theory

and praxis: New models in EFL teaching. ELT Journal 65 (1): 42-51. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccq017.

Fidaoui, D., R. Bahous and N. N. Bacha. 2010. CALL in Lebanese elementary ESL writing classrooms. Computer Assisted Language Learning 23 (2): 151-68. doi: 10.1080/09588221003666248.

Gilmore, A. 2011. 'I prefer not text': Developing Japanese learners' communicative competence with authentic materials. Language Learning 61 (3): 786-819. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2011.00634.x.

Rubenfeld, S., L. Sinclair and R. Clément. 2007. Second language learning and acculturation: The role of motivation and goal content congruence. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics 10 (3): 308-22.

Textbooks, with Publishers Level Skill Publisher Textbook

Beginning Reading & Writing

Oxford University Press

Q: Skills for Success, R. & W., Book 1

Low-Intermediate

Listening & Speaking

Oxford University Press

Lecture Ready 2

Intermediate Listening & Speaking

University of Michigan Press

Four Point: L. & SP. 1 (Intermed.)

High-Intermediate

Reading & Writing

Cambridge University Press

Making Connections 3

Advanced Content-based Earthscan Human Ecology