Project-Based Learning in Freshman
Reading and Vocabulary
by Joseph Cassim
Introduction
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The aim of this handout is to explain what is Project-Based Learning
(PBL). Hopefully, if you attend the demonstration, you can also
observe how we are trying to implement this kind of learning in our
classroom.
The benefit of learning PBL is that it helps you to understand how to
prepare your learners to think critically, collaborate, and communicate
as you prepare them for success in their course and for work and life.
OBJECTIVES
Hopefully, at the end we can achieve the following objectives:
A. Understand what PBL is
B. Understand how PBL is practically implemented
C. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of implementing
PBL
D. Know some resources for further assistance on PBL
OUTLINE
In order to achieve our objectives, the following topics have been
prepared:
A. PBL and its 8 essential elements
B. PBL in the Freshman Reading and Vocabulary course
C. Observations on implementing PBL
D. Further resources on PBL
A. PBL and its 8 Essential Elements
1. Project-Based Learning
Unlike the traditional classroom setting, where students set in class,
memorized as much as they could, and tried to pass a test, PBL tries to
get students to focus on work that really matters. PBL gets students to
engage in a collaborative study over a short or extended period of time
and to demonstrate their results. In this way, PBL tries to create a
match between what students learn and what they need to do in the
future. To appreciate PBL, we need to know what students will do in
the future. Let’s take a look.
The following situation was encountered by Claire at work:
Claire’s company, Super Suds, asked her to come up with an idea on
the most earth-friendly way of producing soap.
Claire had to solve the problem by organizing and managing a team to
explore the options and summarize the issues.
Claire’s team asked for feedback
Eventually, they presented their findings to the boss. The boss’s
approval made Claire and her team feel chaffed, and they learned so
much about the environment.
Claire’s approach involved the following critical skills that are not
taught in the traditional classroom: problem solving, collaboration, and
communication.
PBL tries to replicate Claire’s experience at work in school for students.
Using PBL, teacher’s try to put students on a path that deepens their
knowledge of the subject matter AND helps them build the critical
skills mentioned above.
2. The 8 Essential Elements of PBL
PBL is sometimes confused with having students perform an activity or
make something, but to really be PBL, a project must have 8 essential
elements. These are depicted in the diagram on the next slide and
explained thereafter.
8 essential elements of PBL
The 8 essential elements explained
1. Significant Content: A project should be focused on teaching
students significant concepts that need to learned in the course. The
concepts learned should be significant to the students and also in terms
of what is expected on important qualifying tests.
2. 21st Century Skills: In the process of learning the subject matter,
students should be applying 21st century skills. 3 of those skills are
problem solving, collaboration skills, and communication skills. These are
skills that all young people need for success in school, their life and in the
workplace.
3. Driving Question: This is a question that organizes the whole project.
It frames the project as sort of answering a question. The question
should be open-ended, should be understandable to students, and
should be linked to what you want students to learn in the course.
4. Need to know: The project should create in students the need to
know. If students are exploring an interesting question, it creates in them
the motivation to learn. Need to know usually starts with an event
around us that highlights issues that are important now and in the
coming future and this event is somehow linked to the course students
are currently studying.
5. In Depth Inquiry: Involves asking questions, finding resources,
developing arguments to support the points you make, and making more
questions along the way.
6. Voice and Choice: Students should be able to express their voice and
make some choices. They should be able to choose their process of
learning and how to present their final outcomes. Students with less
experience on PBL and lower motivation may not get as much voice and
choice.
7. Revision and Reflection: There should be frequent opportunities for
students to get feedback from their peers, teacher, and other academics
or experts if they are involved. The culture of critique should be
developed in every PBL classroom.
8. Public Audience: Students must present the results of their work to
an audience. They need to ask themselves who are we speaking to,
what’s best for the audience, what questions will we be asked, and so
forth.
So, if you’re using the PBL approach, ask yourself if your project:
□ Focuses on significant content related to the course
□ Develops 21st century skills (problem solving, collaboration, and
communication)
□ Is organized around a driving question
□ Engages students in In Depth Inquiry
□ Established a need to know
□ Encourages voice and choice
□ Incorporates revision and reflection
□ Includes a public audience
B. PBL in the Freshman Reading and Vocabulary Course
BACKGROUND OF STUDENTS
The students in this class are from the College of Management. They
come from the departments of Accounting, Business Administration,
Industrial Engineering and Management, and Information Management.
They took my class in the first semester, so this is Freshman Reading
and Vocabulary 2. In their first semester, they did the TOEIC pre-test,
and their average score was around 450. A detailed account of their
English ability follows on the next slide.
Reading ability - The students in this class can easily understand
straightforward personal and business correspondences and
straightforward articles. But they are still in the process of developing
their understanding of articles which have a level similar to those that
appear in Reader’s Digest and the newspaper.
Listening ability – Similar to reading, they can understand simple messages
but require help and more time in understanding more complex messages.
Speaking ability - They speak very slowly, with simple vocabulary, do not
project their voice, and make frequent grammatical errors when
communicating.
Writing ability – They make frequent errors in grammar, word choice, and
tone.
PBL Approach to Learning
The flowchart on the next slide shows how PBL is implemented in the
Freshman Reading and Vocabulary course.
In this class, I teach through a set of mini-projects, with each project
lasting 2-3 weeks. Before projects are decided, though, the specific
learning goals of the course in the context of the general learning goal of
the English curriculum for non-English major students are decided. The
general learning goal of the English curriculum of non-English major
students seems to be to improve their ability to use English for common
work purposes and routine social interactions. This is the same ability
being assessed on TOEIC. Hence, the specific learning goals of the course
are extracted from the Can-do guide provided by TOEIC. Projects are
decided after the specific learning goals, and are implemented after
students’ receive some instruction on project-based learning.
IN DEPTH INQUIRY
Focuses on a relevant issue
Class brainstorms what they would like to know
about topic and study material to answer their
questions.
-------------- need to know is established -------------SIGNIFICANT CONTENT
Specific Goals:
1. I can understand standard business communications
2. I can understand complex articles similar to those that appear
in Reader’s Digest and the newspaper.
21ST CENTURY SKILLS
Problem-solving skills
Collaboration
Communication
PUBLIC AUDIENCE
Students present their results. Presentation
methods are NOT limited to ppts.
REVISION AND REFLECTIONS
General Goal:
English for common purposes at work and routine social
interactions
Students receive feedback on their answers from
each other, the TA, and experts if they are involved,
and then make revisions
Students have voice and choice, but teacher makes key decisions
because of unfamiliarity of PBL and low motivation of students
DRIVING QUESTION
C. Observations on implementing PBL
This is the second semester for me to use PBL in my classroom. In my
first semester, I brought PBL into my classroom as mini-projects. I only
did a few mini projects because the aim was to gradually bring in PBL
into the classroom. Nonetheless, I’ve already been seeing some really
positive results and also some negative ones. Keep in mind though,
any teacher who wants the same results using PBL, must include the 8
essential elements for this to happen.
Positive
1. Students take their learning more personal because there is more
personal investment into their learning.
2. Students gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
3. Students feel like they are learning to be more independent and
responsible and to develop better time management and selfcontrol.
4. Students learn to work with others and to respect their opinions
and needs, even when those others are very different from them.
Negative
1. PBL seems to reduce the chances for uniqueness and individuality
and working alone. Hence, introverted students can feel left out at
times.
2. Assessment can seem very subjective at times.
3. Students don’t prefer doing projects when the mid-term and final
exams are approaching.
4. Group work and project work seems to be becoming too much for
students since many of their course are doing this. This makes
students feel exhausted and sometimes as if they are working in a
factory.
Reponses to negative results
1. Build chances for uniqueness and individuality and working alone
into the PBL model.
2. Use well-defined rubrics to enhance evaluation ability, and keep
using the TOEIC test as a more objective assessment.
3. Do not conduct any project work in weeks 8-10
4. Conduct some of the work for the project in class to reduce
students’ workload; reduce the complexity of the mini-project, but
work toward learning goals; and think of the possibility of having
just one big project for the whole semester and even merging
projects from various courses.
D. Further Resources on PBL
If you’re interested in using PBL in your classroom, you might find the
following resources very useful:
1. Edutopia:
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
2. Buck Institute for Education:
http://bie.org/
These websites easily link you to videos and classroom guides. You can
get a lot of creative ideas from looking at the amazing results other
teachers are achieving, either individually or through cooperation with
other teachers.