The Thrill of Student Agency in Classroom Management

This was the title of the first presentation of the recent Cambridge Day I attended.  The speaker was Tim Murphey and what follows is a summary of his workshop.

Tim began by defining his terms and explained that, in this context, ‘agency’ meant ‘control’ or ‘choice’.  He went on to hypothesize that:

                   agency        +        altruism     =        thrill

In other words, giving people the choice and the control to be able to help others is thrilling, exciting and, ultimately, fulfilling.  If we can pass on this thrill to our students, then they will be helping themselves and each other.

As an example of this, Tim gave us a speed dictation which, in a language classroom, would be too difficult for an individual student to write down by themselves.  The aim, therefore, is to get students to collaborate, both before the activity by deciding what each of them is listening for, and after, by helping each other to fill in what they’ve missed.

The main thrust of Tim’s presentation was the importance of student curiosity to keep them engaged and make them want to learn.  He suggested using split stories, beginning the lesson with a story, but leaving the punch line until the very end of the session.  Pique the students’ interest and then leave them wondering until the dying moments of the lesson. 

As an alternative to a story, you could ask a philosophical question at the beginning of the lesson and answer it at the end.  The example Tim gave was, ‘Why is a turtle trying to fly more beautiful than a bird sitting in a tree?’  The answer – because the turtle is striving for something beyond its present capabilities.  This is what we are trying to inspire our students to do!

When students are asked questions, it makes them curious; just giving them information is like water washing over rocks – it doesn’t sink in!  (I love this analogy!)  It’s imperative that we, as teachers, cultivate curiosity in our students.  This idea is supported by anthropological study.  Consider this question:

Why did we stand up 6,000,000 years ago?

a)    To reach more food.

b)   To reduce the body’s exposure to the sun.

c)    Because we were curious and wanted to see further.

All three possibilities have some truth to them, but the third seems to carry the most weight with anthropologists.  Humans are curious by nature and because of this curiosity altruism came to the fore.

Let me explain.  As a result of us standing up, the birth canal in females became narrower provoking earlier birthings – at nine months instead of thirteen.  Babies were born, and still are, prematurely.  Caretakers, therefore, had a longer and harder job in that they had to spend more time with their babies.  There were positive consequences of this, however:

Ø  There was increased emotional bonding between babies and caretakers.

Ø  There was increased communication – the beginning of real language came out of parental babbling.

Ø  There was a more rapid development of cultures and communities – the advent of slings, babysitting and the beginning of mutual aid in the form of midwives.

So, this was the beginning of altruism and we already know that humans have innate curiosity.  Now, Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscientist, added to our knowledge with his ‘signal – task – reward’ theory.  He argued that humans respond to a signal to fulfil a task in the expectation of getting a reward.  This reward doesn’t need to be a physical prize.  Merely fulfilling the task is reward enough because it triggers a dopamine rush to our brains.  If challenge is added to the equation, then it is even more motivating – it is exciting; there is an element of risk.

So, how do we use this to advantage in our classrooms?  Well, by changing activities frequently – every five minutes for young learners and lower levels.  This increases the number of times students can expect to get the dopamine rush and so it keeps them highly motivated.

This is all very well, but we need to remember Maslow’s hierarchy:

                       

In other words, people’s basic needs of food, water and shelter are paramount and need to be satisfied long before they can self-actualise or learn.  Two billion people still live in the bottom level and if we can’t lift them out of poverty, then they can’t learn.  We need to help these people so that we can help ourselves for the good of mankind.  A noble thought and not one that necessarily has practical application in our daily lives, but, nevertheless, something to bear in mind as we teach.

So, what gets students motivated and keeps them motivated?  Motivation triggers neurons in the brain:

•   Most nerual firing - DOING IT!!
•   Next – WATCHING a person doing it.
•   Next – SEEING a thing and imagining doing it.
•   Next – HEARING the word.
•    Next – THINKING about it on your own (random association).
•    Finally – AUTOMATIC FIRING (neural obsession, like love).

    We produce mirror neurons; that is, to understand what other people do, we imagine ourselves doing it. These are empathy neurons. In the classroom, therefore, near peer role modelling (learning from people most similar to ourselves) is really effective.

    Darwinism talked about collaboration, and even cross species collaboration, as having a bonding effect. It put forward the idea of ‘social capital’ – people of like minds working together – and of ‘bridging social capital’ where different types of people work together. In the language classroom, this manifests as cross-age or cross-level teaching.

    Social evolution, therefore, can be summed up as:

    CURIOSITY > CARETAKING > COMMUNITY > AGENCY > ALTRUISM

    Examples of this in the real world are:

· Wikipedia – the online collaborative encyclopedia

· The increasing number of NGOsoperating globally

· The growth of micro-financing

    In the classroom, we need to encourage students to help each other. We can ask them to write their ‘language learning histories’ and publish them for others to read. By giving each other hints and tips we give all of our students agency which, when combined with altruism, gives them the thrill of learning leading to effective, measurable outcomes for students and teachers alike. We provide value added education!

    For further information, see Tim Murphey’s videos here.

Cambridge Day, Vietnam - 21st March, 2012

I recently attended Cambridge Day, Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, a free seminar for teachers organised by Cambridge University Press in conjunction with Fahasa, Ho Chi Minh’s biggest English-language bookseller.  It was held in the plush surroundings of the Kim Do Hotel in District 1.

Tim Murphey

It was a full day made up of four presentations, two given by each of the two speakers.  These speakers were:

Tim Murphey – a researcher from Kanda University of International Studies in Japan.  He is the co-author of ‘Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom’ and his current research is into Vygotskian socio-cultural theory with an emphasis on community, play and music.



Stuart Vinnie

Stuart Vinnie – the Senior ELT Training Consultant for Cambridge University Press in South-East Asia.  His background is as a teacher, examiner, teacher-trainer and coordinator.

All four presentations/workshops were participatory, interesting and thought-provoking and I and my colleagues came away with lots of ideas to apply in our classrooms.  You can read about each presentation in separate blogposts.

Extensive Reading – An #ELTchat

via linguisticconsultancy.blogspot.com

This is a summary of the #eltchat which took place at 12 noon BST on Wednesday 11^th April, 2012.  The full title of the chat was:

How can we introduce, implement and evaluate an extensive reading programme and convince administrators of its value?

The chat was, as usual, expertly moderated by @Marisa_C and @Shaunwilden.

I voted for this topic and was particularly interested in taking part in the chat because I am currently trying to set up an ER programme for a course I am coordinating at my university.  As always, I picked up lots of useful ideas and links to articles for further reading.

What is ER?

Extensive reading involves students reading long texts or large quantities of texts for general understanding, with the intention of enjoying the texts.

Using graded readers

I am going to try using graded readers, one chapter at a time, in our Edmodo online classroom and was keen to get ideas and feedback from my PLN.  The consensus was that graded readers are a good choice when launching a reading programme, but there was a difference of opinion as to whether you should have a class reader or whether students should be allowed to choose their own titles.  I intend to start with a class reader in the hope that students will then be inspired to read more, an idea supported by @Marisa_C.  As was pointed out, though, the trick is to find something that suits the whole class. 

@Books4English suggested that the best low level reader is Penguin K's first case by L.G. Alexander, a whodunnit with suspect interviews.

Graded readers are good because it is easy to the organise materials by level. This is particularly important at the beginning of an ER programme when getting the right level is crucial to its success.

It was pointed out by @daveclearycz that, whilst there are excellent alternatives to graded readers, these can be hard to source, although @cioccas told us that she often prefers using children's books, such as titles by Roald Dahl.  Obviously, it is easier to use original adult texts with higher level students.  Alternatively, you could write your own level-appropriate material!

via livesofteachers.com

Ways to implement an ER programme

• Use class libraries - whether with graded readers or other texts, the disadvantage here is the start-up cost, though if considered a long-term investment, the cost is negligible.
• If no library is available, a class box can be equally worthwhile.
• Have a dedicated reading class or book club - students read their text and then meet to discuss and do language and skills work.
• Have reading stations, as a follow-up to reading a novel, with short texts (for example, comics) related to the main theme.
• Have a class blog or wiki with links to articles about the reading material.  Use it as a platform for written book reviews which generate interest in the texts, give writing practice and build a reading community.  These reviews could also be recorded as interviews as a pairwork speaking activity or collected in a binder for use with future classes.
• @cioccas suggested that, instead of having a formal ER programme, it might be just as effective to talk to individual students about favourite books that you think they might be interested in and able to manage.
• Have a swap programme where students exchange books after reading them.
• Have a silent reading programme in class time - for example, 15 minutes where students just read - either the class text or something of their own choice.  By doing this, students really get the message that reading is important.  On the other hand, though, 'forcing' students to read like this might actually demotivate them.  Also, @Shaunwilden suggested that class time should be used to encourage reading, but not necessarily to do the actual reading.  Reading can be done at home - class time should be for talking.  @reasons4 told us that if his Czech teacher did this, he'd complain!
• You could have the students listening to the text whilst reading.  Although not strictly an ER programme, it might encourage reluctant readers, especially if it is a text which lends itself to evocative sound effects or if the story is read by a famous name (Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter or Tony Robinson reading Terry Pratchett books, for example) .  It might help dyslexic students in particular.  It could, though, turn students into slow, voice-dependent readers.
• Use the set texts with Cambridge ESOL exam students.
• Have a lot of short articles available for students to read - they read as many as they can and fill in a form about them.
• Use blogs or RSS readers as an alternative, non-fiction ER programme.
• A suggestion from @llea_dias - set up a Facebook group where students post as characters from a book they are all reading.

via sendaiben.org

Why should we use ER in our teaching?

• It's the best way for students to consolidate their grammar.
• It's the best way to acquire vocabulary.
• It's a great way to access the wider world of English.
• It accelerates students' progress in second language acquisition.

Overcoming problems

The main problem when trying to introduce an ER programme was felt to be the reluctance by some students to get involved.  If students don't enjoy reading in their L1, they are unlikely to be engaged in reading in English.  Whilst teachers generally agreed on the benefits of ER, we had to accept that it cannot be forced on our students.  We can lead the horses to water, but we cannot make them drink!  @hartle suggested giving students a choice between listening and reading projects.  In her experience, most students choose listening, but some opt for the reading.  @Marisa_C proposed giving some incentive, especially for YLs or teens - a chart with prizes, for example.  Engaging pre- and post-reading tasks, such as giving presentations on what they have read, also help to motivate students to read, as does allowing them to change texts if they are not enjoying what they're reading.  Dramatising scenes from a story or book can be engaging and might also help with pronunciation and intonation.

A success story to finish

Gentle persuasion might work on even the most reluctant readers, though!  @kevchanwow told us about a student who read her first book in any language only two months ago and is now an avid reader.  She started at level 1 (400 headwords) and is already reading level 3 (1000 headwords).  For her, it was all about confidence!

Links

Suggested by @Marisa_C:

• An introduction to ER
• A collection of articles for further reading
• Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom - a book preview
• Extensive Reading Activites for Language - a book preview

Other links:

• A readable newspaper for topical ER suggested by @harrisonmike.
• @jezuden's reading blog suggested by @Shaunwilden.
• Jez Uden's BC seminar on the importance of reading for pleasure via @harrisonmike.
• @cybraryman1's Classroom Libraries page
• Read your way to better English from the OUP via @Shaunwilden.
• A newspaper for EFL students (2-month free trial available) suggested by @Books4English.
• BritLit suggested by @cioccas.
• @hartle's ER wiki page.
• Guided independent reading via @yya2.
• @hartle's results from an ER project
• Extensive reading via @yya2.
• OUP's extensive/graded reading help videos via @OUPELTGlobal.
• A repository of information on ER via @yya2.

Correcting Speaking Errors

What follows is a summary of a talk Scott Thornbury gave during a recent webinar on error correction.  He proposed that there are at least ten ways to correct an error in spoken English.

Let’s take as an example the common mistake:

‘My sister’s very beautiful.  She has got a long hair.’

1.   ‘No.  She has got long hair.’

2.   ‘No.’

3.   ‘No.  Anyone?’

4.   ‘No.  She has got ………?’

5.   ‘No. ‘Hair’ is uncountable.’

6.   ‘Oh, a long hair?  Where is it?  On her nose?’

7.   ‘Oh, she has got long hair, has she?’

8.   ‘Oh, really?  My sister has got short hair.’

9.   ‘Sorry?’

10.                ‘Good.’

Methods 1 – 5 are explicit error correction, where the student is clearly told that they have made an error.  Methods 6 – 9 are implicit error correction, where the students are not actually told that they’re wriong, but their error is implied.

Number 6 is correction through humour (or sarcasm!), perhaps reinforced through drawings or mime.

Number 7 is recasting or reformulation – a benign way of giving the learner a chance to correct themselves.

Number 9 indicates misunderstanding and invites self-correction.  Another way to do this would be to make a clarification request.

Number 10 is the humanist approach – that is, to ignore the error completely!

Dismissing the last method as being totally ineffective in the language classroom, which of the others have merit?  Well, all of them to some degree.  Over the last 20 or 30 years of EFL teaching, implicit methods of error correction have been favoured because they are more like original language acquisition.  However, current thinking is that we need to be more direct as teachers and that explicit correction is best.

‘There is clear evidence that corrective feedback contributes to learning.’                    ‘THE STUDY OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION’

So, in conclusion, when your students are wrong, tell them! 

And a final tip from Scott – have students write their errors down in their notebooks to focus their minds on them: ‘My Favourite Errors’.

Why and How to Encourage Students' Critical Thinking Skills - an #Eltchat Summary

This is a summary of the #eltchat which took place at 12noon GMT on Wednesday 15th February, 2012.  The discussion was moderated superbly by @ShellTerrell and @Shaunwilden and was, as usual, informative and thought-provoking.....

What is critical thinking?

Some definitions:

• 'It's applying reasoned and disciplined thinking to a subject.'  (@worldteacher)
• 'It includes thinking about thinking.'  (@rapple18)
• 'It is going beyond just remembering and understanding information.  The top part of Bloom's taxonomy.'  'It's not accepting information we receive as fact, but question what we hear, evaluate it against what we know and then use it to draw a conclusion.'  (@reasons4)
• 'It's a higher order thinking skill.'  (@Marisa_C)
• 'Awareness of what's behind the language and between the lines.  What motivates choice of words.'  (@GrammyLatino)
• 'Don't take anything for granted.'  (@europeaantje)
• 'Asking 'why?' and 'how do you know?' for everything  (@TailormadeEng)
• 'Analysing and judging information based on previous concepts.'  (@josepopoff)
• 'Thinking about things which may often be accepted as accepted truths.'  (@irishmikeh)
• 'Being able to form arguments, resolve conflict, solve problems ...... new forms of communication.'  (@bnleez)
• 'Being able to analyse a belief or argument and recognise any fallacies.  Being able to recognise your own preconceptions.'  (@annehodg)

At this point @Shaunwilden commented that, 'Given all the definitions people are giving, it's no wonder CT is so difficult for students to do!'

So why do we need to teach critical thinking?

Some #eltchatters questioned whether it was our place as EFL/ESL teachers to teach critical thinking, but I think the consensus was that it is an essential part of our role as we try to prepare our students for the English-speaking world.  They will have to process so much information and as educators we have a responsibilty to equip them for that.  The classroom is the place for people to challenge the status quo, ask difficult questions and value diverse opinions, so is, therefore, the perfect place for CT. 

As @rliberni pointed out, 'What we cannot deny is that in pure language terms, critical thinking activities stretch skills especially in speaking and that should be reason enough to do them.'

Problems when introducing CT to our classrooms

Most participants agreed with @GrammyLatino that introducing CT to our classrooms is an uphill struggle when the school system and/or parents don't stimulate it, but rather preach blind obedience and memorising.  This is a particular problem for me teaching at a university in Vietnam where my students have, up to this point, been spoon-fed information and taught to accept it without question.  Several other #eltchatters acknowledged that CT is an alien concept for many of their students and that motivating them can be a real challenge.  Students are often scared to leave their comfort zone and start thinking! 

Lack of expertise on the part of the teacher is also a problem.  As was pointed out, if you have never been expected to think critically or experienced good lessons modelling such, then it might be tough to help students to do so.  It might also be uncomfortable for the teacher to give negative feedback for 'not showing critical thinking' in an EFL class.  Teachers need training in CT.

Students' desire for there to be 'one right answer' is also a challenge to CT, but, on the other hand, sometimes learners are pleased to realise that there are multiple possible interpretations.

It was also noted that the majority of tests don't necessarily support critical thinking (IELTS and TOEFL were named and shamed at this point), so the emphasis becomes to teach memorisation and drill.  Perhaps it isn't included in such tests because it's difficult to assess.

Another challenge to CT could be the teacher's reluctance to relinquish control and have their own views challenged.  Personally, I love being challenged in the classroom and miss that aspect of the teaching experience now that I'm teaching in SE Asia rather than in Europe.

A further problem might be a pressure to 'cover the book', so perhaps 'Teaching Unplugged' might provide a better opportunity for CT?

How do we teach critical thinking?

We agreed that we, as teachers, need to choose materials and topics that foster critical thinking - syllabus permitting, of course!  But what methods and/or activities can we use in the classroom?  Some ideas:

• We need to build a good rapport with our classes so that students feel safe and confident enough to ask questions and express their opinions.
• Play devil's advocate through roleplays - students plan their 'opinions' first.
• Use biased newspapers with opinions different to your own and ask students to recognise the bias.
• CT can be developed in every class, even if incidentally, by asking students how they know their stuff, who the author is, what the message is, etc.
• Give two accounts of the same story and ask what is the difference and why.
• Set up a class discussion where students first plan the arguments for and against.  Getting students speaking for the side they don't agree with can be fun, challenging and useful.  Making logical arguments based on false premises is fun, too!
• Use adverts - discuss hidden agendas, aims, target audience, etc. - students will never look at ads in the same way again!
• Analyse current affairs and ask 'why?
• Present students with a mix of viewpoints (polarised and moderate) and ask them to discuss.
• Challenge plagiarism, challenge the validity of resources - get students to ask questions.
• Pick topics that students are likely to have a personal interest in and/or strong views about or, better still, get them to choose the subjects.
• Do activities that have no right answer.
• Because students can't think and talk in L2 simultaneously, perhaps we should encourage L1 discussions first?
• Do activities that ask students to think 'outside the box' to solve real life problems in their community or personal lives.
• Use roleplay so that students don't 'lose face' by expressing their own ideas.  For example, 'in the hot seat in the role of ..... a celebrity, a politician, etc.'
• Video or image analysis is good for CT - ask students, 'who?', 'what?', 'where?', 'why?', etc. and encourage different viewpoints.
• Sometimes students are afraid of saying what they think, so perhaps we should encourage them to express their opinions in writing.
• Use lateral thinking stories.
• Have students choose 'love it' or 'hate it' before writing something on the board.  They then have to explain why they love or hate the thing that the teacher wrote.
• Put a line of tape on the floor.  Give the students a topic and two viewpoints.  They jump on the side they're for.  For one minute, one side of the line says why and then the other side of the line offers rebuttals.
• Discuss multiple choice reading questions and why answers fit or don't fit.  Students' mistakes can also be fed into multiple choice quizzes so that they can be discussed.
• Get students to write argument ideas twice with two contradictory conclusions.
• Do 'odd one out' activities - these can work at all levels.
• Telling students what to think is often a good way to encourage CT!!

Conclusion

We can't enforce critical thinking, but we can and should give students the opportunity and the tools if they wish to use them.


Useful links

• @cybraryman1's Critical Thinking page
• @lu_bodeman's Article on Critical Literacy
• Question Everything - a really funny video clip featuring Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington via @TailormadeEng
• CT links from the BBC/British Council Teaching English site via @Grammy Latino
• Handout on CT from @reasons4
• Useful definition & framework for the implementation of CT via @GrammyLatino
• An example lesson to encourage CT from @esolcourses
• A lesson on peer pressure from @esolcourses
• Some great ideas to help others think via @lobroo
• Engaging Students Through Critical Reading by @AlexandreMak via @Marisa_C
• Some great CT resources via @nlakusta
• A strong image to get the CT juices flowing! via @ShellTerrell
• An ideas book that can be adapted for ELT via @Shaunwilden
• Critical Thinking Index Page via @cherrymp
• Using graphic organisers to foster CT from @ShellTerrell
• Developing CT in Young Learners via @cherrymp

Remembering and Reusing Functional Language - an #Eltchat Summary

This is a summary of the #eltchat which took place at 12noon GMT on Wednesday 1st February, 2012.  The full title of the chat was:

How to help students remember and reuse functional language

I was joining the chat for the first time since relocating to Vietnam a few months ago, but was immediately made to feel welcome - just like I'd never been away!  The discussion was moderated superbly by @Marisa_C and @Shaunwilden and was, as usual, informative and thought-provoking.....

How do we define 'functional language'?

 

 

We started the discussion by defining our terms.  @SimonGreenall's definition - 'Functions and their exponents are the practical realisation in language acts of theoretical structures' - though mightily impressive, needed translating into layman's terms for the mere mortals amongst us!  @TeachEslToday suggested that, 'Functions are the practical realisation of grammar, grammar put into the real world'. There was broad agreement that we were talking about language which fulfills a specific purpose - making requests, offering to help, making suggestions, apologising, interrupting, making a phone call, giving thanks, taking your leave, giving directions, ordering in a restaurant, etc..  We also concurred that functional language begins at starter level with exponents such as classroom language, telling the time and greetings and, because many of them are fixed expressions, they can be learnt relatively easily even if they are structurally complex.  For example, we can teach, 'Would you like to.....?' 'Yes, I would/no, I wouldn't' at beginner level in a functional syllabus, but not until much later in a grammar/structure driven syllabus.

@TeachEslToday made the distinction between 'functions' (what people want to do with the language) and 'notions' (the meanings people want to convey) and suggested that any syllabus must be based on learners' social communicative needs which would involve both.   

@PatrickAndrews posed the question, 'Doesn't all language fulfill a function?'  This was largely agreed with, though it was pointed out that the function which particular language fulfills depends on the context.

@Marisa_C summed up this part of the discussion by asking us - 'So do we all agree that morphology rules (of form) are not enough - meaning/concept/notion are important, but function and intention are crucial?'

So to the focus of the chat:

How do we help students to remember and reuse functional language?

It was widely felt that the best way to help students remember this language was to give them a context, a personal one, if possible.  Merely giving them lists of functions is not enough as it isn't generative and it doesn't help students to sort language.  It was pointed out that functions are most often taught around a context and/or situation anyway and that coursebooks introduce them in this way so that even the most clueless teacher has a chance!  We all seemed to agree that the communicative approach was best and that we needed to make students see the practical use of the language through roleplays, live listenings, dialogues, and getting them to use the functions to speak about themselves, their world and their experiences.  It was pointed out that it is probably easier to contextualise language to adults rather than to children as adults have more experience to refer to.

Before we got carried away with the idea that context is the be all and end all, though, @Marisa_C reminded us that, whilst it is the key for memory, form awareness is more generative. 

So, how do we get students to notice functional language?  @ShaunWilden suggested that a natural step would be to use the transcripts of listening exercises, something which I make a point of doing every time.  @michaelegriffin's advice was to use test-teach-test, where students do a roleplay using the language, then hear it done by others and then do it again.  @Marisa_C agreed, but added that well-taught ppp for lower levels was also effective.

Once students have noticed the language, they have to be taught how to sort it, in terms of formality, for example.  This could be done by giving them a range of roleplays, each showing a different use, from formal to casual.  Students could also do roleplays where they choose their own level of formality and classmates have to guess the identity of and relationship between the participants.  A handy tip for students would be to tell them that the more complicated the exponent, the more formal it is (e.g. 'Would you mind awfully if ....').

We were advised by @OUPELTGlobal not to give too many examples of a particular function when teaching it as that can make remembering it difficult.  Limiting the number of forms to the level is key.

Repetition is also important for remembering functional language.  Constant exposure to the form and repeated use of it are crucial.  Drilling is especially useful as intonation in functional exponents is very important and often neglected.  I agree with this, but voiced my concern that perhaps we should be wary of too much emphasis being placed on intonation.  My students love to ham it up and can end up sounding ridiculous!  However, as Shaun and Marisa pointed out, at least if they are hamming it up deliberately, then they know what the intonation should be and they can always be encouraged to tone it down in a real-life situation.  @TeachEslToday gave us a good tip when teaching intonation - students listen to a short dialogue from a movie they like and then they try to imitate the intonation using the transcript.

When it comes to reusing functional language, @ShaunWilden told us that he likes using video without sound so that students have to guess the exponents from the situation and paralinguistic features.  Comic strips could be used in a similar way.

We were also reminded of the value of live listenings in that they demonstrate real language in use complete with pauses, repetitions, doubts, etc. - something that students have to get used to.

Useful links

• Threshold Level - a book which @SimonGreenall worked on and which contains useful lists of functional language.
• Functional language from tefl.net via @AnneSinclair1.
• Functional approaches in EFL/ ESL via @AnneSinclair1.
• Using silent movies - from @theteacherjames.
• Good site for videos and lesson plans via @AnneSinclair1.
• Focussing on communication strategies via @annehodg 
• Good discussion on functions via @AnneSinclair1.

Book recommendations

• 'Function in English' (1982) J. Blundell, J. Higgins & N. Middlemiss - currently out of print, but highly recommended by @Marisa_C.
• 'Variations on a Theme' - a book giving the same dialogue, but in different contexts - very good for intonation.

Project Work in EFL Classrooms - an #Eltchat Summary

This is a summary of the #eltchat which took place at 9pm BST on Wednesday 22nd June, 2011.  The full title of the chat was:

Project Work in EFL Classrooms (Themes, Strategies, Resources)

We welcomed some 'first-timers' to the chat as well as some contributors (including me) who had missed several weeks due to work and other committments.  The discussion was moderated superbly by @Marisa_C and @Shaunwilden and was, as usual, lively, informative and inspiring.....

Defining Terms - What is a Project?

• A project is collaborative - most agreed on this point although @Shaunwilden suggested that a class can do individual projects according to their interests.
• A project involves planning, collaboration, execution, constant evaluation, reflection, end product, and display (via @barbarabujtas).
• It is a display of task outcome. 
• It lasts for more than one or two lessons.  Indeed, it can continue throughout a whole course with, perhaps, the last 30 minutes of each lesson being devoted to project work.
• It works best inside the classroom and should begin and end there, although research could be done for homework, making the borders of the classroom more porous - a two-way bridge (via @web2literacy). 
• It doesn't necessarily have to be big as, as @CeciELT pointed out, students often don't have time to do big projects, so she has been experimenting with lots of mini-projects instead.
• A project is a process by which the students can decide on the steps, critical elements and tasks (via @BethCagnol).
• It should be varied and integrate a variety of language skills.
• It should have differentiation built-in and be able to accommodate different ability levels.
• A project can be ongoing - added to from year to year with different groups.  This idea was put forward by @BethCagnol and is something I can identify with as it is what we do with some of our projects at summer school.
• A project can be done individually in a one-to-one setting, with the results being displayed in social media (via barbarabujtas).
• A project involves not only using language to complete the task itself, but also reporting on the task - i.e. reflective learning (via @pjgallantry).

Why do Projects?

• Projects can motivate students, especially teens. 
• Students enjoy it when we show enthusiasm for doing project work and offer opportunities instead of just prescriptive work (via lu_bodeman).
• Shy students can do great work in a group, as can students with otherwise lower grades.
• Projects teach students, especially YLs, to work together, to be part of a group, to share, etc. (via Fuertesun).
• Project work works well with CLIL.
• Projects are more memorable than simple tasks, so might this mean that they are a more effective way of learning?
• Projects link to the lives of learners; they are meaningful, not just prescriptive or pedagogic.
• Projects offer an opportunity for acceleration work for students who are keen to move ahead (via @Marisa_C).
• Students often take projects more seriously than everyday tasks.
• Project work could involve the local community, parents, etc. (via @Yohimar)

The Teacher's Role in Project Work

• To motivate the students. 
• To guide the project in order to prevent copy/paste or laziness (via @evab2001).
• To encourage creativity.
• To plan scheduled short project meetings for updates & progress reports.
• To have a very clear timetable of when each stage of the project should be completed.
• To maintain their own enthusiasm for the project, even when they are 5 weeks in! (via @pjgallantry)

Motivating Students to do Project Work

• Sometimes, particularly with adult students, some group members won't participate in project work. 
• Most contributors to the chat agreed that the key to this was making sure that the students had some input in to choosing the topic of the project, perhaps choosing from a list supplied by the teacher or even coming up with the list themselves and then narrowing it down to their favourites.
• Give each student in a project group a role, a particular objective to help avoid coasting and to add peer pressure (via @fionamau).
• Have a prize for the best project, something worth fighting for (via @BethCagnol).
• Students are generally motivated by teaching something they know to other students (via @CeciELT).  I agree - at last year's summer school, one Japanese student came in to his own when he taught his classmates all about darts as part of a sports project.  He even made a perfect dartboard just by folding paper - amazing!
• The outcome of the project must be seen to be important - something which the students can be proud of and use as a measure of their development (via @lu_bodeman).
• Students like the fact that projects can be displayed using different media - posters, ppt, audio, video, etc.

Project Ideas

• A portfolio of questions asked during internship interviews - good for BE. 
• A glog on your favourite popstar (this could be an individual project).
• A guide to local restaurants, etc., which could be updated yearly.
• A class newspaper, newsletter or news programme. (@cybraryman1 's news page)
• A movie.
• A magazine for the local area including reviews, opinions, letters, features, etc. (via @antoniaclare).  This is something we've done at summer school where the students write a guide for students coming the following year.
• A science fair, for example with animal categories - insects, birds, fish, mammals, etc. (via @Dawg_Houston).
• Plan a music festival.
• Something to help the community - building a sense of citizenship (via @CeciELT).
• A podcast relating to the topic of the unit they are studying (via @antoniaclare).
• A show made up of songs & skits in English (via @Sarah_WG).
• Healthy eating, including tasks like keeping a food diary, making a food pyramid, etc.
• An American style yearbook which could be printed and given as gifts at the end of the course (via @harrisonmike).
• A 'memory book' using Bubblr or Bookr, both available at pimpampum.net.
• Links to YouTube videos that you like and explanations why.
• Share music videos and embed them in a class blog (via @web2literacy).
• A long story written over a period of time, with the best ones being made into ebooks (via @evab2001).
• A comic, perhaps using a site like http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/.
• A commercial, either as a video clip or as a roleplay (via @notyetlanguage).
• For multi-lingual groups (e.g. at summer school), an international cookbook or guide to international festivals/traditions/dress etc. where the students and you as the teacher learn a lot about how others live.

How do we Grade Projects?

• Some contributors felt that projects shouldn't be graded at all - it's the process that's important and the presentation of the project is a reward in itself.
• With ongoing projects, students still need to have a tangible outcome so that they can feel that they have reached the end, even if only of 'their' part. 
• It can be difficult to assess/grade collaborative projects when group members put in different amounts of effort, but this can be addressed by ensuring that all members have an area of responsibility.  @teacher_prix told us that she likes to split the grades with one for overall work and one for individual effort.
• For project work, perhaps it's better to give feedback or peer evaluation rather than a formal grade.
• Perhaps the fact that the project has been worked on and completed should be the grade (via @pjgallantry).
• We need some kind of assessment in order to justify incorporating project work into courses (via @web2literacy).
• Asian cultures in particular crave a grade, so probably wouldn't enjoy non-graded project work (via @eyespeakbrasil).
• You could make project work a competition, rather than something which is graded.  The winner could be determined by a 'jury' made up of the DOS, teachers and students.  There could even be a global 'project based' competition with ESL schools from around the world competing with each other (via @eyespeakbrasil).

Conclusion

I think all contributors to last night's chat felt that project work has an valuable role to play in the EFL classroom.  For me, being just 3 weeks away from returning to summer school where all of our classes are project-based, the chat gave me some great ideas to pass on to my fellow teachers when I get there!

Links

A TESOL webinar on making video projects (via @lu_bodeman) 

My Cooperative and Collaborative Learning Page by @cybraryman1

Notes on a project workshop by @kalinagoenglish

The classic book on project work (via @Marisa_C)

Deal with the Gantt diagram - an idea for a project suggested by @BethCagnol

A fab example of project work (via @harrisonmike)

Chuck Sandy's lipdubs project (via @antoniaclare)

Project based ESL learning (via @eyespeakbrasil)

A Dvolver story by @DinaDobrou Episode one and Episode two

Students presenting their 'rugby' project at Rugby Summer School, 2009