Democritus University of Thrace
Dept of Pre- School Education
Academic Year 2013-14
Winter Semester
Esp lecturer M. Ammari
Incorporating Project Work in EFL Teacher Training
Project work is a term that has been cropping up in many publications on English
language teaching. Primary-school teacher training in EFL contexts is quite
challenging compared to the same process in the target language community, where
preschool teachers' exposure to the language environment is limited to the
institutional setting. Project work is a good tool for creating a language and content
learning continuum that requires active involvement and cooperation inside as well as
outside the classroom.
Characteristics of Project Work
Project work is a valuable addition to preschool education because it possesses the
following characteristics, as described by Stoller (2002):
 a focus on content learning, real-world subject matter, and topics of interest to
learners
 student-centeredness
 an emphasis on cooperation, which leads to different modes of interaction adopted
by students during the work
 authentic integration of skills and processing of information from various sources
 both a process and a product orientation, which allows teacher learners in the EFL
context to develop their language proficiency while cooperating at different
project stages
 motivation and stimulation that lead to confidence, self-esteem, and autonomy.
The process of project based Work
The basic phases found in most projects include selecting a topic, making plans,
researching, developing products, and sharing results with others (Wrigley, 1998).
However, because project-based learning hinges on group effort, establishing a
trusting, cooperative relationship before embarking on a full-fledged project is also
necessary. Activities that engage learners in communication tasks and in peer- and
self- evaluation help create the proper classroom environment. Information gap
activities (where the assignment can only be completed through sharing of the
different information given each learner), learner-to-learner interviews, role plays,
simulations, field trips, contact assignments outside of class, and process writing with
peers prepare learners for project work.
"Selecting Topics"
A project should reflect the interests and concerns of the learners. Teachers can begin
determining project topics at the start of an instructional cycle by conducting a class
needs assessment to identify topic areas and skills to be developed. As the teacher and
learners talk about projects and get to know each other, new topics and issues may
come to light that are appropriate for project learning. A project may focus on the
objectives of one instructional unit, such as a unit on health, or it may span several
units. It may take place during a unit or be a culminating final event. Whatever the
project, learners need to be in on the decision making from the beginning (Moss,
1998).
"Making Plans and Doing Research"
Once a topic is selected, learners work together to plan the project, conduct research,
and develop their products. Learners with low language proficiency or little
experience working as part of a team may require structure and support throughout
the project. Pre-project activities that introduce problem-solving strategies, language
for negotiation, and methods for developing plans are useful. Learners may also need
practice in specific language skills to complete project tasks. For example, learners
using interviews as an information gathering technique may need instruction and
practice in constructing and asking questions as well as in taking notes.
"Sharing Results with Others"
Project results can be shared in a number of ways. Oral presentations can accompany
written products within the classroom or in other classes within the program. Project
products can also be disseminated in the larger community, as in the case of English
language learners from an adult program in New York City, whose project culminated
in the creation and management of a cafe and catering business (Lawrence, 1997;
Wrigley, 1998).
Examples of project work in a EFL classroom
Case A
In this particular project, learners in an advanced intensive ESL class worked in pairs
to present a thirty-minute lesson to other classes in the program. They worked
collaboratively to determine the needs of their audience, interview teachers, choose
topics, conduct research, prepare lessons, practice, offer evaluations to other teams
during the rehearsal phase, present their lessons, and evaluate the effort. Topics
ranged from ways to get rid of cockroaches to how the local government works.
Before the lesson planning began, learners identified lesson objectives and evaluation
criteria. They shared ideas on what makes a presentation successful, considering both
language and presentation skills. The evaluation criteria used for feedback on
rehearsals as well as for final evaluations include the following:
* Introduces self and the topic clearly, respectfully, and completely.
* Includes interactive activities in the lesson.
* Speaks in a way that is easy to understand.
* Is responsive to the audience.
* Shows evidence of preparation and practice.
* Shows knowledge of the topic.
In addition, the teachers and learners in the classes receiving the presentations wrote
evaluations of the lessons. The presenters also wrote an evaluation essay reflecting on
their own work and the value of the project itself.
Collaborating on a Preservice Teacher–Created Magazine
Case B
In this project work learners were assigned work in groups of four or five to design an
EFL magazine, which is then presented orally in class. The preservice teachers have
come up with interesting titles for their publications, including University Journal for
Educational Purposes (modeled after the name of our institution: University of J. E.
Purkyne), Teacher to Teachers (playing on "teacher talking time"), Green Tea-chers
(explaining that the journal, like green tea, would refresh the mind of those who read
it), TEFLON (Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Our Nation), Teacher's
Private Luxury, Freshers, and Gap-Filler.
Four academic objectives guide the project. First, it provides the prospective EFL
teachers with hands-on experience in project work. Second, it encourages them to
read professional TESL/TEFL publications. Third, it stimulates the preservice
teachers to apply theory to practice, addressing concrete problems that they personally
regard as interesting, typical, and crucial. Finally, it enhances the learners' language
proficiency as they cooperate during different stages of the project.
The production of their own EFL magazine is based on a six-step model for
orchestrating project work in an English for specific purposes classroom (see Stoller,
2002), with necessary adjustments made for the teacher-training context. The
preservice teachers determine the target audience and then structure the project. This
includes defining the problems they are going to address, assigning each other roles
for the project development, and deciding on the genre of their contributions to the
journal. They then begin to work on their individual contributions to the magazine by
conducting interviews, writing book reviews, and creating a Letters to the Editor
column. The preservice teachers then choose the layout and design of the publication.
Additionally, they provide illustrations by taking pictures, creating or collecting
drawings, and producing any handouts to be included in the magazine.
Finally, the preservice teachers present their finished product. They explain the title of
the magazine, describe its target audience, and review its content. Classmates read
each other's magazines and vote for the most interesting contribution in each one. All
the magazines are then posted on the groups' Web pages.
Reflection on YOUR Project
At the end of each project, I ask students to evaluate the stages they went through and
the difficulties they encountered. They report that the most common difficulties
include choosing the title, choosing article topics, writing articles that would be
interesting for their peers, dealing with time constraints, cooperating with group
members, and resisting the temptation to plagiarize. Benefits of the project include, as
one learner put it, "working in a team, sharing ideas, and learning interesting things
while looking for materials." Most agree that they "had fun while working in a team."
The EFL journal project has proved to be a beneficial example of cooperative group
work for educational professional development. Not only can project work provide
teacher learners with hands-on experience with teamwork, it can encourage them to
use group project work with their students in the future.
Reference
Stoller, F. (2002). Project work: A means to promote language and content. In J.
Richards & W. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of
current practice (pp. 107–119). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Natalia Orlova (orlova@pf.ujep.cz) teaches TEFL courses for preservice teachers at
the University of J. E. Purkyne, in Usti nad Labem, in the Czech Republic.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
PART A: READING AND VOCABULARY
General guidelines
1. Your work has to be an authentic piece of research. Do not copy exercises from
English textbooks.
2. You can name and direct your project any way you like.
3. If you find it hard to choose a topic one idea is to try looking into some of the most
popular pedagogists and their contributions; Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky,
Freobel etc.
4. Or try finding the broader disciplinary area, then narrow down your topic and
research. You may have a look at the contents of a book that interests you.
5. Make sure texts you include in your assignment refer to the same topic. Some
suggested topics are the following: Children’s literature, Fairy Tales, Play, Special
Education, Learning Difficulties, Educational Systems around the World, Crosscurricular Approach.
6. Don’t forget to cite your sources at the end of the texts. Sources and references
should be stated at all times.
7. Think about areas of research and how to present them, artistically speaking as
well as pedagogically. Attention is necessary both to the content and design of the
assignment.
8. Try to add on some original texture to your work. Add a glossary of specialized
terms or an index that speaks of literary tools.
9. For individual assigmnents 3 of the 4 main skills should be dealt with (reading,
writing, speaking, listening). In case of a collaborative assigment (max. 2 students) all
language skills should be covered.
10. Give clear instructions for the completion of the tasks.
11. Provide a vocabulary section(ENG – GR) of the reading text at the end of the
assignment.
12. An answer key should be also provided at the end of the assignment.
13. Finally, your project should be handed in two forms electronic and printed.
14. A brief oral presentation including the central ideas of the text will be given when handing
in the assignment or beforehand (arrangement with the teacher is necessary).
 TOTAL (100 points)
For a team project:
Reading (15 points)
Vocabulary (35 points)
Listening + Speaking + Writing (5 points each)
Oral presentation + Design (20 points)
For individual assignements:
Choose two from listening, speaking or writing. (15x 2= 30 points)
Criteria: Grammatical accuracy, design and content of items, design of the assignment,
effective presentation of the text’s central ideas.
Choosing a text
 The text should be between 700-1000 words (2-3 pages) long. (Calibri, Arial or
Times New Roman, 12)
 Choose a contemporary text and make sure it appeals to your interests. A text that
you find interesting will motivate you to work more efficiently.
 Do not choose a research report since such texts include a lot of specialised
vocabulary on research methodology and findings.
 It is very important that you actually study the text, familiarise yourself with possible
unknown vocabulary items, comprehend possible difficult points and be able to
present the central idea(s).
 Useful websites: http://libguides.acu.edu.au/earlychildeduc (includes journals of early
childhood education), http://www.macmillandictionary.com (very useful online
dictionary, can be used for the vocabulary section)
Suggested tasks
READING COMPREHENSION (Total 15 items: 3 tasks x 5 items each)
 Comprehension questions. ATTENTION! Try to use your own words as
far as possible when answering the questions. (Compulsory)
 True/False statements. ATTENTION! Avoid copying sentences from the
text and add a few words to give the same or the opposite meaning.
(Compulsory)
 Missing sentences. ATTENTION! Do not omit sentences at random.
(Optional)
 Matching missing titles for the paragraphs of the text. (Optional)
VOCABULARY (Total 6 tasks: 35 items)
 Matching words with the correct definition. ATTENTION! Sometimes a
word might have several meanings. You should include the meaning the
word has in the specific text (Compulsory – 6 items).
 Completing sentences with the aforementioned words. ATTENTION! The
meaning of the words should be the one given in the previous task
(Compulsory – 6 items).
 Derivatives. ATTENTION! Do not use individual sentences but a complete
text (Compulsory – 6 items).
 Putting sentences in the correct order to make a paragraph (task 2).
(Compulsory 6 items)
 Completing a text with missing words. ATTENTION to the words you
choose to omit (Compulsory – 6 items).
 Matching words to make collocations (familiar word combinations).
(Optional – 5 items)
 Deciding which answer best fits a gap. (Optional – 5 items)
 Thinking of a word that can be used appropriately in three sentences.
(Optional – 6 items)
 Matching two columns to make meaningful sentences (task 1). (Optional –
5 items)
 Matching the underlined words from a text with their given synonym (task
3). (Optional – 5 items)
TASK 1
1. It is through play and interactive
activities that
2. As pre-school teachers and childcare and family providers, you
have
both
the
wonderful
opportunity
3. The years from birth through age
five
4. Young children need teachers
who
a.and the important responsibility to teach
and nurture the youngest children.
b. preschool children learn mainly and
develop their skills and competences.
c. are a time for extraordinary growth and
change.
d. so that they can maximise
opportunities to establish a climate of
trust, sharing and respect.
5. All teachers, and other school e. work with them individually, or in
staff need a confident awareness of their small groups.
potential contribution
TASK 2
Travelling through the stages of life
□ However, these are only a warm-up compared with the problems they will have to
be confronted with when they grow older.
□ Shortly after, they start their careers.
□ Before you realize it, they are toddlers beginning to walk and talk.
□ When they feel they can stand on their own feet, they create their own families.
□ Then, going through childhood they have to cope with all the problems children
usually deal with.
□ To all intents and purposes a new born human baby is helpless.
□ Before you know it, they develop into young adults.
□ It is a this stage that they start university studies.
TASK 3
Intellectual readiness
Children are more likely to feel. 1.competent in school if they can understand and use
the language of the peers and the adults they meet in the school. They are also more
2.likely to have confidence in their own ability to 3.cope with school if they can relate
to the ideas and 4.topics introduced by the teacher and other children in class
discussion and activities.
SYNONYMS: probable, proficient, subject, manage.
TEXT FOR EXTRA PRACTICE
Your children should never be teased or embarrassed in any way about their linguistic
performance in the weaker language (yes there will almost certainly be a weaker
language). This includes protecting children when they are asked to perform by adults
and avoiding comparisons between their performance (especially in the weaker
language) and that of monolingual children. Of course, a child should never be
punished for making mistakes; as far as possible, you should avoid correcting children
overtly too; especially if this means constantly interrupting them.
Be consistent in your linguistic behaviour with your children, but remember there are
many ways of being consistent; one parent, one language; a weekday and a Sunday
language; the first one to speak chooses the language; everyone speaking their
preferred language. Remember, too, that to be consistent often requires considerable
effort and patience on your part.
Finally play it down. For most bilingual children and their parents their linguistic
situation is just an integral part of their life, and you should do nothing that might
cause a child to look upon their bilingualism as a burden. It is invariably useful, often
fun and interesting, but it is still something they share with the majority of the world’s
population and therefore neither cause for concern or anything to shout about.
TASK: Design your own comprehension and vocabulary tasks.
Some Web sites
 British Council
 Swedish ministry of education
 Ofsted uk
 Australian
 English learners online
ministry
of
education
 English tips
 British ministry of education
 Teachers Tv
 www.smallwood.co.uk
 www.auth.enl/links.gr
 www.luckyduck.co.uk
 Primary education uk
 www.remember.mcmail.com
 Foundation stage UK
 www.newhorizons.org
You may always look under the following key words and find interesting pages:
Pre-school education+ Primary school education themes + project work +
english language + english for specific purposes + education + education genre +
definition + glossary + education word lists + lecture +literary tools+