Project work (primary leaners)

Projects enable to create a natural language context, encourage learner autonomy and integrate learning outcomes

Teaching communicatively means helping our learners become more independent in their language development. A good learner is willing to experiment, eager to learn, and capable of evaluating and improving their own performance. 

Project work integrates 

•  language;
• topic knowledge;
• thinking skills;

It can also stimulate use of language to express meaning, and encourage free thought and expression. By integrating projects into our teaching, we’re also providing opportunities for learners to experiment with language, and decide for themselves what they will do and how they will do it. This, in turn, helps them to focus on their own progress and improvement.

A project focuses on something that is made by our learner. It is they who decide what to include, how to do it, what tools to use and how the final product will look like. A teacher cannot impose their views, they can only guide their learners. 

A project can be small and take only one lesson, or it can take a series of lesson at which you discuss the final product. However, no matter how long it takes, in the end, your children should have a product to show for their hard work.

The advantages of using projects in class:

• Learners become personally involved in projects - Motivation is increased;
• Learners communicate their ideas in a variety of ways - All four skills can be integrated;
• Learners work in groups - Cooperation and interpersonal skills are developed;
• Learners have an end product - There are clear learning outcomes;
•  Learners use language in real-life contexts - Natural language is encouraged;
• Learners become more responsible for their own learning - Decision-making skills are developed;

Planning projects

• Show some examples to your students so that they could understand what you expect from them; 
• Suggest that your learners should choose the theme. It's important that they feel confident and motivated; 
• Ask learners what do the need for the project and prepare everything necessary; 
• Decide who will do each part. Give each learner a task; 
• Think about timing and keep reminding your learners of time restrictions;
• Create evaluation criteria to assess learners’ work. Include factors like quality of written work, use of pictures and group cooperation;
• Decide how learners will get to see everyone’s work. Your learners can present their projects to the whole class or you can organise a wall display;

It is difficult to predict what language your learners will use and will need while doing the projects, but if plan carefully, you may more or less predict. 

How can we help learners to improve?

• Keep record. Make notes of some weak points (problems with grammatical structures, vocabulary etc.) Later work with individuals, groups or the whole class to solve these problems;
• Give feedback. Help learners with accuracy, and comment on their work to help keep them on task;
• Provide advice;
• Have dictionaries available for your learners;
• Use positive comments. Draw attention to good things about learners’ work, rather than things that are wrong;
• Encourage learners to think about their own work and how to improve it;
• Give learners a checklist of questions before they finish their task;
• Make sure learners have time to make adjustments and improve their work;
• Teach them useful phrases, such as ‘This is a presentation about …’, ‘You can see …’ and ‘We think …’ before your learners present their project;
• Give them some rehearsal time before they present;

Possible project tasks:

• Design a T-shirt for a pop idol;
• Design a poster to give advice about learning English; 
• Make a class wall display about favorite paintings;
• Invent a new piece of furniture;
• Design a Christmas card; 
• Presentation of an imaginary themed café;
• Poster of what food do you like and do you dislike;
• A project about the book you have read with your learners. Create a mini-magazine (chapter summaries; crosswords; book reviews; film reviews (if there is any film based on this book); a biography of the author etc.) 
• Project about Space; 

Links:

http://www.cambridgeenglishteacher.org/courses/details/18777/teaching-primary-learners-communicatively