1.

THEORIES OF TEACHING A PROJECT

What is a project according to the New Curriculum in English?
The Project is aimed at providing students with an opportunity to apply the language and skills they
learnt throughout the unit to perform a task in a realistic situation. Students are asked to do a survey
or research to get real information about their friends, their neighborhood or to broaden their
knowledge about the real world. The project tasks often involve teamwork so that students’
collaborative skills are developed and their team spirits are enhanced.

What is the theory of teaching a project?

Project-based learning (or teaching a project) is a teaching methodology in which students, under the
guidance and help of teachers (or instructors), independently solve a task that integrates not only in
theory but especially in implementation. In other words, teaching a project is a teaching method in
which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and
respond to an engaging, and complex problem or challenge, reflect on the process, revise the work, and
create a public product.
Project-based learning emphasizes learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary and student-
centered. Project-based learning also gives students the opportunity to explore problems and challenges
that have real-world applications, increasing the possibility of long-term retention of skills and concepts.

2. PRACTICE AND REVISE

Below is our teaching Project session after careful revision:
Task 1: Do a survey in your class to find out the information below:
QUESTIONS ANSWERS

How many classmates live in a nuclear family?

How many classmates live in an extended family?

How many classmates have both parents working?

How many classmates spend at least one hour a day doing

housework?

What do your classmates think the ideal family is like?

1. The teacher will introduce students to a survey table in the textbook and ask them to do it, which can be
carried out in class time or during break time. (semi-formal exercise)

2. Next, the teacher can divide students into groups so that they only have to interview a certain number
of people in the class.

3. After being divided into groups, each group will appoint a leader, who will assign particular roles for
each member. There will be students who interview and collect information, reorganize and summarize
the information, and present them to the class.

4. Students begin to interview their classmates by going around the class and asking some questions to get
information for their survey. Prior to the interview session, the teacher will make it clear that all the
exchanges should take place in English, and students are required to apply what they have learnt
during the lesson into the conversation. While students are interviewing their classmates, the teacher
can go to each group, observe how they ask and give answers to each other and consider whether their
questions/answers are informative and appropriate or not. (Observation)

5. Besides, to help students do their interview more easily, the teacher can give them some clues by
asking some questions related to the survey. (informal questioning)

For example, with the question: “What do your classmates think the ideal family is like?”, if students do
not know how to answer this, the teacher can suggest some criteria for an ideal family by asking: “What
do you think about a family with good mutual understanding among members?” or “What do you think
about a family in which members do not spend time with each other?”

6. Additionally, the teacher can even encourage students to do the survey in the same manner but in a
different class to make the activity more interesting and insightful.

Task 2: After students finish the survey, ask them to work in groups and compare their
findings. Then report to the whole class.

1. The teacher will allow the groups some time, in order for them to assemble the results of their survey
and prepare their reports. During this time, the teacher could also go around the class and come to
students' assistance if necessary. (observation)

2. With the groups that have already been divided from task 1, the teacher will ask them to present the
results of the survey on the board.

If students find it difficult to get their idea across, the teacher can suggest a template as following:
"You might want to say: After doing the survey, our group found that there are ... students in our class
who live in a nuclear family and ... live in an extended family. Some of us have both parents working, and
the number of our classmates doing housework at least 1 hour a day is ..."

"Among us, there are ... students who spend at least one hour a day doing housework. We also found
many interesting opinions about an ideal family. A says that….. B says that…"

While students are presenting, the teacher will note down pronunciation mistakes and correct them later.
(observation)

3. After the brief and concise presentation of those groups, the teacher will ask some students to make
comments on the work of other groups (peer assessment). Comments here might be:

"Is it the same as theirs?"

"Do they have any difference of opinion on an ideal family?"

"Does the survey have real or just fake numbers?"

4. After listening to the judgments of students, the teacher will give some general comments in the end,
pointing out the good and the bad points. The teacher will also announce that the results of this survey
will be collected, not for grading but for the purpose of accumulating students' work over a period of
time to assess their learning process.

5. Before the class ends, the teacher will ask students to complete a self-assessing form in order to know
the progress of each student, so that any adjustments can be made suitably. Below is the form:

To what extent do you understand your yay sure let me I don't nay
see feel so
friends’ presentation?
good sir
Can you express your opinions about an yay sure let me I don't nay
see feel so
ideal family yourself?
good sir
Having listened to the comments made by yay sure let me I don't nay
see feel so
the teacher (be it for yourself or your
good sir
friends), do you think that you can apply
that piece of knowledge to your learning?

To what extent did you understand the yay sure let me I don't nay
see feel so
vocabulary and the grammar section of the
good sir
unit?
To what extent can you apply your yay sure let me I don't nay
see feel so
knowledge gained from the unit?
good sir

3. HOW DOES FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT WORK WITHIN THIS PERIOD?

Self-assessment: Students are required to fill in an end-of-the-class form, which assesses to what
extent students themselves have understood the assignment.
Peer-assessment: After the brief and concise presentation of those groups, the teacher will ask
some students to make comments on the work of other groups.
Observation: While students are doing the survey, the teacher can go around to observe their
performances and provide assistance if necessary.
Informal questioning: to help students do their interview more easily, the teacher can give them
some clues by asking some questions related to the survey.
Semi-formal exercises: The teacher will introduce students to a survey table in the textbook and
ask them to do it, which can be carried out in class time or during break time.