MOTIVATING STUDENTS THROUGH
LONG-TERM PROJECTSLisa MannEnglish Language FellowPiura, Peru
ABOUT MEI am originally from the San Francisco bay area in California, but I haven’t lived there in many, many years. I have an MA TESOL and an MA in translation. I’ve worked as an English teacher, director of studies, program coordinator and a translator for over 20 years in just about every teaching context you can imagine. I am currently an English Language Fellow based in Piura, northern Peru.
OVERVIEW OF THIS WEBINAR
Choosing good projects
Motivating factorsProject catalogueProject route map
CHOOSING GOOD PROJECTSCRITICAL THINKING
COLLABORATION
MOTIVATION
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
PUBLIC PRODUCT
MULTIPLE SKILLS
AUTHENTICITYGOAL-
ORIENTATION
POLL How strong is this project idea? In groups, students create a poster depicting the storyline of a film watched in class. The posters will then be displayed at their school
A) It is a very good idea! B) It’s okay, but not great. C) This idea has no merit! It shouldn’t be used!
POLL How strong is this project idea? In groups, students create a poster depicting the storyline of a film watched in class. The posters will then be displayed at their school.
A) It is a very good idea! B) It’s okay, but not great. C) This idea has no merit! It shouldn’t be used!
POLL In groups, students create a poster depicting the storyline of a film watched in class. The posters will then be displayed at their school.
Which of the criteria does this project NOT meet? Critical thinking Collaboration Authenticity Motivation Essential question Multiple skills Goal-orientation Public product
POLL In groups, students create a poster depicting the storyline of a film watched in class. The posters will then be displayed at their school.
Which of the criteria does this project NOT meet?
Critical thinking Collaboration Authenticity Motivation Essential question Multiple skills Goal-orientation Public product
MOTIVATING PROJECTS
Technology
Agency
Meaningfulness
PROJECT CATALOGUE
Guide to Wildlife in Your CityWhich animals and plants do we share our environment with? What are their habitats? How do our actions affect these plants and animals?With your group, you will take photos of as many wild plants and animals you can find. You will do research to find out what they are called and how they live and write a short summary of your findings for each one. You will create a website to publish your wildlife guide and give a short presentation of your experiences.
PROJECT CATALOGUECivic InvolvementWhat are some of the biggest environmental problems in our city? What can we do as individuals to solve these problems?With your group, you will discuss some of the biggest problems in your city that can be solved by it citizens. You’ll focus on a single issue and discuss possible solutions, then you’ll create a social media campaign – with memes, information, challenges and goals – to get the people of your city involved in making it a better place to live. You’ll prepare a presentation of your experiences to share with the class.
PROJECT CATALOGUEThe Green PagesWhat are some of the biggest environmental problems in our city? How can you make people understand how important they are?With your group, you will decide which environmental problems you would like to change. You will collect information – photos, interviews, information from published sources – and write articles. You will create a professional looking newspaper and publish it online. You will give a brief presentation about your experiences.
PROJECT CATALOGUEA New Kind of Super Hero What are some of the biggest environmental problems in your city right now? If you could be a super hero with a super power that could instantly solve your city’s most important problem, what super power would you choose?With your group, you will work to create a comic strip. You will design the characters, write the story, draw the action and then record your voices acting out the parts of the story in an animated slide show. You will show your creation to the rest of the class and publish it on social media.
PROJECT ROUTE MAP
In-class discussion
Project selection
Group discussion
and planning
Data collection /
Content creation
PublicationPresentation
REFERENCES The Buck Institute for Education website: bie.org The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development website: www.ascd.org
The Green Schools Initiative website: http://greenschools.net/article.php?id=160
The American English website: americanenglish.state.gov Free website / blog platform: www.wordpress.com Free newspaper templates: www.makemynewspaper.com Free software for making animated slideshows: www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11132
