student’s guide to problem-based learning · a pbl classroom also involves self-assessment and...
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Student’s Guide toProblem-based Learning
Dubravka Celinšek
Student’s Guide to Problem-based LearningDubravka Celinšek
Izdala in založila · Univerza na PrimorskemFakulteta za managementCankarjeva 5, 6101 Koper
Lektorirala · Alicia DejakOblikovanje · Boštjan KomelIlustracije · Andrej Berlot
Koper · 2014
© 2014 Dubravka Celinšek
Publikacija je brezplacna
Special thanks to the Slovene Association of LSP teachers’ PBL Groupwhose ideas and enthusiasm I was fortunate to sharewhile introducing PBL in our ESP classrooms.
CIP – Kataložni zapis o publikacijiNarodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana
378.147(0.034.2)
CELINŠEK, DubravkaStudent’s guide to problem-based learning [Elektronski vir] /
Dubravka Celinšek ; [ilustracije Andrej Berlot]. – El. knjiga. –Koper : Fakulteta za management, 2014
Nacin dostopa (URL): http://www.fm-kp.si/zalozba/ISBN/978-961-266-167-0.pdfISBN 978-961-266-167-0 (pdf)276085504
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Table of Contents
Introduction to Problem-based Learning (PBL) 5PBL in an ESP classroom at terciary level in SloveniaPBL at the Faculty of ManagementThe role of language and subject teachers 6
PBL and the students 7A Meetings and research 8 1. Before the first meeting (Meeting I) Team formation and team work Designing a problem 8Meetings and keeping records 2. Meeting I (steps 1-5) 83. Between Meeting I and Meeting II (step 6) 9 4. Meeting II (step 7) 10 B Writing in a PBL classroom – team work 11Preparatory stage: Summarizing journal articles 11Writing a report and report structure 12Referencing and bibliography 18Concordances in report and summary writing 18Report correction 19C Team presentations 20
Project documentation 23 Assessment 23Report Assessment Form 24Presentation Assessment Form 25Self-assessment Form 26Peer Assessment of Team Members Form 27Evaluation of the Project Form 28
AppendicesAppendix I: Sample problem description 32Appendix II: Correction symbols 33Appendix III: Sample vocabulary notes 34 Appendix IV: WebCorp output for search term “online promotion” 35Appendix V: Using the concordancer 35
References 36
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Introduction to Problem-based Learning (PBL)The young generation have experienced great changes in communication; consequently, their learning has changed as well. Problem-based learning is one educational strategy that helps students build the reasoning and communication skills necessary for success today (B.J. Duch et al. 2001, 3). It is an approach to structuring the curriculum which involves confronting students with practical problems which provides a stimulus for learning. PBL aims at developing learning for capability rather than learning for the sake of acquiring knowledge (Engel in Boud & Feletti 2001, 15).
In other words, in an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) PBL classroom, you will learn English and acquire professional knowledge by solving problems in simulated real-life situations. Moreover, after this process, your knowledge will be upgraded and ready to be used in your future jobs. Above all, working in teams will develop many skills you will need in your careers. Therefore, PBL in ESP has been introduced with the goal to combine language and content study and to facilitate autonomous learning.
PBL in an ESP classroom at terciary level in Slovenia
PBL in a foreign language classroom in Slovenia started as a TENTEC (Teaching English for Technical Purposes) project at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana. The project partners were from Austria, France, Holland, Slovenia and Sweden. After presenting the project at the IATEFL Slovenia Conference in Ljubljana in 2000, a new project group of tertiary level language teachers decided to introduce this approach to teaching and learning a foreign language (English, German and French) in some Slovene higher education institutions. Consequently the project started inside the Slovene Association of Teachers of Languages for Specific Purposes with the support of the University of Aston, UK and the British Council in Ljubljana in the academic year 2000/2001. Students from all three Slovene universities have participated in this project and their response has been very positive.
PBL at the Faculty of Management
The Faculty of Management joined the project in the academic year 2001/2002 and has been participating in it ever since. So far subject teachers and other experts from the field of management, marketing, organizational culture, macroeconomics and communication have been involved in this project.
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The role of language and subject teachers
The co-operation between a subject and language teacher is essential for the success of the project. As the materials studied might surpass the competency of the language teacher, it is necessary to work with both the subject and language teacher.
The subject teacher provides professional support, while the language teacher helps you with the appropriate use of language. Nevertheless, the subject teacher (who is fluent in English) should be able to help you with technical vocabulary.
In short, teachers are involved in this process as facillitators who provide you with appropriate materials, suggest what sources to study or where you can find them as well as how to organize your work.
Ideally, both teachers are involved in assessing the report and presentation, and if possible they both monitor the whole process.
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PBL and the students
In a PBL project you work in teams. You are given a problem designed by a subject teacher or as it is still a regular practice at the Faculty of Management, you design a problem by yourselves and later review it with your subject teacher to check if this is a problem or just a question to answer. You will also check if the problem you designed is relevant to the subject field and related to the real world.
Timing
The whole project can last from 4 or 6 weeks to a whole semester. We planned to assign two monthsto produce a written report and another 2-4 weeks to have the reports corrected and to prepare for presentations. Detailed deadlines for completing certain phases will be set during the project.
Assessment
A PBL classroom also involves self-assessment and peer assessment. Carrying out peer assessment before the project is finished may contribute to better quality of the continuing process and final product. This allows you to controll the success of your project.
Moreover, you will also assess your subject and language teachers in order to point out what you consider their strengths and weaknesses are, which will make it easier for them to adapt their work.
Your project mark will be included in your final mark. You will be given more detailed information in our first meeting.
More information on assessment is given on page 23.
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Meetings and research
1. Before the first meeting
The first two activities going on in this project will be:• team formation and • designing a problem (In case the description of the problem is not given to you by the subject teacher, you produce it by yourself).
Team formation and team work
As already mentioned, during the PBL project you will work in teams. When forming teams, you should take into account both your interests in certain topics or problems, as well as group dynamics.
It is of vital importance for the team members not to just be interested in a certain problem but to have the below mentioned qualities as well. As you form your team, check if all roles are represented by completing the table below.
If your group is not heterogenous enough, will you find another team member or, due to time constraints, work on improving the needed skills?
Who is like this? Who is not like this?Innovator: produces ideas, is imagi-native, clever, can be over-sensitiveInvestigator: finds things out, always knows someone who.., enthusiasticChairperson: self-confident, commands respect, good speaker, thinks positively, good at guiding, can be bossy or domineeringShaper: energetic, drives everyone along, needs to succeed, makes things happenTeam worker: symphatetic, understanding, sensitive, leads from behind, places the team above personal concernsOrganizer: methodical, hard work- ing, reliable, turns ideas into workFinisher: conscientious, works hard to finish things properly, meets deadlines, pays attention to details
(Adapted from Gibbs 1981)
The teams will meet twice a week during our regular classes and will also have additional meetings within
each individual team. The team consists of 4 -6 members.
Only good team work will produce a good written report and presentation. The roles in a team should be distributed into four functions plus a reserve: a leader, a secretary, a reporter (progress chaser) and time keeper and a reserve person. These roles could be allocated according to individual qualities and potentials or, if time allows, can be rotated (e.g. changed every week).
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Designing a problem
In your project you will want to go beyond factual material to a deeper understanding of course material. Therefore, designing your problem is of vital importance. This could be done by yourself with the help of a subject teacher or completely by your subject teacher. When designing a problem:
- set your goals carefully- avoid topics for which no literature is available in the target language- use a thought-provoking title
Your problem should be:- interesting, motivating, and relevant to the professional field- connected with real-life situations- open ended in terms of offering different solutions- well researched- related to the interests and needs of the students and their future careers- complex enough that cooperation from all members will be necessary
(adapted from Djurić and Vukadinović 2003)
An example of a problem design is given in Appendix I. Examples are also available at the following websites: http://www2.arnes.si/~vvidma5/PBL/Samples.htmlhttp://www2.arnes.si/~vvidma5/PBL/Samples.html and http://www.pedc.se/tentec/http://www.pedc.se/tentec/.It might be a good idea to draw a picture which is relevant to your topic and is based on reality or future reality. The aim of the illustration is to stimulate you to think within a specific topic. Sample illustrations can be found at http://www.pedc.se/tentec/.
Getting organized: Meetings and keeping records – meeting minutes
After you have received or designed a problem you are going to hold several meetings: at least two (Meeting I and Meeting II) when all the teams will work together with the teachers. In addition, you will have several meetings as a team in and outside the classroom where you will work on the problem: look for the resources, analyse the problem, discuss possible solutions and finally decide on the best solutions to the problem.
The meetings are recorded by keeping the minutes. The problem discussed and its suggested solutions are presented in your reports and presentations. In order to run the meetings smoothly, you should be able to organize and plan your work by the help of an agenda and the minutes.
Your meeting will be successful if you stick to what has been decided and change it only when it improves your work. To help you progress, the secretary should take notes of what has been discussed, suggested or solved during the meeting, and which tasks have been assigned to whom, and when they should be completed. These notes will also be a useful source of key vocabulary later in the process.
After the meeting, a secretary or the whole team works on the minutes, which serve as a starting point for the new agenda. The agenda should be circulated before the meeting.
The minutes should be taken to record what happened in steps 1 -5 and step 7. The minutes for additional meetings are suggested although not required.
* Sample minutes, a sample agenda and reporting verbs used in the minutes are given in your Workbook (WB).
In your meetings, you will want to communicate effectively. Therefore, keep in mind that there may be positive and negative reactions to your opinions and that your suggestions might or might not be accepted. Moreover, you should be able to defend and support your opinions. Present your ideas and opinions in a foreign language clearly and effectively. You should be open and willing to try and understand different points of view, respect each other, and do not be afraid to express your concern if some team member does not co-operate. You should make effective use of the appropriate language used in meetings.
* The ‘language of meetings and discussions’ is dealt with in your WB.
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2. Getting started: What is our schedule?
In order to help you structure your work, a problem-solving model could be used. A very common model is ‘The Seven Steps’.
MEETING I
Step 1: Making the case clearYou are given a problem and try to identify it, or you design a problem yourselves according to the above given advice and consult your subject teacher who can help ‘improve’ the problem and suggest resources. A chairperson and the secretary, which are rotating functions, are chosen by each team.
Step 2: Formulating questions and queriesDiscuss and define the problem in more detail and generate questions addressing the problem.
Step 3: Identifying current knowledgeTry to find answers to the questions from Step 2 and identify what you already know and what you need to know to be able to solve the problem.
Step 4: Structuring the ideasBegin structuring your written assignment by gathering ideas that belong together. Again you check if there is something that requires further research.
Step 5: Formulating learning aims and distributing tasksReconsider whether the questions (5 questions ideally) from Step 2 need to be changed again or defined more precisely. Furthermore, each of you is assigned the task of searching for more information about a particular question. The secretary keeps records of the assigned tasks.At this stage your learning requirements, formulated as aims should be clearly defined. A ‘product’ from Step 5 is a list of your learning requirements - formulated learning objectives. Each of you is expected to be aware of these objectives later in your independent learning in Step 6.
Finally, you should produce an agenda for your next out-of-class meeting or Meeting II. At this point make sure everybody has a copy of it or circulate it before the next meeting.
After the meeting, the team-members will be assessed. The feedback will be given by your language teacher in order to improve your work.
* You will find the peer assessment form on page 28. N.B. Include only the first 4 rubrics.
Gather new information
Share new information
Prepare action plan
Identify learning needs
Address problem
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3. Between MEETING I and MEETING II
Step 6: Individual activities: looking for literary sources - research
Look into the problem individually by researching different aspects using various sources: library (searching the shelves for books, magazines and academic journals), the Internet, and other resources (brochures, publicity, companies’ annual reports, interviews, discussions, etc.). During and after the meeting you will have access to the library and free access to computers that will be loaded with relevant computer-programmes.
You can start these activities as soon as you have designed a problem or you can also design a problem on the basis of literary sources.
During this step, keep in mind your learning objectives. What information are you looking for? What are you trying to find out?
To be successful and time-efficient in your individual research, you should use the library as well as Internet sources effectively. You need to acquire information search skills unless you have already mastered them. Make effective use of search engines (Altavista, Google, Lycos, etc.) in order to find the needed information. You should be able to determine key words or set search profiles, narrow them down, select suitable texts and look at them critically.
*You can find a useful guide to better information search skills in Monitor (Pečenko 2003).
Even at this note-taking stage, avoid plagiarism – ‘copy-paste system’. Although you feel the text you have found perfectly suits your requirements and is written in an excellent language and style, do try and paraphrase the information and ideas given in the text.
When paraphrasing, use language that your colleagues can understand as you are going to present your project to them later. When you come across a new word or phrase you would like to use in your report or presentation, keep a record of its translation and explanation. You will have to explain new words or phrases to your fellow students before your presentation.
* Exercises in paraphrasing are given in WB.
Timing: This phase (steps 1 – 6) will take four weeks.
4. MEETING II
Step 7: Discussion and evaluation of information
At this stage each of you will bring relevant information and knowledge and share it with the whole team. It is also possible to share information between various teams if you are dealing with similar topics. By now each of you have deepened your knowledge and understanding of the problem. You will discuss your ideas, conceptions and new knowledge and also evaluate the information gathered. In this way the knowledge you have acquired will be put to use. Finally, you will decide if you have enough information to argue and present your case. If not, go back to Step 6.
After the meeting the group-members will be assessed again. * You will find the peer assessment form on page 28. N.B. Include only the first 4 rubrics.
The 7-STEP PROCEDURE is followed by
• Writing a REPORT and report SUMMARY
&
• Preparing a PRESENTATION
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Writing in a PBL classroom
At the end of your research you will have to produce a report which should be 8 - 10 pages in length, with spacing 1.5, font size 12 and 2.5 cm margins. Do be concise. A reader could get lost in a report which is long and disorganized. As writing (planning, drafting, revising, editing) a report is the team’s responsibility, you should all be involved in this process.
In your PBL report you should focus on three questions:- Why do we have this problem?- How can we change things for better?- Which solution is the best?
I. Preparatory stage
From reading to paraphrasing and summarizing
You are going to read magazine and journal articles and other pieces of writing in order to include them later in your report. Therefore, you should organize your approach to reading to make it effective. Then you retell or rewrite the content (using your own words) and summarize it. By paraphrasing, using your own words, you will write or talk about a certain topic more fluently.
By paraphrasing in your initial notes, you will avoid plagiarism, namely copying the whole paragraphs or sentences out of the text. However, if you really want to include some excerpts from other authors’ writing, you have to acknowledge your sources.
* Exercises in paraphrasing and summarizing – from reading to writing – are included in your WB.
Task: Writing a summary of an article - individual and pair work
Each of the team members will hand in a summary of an article or other piece of writing that he has studied in order to use it later in the project. Deadlines for submitting the summaries will be given at the beginning of your project. The summary should be 250 - 350 words in length with spacing 1.5 and font 12.
Summarizing articles
IntroductionIntroduce the topic or state the problem.
Content summaryPresent the main ideas or information given in the article in your own words (paraphrasing). Give examples or details. Try to include information from each paragraph or join information from related paragraphs.
ConclusionSummarize the main points and any conclusions made. You can also express your opinion on a given text. *Sample sentences from summaries are given in your WB.
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II. Writing a report and report structure
1. Before writing your report, you should know:
What is the purpose of your writing?Who will read the report?What will the report include?How will you convey the content?* How long is it to be?When is it due?
*language, structure, use of graphs, appendices, references, etc.
2. Resources used in report writing:
a) Records of your researchThe minutes of your meetings should be seen as a useful resource for your report: e.g. discussions, ideas or suggested solutions of your problem.
b) Notes, articles and other topical sources you have readKeep summaries or notes of the sources studied. Do this individually while consulting with teachers on the sources used. You will hand in at least one of your summaries, which will be later shared with your colleagues.
3. Writing a report – team work
Writing enables you to discover and evaluate your thoughts. Consequently, it also means rewriting, revising, rethinking (Kolin 2001, 38).
Writing a report is a carefully planned process. You might have to improve your draft several times before your report is completed.
When you have gathered enough information, studied your notes carefully, discussed your problem and finally come to a solution, you will have to transform your ideas into written form. In order to do this succesfully, we will discuss how to organize your report, and how to revise what you have written to make it suitable for your audience.
Remember, you are a team so divide your work effectively.
Researching
By now you should know about the nature of your assignment and your readers. You have determined the kind of research you will do in order to solve your problem:
InterviewingAdministering questionaries and conducting a surveyDoing fieldworkSearching and reading articles, abstracts and other references from web pagesSearching and reading articles in business journals and booksSearching and reading brochures, advertisements, annual reportsGetting information from professionalsContacting customers, reading records on communications with customers, etc.
During your research, create a special file, listing all the sources you consulted.
Research is not limited to the begining of the writing or pre-writing process. You might have to do more research even during report writing.
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Planning
In your team, decide which resources to include in your report. Next, create a mind map to help you develop, organize and modify gathered information and ideas. After that, complete the mindmap with more detailed information and show how the parts are related to each other. However, when revising, you may have to add or rearrange some ideas.
You can download a programe Mind Man Personal to help you create a mind map at:
http://193.170.42.81/cn/vs/primary/freeware/mmpersonal30-2e.exehttp://193.170.42.81/cn/vs/primary/freeware/mmpersonal30-2e.exe.
Drafting
In your draft, you use the words and phrases from your mindmap in paragraph form. You might have to rearrange or omit some information or ideas to avoid repetition or contradiction. Therefore, you will have to work through many drafts to produce a complete version of your paper.
Ideally, each team member produces his or her own draft, then as a team you read your drafts and decide on the best version or best parts and rewrite it again.
In drafting your attention should be directed to the content, what you include or select and how much you say about it, as well as the organization of your report. Put down the main points in the most logical order and group similar ideas together so your readers will get a clear message. Nevertheless, in an early draft you can write what you consider the easiest part first, for example you can start with the body before you write the introduction.
Keep in mind your audience – your subject and language teachers, and later when you write a summary and prepare your presentation based on the report, also your fellow students. The tone of your report should be formal and should build a reliable image of you as the writer.
Work out a balance between the ideas you have taken from other sources and your own original ideas. Make sure you cite your sources properly.
Spelling, punctuation and style should be worked on in later stages of your draft.
Do take enough time between drafts and evaluate your work again. If possible, get outside opinions (by fellow students from other teams, friends, professionals).
Revising
After producing a draft that you think conveys an appropriate message, revision is done to check content, organization and tone. Work as a group to make this revision thorough.
You might add, delete, change or rearrange words, sentences or paragraphs. Avoid drafting and revising in one sitting. Your draft and revised report should be read more than once by each of you. It is team work.
You should also check if you have inserted your visuals exactly where you want them and format your document to include headings, different fonts and other design elements.
This stage gives you another chance to reconsider the questions you have asked at the beginning of this process. Make sure you have achieved your purpose.
a) Revising contentHave you cited your sources properly?Is it accurate (names, figures, references…) and relevant for your purpose and readers?Is there enough evidence to support your solutions and to convince your readers?Is the message clear or is there something you have to add?
b) Revising organizationIs the sequence of ideas and information clear? Do the main points stand out?Is everything relevant to your purpose?Have you grouped related items in the same part of the report?Is your report logical?
c) Revising tone How do you sound to your readers? As a person that could be trusted and relied on?How will your readers think you percieve them? How will your readers think you percieve them?
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Editing
Editing should only be done when you are completely satisfied with content and organization.After editing, your report should be ready for your readers. When you edit, as a team, check your report for:
l sentences (not too long or too complex, unclear sentence pattern or wrong word order, omission of linking or unappropriate linking)
l word choices (check the meaning in context, pay attention to word partnerships)
l punctuation (study the rules in a grammar book or on the web)*
l spelling (make use of computer soft-ware programmes such as spell-checkers)
l grammar and usage (make sure your subjects agree with their verbs, e.g. this refers to, these refer to and nouns with their premodifiers, e.g. that article, those articles).
*Basic rules in using the comma and excercises are provided in your WB.
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Writing in a team
Writing your report is not simply compiling your findings and summaries of texts from different sources. You will have to rewrite your draft several times to ensure ideas are linked, thoughts and data are in a logical sequence and the text flows from introduction, body and conclusion.
Writing a report is team work and the whole group is responsible for submitting the report in due time in the prescribed format.
Writing a summary of your report
Report writing can be followed by writing the summary of your report. You have already been given instructions how to summarize articles. The summary will be read by your fellow students. It should give them a brief idea about the content, methodology and conclusions of your research. It should be about a page long but not longer. When finished, give your summary to other teams so that they could read it before your presentation. However, do not reveal too much about your conclusions.
Report structure
The introduction should include the description of your problem, the areas you investigated or the research you carried out, and a review the consulted sources.
In the central part you should discuss the problem you investigated in detail, present the methods used and propose your solution. Organize it into paragraphs and use subheadings for various parts if necessary.
In your conclusion, sum up your report and evaluate your solutions. You can also make recommendations.
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Report design
Faculty of ManagementBusiness EnglishField of research:
Project TitleReport
Project members:
Language teacher: Subject teacher: Koper, _______________________
Table of ContentsIntroductionCentral PartConclusionVocabulary NotesBibliographyAppendices
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III. Vocabulary notes
Your Vocabulary notes should include 6 – 10 words or phrases analysed in detail. Each entry should include:
- business/technical term (e.g. franchise, launch; a compound like marketing mix)- its pronunciation-word class (and field given)- explanation in the target language (choose the appropriate meaning if there are more than one)- sentence containing the term from a monolingual dictionary (name of the dictionary used)- explanation and an example sentence from a business dictionary (name of the dictionary used)- sentence containing the term from the source you used (list the source)- word partnerships
a) provided in the source (try to include more than one example if given)b) provided in the dictionary
- translation in mother tongue (name of the dictionary used) An example is given in Appendix II.
N.B. 1.Besides general, you will have to use specialised dictionaries as well, e.g. business dictionaries likeLongman Dictionary of Business English. As pronunciation is not given there, you will look it up in a dictionary of general English.
2. Keep record of the vocabulary you have checked in dictionaries and also that which you have uderstoood but is essential for your topic. You may allocate the task of compiling these notes to one person. These notes will help you when you have to select 6 – 10 words for your vocabulary notes.
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IV. Referencing and Bibliography
References are listed in alphabetical order (all types of sources together) at the end of your report in the section called Bibliography, which is a list of literary sources used.
BooksHandy, Charles. 1999. The New Alchemists. London: Hutchinson.
Journal or Magazine ArticlesCowley, Elisabeth and Andrew A. Mitchell. 2003. The Moderating Effect of Product Knowledge on the Learning and Organization of Product Information. Journal of Consumer Research 30 (3): 443–453.
Web Sources
Olsson, Rose-Marie. 2001. A short Introduction to Problem-based Learning.Http://www.pedc.se/tentec/didactics/pbl.htmHttp://www.pedc.se/tentec/didactics/pbl.html (8th February 2004).
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. 2003. Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words. Http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.htmlHttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html (8th February 2004).
The Economist Newspaper Limited. 2004. Internet Advertising.Http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1932434&subjectid=5Http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1932434&subjectid=526352 (8th February 2004).
Referencing inside your report
According to Handy (2000, 22-32), ...(Handy 1999, 22-32)
N.B. Numbers 22-32 refer to page numbers.
V. Concordances in report and summary writing
In order to use the most appropriate language in your reports, you can make use of a concordancer (software that produces lists of keywords in their context).
A concordancer shows all the instances of a word in context. Some concordancers come with a collections of texts (corpus) such as The British National Corpus.
WebCorp uses the Worldwide Web to compile key words in context (accessible at www.webcorp.org.ukwww.webcorp.org.uk).
Example search:You are not sure whether to use the expression online promotion or Internet promotion. Type in both expressions. If both are used, check the frequency and context.
You can also check if an article is needed with these expressions. Pay attention to word classes:an online promotion strategy (online promotion as premodifier in front of a singular noun – an indefinite article is used) or types of online promotion (uncountable noun - no indefinite article is used).
You can also look for premodifiers used with online promotion (carefully targeted/cheap online promotion).You will find WebCorp output for search term “online promotion” (the first 29 instances out of 128) in Appendix III.
With some concordancers, e.g. WinConcord, texts must be added, which allows you to use the texts you have consulted for your report to find the words you need.
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WinConcord can be downloaded at www2.arnes.si/~supsgodn/povezave.htm.This programme is installed in the computers in the faculty computer room.
Example search:You are interested in various kinds of waste. You choose a text or more texts on this topic and type in the word (additional instructions are given in Appendix IV). You can also check if the word is countable or uncountable:
Your search produced the following results: food/paper/scrubber/dumps waste.
VI. Report correction
After your teachers have read your reports, they will give you their opinion, point out the strengths of your report and make suggestions for improving it. The teachers will not make corrections but will only point out what should be improved or corrected. Therefore, your report is finished only after you have done all the improvements.
Correction symbols which will be used for correcting your report are included and explained in APPENDIX V.
VII. Report assessment: You will find the report assessment form on page 24.
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Team presentations
This is the final part of your project in which you are going to present your findings to your fellow students. You do want to leave them with a clear message when presenting your solutions. So concentrate on what you are saying and show your willingness and enthusiasm while presenting your project.
Practice your team presentation beforehand in front of your colleagues or your family to get used to the audience and gradually get rid of the nervousness that could come along with your presentation. You can even film yourself by a camera to see your strengths and weaknesses. Practice will make it a more pleasant experience.
How to do this effectively?
You will be alloted 15 minutes, 17 minutes is a maximum. If there are five people in your team each of you should talk for 3 minutes. If your presentation is longer than 17 minutes, 2 points will be substracted for each further minute, and if your presentation is longer than 20 minutes, you will be stopped. A long presentation may be the result of poor organization. Therefore, the organization of your presentation is of utmost importance.
You will present your work as a team. Therefore, you should co-ordinate your presentation. It should not be a sum of separate individual presentations but it should be perceived as a whole.
You have already studied and practiced presentations in front of your fellow students as well as you have studied the language of presenting. However, it may be a good idea to revise the basics.
You and your audience
l body languageFirst impressions, appearance and body language (eye contact, posture, gestures) are of vital importance for your presentation. Greet everybody and look at them before you start your presentation. Direct your presentation to everybody by circulating your eye contact. l keeping attention and checking comprehensionYou want your audience to follow you and you want to be clearly understood. Therefore, observe them carefully when you talk to them and encourage their response. There should be some interaction between you and your fellow students at least at eye level. Encourage your audience to ask questions during your presentation or ask them to take notes and ask questions at the end.
The content of your presentation and your audience
Check beforehand if the content suits your audience’s expectations, interests and their knowledge. Is it too simple or too demanding? Explain the new terms clearly beforehand or during the presentation.
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Voice and the pace of your speech
Your voice should be loud enough and not too high (lower the pitch of your voice if necessary). Use your voice to add meaning: it should show your enthusiasm or interest, and it should not be monotonous. You should be fluent but not too quick or too slow using long pauses.
Language
Pay special attention to pronunciationpronunciation: practice pronuncing the difficult words; accuracyaccuracy: use proper vocabulary, avoid grammatical mistakes – pay attention to sentence patterns, word order, appropriate use of tenses and verb forms (the final –s in the third person singular), also on your visuals or handouts, level of formality level of formality as you speak to your fellow students and your teachers; the language of presenting the language of presenting: using appropriate phrases to structure your presentation
Be aware that spoken language is not the same as written. Use your own words and your presentation will be much more lively.
Organization and signposting
The structure of your presentation should be clearly explained or given to your audience by signposting the main parts (introduction, body, conclusion), sequencing, taking turns (introduce the next speaker).
Presenting visual aids
Your visuals should be well-designed, your transparencies should not be crammed with too many words (7 lines is maximum). Use your visual aids effectively – be organized! You can use posters, brochures, flip charts, slides, OHP transparencies, or video. Using a computer (Power Point) for your presentation is strongly recommended. Your presentation will look more professional and changes will be easily made.
*Language used in presenting visual aids presented in your WB.
Predicting
Predict possible questions from the audience and prepare possible answers.
N.B.This is a group presentation of team achievement so each team member should speak on behalf of the whole team (We found out……not: I found out…)
* The language of presenting in a team is dealt with in your WB.
More tips
As we have already pointed out, spoken language is not the same as written language. You will not simply memorize or read what is written in your report. You can use an outline of what you are going to say and try to practice how to say it. You might not use the same words as in the report, you could be less formal (e.g. you use ‘We found out ‘ instead of ‘We established’). In your report, your readers were your teachers, now you have a mixed audience: your fellow students and your teachers.
You want to leave your audience with a clear message. Explain the technical terms1 and other key vocabulary before your presentation. Your audience might be familiar with the technical terms you are going to explain but they would need to know their exact meaning. You do not want your presentation to be less successful because your audience has not understood or misunderstood what you are saying.
22 23
This is a group presentation so you will have to pay special attention to handing it over to other team members – work out exactly what you will say before your presentation. Revise the language of presentations.
*The language of presenting in a team, also handing over, and organization of presentations are presented in your WB.
Discussion
A successful presentation should be followed by questions from audience and/or a discussion with the presenters. As we have already pointed out, the presenters can predict some questions and prepare answers in advance. If you cannot answer a certain question, apologize and promise to try and provide the answer later. If nobody asks a question, you should ask them.
* Sample questions to encourage your fellow students to ask questions are given in your WB.
You will have 5 - 8 minutes for a discussion.
Presentation assessment: You will find the presentation assessment form on page 25.
Assessing peers, teachers and yourself
After the report has been completed and your presentations carried out, team-members and the teachers will be assessed. You will find the assessment forms on pages 26-29.
1Explain 3 – 5 words (you can share this task: one word per student).Write a word on the whiteboard (or transparency). Read it aloud (check pronunciation beforehand).Give explanation and example (do not read the explanation – use your own words).(launch a new brand of product or new service – means to put it on the market for the first time or to start selling it; for example: A company launched a new version of sofware, or new late-night show.)
24 25
Project Documentation
Report and vocabulary notesIndividual summaries of sourcesMinutes of the meetingsSelf-assessment formsTeacher and project assessment forms
Optional: Report summary
Assessment
The assessment of your work involves:
• team and individual assessment (teachers will assess your report and presentation)• peer assessment (members of your team will assess your contribution to the project)• self-assessment (you will assess your own contribution to the project)
Evaluation of your work expressed in percentage and pass/fail:
• report: 50% • presentation: 40% • peer assessment of your contribution to the project: 10%• vocabulary notes: pass/fail
Check the criteria given in the assessment forms given below.
24 25
Report Assessment Form
Project title:____________________________________________________________________________________
Team members: ________________________________________________________________________________
Subject Teacher
Please evaluate the following team achievement: Content, literary sources, technical (business terms) 1 2 3 4 5
The report is well focused on the title.It is logically structured and transparent.The solutions are correct.Problem coverage is complete.The literary sources are well utilised.The business terms used are appropriate.
Total: Pass/Fail
Language teacher
1 2 3 4 5
Discourse strand
Clear focusArguments, methods clearly statedAppropriate use of literature, referencingStructure, paragraphing and layout
Lexico-grammatical strand
Appropriate general vocabularyAppropriate professional vocabularyParaphrasing and summarizing information Grammatical competenceUse of cohesive devicesSpelling and punctuation
Total: 50 points (50% of the whole assessment)
Vocabulary notes – glossary fail pass
26 27
Presentation Assessment Form
Please assess the student (your fellow student/students) by giving a mark 1 – 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much so) where indicated. You will assess your fellow students (peers) in the second (the whole group) and third category(individual students) only.
the topic is relevant, well-researched and content-appropriate
(desirably subject specialist) 5 4 3 2 1
clear and well-structured organization, supported by visuals
(peers) 5 4 3 2 1
excellent delivery, appropriate body language, can invite questions and answer them successfully
(peers) 5 4 3 2 1
good clear pronunciation, fluent with little hesitation,appropriate vocabulary, use of discourse markers
(language teacher) 5 4 3 2 1
Total: 20 x 2 = 40 points (40% of the whole assessment)
(adapted from Kosel 2001)
N.B.The first and the second section will be assessed for the whole group, while the third and the fourth for each student individually.
26 27
Self-assessment Form
Please complete this form and give it to the teacher.
Name, surname. ____________________________Project title: ________________________________
Please answer the following questions. The teacher will use your responses to take into account your own observations about your learning and team work.
1. Approximately how many hours did you spend preparing this project?______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The following question refers to you personally. Assess your contribution to the the project by putting an X into the appropriate box.
Large contribution
Medium contribution
Marginal contribution
No contribution at all
leadershipdirecting work
organization of work
ideassuggestions
consultations with teachers
willingnessto co-operate
meetingdeadlines
data collection
reportwriting
preparing visuals for the presentation
giving technical support
1. Think of your group now. Rate the parameters below on a scale from 1 – 5 (5 = excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = okay, 2 = not very good, 1 = poor).
1 2 3 4 5
The overall group’s performanceTasks were fairly distributed.Group discussions were useful.Expert guidance was helpful.
28 29
2. Suggest the ways in which the whole process could be improved:
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Participating in this project
1. What was your strongest contribution to the group’s work?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What were your weakest points?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What three things have you learnt through this experience?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What one thing will you remember most from the group’s work?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
(based on Vukadinović 2003)
28 29
Peer Assessment of Team Members
Use the grading rubric* below to assess peer performance of EACH of your team members who worked with you in carrying out the PBL project. Give a mark 0 - 5 (by the appropriate box) in each of the following categories.
5 = excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = fair, 2 = poor, 1 = barely acceptable, and 0 = unacceptable (refer to characterisations at the bottom of the page).
NB: This form will be treated in strict confidence.
Name of colleague being assessed: ……………………………..Team: ……………………………....................……………………………….
5 4 3 2 1
Organisation of work
Participation in team meetings
Willingness to co-operate
Creativity and approach to problem
Input in preparation of presentation
Quality of written contribution to team effort
Completion of assigned or agreed-upontasks and responsibilities on time
Characterisations:
• Excellent: Present for every meeting; contributed to the highest degree; worked very hard.• Good: Present at all meetings; contributed well and regularly; worked hard.• Fair: Present at all but one or so meetings; contributed from time to time; showed some effort.• Poor: Missed two or so meetings; showed little effort.• Barely acceptable: Missed several meetings; present but hardly contributed; showed very little effort.• Unacceptable: Was not present at all; did not contribute to effort at all; showed no effort.
Total: 35 points (10% of the whole assessment)
* Based on the grading rubric used by Illinois State University, U.S.A., for A Problem-based Learning Experience for Physics 111 (Automotive Engineering Team Project 1999), adapted by Lešnik (2002).
30 31
Evalvacijski vprašalnik za študente – PBL projekt
Vprašalnik je anonimen in je namenjen ocenjevanju PBL projektov v Sloveniji.
Motivacija
1. Problemsko zasnovano projektno delo mi je bilo všeč Da Ne Delno 2. Rajši imam tradicionalni način pouka Da Ne Delno3. Delo na projektu me je bolj motiviralo za branje, učenje besed, pisanje poročila Da Ne Delno
Če je odgovor NE, navedi zakaj. _________________________________________________
Znanja in spretnostiMed delom si pridobivali različna znanja in spretnosti. Označi z X česa si se največ naučil(a). Uporabi lestvico (1= najmanj, 5= največ)
Jezikovne spretnosti
1 2 3 4 5
Delo pri projektu mi je pomagalo pri branju in bolje razumem strokovne članke.
Pri govoru v tujem jeziku sem sedaj bolj sproščen.
Lažje se pisno izražam.
Znam popraviti svoje napake.
Študijske spretnosti 1 2 3 4 5
Iskanje informacij
Delo z medmrežjem
Branje in razumevanje, povzemanje informacij v tujem jeziku
Oblikovanje oz. strukturiranje poročil
Pisanje poročil
Sestava bibliografije in referenc
Pisanje zapisnikov
Sodelovanje v timu
Nova znanja vsebin iz stroke
Delo in odgovornosti v skupini
Predstavitev projekta
Priprava učinkovitih vizualnih pripomočkov (prosojnic)
Ostalo (navedi)
30 31
Sodelovanje z učiteljem stroke
1. Ali je bila vaša tema povezana s strokovnim predmetom? Da. Ne. Samo deloma.
2. Kolikokrat ste kontaktirali učitelja stroke? Nikoli. 1x. 2x, 3x in večkrat. 3. Učitelj je bil na voljo. Da. Ne. Samo deloma.4. Učitelj vam je z nasveti pomagal in me usmerjal. Da. Ne. Samo deloma.5. Kaj ste pridobili od učitelja stroke? ________________________________________6. Kaj ste pogrešali pri učitelju stroke? ________________________________________7. Ali se vam zdi, da je za uspešno delo v projektu sodelovanje z učiteljem stroke potrebno? Da. Ne.
Sodelovanje z učiteljem jezika
1. Kolikokrat ste kontaktirali učitelja jezika? Nikoli. 1x. 2x. 3x ali več.2. Katera vprašanja ste mu zastavljali? (obkroži)
(a) strokovne besede(b) slovnica(c) vprašanja o izgledu poročila(d) vprašanja glede prezentacije(e) drugo : _____________
3. Kaj ste pridobili od učitelja jezika? _________________________________________4. Kaj ste pogrešali pri učitelju jezika? ________________________________________
Sodelovanje v skupini (ustrezno obkroži)
1. Skupina je kot celota dobro delovala. DA NE DELNO
2. Vsak član skupine je bil z zadolžitvami enako obremenjen. DA NE DELNO
3. Skupina je name pozitivno delovala in me spodbujala k delu. DA NE DELNO
4. Naloge sem izpolnjeval v roku. DA NE DELNO
5. Od kolegov sem se dosti naučil. DA NE DELNO
6. Sedaj vem, kaj pomeni delo v skupini in bi zato bil naslednji projekt še boljši. DA NE DELNO
Če so odgovori NE, navedi razloge: ________________________________________________________________
Koliko ur si porabil za ta projekt? (računaj tudi delo v knjižnici, branje, iskanje informacij na medmrežju, pisanje poročila, priprava predstavitve, itd.) ______________ ur
Navedi tri stvari, ki si se jih naučil skozi to izkušnjo in ki ti bodo ostalale v spominu:
______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
32 33
APPENDIX I
An example of a problem description – problem design
Direct mail – customer friendly or junk?
Description of situation:
Nowadays mailboxes all over the world are “flooded” with increasing numbers of catalogues, brochures,
leaflets, letters and other direct mail. However, the impact of these tools of communication is perceived as
“junk mail”, the mail that people do not really want. Such mail can be perceived as agressive, desperately
trying to force them to buy the goods or services they do not need.
Nevertheless, compared to other media, the impact value of direct mail communication is still highly regarded
by many companies in Slovenia. After all, such communication tools coming to our mailboxes every morning
is hard to ignore.
There are four questions we want to answer:
1 .What are the advantages and disadvantages of these marketing activities?
2. What are the receivers’ (potential customers’) attitudes towards them?
3. Which of the customers read this kind of mail or which of them throw it away?
4. What are the reasons for such reactions?
Our final objective is to find out:
How can direct mail be more effective?
(based on the problem description written by the students and a subject teacher at the Faculty of
Management)
Sample problem designs can be found at
http://www2.arnes.si/~vvidma5/PBL/Samples.htmlhttp://www2.arnes.si/~vvidma5/PBL/Samples.html
32 33
APPENDIX II
Vocabulary notes
Example:
applicant / æ´pli˝kәnt / noun [C] *someone who applies for something, such as a job or a LOAN of money
example sentence: Successful applicants will be notified by telephone. (Macmillan English Dictionary for
Advanced Learners)
explanation and an example sentence from a business dictionary: (1) COM. a person who applies for
employment, for a situation: Applicants for this post will be interviewed on Monday. (Longman Dictionary of
Business English)
sentence from the used source: In some cases, morphopsychologists – a term coined by a French
neuropsychiatrist in 1935 – attempt to determine personality traits according to a job applicant’s face,
eyes, mouth, nose, ears and hands. (Orlando Moure. 2000. Appearance Counts with Many. Http://Http://
www.ompersonal.com.ar/looks.htmwww.ompersonal.com.ar/looks.htm (8th December 2003)).
Word partnerships:
a) successful applicants
b) job applicants
c) applicants for this post
Translation:
prosilec or kandidat
(Angleško-slovenski/Slovensko angleški poslovni slovar, Državna založba Slovenije)
34 35
APPENDIX III
WebCorp output for search term “online promotion”
1. Use these online promotiononline promotion tips to boost your web site traffic and performance!
2. Unless the company is ready to adopt this new medium of marketing and develop creative online
promotionpromotion strategies, they stand to lose their eConsumer to global competition.
3. Conference aims to assist companies in obtaining and maintaining the competitive edge in the
marketplace by enhancing their overall marketing campaigns with successful and creative online promotiononline promotion
strategies.
4. PHOTOGRAPHY Commercial Tourism Virtual Tours VARIOUS Hosting Domain Names Brochure Work
E-Commerce INFORMATION Contact Form About Us Reviews Portfolio Recommend Us Why do we need
online promotion?
5. The online promotiononline promotion of your Web site is arguably the most important factor in establishing a successful
internet presence.
6. At The Dedicated Partnership we take online promotiononline promotion very seriously indeed.
7. Stone Evans Did you realize there are only three types of online promotiononline promotion?...
8. Papers A selection of papers written in-house and by our strategic partners covering issues from online
promotionpromotion to data protection.
9. Us Contact Us Promotion Services Sweepstakes, contests, trivia games, slot machine games, and other
online promotiononline promotion tools are the most effective ways to attract visitors and increase traffic to your Web site.
10. Use our sweepstakes design services and online promotiononline promotion tools to attract attention, promote name
recognition, increase brand awareness, and reward your loyal customers! “
11. Other Promotion Tools Forum , where we have the opportunity to discuss and answer various questions
from sponsors about different aspects of sweepstakes, contests, and other online promotiononline promotion tools.
12. Sweepstakes Promotion Checklist More Than Just a Random Drawing Online Promotion Tools and
Services We have a variety of online promotiononline promotion tools and services available to meet your needs .
13. site design and online marketing solutions SuperWebs - complete internet solutions Our services include
web site design , online promotiononline promotion, web site marketing and iPIX virtual tours .
14. Asian investment opportunity cheap online promotiononline promotion You’ll find it at digitaldevelopment.com!
15. For Asian investment opportunity and cheap online promotiononline promotion, look no further.
16. With our carefully targeted online promotiononline promotion we can help you stand out from the crowd...
17. online promotiononline promotion company What to look for in an online promotion company At Grantastic Designs, we
see an overwhelming, recurring problem when we give site evaluations.
18. online promotion company What to look for in an online promotiononline promotion company At Grantastic Designs, we
see an overwhelming, recurring problem when we give site evaluations.
19. If you hire anyone (a submission service, a web hosting and/or design service, an online promotiononline promotion
service, etc.)
20. HTML, but not online promotiononline promotion.
21. BrainBug LLC said it has signed three major client accounts for e-commerce and online promotiononline promotion
22. Contact us for full information about how we can help you, or check out these online promotiononline promotion
services...
23. online promotiononline promotion at Business
24. Featured Listings Results for online promotiononline promotion (1-18 of 18) - What’s this?
25. Similar Pages Listings Results for online promotion (1-10 of 452) Internet Resources for Online
Promotions Listing found in >
26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 » Directory News Jobs Broaden Your Search Results for “ online promotiononline promotion “ » email
this page Account Login About Us Partners Press Room PPC Advertising Advertise With Us Contact Business
27. is non-linked online promotiononline promotion web enabled mass marketing Non-linked online promotion uses the
Internet as a general mass marketing medium.
28. is non-linked online promotion web enabled mass marketing Non-linked online promotiononline promotion uses the
Internet as a general mass marketing medium.
29. online promotiononline promotion Search
34 35
APPENDIX IV
Using concordancers
1. Start the concordancer.
2. Go to FILE, click on NEW LIST, ADD, choose the files, click on OK, OK and you are back home in the
concordancer.
3. Now click on the torch icon (the fifth from the left) and type in the word you are looking for in the mask.
You can also use the wildcard character (*) for any number of characters (e.g. report will produce report,
reports, reported, reporting). Click on OK (that will put the word from the mask into the big wide box on the
right) and once again click on OK. Wait.
4. Now you have all the instances of the word in front of you. First you may want to get rid of duplicate
sentences so click on the third icon from the right (aa).
5. Sort your concordance lines by pressing the icon with the hand (fourth icon from the right). You can sort
the lines to the left or to the right. Try and see the difference.
6. Observe how many hits you have, what words there are to the right and to the left, find word patterns, etc.
APPENDIX V
Correction symbols
wf wrong form: e.g. noun instead of adjective
ww wrong word: e.g. visit school instead of attend school (correct)
wo wrong word order
wa wrong or missing article: software I bought instead of the software I bought
t wrong tense
v wrong verb form: infinitive (launch) instead of gerund (launching)
a error of agreement: e.g. between subject and predicator (he think instead of
he thinks), predeterminer and noun (a friends instead of friends, colleague
instead a colleague, this instead of these documents, that instead of those invoices)
sp wrong spelling: polution instead of pollution; ballance sheet instead of balance sheet
p wrong or missing punctuation: fullstop, question mark, exclamation mark, comma
colon, semi-colon, dash
caps capital letters: slovene managers instead of Slovene managers (correct)
lc lower case: a new Comitee instead of a new committee
/\ something missing
// new paragraph needed
no // no paragraph needed
/ not necessary, omit: Jane was here and (she) told me
∪ join up the ideas – you do not need a new sentence
? the meaning is not clear, a clearer expression is needed
# leave, insert space
close up space: with draw instead of withdraw
(adapted from Hedge 1990)
36
References
Boud, David and Grahame I. Feletti. 2001. The Challenge of Problem-based Learning. London: Kogan Page.
Djurić, Melita and Nada Vukadinović (eds). 2003. PBL in the Context of ESP – Participant Guide. Ljubljana: The Slovene Association of LSP Teachers.
O’Driscol, Nina and Adrian Pilbeam. 1995. Meetings and Discussions. Harlow: Longman.
Duch, Barbara J., Susan E. Groh, and Deborah E. Allen. 2001. The Power of Problem-based Learning. Sterling: Stylus Publishing.
Gibbs, Graham. 1981. Learning in Teams. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff Development.
Godnič Vičič, Šarolta. 2003. Problem-based Learning Project. Portorož: Turistica.
Gvardjančič, Alenka (ed). 2001. Issues and Ideas: Problem-based Learning. Ljubljana: Slovene Association of LSP Teachers.
Hedge, Tricia. 1990. Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kolin, Philip C. 2001. Successful Writing at Work. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Kosel, Bernarda. 2001. A Framework for Assessment in a PBL Situation. PBL Project Documentation.
Lešnik, Marija. 2001. Assessment of PBL Projects. PBL Project Documentation.
Olsson, Rose-Marie. 2001. A Short Introduction to Problem-based Learning.Http://www.pedc.se/tentec/didactics/pbl.html Http://www.pedc.se/tentec/didactics/pbl.html (8th February 2004).
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. 2003. Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words. Http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.htmlHttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html (8th February 2004).
Pečenko, Nikolaj. 2003. Kdor išče, ta najde. Monitor, March (68-75).
Powell, Mark. 1996. Presenting in English. Hove: Language Teaching Publications.
Sweeney, Simon. 1997. English for Business Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vukadinović, Nada. 2003. Participating in a PBL Project – A Student Guide. Ljubljana: NTF – Kemijsko izobraževanje in informatika.
Williams, Kate. 2001. Writing Reports. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University.
Monash University. 2000. Learning.Http://cleo.eng.monash.edu.au/teaching/learning/bridging/strategy/learning.htmlHttp://cleo.eng.monash.edu.au/teaching/learning/bridging/strategy/learning.html (8th February 2004).
ISBN 978-961-266-167-0
Univerza na PrimorskemFakulteta za managementwww.fm-kp.si