If you teach English or other languages (LOTE) as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL), you may be looking for ways to motivate your students while helping them acquire real communicative skills in the target language in your classes. It is not uncommon that students struggle to see the real connection between foreign language classes and the authentic use of language in a way that is meaningful to them. Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) is a teaching approach that can help them make those connections and feel more motivated to get out there and communicate in real-life situations and with real people of the target language.
During this course, you will gain an understanding of what PBLL is, an innovative approach that integrates language, content, and 21st century skills by using engaging projects. This approach can be very effective in a CLIL context too. You will explore which steps and tools are best for integrating PBLL into your lessons, how to monitor and assess students and you will reflect on how you can integrate this approach into your concrete teaching practice and context. You will be presented with authentic and thought-provoking ESL/EFL/FL projects and will work in teams to create your own project.
By the end of the course, you will be able to design and implement motivational projects for your second language classes. You will know where to find resources to reuse or adapt and will create your own sample project for your classes. You will feel more confident in facilitating collaborative activities with your students and will learn how to assess projects in a way that promotes both collective and individual accountability.
- Teacher: Carolina Castro