1. Project-Based Learning in a Language Classroom
Nona Popiashvili
Teacher Professional Development specialist (English)
Training Educators for Excellence Project
National Center for Teacher Professional Development
October 4, 2017

2. Some ideas to discuss and share…
Paradigm shift in education
Why and what of PBL
National Curriculum Requirements and FL standards in Georgia
Are teachers ready for PBL in Georgia?
Georgian teachers in schools projects- some data
Final thoughts…

3. The change which is coming into our education is the shifting of the center of gravity. It is a change, a revolution, not unlike that introduced by Copernicus when the astronomical center shifted from the earth to the sun. In this case the child becomes the sun about which the appliances of education revolve; he is the center about which they are organized John Dewey (1915).

4. Paradigm shift ‘

5. Traditional versus Active learning
Teachers are information providers
Teachers talk, students listen and make notes = students are mostly passive
Content is the king – units are structured around important content
Typically a linear progression
Assessments are contrived; tests separate and discrete areas.
Teachers are facilitators
Teachers pose questions/problems. Students work out answers/solutions = students are mostly active
Outcomes are the king – units are structured around the activities that promote the outcomes
Typically an interactive (spiral) progression
Assessments are “real-life-like” and test multiple areas simultaneously.

6. Why of active learning?
“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.” Albert Einstein

7. Project-based learning: goals and principles

8. PBL: a little historical background
Confucius & Aristotle – learning by doing
Socrates- questioning, inquiry, and critical thinking
Renaissance - modelling
William Kilpatrick (1918)- purposing, planning, executing and judging
John Dewey, Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget - challenged the traditional view of the student, as a passive recipient of knowledge (and the teacher as the static transmitter of facts)

9. The 21st century skills for education

11. 21st century education and PBL
21st century education and the 4Cs are the most powerful ways to move a dialogue forward to create a consensus vision around the future of education in your school or district.
PBL is one of the most effective strategies we have today that can actually help us teach and assess the 4Cs in today’s classrooms.

12. Projects VS Project-based learning
The teacher covers the main course of study in the usual way, and then a short “project” is served up for dessert
In 21st Century Project Based Learning it is the project that is the main course—it contains and frames curriculum and instruction – students learn the material from completing the project.

13. “main course” –Project-based learning
is intended to teach significant content
requires critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and various forms of communication
requires inquiry as part of the process of learning and creating something new.
is organized around an open-ended Driving Question.
creates a need to know essential content and skills
allows some degree of student voice and choice.
includes processes for revision and reflection
involves a public audience.
John Larmer and John R. Mergendoller Buck Institute for Education 2010

15. Unique Role of Language in Education
Language supports the:
Cognition;
Understanding;
Systematizing;
Remembering;
Paraphrasing.
Of the information gained from subjects learnt.
Language supports the accessibility of knowledge in school environment.

16. Foreign language teaching: ultimate goals
Effective communication in a foreign language and interaction in a culturally appropriate manner with native speakers of that language.
 Recognition of cultural values, practices, and heritage of the foreign country or countries studied.
Development of disposition and cognitive strategies for life-long learning of other languages and cultures.

17. Language teaching and PBL
The emphasis that Project Based Learning places on culture, collaboration, and authentic, contextualized learning makes it a powerful pedagogical approach for teaching English Learners.
Projects provide opportunities for students to engage in real life communication, in context, with real people, and across the globe. (Don Doehla, 2015, California Language Teachers of the year)
In PBL rather than “learning to use English”, students “use English to learn it” (Larsen- Freeman, 1986).

18. How students benefit from PBL
Plentiful output and input
Authentic integration of skills
Content driven
Engagement in meaningful language, strategy and study skill instruction
Process and product orientation
Intensively of student motivation, involvement, enjoyment, creativity
Increased student autonomy and willingness to take responsibility
Engagement in complex sets of manageable yet challenging tasks
Involvement in the typical academic cycle: information gathering, processing and reporting

19. English Learner Scaffolds for PBL (Prepared by BIE)
Offers Scaffolding Strategies for Content, Process, and Language Development:
How can you reduce linguistic or cultural barriers to project completion and success?
How can you reduce linguistic or cultural barriers to content or skill mastery?
How can you support students’ acquisition of English language skills within the context of a project?
file:///C:/Users/npopiashvili/Downloads/ELScaffoldsforPBL-Mar2017%20(1).pdf

20. English Language Teaching in Georgia
English Language is mandatory at all schools starting from the first grade including the 12th grade. (about Public schools)
5277 English Language Teachers
Practitioner Teachers
Senior Teachers
Lead Teachers
Mentor Teachers

21. Projects and opportunities for English Language Teachers
Sending distinguished teachers to the UK for a 2-week training
Projects with the British Council and American Embassy
eTwinning
Teach for Georgia
Teach & Learn with Georgia
Learning Resources
Textbooks
Training programs (local and internationals)
Conferences

22. Different types of projects
Projects within schools/class
Joint projects
School projects (national and international)
Schoolsonline British Council
eTwinning
Erasmus+
Class projects
Within school projects (one or more classes, different subjects… e.g. The World’s largest lesson)

23. iEARN
Over 200 primary and secondary level projects designed and facilitated by teachers and students.  In addition to meeting curriculum needs, projects must answer the question, "How will this project improve the quality of life on the planet?" This vision and purpose is the glue that holds iEARN together, enabling participants to become global citizens who make a difference by collaborating with peers around the world. 

24. Schoolsonline – British council project: https://schoolsonline
Types of school partnerships:
Professional partnerships
eTwinning partnerships
Erasmus+ Strategic partnerships
Contact schools directly online

25. eTwinning+ in Georgia 2014 - 343 teachers from 124 schools.
 50% (172 teachers) – at least in one project.
In Georgian teachers were involved in 225 projects initiated by their European colleagues.
 2015 – 344 teachers from 144 schools
60 % (209 teachers) – at least in one project
In 2015 Georgian teachers were involved in 223 projects initiated by their European colleagues
teachers from 188 schools
96% are involves in projects initiated by their European colleagues
48% ( 166 teachers) initiated new projects themselves

26. eTwinning+ Georgia, 2017 2017 : 589 teachers from 303 schools
90% ( 535) are involved in the projects initiated by their European colleagues
Altogether – 368 projects
36% ( 130) initiated the projects themselves
16% ( 58 teachers) run national projects in Georgian language (right gained in 2017)
Since projects
% of teachers involved gained 2 credits (Teacher Induction, Professional Development and Career Advancement
In 2017 – 50% of teachers involved in the program gained credits in Internal classroom observation

27. International seminars and conferences
teachers
teachers
teachers
2017 – 13 teachers

28. Golden rules for successful eTwinning collaboration
Get to know your partner: share with your partner all the necessary information
Create a detailed time schedule
Preparatory meeting leads to a successful eTwinning project
Design your Twinspace carefully
Break the ice and get to know each other (profiles, comments…)
Team your students up in transnational groups
Plan as many collaborative activities as possible
Assign responsibilities to your students
Set evaluation criteria
Final visual products of collaboration (eBooks, blogs, mini web- pages…)

29. Positive impact of eTwinning on teaching/learning process:
ability to teach cross-curricular skills (such as team work, creativity, problem-solving, and decision taking)
project-based teaching skills, foreign language skills and collaborative skills in working with teachers
multi-disciplinary teaching, project work, students’ competence development, student-centred discussions, group work, the development of learning to learn skills, and problem-based teaching and learning

30. Challenges and future plans
Pedagogical use of ICT
Using Technologies in a language classroom
Understanding principles of active learning
Special training module introducing methods of active learning and designing and implementing projects

31. So, why PBL in a language classroom?
Connects English language learning with content through content-based problem-solving.
Applies curriculum standards
Uses the target language for authentic communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and decision making for creating a product.
Leverages technology in a constructivist approach to support content-based instruction/learning.

32. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer”. Albert Einstein