Project-based learning provides an opportunity for international students to develop authentic language skills by requiring them to interact outside of the classroom environment and engage in negotiation, explanation, and description with native speakers of English. By using their language skills in real-world situations with real-world goals they will essentially forget the medium and focus on the message.

Twice a year advanced speaking and listening students at the American Language Institute (ALI) in Toledo, Ohio, design, organize, and run a one-day academic conference. Presenters at the conference are primarily ALI students who are taking research writing classes and other upper-level courses, but have also included instructors and graduate students from the university.

RATIONALE

As indicated above, there are several reasons for doing projects in the ESL classroom. Besides encouraging the use of authentic English, projects are inherently student-centered. I, as the instructor, act as project manager, delegating and facilitating tasks but allowing students to take control of the planning and organizing themselves. Students are encouraged to make their own decisions regarding the details of the conference and, though I am available for advice and consultation, the planning and development ultimately rest with them. This ownership means that they have to work on their critical thinking and problem-solving skills which are frequently difficult to fully address in the classroom.

STUDENT BACKGROUND

The American Language Institute at the University of Toledo has mainly Chinese and Arabic speakers. Like many students in intensive English programs, they are somewhat isolated from the greater university community and have limited interactions with native speakers of English. They speak English in class (although that is sometimes a challenge!) but do not always speak it outside the classroom. The use of projects demands that they interact in English outside of the classroom, thereby connecting what they are learning in the classroom to what they are doing outside of the classroom.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The ALI is on 7-week terms, which means that the conference happens very quickly. Students get the assignment on the second day of class and are assigned to be on one of four committees: Design; Marketing and Promotions; Registration; or Submissions and Communication. Committee assignments are based on language―every effort is made to create committees that have a mix of languages. Each group has specific tasks to complete and students are instructed to discuss among themselves what they think they need to do for their committee.

Because many students do not know what a conference is, one of the most important assignments is the conference research activity. Students work in their committees to visit the Web site of a real conference and answer questions about organization, advertising, and participant expectations. This leads into the logistical plan assignment, where they present their logistical plan, and we discuss as a large group what each group’s responsibilities are.

The logistical plan presentation is only one of various milestone assignments that are due throughout the term and in the run-up to the conference. These other assignments include poster design, a video commercial, a radio commercial, and a program. There are other mini-assignments depending on the details of the conference―coffee order, Facebook event, abstract submissions, feedback―which necessitate that the different committees work together.

Conference progress is discussed in class but most of the work is done outside of class.

ASSESSMENT AND REFLECTION

One of the most challenging aspects of project-based learning is assessment: How do you evaluate what students are doing outside of class? I’ve developed a few methods to address this issue.

First, students give each other grades. They are asked to evaluate their fellow group members on a scale of A to F and to give reasons for their grades. In addition, students create an enhanced podcast (audio with pictures) with their committee to describe what they did for the conference and to discuss their challenges and accomplishments. This provides the instructor with a list of what the students actually did in the organization of the conference, allows students to reflect on their experience, and serves as an introduction for students in the next class that will organize a conference. Finally, students are asked to write a brief, narrative reflection on their conference experience. They describe what they did to help organize the conference and then write about their feelings.

CHALLENGES

There are, of course, some challenges with project-based learning. As mentioned before, terms at the ALI are only 7 weeks long and usually the conference is scheduled for a Saturday 2 weeks before the end of the term. This means that students have only 4 to 5 weeks to understand, design, and organize the conference. Even with this time constraint, ALI students have organized six successful conferences (and they are currently working on a seventh).

Another challenge is keeping groups on track and making sure that everyone in the group is contributing equally. Usually, one student on each committee will assert himself/herself as the leader. Frequent progress reports are given in class and the milestone and small assignments contribute to making sure that groups are working.

CONCLUSION

The benefits far outweigh the challenges with project-based learning. Students have the opportunity to interact with each other and native speakers in order to accomplish goals. Students have a forum in which to share their talents―in the areas of design, organization, marketing―that a traditional classroom atmosphere might not be able to provide. Finally, students have the satisfaction that comes when accomplishing a real goal.

Natalie Dielman is an ESL specialist at the American Language Institute in Toledo, Ohio. Before that, she taught English in Kyrgyzstan as a Peace Corps volunteer. Her areas of interest are American popular culture and project-based learning.