This week we’ve been discussing PBL , Webquests and alternative assessment. The topic of our discussion is very interesting and exciting!
I consider PBL one of the best ways of motivating students and developing their language skills along with their personalities and vision of the world. PBL teaches students to work in groups and collaborate with each other, to think critically and reflect on the global problems and issues.
I liked Susan Gaer’s articles the most. The author is full of interesting ideas and enthusiasm of their realization. She mentioned in her article the main elements of PBL and possible obstacles of this method implementation. The main thing when introducing PBL is taking into account students’ interests, needs and abilities. Any project should meet purposeful and have target readers which will help students feel their project significance.
Another article that I liked was Project-Based ESL Education: Promoting Language and Content Learning by Yan Guo, Ph.D., University of Calgary. I liked the 10 steps of real-world project carrying out. According to these steps the teacher and students work collaboratively almost all the way. The teacher plays a very crucial role in project implementation. The teacher not only helps with the theme and organization process but “…prepares students for the demands of information gathering,… prepares students for the demands of compiling and analyzing data,… prepares students for the language demands of conducting the activity,…” Thus, preparing project will not be stressful and very demanding for students.
After discussing PBL and WebQuests another important issue arises- the issue of assessment. The rubric is a very good way to assess speaking and writing skills of students. This week I’ve learned about different types of rubrics and how to create them. Rubrics can be used as online so as printed variants. The teacher outlines as many criteria as he/she want his/her students to meet by the end of the project or any other task. Along with the list of criteria students can see the gradation system and the description of the aspects that should be fulfilled to gain this or that point/grade.
The main advantage of the rubrics usage is that they don’t make focus on students’ weaknesses but highlight their strengths.
The most amazing thing I've done this week is my first WebQuest!!! I know, that it is far from being perfect but still these are my first steps and I will continue making progress in this field))
Here is the link of my first WebQuest:
http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=108758
I consider PBL one of the best ways of motivating students and developing their language skills along with their personalities and vision of the world. PBL teaches students to work in groups and collaborate with each other, to think critically and reflect on the global problems and issues.
I liked Susan Gaer’s articles the most. The author is full of interesting ideas and enthusiasm of their realization. She mentioned in her article the main elements of PBL and possible obstacles of this method implementation. The main thing when introducing PBL is taking into account students’ interests, needs and abilities. Any project should meet purposeful and have target readers which will help students feel their project significance.
Another article that I liked was Project-Based ESL Education: Promoting Language and Content Learning by Yan Guo, Ph.D., University of Calgary. I liked the 10 steps of real-world project carrying out. According to these steps the teacher and students work collaboratively almost all the way. The teacher plays a very crucial role in project implementation. The teacher not only helps with the theme and organization process but “…prepares students for the demands of information gathering,… prepares students for the demands of compiling and analyzing data,… prepares students for the language demands of conducting the activity,…” Thus, preparing project will not be stressful and very demanding for students.
After discussing PBL and WebQuests another important issue arises- the issue of assessment. The rubric is a very good way to assess speaking and writing skills of students. This week I’ve learned about different types of rubrics and how to create them. Rubrics can be used as online so as printed variants. The teacher outlines as many criteria as he/she want his/her students to meet by the end of the project or any other task. Along with the list of criteria students can see the gradation system and the description of the aspects that should be fulfilled to gain this or that point/grade.
The main advantage of the rubrics usage is that they don’t make focus on students’ weaknesses but highlight their strengths.
The most amazing thing I've done this week is my first WebQuest!!! I know, that it is far from being perfect but still these are my first steps and I will continue making progress in this field))
Here is the link of my first WebQuest:
http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=108758
Hi Lullia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that rubrics are very important, but I do not think they should focus on students' strengths only as they are meant to explain to students why they got a certain mark and what to do in order to score a higher mark. In other words the feedback that students get from rubrics should help them improve their skills.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your post, it was great to read from you and what you wrote was very interesting.
Take care!
Javier
Iuliia
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first webquest. There are many ways to make one. Once you try the template version like zunal you are ready to take off in new directions with it.
Robert