Project Work a. The Nature of Project Work

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3. Project Work a. The Nature of Project Work

The nature of project work refers to the function in a language teaching program, the way in which projects are developed, and some of the difficulties which may be encountered Fried-Booth, 1986: 1. The project is student-centered and it must first be planned and discussed and later evaluated. And it is here that the teacher can provide valuable assistance. A project moves through three stage: beginning in the classroom, moving out into the world, and returning to the classroom. Project work can be defined as a full implementation of a second or a third generation task. The project is a large task macro-task composed of smaller steps micro-tasks. Each step is a task in its own right can be expanded or reduced Ribe-Vidal, 1993: 5. The area skills involved in the projects are: language skills, knowledge of the topic, language and information-handling strategies and attitudinal aspects and group co-operation. There are various definitions of project work. Haines 1989: 1 states in the context of language learning, project work is multi-skill activity focusing on topics or themes rather than on specific language target. Polman 2000: 10 suggested: xliii Project work as a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks. This definition encompasses a spectrum ranging from brief projects of one to two weeks based on a single subject in one classroom to yearlong, interdisciplinary projects that involve community participation and adults outside the school. While definition came from http:www.moe.gov.sgeducation programmesproject-work Project Work is a learning experience which aims to provide students with the opportunity to synthesize knowledge from various areas of learning, and critically and creatively apply it to real life situations. This process, which enhances students‘ knowledge and enables them to acquire skills like collaboration, communication and independent learning, prepares them for lifelong learning and the challenges ahead. Another definition came from Calper in http:calper.la.psu.edu project work.php stated that: Project Work and Project-Based Learning as instructional approaches offer the opportunity to create innovative learning environments.. They afford students with working in teams, engaging in meaningful activities problem-solving, analyzing, evaluating, collaborating, reporting, presenting etc. over a significant period of time, in order to create a product, realistic and relevant to the learners. In addition, Project Approach refers to a set of teaching strategies which enables teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real world topics. The Project Approach is not structured. There is a complex but flexible frame work with features that characterize the teaching-learning interaction. When teachers implement the Project Approach successfully, children can be highly motivated, feel actively involved in their own learning, and produce work of a high quality http:wwwproject-approach.comdefinition.htm . xliv There is another definition of project based learning which is different from similar to Project Work. It is Project Based Learning PBL which is recommended from http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiProject-based_learning . It is stated that PBL is the use of classroom projects, intended to bring about deep learning, where students use technology and inquiry to engage with issues and questions that are relevant to their lives. Furthermore, he also said that Project-based learning PBL is: An approach for classroom activity that emphasizes learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary and student-centered. This approach is generally less structured than traditional, teacher-led classroom activities; in a project-based class, students must often organize their own work and manage their own time. Within the project based learning framework, students collaborate, working together to make sense of what is going on. Based on the definitions of project works by some experts, the writer concluded that Project Work is a set of teaching strategies which enable teachers to guide students through in-depth studies of real world topics leading a great way to have learners work together. It makes students highly motivated, feel actively involved in their own learning, and produce work of a high quality.

b. Defining a project