So your students and you love making/presenting class projects! Let me introduce you to PBL and PBLL.

First of all, let's look into "The differences between projects and Project-based Learning". 

At the time of this post, I have been a participant of the online institute above-mentioned hosted by the NFLRC at the Univeristy of Hawai'i at Manoa which focuses on how to go from Project-based Learning (PBL) to Project-based Language Learning (PBLL). 

In this online institute, we are working on how to transfer the 8 essential elements of PBL into our language classes and thus create a true PBLL.

So why PBL? PBL, whose advocate is ​PBLWorks (former Buck Institute for Education), pursues 8 essential elements which engage students in learning that crosses borders and allows them to work on real-world issues and present their solutions to an audience beyond school. In short, we should not really just have our students make projects but rather work on wholesome projects that reach beyond our brick and mortar settings. I invite you to further read into: "Developing globally competent students through PBL"

PBL requires planning and a buy-in from your school administration and both teachers and students, especially as many of our students are so used to the teaching ways of traditional schooling. Nonetheless, if you plan to start using PBL, make sure you are able to scaffold* the language learning/PBL process for your students. Here are a few tips to get you started! 

* More information about scaffolding language learning PBLL-style at a later time!

• Activity: What was the assignment?

You are positioned to clarify what you expect if you have a well-developed rubric, first and foremost.
One option could be to use Quick Rubric which does not require you to share too much of your personal information.

• SLOs: Student Learning Outcomes:

Narrow your SLOs to perhaps 6 per course. For starters, you can access this link from UH-Manoa to help you develop student learning outcomes using appropriate action verbs, worksheets, checklists and other resources.
Some things to take into consideration are:

• deconstruct the skill into component skills
  • Ask questions
  • Listen for the keywords and main ideas
  • Ask for probing and clarification questions
  • Use compensation strategies to deal with communication
  • breakdown
  • Use back channeling, rephrasing, paraphrasing, and summarization
  • to show understanding
  • Greet and take-leave appropriately

 

• scaffold the development of the component skills
• give your language learners the opportunity to integrate the component skills, and
• apply the integrated skills to new situations.

There are four dimensions of knowledge and skills:

• Language proficiency
• Intercultural competence
• Content/Disciplinary knowledge (career pathways)
• Cognitive skills/Habits of mind

Yao Hill, our facilitator and assessment expert, has shared the following repository in which she has compiled some sample projects, sample interculturality SLOs, and learning outcomes for World Languages.

You can also find the following resources very handy: