ELT News Think Tank

This Month's Think Tank Panel

Marc Helgesen

Chuck Sandy

George Jacobs

Panelists: Marc | Chuck | George
Date: February 2003
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Topic: "What role can collaboration and project work play in language classes?"

Marc Helgesen

In the most recent issue of The ETJ (English Teachers in Japan) Journal, George Jacobs and I make the point that cooperative learning is not just a politically correct, "it's nice to be nice" approach. Rather it is a very practical to get groups of learners to make progress together.

After all, communication is cooperation (at least when it works). We've all experienced trying to communicate with someone who responds only in monosyllables. We know how hard it is to get that kind of communication to flow.

“You are using the same task... several times so there is an increase in language fluency, complexity, and, often, accuracy.”

Project work can be a great way to have learners work together. Whether they are preparing a poster, a pamphlet for some kind of town tour, or doing something else, they are working together towards a very specific goal. And since that goal usually includes making a product in English, and ideally, explaining it, it ensures lots of English practice. And increased access to the Internet, whether in class or not, means learners can easily find information, pictures and other data to incorporate into their projects.

For this reason, I like to run projects over two or three classes. During the first class, they do initial planning. Between then and the next class, they have a chance to search the Internet for whatever they need. In the next one or two classes, they actually create the project and - and this is a step that I think it a key to making full use of project work - they explain it to several different partners several different times.

This is what Tony Lynch calls "task recycling." You are using the same task - in this case, the project - and having the student talk about it, answer questions, explain things -- use the same content -- several times so there is an increase in language fluency, complexity, and, often, accuracy.

Since the learners know they will be explaining their project, it gives more of an incentive for everyone to be working together to make the best project possible.

The way I do this in my classroom is an activity framework I call "out and back." After they have finished their project, but before they explain it, I give them a few minutes to think about what they will say about it. This can be done as group brainstorm or with learners working alone. I've mentioned LANGUAGE PLANNING in this column before. I do find giving the learners a minute or two of "quiet time" for thinking through what they are going to say prior to the speaking part of the task can have real pay-offs, especially in terms of fluency and complexity.

Once they are ready, I have half the learners for each project stand up. They need to visit a specified number of other projects (usually 3-5), listen to the explanation and ask questions. At times, for classroom management reasons, I have them take notes about the projects they visited and what they learned.

Once they have visited the set number of projects, they return to their own project. Their partners - the ones who stayed with the project during the first part of "out and back" - now have time to visit other projects. The ones who went out initially are now back at their project, explaining it. Everyone gets lot practice explaining their project and learning about others people's projects. And the "out and back" tasks maximize both the use of English and the use of their own projects.

Out and back is one simple way to maximize the practice - and the communication - students achieve with project work.

Panelists: Marc | Chuck | George

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Marc Helgesen, Miyagi Gakuin Women's College

Co-author of English Firsthand and Active Listening

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