Foreign exchange students
Group work
Task-Based Language Teaching
With 2-3 students in your group, you are expected to plan a project or group work in English for year-9 students. The time period for your project is one month and it should all be in English. You need to consider the latest research on (TBTL) Task-Based Language Teaching on how teenagers learn a foreign or second language and you are expected to refer to what has been brought up during seminars and to theories from the course literature in your written presentation. Describe the material, the methods and how you will assess your students. Please use the correct didactic terminology in your text!
A positive learning environment is important to stimulate the students’ feelings and create an interest in their tasks. The grit and the right mindset should be discussed and favoured. New knowledge should be related to the students’ own reality, so they see the benefits of their new knowledge.
Use as much fluent spoken English as possible in the classroom and keep your students active in their learning. All the material should be in English. Start with an introduction to give students information and to create enthusiasm for their group work. Use visual aids, music, play or/and repetitions to stimulate their memory and the right brain. The holistic approach with clear learning objectives will also help the students to see a pattern in their learning. You should also have examples on different ways of studying for the students considering all the different learning styles you will find within your group of students. Be sure to give your students continuous feedback during their work. The assessment should be clear for the students at the beginning of the project.
Your theories should be based on TBLT and you need to show your scaffolding. It should give the students necessary information on learning objectives, assessment, content, activities and materials. To make everyone active in their work, a good idea is to give the students roles in the group: a chairman, a secretary, a collector of idea, materials, a presenter etc.
Teenagers have the ability to use their imagination and inner images and repetitions are important. Remember that the aim of all the tasks is to learn as much English as possible. Try to include all the different skills if possible; listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary! Reading and listening to English in a context is the first and most important part of learning the language.
At the end of the theme work there should be a presentation of some kind. The students should be reminded of what they have learned and also be proud of their work. Be sure to praise their effort rather than the results! Sometimes it is rewarding to show their work to someone from the outside.
Your group presentation ought to include the following items:
Lesson plans and scaffolding
Describe how the group work or project is constructed and your scaffolding (Task-Based Learning, form-focused learning, assessment etc.).
Presentation and assessment
Explain how the work assessed.
Reflections
Discuss your final reflections on your group work at the end of the paper on learning objectives (communication, social skills, forms, culture, learning to learn, values etc.), scaffolding, assessment.
The list of references
Appendixes.
