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Project Based Learning It is not a secret that the number of language teaching methods is constantly growing. Which of them produce the best results is not a very easy thing to say. There is no distinct answer as much depends on individual circumstances: personality of the teacher, culture and needs of the students. But still there should be several essential elements in any learning technique: exposure to the language, opportunity to put it into practice, real learning possibilities, motivation and as low stress level as possible. We can see all these elements come into play when a teacher uses one of the innovative learning methods of the 21 century –Project Based Learning. Project Based Learning is an increasingly popular trend in teaching languages nowadays and it is still getting more and more sought-after.Why does it earn points? What is the reason of its growing demand? How does it work? PBL is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic engaging and complex question, problem or challenge (PBL ”Buck Institute of Education”).The main idea of PBL is to shift emphasis from exercises turning it towards active thinking activity through the joint creative work.Its important to say that PBL is one of the indirect teaching strategies(when using direct teaching methods,affection goes directly while indirect strategies create opportunities for language exposure).Using this teaching technique a teacher provides students with a unique possibility to get opportunities for practice and production. The process starts with a big open-ended question, challenge or problem .Good ideas about the project theme can come from the students,parents or members of the community.The teacher presents the issue, methods of investigation and any supplementary materials. It’s up to the students to deliver a defined product. Next, the teacher encourages students to reflect on their work and make revisions, ultimately delivering a presentation to their peers. It is true that organizing and running suitable project-based learning activities isn’t always easy, as the pedagogy is surrounded by debate and takes form in a range of exercises.PBL requires the teacher to coach more than instruct,to embrace interdisciplinary learning instead of locking in one- subject substance,to be more comfortable with uncertainty and discovery during the learning process. There are some elements present in the PBL model: -Sustained inquiry -Authenticity -Student voice and choice -Reflection -Critique and revision -Public product As a type of active learning and inquiry-based learning, the nature of a given project-based learning activity depends on the teacher and his students . As John Dewey famously wrote: “The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly responding”. If a teacher combines all these elements well,it will result in students’ learning key knowledge, understanding and skills for success.Instead of book learning, teachers can think through the steps required to solve the problem and use those steps as project-learning activities.The students ,in their turn need to collect resources,organize work,collaborate,design,revise their ideas and experiences.Teachers make learning come alive for students,as a result the students are naturally more engaged . Following this philosophy, it’s probable – and ideal – that any project-based learning exercise the teacher runs looks different from those run by his colleagues.Despite this clear-cut process, there’s a lot of space for diverse tasks and differentiation in general.What matters is prioritizing the students’ needs and learning styles above the curriculum. Projects can come in many shapes and sizes: be long or short -termed,researching,(“From a Caterpillar into a Butterfly”),role-playing(“Birthday party”,”Shopping day”),informational(“Zoo”).They can be science-based(“Gravity”),problem-based,(“Help birds in winter”),placed- based,(Travel around your native town),activity(cooking pizza) or game - based(sports competitions).But one thing stays the same-any project connects students to the real world,it prepares students to meet challenges and solve problems. The main benefits of this method are: -students are usually highly -motivated -driven by critical thinking, it encourages students to take a rewarding-yet-challenging road to skill-building and knowledge acquisition. -it empowers students to play an active role in language learning -students need in learning not only what they wanted,but what they needed to know;so they get additional knowledge in a number of subjects. -it builds problem-solving abilities which students must apply in a tangible context.(students can better use their problem-solving skills out of school) Through project-based learning, students take the hypothetical and make it real, using skills and concepts learned in the classroom and applying them to real problems, leading to real experience and impact.
