Week 3-Assignment 3B

    Project-Based Learning or Problem-Based Learning PBL

One of my goals as a Spanish teacher this year is to incorporate much more project based learning (PBL) into my teaching approach.  I want students to use their language skills and find their own meaningful connections to real life problems that are of interest to them.

But what is a project based learning (PBL) anyways.  Project based learning (PBL) is a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge. 

Menu

In this project students play the role of a restaurant owner who needs to develop and create a menu for his/her restaurant established in a Spanish speaking country (Colombia).

  The food in Colombia has been influenced by the climate, geography and the integration of different cultures such as African, Spanish, and so on. This project supports the elements of a Project based learning. 

1.        The project is based on students’ interest and their general activities.

2.      The PBL was created in order to foster these skills: Critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration; self-management.

3.      The project is standards-based:  National Standards for Foreign Language Learning

Communication
Communicate in Languages Other Than English 
Standard 1.1: Interpersonal Communication
Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. 
Standard 1.2: Interpretive Communication
Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. 

Cultures
Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures 
Standard 2.1: Practices of Culture
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied. 
Standard 2.2: Products of Culture
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied. 

Connections
Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information 
Standard 3.1: Making Connections
Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language. 
Standard 3.2: Acquiring Information
Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures. 

1.       The project invokes meaning: A question and an answer. Some of the questions are: 

                                       

·         What is the climate and geography of Colombia?

·         What is the diet of the people from Colombia?  Is the diet of the young people different from the ancestors?

·         How did the arrival of the Spanish people influence the food in Colombia?

2.      Sustained inquiry:  The project takes serious work and preparation. 

3.      The project includes: research, planning and development, application or presentation. The ideas for integrated performance assessments are:

·         Interpretive: View the menu and answer questions about what is offered.

·         Interpersonal: Role-play a situation in which the students ask a waiter about item on the menu.

·         Presentational: Write a comment card about the experience the student and the family had during a recent visit to the restaurant.

                                             STEPS

   STEP 1:  Students will use books and supervised internet side to find out about the

                Colombian cuisine.

                

              

             

 STEP 2:  Students will begin taking notes and researching more about Colombian cuisine. Students use notes to complete a draft of the Colombian menu.  They need to do a brochure with the information.

STEP 3:  Students will compare notes in the group and decide the final project.  This is a great opportunity to clarify any information they found about Colombian cuisine and culture.

STEP 4:   After writing, editing and receive feedback from the teachers, the students will start working on the “Colombian menu”

STEP 5:  Students will create a Menu with different dishes from Colombia.  They need to add pictures and the prices.

STEP 6:  Students will present the “Colombian Menu project” to the class.

References

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. 1986. Proficiency Guidelines. Hastings-on-Hudson, New York: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2013). NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements Progress Indicators for Language Learners. http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Can-Do_Statements.pdf

 National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. 1999. Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the Twenty-First Century. Yonkers, NY: National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project.

National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project (NSFLEP). (2013). Worldreadiness standards for foreign language learning. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from the ACTFL website. http://www.actfl.org/publications/all/world-readinessstandards-learning-languages