Project work and themebased teaching

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Project work and theme-based teaching
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• The great teachers fill you up with hope and
  shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all
  aspects of life. I wanted to follow Mr. Monte
  around for the rest of my life, learning
  everything he wished to share or impart, but I
  didnt know how to ask. All I knew was, I was not
  the same boy who walked into Gonzaga that
  previous fall.
• - Pat Conroy, My Losing Season

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Can teachers aspire to greatness?

• What does our culture expect from teachers?
• What is the difference between American and
  Norwegian teacher culture?

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Theme-based teaching a way to inspire
students!?!

• A chance to meet the aims of the core curriculum
• The spiritual human being
• The creative human being
• The working human being
• The liberally-educated human being
• The social human being
• The environmentally aware human being
• The integrated human being

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What we mean by project work

• Project work is a clearly defined unit of work.
  It develops through a series of linked activities
  that lead toward an end-product. The pupils work
  with a high degree of independence and are
  actively involved in choices and decisions with
  regards to topics, products, activities and
  methods (Munden and Myhre 2007)

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What we mean by theme work

• Theme work is a way of organizing our teaching
  units (themes) so that the objectives of more
  than one subject are met. (Munden and Myhre 2007)

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Why project work?

• It makes language learning meaningful
• It makes language earning motivating and
  interesting
• Learning by doing
• Allows repetitive use of language
• Language instruction in a meaningful context

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Criteria for good theme work

• Theme work should
• Meet the objectives of several subjects
• Suit the age and maturity of the students
• Take into account the pupils experience and
  interests
• Be linked to their daily lives
• Be topical

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Projects with very young children

• The main point is to work together toward a
  common end point
• Let the children choose what the end product
  should be
• Plan well!
• What topics would you suggest for the youngest
  children?

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Theme work topics

• Family, friends, pets
• Water, ice, air
• Potatoes, milk, eggs etc.
• The police, the fire brigade etc.
• Sports
• Nurses, hospitals
• Wool, cotton, plastic..
• The Stone Age etc

• School in English speaking countries
• Halloween, Thanksgiving
• Christmas, Easter
• Music
• Hamburgers and chips
• Manchester Utd.
• Fairy tales
• Childrens games

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Can you include English in theme work where it is
not a core subject?

• Including songs related to the theme
• Teach relevant glossary
• Play with words, use poems or games
• Teach part of the subject matter in English
  through stories, word or guessing games
• This can be done as part of the theme work
  process or alongside theme work in other classes

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The older students

• Plan well!
• Have clear goals and evaluation criteria ready
  before the start of the project
• Absolute deadlines and milestones
• Choose an appropriate mode of presentation
  together with the students

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Choose a relevant approach

• Storyline?
• http//www.lu.hio.no/ALU/storyline/
• Project work?
• Theme work?
• What would be appropriate topics?