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Hutchinson, "project work is a way of turning such
general aims into practical
classroom activity.".
PBL includes features such as variety, authenticity, relevance,ego factor enjoyment
and motivation. Motivation will be dealt with later; the following paragraphs are
concerned with the five preceding factors.
There is a space for a variety of topics, tasks,
activities and interaction
patterns. Within a project can also be included all the language skills that are not
taught in isolation, but integrated and combined.
Fried-Booth differentiates four types of authenticity that are present in PBL:
"authenticity of language input, authenticity of task, authenticity of event and
authenticity of learner experience".
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PBL removes the relevance gap
between knowledge and thinking, school and
reality, theory and practice, between "the language students are taught and the
language they in fact require". Learners are encouraged to choose
topics that are
relevant and interesting for them. They want to achieve a real, specific goal
and are personally involved in the activity. This fact is closely connected to
the
ego factor and personalization, when learners’ own lives and personalities are
taken into consideration. As it is claimed by Phillips, project work educates the
whole child, encourages emotional and personal development and enhances not
only
intellectual, but also physical and social skills.
Students always appreciate novelty and refreshment. Strict syllabuses often allow a
limited time for doing something different with an essence of general enjoyment.
Once carrying out a project is acknowledged and school routine is broken,
students welcome this informal way of teaching as "an antidote to the system".
Hutchinson is convinced that students learn a lot when they are enjoying themselves.
"Fun is not just an added extra, it is the lifeblood of effective learning."
Next worth mentioning benefit is a sense of achievement for all the
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Lamer, J., Mergendoller, J. R. Seven essentials for Project-Based Learning. EL educational leadership, 2010. 68 p