Methods of Teaching Students with Project Work
Project activities of senior students are very popular at schools now.
A lot of students realize the importance of a research work. At Lyceum 1525 this kind of work is fulfilled in many subjects as well as in English.
On the 9th of October 2007 a seminar on that theme took place here. We invited English teachers from Indian and German schools in Moscow. Together with their Russian colleagues they discussed the role of a teacher in a student’s work.
Elena Tregubova the director of Lyceum 1525 said that our school had been founded to develop kindness, strong will and creativity in its students. These qualities are sure to help them in future. The research work in English does not differ from the same kind of work in other subjects. It makes students believe in their abilities and to use them in their work.
Maria Goumennik observed that the work on a project is not possible without a deep interest of a student in the subject of the research work. That is why a student chooses a topic himself. Students usually take up art, music, problems of young people etc.
Irina Karchina described the stages of the student’s work on the project:
1. Topic choice;
2. Discussion of the research method;
3. Making a plan of the work;
4. Obtaining information;
5. Consultation with a teacher about sources of information;
6. Work with the obtained material;
7. Discussion with teachers of history and literature the problems if a topic is connected with folklore or Russian proverbs, etc.;
8. Control on the part of a teacher;
9. Presentation of a project.
The part of a teacher is great. The teacher controls his student’s work every week, tells him how to work with original books in the library, helps him to make a presentation.
Julia Kuznetsova added that the main thing for a teacher is to correct mistakes in the project. Tatyana Makarova expressed the idea connected with a student’s interest in the topic of the research work. In this case he has a lot of information on the theme.
Usually she works together with a teacher of modern technologies who helps to make a computer presentation at the conference.
Sofia Archipova is sure that the main teacher’s role is to help a student to find the material for the project, to correct mistakes and to make a report shorter for the presentation which tests for five minutes.
Valentina Kulishenko is an English teacher at a math faculty where students make projects connected with scientific problems of math. But many students are invited to international conferences where they have to make a presentation in English.
The teacher helps them to translate the work. As their knowledge of English is good, the teacher’s part is mainly consultative.
Mrs. Ruby, a guest from India, informed us of the fact that Russian students have an opportunity to choose if they want to work on a project or not, Indian students do the research work for sure (each student). She thinks that it is very useful for them.
The difference is that students do everything themselves from the beginning up to the end. The topics cover different fields of knowledge from poetry and art up to science.
The teacher only guides and directs this work. After that the best project is chosen and the best student makes a presentation. Mr. Kolb, an English teacher from Germany, says that a student who does research work needs support and the teacher encourages him to fulfill the work. The topics taken by students cover modern music, sport and life of young people.
Usually a teacher helps his students to make a good presentation of their work.
So the teacher a) guides the student’s work; b) corrects the student’s mistakes; c) checks the student’s work. The students should be interested in his work, creative in his activities and should do everything himself.
The seminar has been interesting and contributed to a good exchange of experience between teachers of Russia, Germany and India.
I hope if will help teachers and students of different schools who are involved in a project work.
By Maria Goumennik,
Lyceum No. 1525, Moscow
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