menegotto 2007. succesful project work.pdf

8/11/2019 Menegotto 2007. Succesful project work.pdf

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Andrea C. Menegotto. Programa de Cursos de Espaol para Extranjeros.

Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata.

Title of Submission:

Successful project work

Target Language (Spanish or French):

Spanish

Instructional Point addressed:

Improve oral fluency and comprehension in casual situations with native speakers: asking for directions,

understanding directions, asking for repetition and clarification, basic patters of opening and closure ofinteraction with strangers.Type of Submission (description of an activity, handout, teaching tip, etc.):

Guidelines for project work.

Brief Description of Submission:Page one of the submission is a general introduction to the kind of project work we carry out in

our Spanish Language Programs at the National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. Pages 2

and 3 are the instructions the students receive to carry out the project, which forces interaction

with native speakers in a naturalistic setting.


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SUCCESSFUL PROJEC WORK

Andrea C. MenegottoUniversidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

[email protected]

This kind of project work is addressed to young adult students who are supposed to fulfill in four weeks therequirements of two regular courses from an American university (Span 201 and 202) which would usually take them twosemesters. This program is carried out in Mar del Plata, Argentina, at the National University of Mar del Plata.

Mar del Plata is a main tourist spot in Argentina, well known because of the wonderful beaches crowded withyoung people and its amazing night life... together with entertainment facilities for the whole family. But wonderful as thecity is, in a four week traditional intensive language program students would not be enjoying the city life or they would becompletely exhausted and unable to fulfill the academic requirements. So, we were facing a dilemma. Our students wererunning the risk of either be doing their language learning but missing a nice and enjoyable cultural experience or... beingthrilled by the cultural experience but failing to comply with the academic requirements of their courses.

What could we do to solve the dilemma? That was the question that led us to design the Mar del Plata Program. Alanguage program that may both warrant the students learning the language and his experiencing the life of the city. Howcan we help our students to develop confidence in using Spanish in the real worldthe world outside the classroom, andgetting the most out of the cultural experience?

Research on language teaching and learning shows how important it is for the student to develop skills and

strategies for learning and for language use through his or her engagement in tasks of different kinds. Research alsoshows the importance of affective filters and motivational issues in the process of language learning. Meaningful and longlasting learning happens when the student is motivated and feels emotionally at ease.

Thats the reason why we have implemented a syllabus based on project work with assistants. Assistants arestudents of Language Arts from the University of Mar del Plata, native speakers of Spanish, who work with the foreignstudents every afternoon to give them guidance and help in the process of achieving their projects. Foreign studentsidentify themselves with the assistant, they make friends and at the same time they learn the language.

Foreign students are grouped in teams of 2 or 3 and assigned an assistant, who will help them to develop oneproject a week. Project work is a language learning and cultural experience carried out partially outside the classroomwhich offers the student an opportunity to take a certain responsibility for their own learning. Each team settle their ownobjectives for the project as an end-product to be achieved. Project work is carried out during afternoons. Morning classesoffer the communicative and grammatical content needed to carry out the project.

We offer here a sample of project work, namely Project One, focusing on finding their way around in Mar del Plata.

The main requirement of Project one is that it must include interaction with people on the streets. The end product may bea photo collage of Mar del Plata or a leaflet to orient other students to the best pubs and entertainment spots... or whateverthe group decides. The choice is to be discussed and agreed upon with the group. In the process of carrying out theproject, the students will move around the city trying to find out the places they really want to discover.

The main experiential goal in project one is for the students to know the city and the way to move around.Language goals in project one are:a) mprove oral fluency in Spanish in casual situations with native speakers: asking for directions

asking for repetition and clarificationanswering personal questions

b) improve oral comprehension in casual situations with native speakers: understanding directionsunderstanding descriptions of places;understanding personal questions

c) enhance reading skills in Spanish to read brochures and tourist guides about Mar del Plata

identifying places already knowfinding aditional information on places already known.

The end product of this project is a presentation to the class proving that they have successfully learnt where someimportant spots in Mar del Plata are and how to get there.


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PROYECTO UNO: CONOCER MAR DEL PLATA

Planificacin: ponerse de acuerdo en qu van a hacer.

1. Complete la siguiente ficha y llvela completa a su reunin de grupo.

Qu lugares de Mar del Plata quiere conocer? Seale los que ms le interesan.Las playas, los monumentos histricos, los cines y teatros,los lugares para comer, los lugares para hacer compras, los lugares para bailarlos lugares para escuchar msica, los lugares para hacer deportes

Qu tipo de presentacin le gustara preparar?Una galera de fotos un folleto una presentacin multimediaun video un poster una representacin teatral

2. En la reunin de grupo, con sus compaeros y su asistente, conversen y lleguen a un acuerdo sobre eltrabajo de campo que van a realizar. Entre todos, completen la tablaAcuerdo de trabajo del grupo:

Qu lugares de Mar del Plata quieren conocer? Cmo van a conseguir la informacin? Dnde van a ir? A quines le van a preguntar? Qu preguntas van a hacer? Qu respuestas esperan encontrar? Cmo van a empezar el dilogo? Cmo van a terminarlo? Qu tipo de presentacin van a preparar? Qu necesitan registrar para la preparacin? (Sacar fotos, anotar datos, etc.) Acuerden da, hora y lugar del encuentro para realizar el trabajo de campo y da, hora y lugar de

reunin para la preparacin de la presentacin.

Trabajo de campo: hablar con la gente para conseguir la informacin.

Lo ms importante de este trabajo es que, para conseguir la informacin, hablen con la gente. Su asistentelos ayudar si tienen problemas.

Preparacin de la presentacin: construir un objeto y ensayar lo que van a decir.

En esta reunin, entre todos deben preparar la presentacin. La presentacin debe mostrar clara yexplcitamente lo que aprendieron durante el proyecto.

Presentacin del proyecto: exhibicin del objeto y explicacin para el grupo.

El da viernes debern presentar el proyecto a la clase. El grupo recibir una calificacin global por eltrabajo realizado.


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ACUERDO DE TRABAJO DEL GRUPO:

Lugares que quieren conocer:Vamos a conseguir informacin sobre

Lugar que van a visitar:Vamos a ir a ..........

Medio de transporte que van a usar: Vamos a ir (en) ..................................hasta ........................................................

PREGUNTAS QUE VAN A HACERLE A LA GENTE EN LA CALLE:

PREGUNTAS RESPUESTASPOSIBLES

OTRAS PALABRAS QUEPUEDEN APARECER

SI ES UN HOMBRE JOVEN

SI ES UNA MUJER JOVEN

SI ES UN HOMBRE MAYOR

SI ES UNA MUJER MAYOR

QU VAN A DECIR

PARA LLAMAR LAATENCIN DE UNDESCONOCIDO?

SI NO ENTIENDEN LOQUE DIJO?

PARA TERMINAR LACONVERSACIN Y

AGRADECER?SI ES UN HOMBRE JOVEN

SI ES UNA MUJER JOVEN

SI ES UN HOMBRE MAYOR

SI ES UNA MUJER MAYOR

QU RESULTADO VAN A PREPARAR PARA LA PRESENTACIN DEL PROYECTO?

Qu necesitan registrar para hacerlo?

Trabajo de campo: Da Hora Lugar

Preparacin de la presentacin Da Hora Lugar

menegotto 2007. succesful project work.pdf

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