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Practical Project Design Course Orientation (2005)

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Title: Practical Project Design Course Orientation (2005)


1
Practical Project DesignCourse Orientation (2005)
  • Presented by
  • Jia Lin (Dana)

2
Welcome to Practical Project Design (PPD)!
  • Practical Project Design is a course that
    advanced students can take at the end of their
    third year at BWO.
  • PPD follows English Language Teaching Methodology
    I and II as part of a series.
  • Students will be expected to apply what they have
    learned about teaching methodology to solving a
    practical ELTM problem.
  • By the end of the course, the students should
    have completed two assignments and a proposal for
    conducting research in teaching.

3
Outline for PPD Orientation
  1. General Introduction
  2. PPD Course Units
  3. Course Requirements and Evaluation
  4. Questions and Answers

4
1. General Introduction
5
Course Objectives
  • Become familiar with research methods
  • Gain experience in English language teaching.
  • Become actively engaged in the research process
    by designing and implementing an independent
    project.
  • Write a research proposal.
  • Prepare for writing a Bachelors thesis.

6
Prerequisites
  • Knowledge of English language teaching
    methodology and the communicative approach.
  • An understanding of problems associated with
    language teaching.
  • Some language teaching experience and access to a
    group of students on which one can do research
    (discussed in FAQ section).
  • Analytical ability and an interest in doing
    research.

7
Schedule for PPD
  • The course is approximately 12 weeks in length.
  • Discussion sessions and VOBs will help students
    in preparing their assignments.
  • Students should submit 2 assignments to the
    e-platform.
  • Feedback on student work will be provided in
    written comments and during tutorials and VOBs.
  • Assignments can be submitted a second time if
    necessary.
  • Check the schedule on the e-platform for dates
    and deadlines.

8
PPD Textbook Overview
9
Steps in Completing PPD
  • Note that the 6 steps are not of equal length.
    Some will take more time than others.
  • First, you will need to describe a problem that
    can be solved by applying ELTM. (Use Unit 1 in
    the PPD textbook as a guide.)
  • Second, you will need to analyze the problem in
    steps to find ways to solve it. (Unit 2 can be
    your guide.)
  • Third, you will need to determine your objective,
    hypothesis, rationale and teaching methods. (Use
    Unit 3.)
  • Fourth, draw up an outline of the design of your
    teaching activities (Unit 3).
  • Fifth, design and describe your activities in
    detail (Unit 3).
  • Sixth, write a proposal for teaching students
    using your activities and collecting data on the
    results.

10
After PPD
  • You will need to actually implement your
    activities by teaching a group of students (Unit
    4).
  • While teaching, you will need to collect data,
    just as you said you would in your proposal.
  • You will need to show your tutor proof of your
    implementation.
  • Then, you will need to organize and evaluate your
    results (Unit 5).
  • Finally, you will need to report your results and
    what they mean, and write your Bachelors thesis
    based on your work (Unit 6).

11
Before You Start
  • Read the textbook to get an overall understanding
    of the project.
  • Spend time learning about ELTM and how to conduct
    research by reading some research papers.
  • Start thinking about a problem in language
    teaching that you are interested in solving using
    communicative methods.
  • Think about ways of collecting data from your own
    ELT students.

12
Value of the Research Process
  • Experience in research and analysis trains your
    mind in a way that rote learning cannot.
  • You need to go through the process of doing
    research in order to fully understand it.
  • PPD provides you with a valuable learning
    experience that is part of acquiring a B.A.
    degree and attaining international levels of
    scholarship.

13
Evaluation of Your Work in PPD
Assignment 1 (Describe project problem) 5
Assignment 1 (Analyze problem) 15
Assignment 2 (Project basis, activity design) 60
Assignment 2 (Project proposal) 20
Note that all elements must be completed in order
for your project to be assessed.
14
Resources and Information
  • The course handbook provides basic information
    about the course, along with a list of 13
    reference books and 17 articles.
  • A suggested topic list is also provided in the
    handbook.
  • The e-learning platform lists some recommended
    books to help you with thesis writing skills.
  • There is also a course-based forum on which you
    can pose questions, get answers and follow
    discussions between students and instructors.

15
Help Provided as You Need It
  • Face-to-face tutorials allow you to meet your
    tutor for discussion and feedback.
  • VOC and VOB broadcasts allow you to listen to
    discussion and feedback from the comfort of your
    own computer. Questions can be posed during each
    broadcast.
  • At other times, you can contact your tutor by
    phone or email for personal assistance.

16
2. PPD Course Units
17
Unit 1 Get off the Ground
  • The first thing you need to do is think about and
    describe a researchable problem.
  • The PPD handbook contains a list of topics.
  • You will also need to make sure that the problem
    is realistic in relation to your teaching
    situation.
  • Your tutor will guide you in the selection
    process and help you to narrow your research
    problem so that it is specific enough.

18
Unit 2 Problem Analysis
  • Next, you will need to become familiar with 6
    methods of investigating and analyzing a problem.
  • You should practice these methods and select one
    or more of them to be developed in detail in your
    assignment.
  • Your analysis should be progressive and lead to
    conclusions that suggest an approach to solving
    the problem.
  • Consult your tutor for help and guidance during
    the problem analysis stage.

19
Submit Assignment 1.
  • In the first assignment, you will need to
    describe your research problem and how it relates
    to your teaching situation.
  • You will need to work out a detailed problem
    analysis using suitable methods.
  • Finally, you should arrive at sensible
    conclusions on how to solve the problem.

20
Unit 3 Project Design
  • During the third step, you will need to formulate
    your project objective and hypothesis.
  • At this point you should be reading books and
    articles related to your topic, gathering ideas
    and preparing citations to be included in your
    bibliography (discussed in Unit 6).
  • You will also need to work out a detailed design
    for your project.
  • You may find it helpful to participate in
    discussion sessions and see how other students
    plan their projects, with your tutors guidance.

21
Submit Assignment 2.
  • In the second assignment, you will need to
    describe your objective and hypothesis in a way
    that is clear and demonstrate that your project
    is relevant and realistic.
  • You will also need to write a rationale,
    including several paragraphs about WHY you chose
    to solve the problem in that particular way,
    based on what you have learned about ELTM.

22
Submit Assignment 2 (contd).
  • Assignment 2 requires you to list the
    communicative teaching methods you will use.
  • You will need to fill in the Teaching Activity
    Outline, providing a summary of the original
    teaching activities that you have designed.
  • You will also need to describe your activities
    and data collection methods in detail.

23
Submit Assignment 2 (contd).
  • The last thing you must complete in Assignment 2
    is a project proposal.
  • The proposal is an article in which you summarize
    your ideas and explain your plan for conducting
    research.
  • At the end of the proposal, you should predict
    what you expect to find and how this will prove
    your hypothesis.

24
Units 4-6
  • Units 4 to 6 of your textbook cover
    implementation, evaluation and report writing.
  • You will do these things after you complete
    Assignments 1 and 2 for PPD.
  • Nevertheless, you should be aware of what these
    units contain, since your work in PPD will
    directly affect the Bachelors thesis that you
    must write later.

25
Unit 4 Project Implementation
  • This is where you will use the ELT activities
    that you designed in PPD with real students.
  • You will need to collect data as you teach, since
    this data will be required for your Bachelors
    thesis.
  • So, you should organize your time for teaching
    students well in advance, and collect data in an
    organized way.

26
Unit 5 Project Evaluation
  • Another thing you will need to do is evaluate
    your data and show whether it provides support
    for the hypothesis you came up with in PPD.
  • The evaluation of your data and the conclusions
    that result from it will be included in your
    Bachelors thesis.

27
Unit 6 Project Report
  • Unit 6 discusses how to write a project report
    that includes a title page, abstract, body,
    conclusions and a bibliography.
  • It also shows how to include relevant materials
    (questionnaires, tables of results etc.) in the
    appendix of your report.
  • This unit is one of the resources that will help
    you in planning your thesis.

28
Focus on PPD
  • But since the Bachelors thesis is still in the
    future, you need to focus on PPD Assignments 1
    and 2 for now.
  • Next, I will present an overview of these
    assignments.

29
3. Course Requirements and Evaluation
30
Course Requirements
  • There are no progress reports or exams associated
    with this course.
  • Evaluation is based on the results of 2
    assignments.
  • Assignments must be submitted on the e-platform
    in the proper order.
  • Students who fail after submitting an assignment
    will be given only one additional chance to pass
    the course! (Must resubmit by the second
    deadline.)

31
Evaluation of Assignments
Asst Assignment Title Full Points Passing Points
1 Problem identification and analysis (Units 1-2) 20 12
2 Project basis, activity design, and proposal (Unit 3) 80 48
32
Using the Assignment Specifications
  • ?? ???
    ??_________
  • ???? ????
    ??________
  • FOR TUTORS
  • You are required to comment on the students
    writing paragraph by paragraph or immediately
    following flow charts and tables. Write your
    comment after each paragraph/table/flow chart
    using a contrasting font color .
  • You should complete the first four blanks at the
    top of each assignment.
  • Include your name, student number, year that you
    began study at BeiwaiOnline, and the name of your
    learning center.

33
Assignment 1 (Part 1)
  • You must explain your topic and link it to a
    general or specific topic on the list (in the
    handbook).
  • The topic must be discussed with the tutor and
    approved before the assignment is submitted.
  • Your teaching situation must be explained clearly
    and honestly.

34
Assignment 1 (Part 2)
  • You should state which analytic method was used.
  • Analysis questions should relate to the specific
    problem and should progressively search for
    helpful conclusions.
  • Answers to questions cannot be too simple or
    superficial.
  • Your analysis should result in a better
    understanding of the problem and ways of solving
    it.

35
Assignment 2 (Part 1.1)
  • The project objective should be a single
    statement about what you hope to achieve.
  • The hypothesis is a statement about what you
    expect will happen as a result of the
    implementation.
  • The rationale should include several paragraphs
    showing reasons for the research methods that
    have been selected.
  • Under Communicative Teaching Methods, specific
    methods from ELTM such as enacting role-plays,
    using error sheets, and training listening for
    gist should be listed.

36
Assignment 2 (Part 1.2)
  • The Teaching Activity Outline provides a quick
    overview of activities by date. It is also a
    checklist to remind you of important elements
    (e.g. Materials?name of textbook, computers). It
    should be filled in with words and short phrases
    only (e.g. Data Collection Methods?surveys), not
    sentences.
  • Under Detailed descriptions..., you should
    provide longer explanations of each activity
    listed in the table and how you will collect
    research data.

37
Assignment 2 (Part 1.3)
  • Check to make sure that each of these criteria
    have been met (e.g. your objective is clear and
    relevant).
  • Your rationale should explain reasons for your
    approach, based on what you learned in ELTM.
  • Acceptable methods are described in ELTM.
  • The objectives of activities are related to
    proving the hypothesis.

38
Assignment 2 (Part 1.4)
  • Activities that are original should be described
    in specific details and show evidence of your
    creativity.
  • Descriptions are detailed enough if another
    teacher could conduct the class easily based on
    the instructions.
  • Your descriptions should be written in clear,
    accurate and unambiguous English.

39
Assignment 2 (Part 2.1)
  • You should create your own titles for the Table
    of contents which also appear in the body (main
    part) of the report.
  • The introduction to the proposal should provide
    background information, the body should provide
    detailed explanations, and the conclusion should
    summarize your expectations in terms of the
    hypothesis.
  • The body and conclusion should generally be
    written in the future tense, since the proposal
    explains the project plan.

40
Assignment 2 (Part 2.2)
  • The proposal is a separate report and thus
    requires a cover page and table of contents.
  • The cover page should show the title, your name,
    school, date and course name.
  • The introduction should provide relevant
    background information, but be concise (not too
    long).
  • The body should explain in detail how the
    research will be conducted.

41
Assignment 2 (Part 2.3)
  • The approach that you take in PPD should reflect
    the communicative methodology you learned in
    ELTM.
  • You will need to explain your data collection
    methods.
  • In your writing, you should be able to express
    yourself clearly and concisely, without too many
    English mistakes.
  • After reading the proposal, the reader should
    feel that you know how to proceed with the
    project.

42
Other Submission Details
  • A hard copy (printed paper) may be required by
    your tutor in addition for the e-version. Check
    with your tutor regarding this requirement.
  • You will need to pass the previous stage before
    you can proceed to the next stage.
  • In order to complete all the requirements on
    time, it is your responsibility to keep in touch
    with your tutor!

43
4. Questions and Answers
44
FAQ 1
  • Question What do I do if I am not currently
    teaching and have no students to collect research
    data results on?
  • Answer Arrange to teach English at your place of
    work. Or, you can find students to tutor
    privately. You can contact a local agency that
    will put you in touch with prospective students.

45
FAQ 2
  • Question What if I cannot participate in
    discussion sessions?
  • Answer Participation in discussion sessions is
    not a requirement, but you should still keep in
    regular contact with your tutor. Remember that
    your tutors advice and experience are important
    in topic selection and in the development of your
    project.

46
FAQ 3
  • Question Where can I find ideas and resources
    for my research?
  • Answer You may find it helpful to review your
    ELTM textbooks and read books on the PPD
    recommended book list. BWO tutors have also
    compiled lists of sources on the internet. You
    just need to make use of the resources that are
    available!

47
Thank you for listening!
  • Questions are welcome!
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