The Usage of Project Technologies for the Development of Creativity in Pupils

“The Usage of Project Technologies for the Development of Creativity in Pupils”

  Education is the essential ingredient that will prepare us all for changing the future. New technologies will continue to transform the world in ways we cannot yet imagine. The educational standards define the aim of learning foreign languages as a development of pupils’ skills as an instrument between cultures and civilizations in modern world which provides communicative and socio-cultural development with the help of foreign languages.

 Nowadays, before English teachers stands a difficult question: what he or she has to do to make the lesson interesting, to open pupil’s creativity, to widen their outlook, to provide the usage of skills from other subjects in practice. It can be solved only if the teacher finds the ways of effectively achieving the aim of education and the organization of the learning process. Many teachers are looking for new ways to improve pupils’ learning through the effective use of technology.

         In my opinion project work is one of the most interesting methods. It helps to realize the communicative approach effectively during the educational process. Also it can develop listening, reading, writing and speaking skills.

           Projects provide contacts with real world subject matter, which require pupils to apply and adapt what they already know. As I have already stated, pupil involvement in making choices and decisions tends to increase their motivation and interest of learning a foreign language.

I enjoy involving my pupils in project work because it gives me a chance to discover many abilities of my pupils. Such work provides communicative activities for learners with different abilities and interests. It creates a good environment in which every learner learns how to work independently and to try doing different things. It becomes a real source of motivation.

It is very interesting to teach foreign languages nowadays. Every teacher has a variety of language teaching techniques which promote communicative language and developing a creative personality. This method provides a way to bridge the gap between language study and language use. But what is more important is that it helps to make creative personalities.

Practice:

Speaking Activities

“Trademarks”

·        Time: 25-30 minutes

·        Preparation: List of characters

·        Supplies: Paper and makers (optional)

Procedure:

Students choose a character from the book and then asked to draw a “trademark” for that person—something that symbolizes that person and their character, kind of the way a flag symbolizes a country. 

Ideas of what students can include on the trademark:

1.     A picture of the character

2.     Something the character loves

3.     Something the character wants to do in the future

4.     A hobby the character enjoys

5.     The favorite place the character has ever been

6.     The character’s friends/enemies

7.     Something the character hates

The trademarks are then shown to the whole class, who has to guess which character each trademark is for. 

“Reporters”

·        Time: 30-45 minutes

·        Preparation: None

Procedure:

Students pretend they are newspaper reporters, and write a newspaper article about what happened in the story for their “paper.” 

After they are done, students pass their papers around from group to group, so everyone has a chance to read them.

Variation: Have the students write a complete newspaper, featuring events from the story.  (Each student/group can have a different aspect or chapter of the story.)

   “Book Advertisement”

·        Time: 25-45 minutes

·        Preparation: None

·        Supplies: Paper and markers

Procedure:

Students design their own cover for the book or story.  They should include:

§        The title of the book

§        The author’s name

§        Pictures reflecting the content of the book 

Students can also pretend to design the back cover of the book, writing a short summary of what happens in the book (this does not have to include the ending—many books just talk about the beginning of the book, so that the readers can have an idea of what it is about without finding out the ending), a short biography of the author, and fake quotes from famous people saying what they thought of the book.

Students present to the class, describing their projects and talking about why they chose to include the information they did. 

Variation: Students give the book or story a new name, and explain why they chose it and why it’s appropriate.

 

“Film Director”

·        Time: 20-45 minutes

·        Preparation: None

Procedure:

Students pretend they are going to make a movie of the story.  They write a script for the story, with both dialogue and descriptions of what the actors should look like, behave, and be located while saying their lines. 

Students can then act out their movies in front of the class.

Listening Activities

“Gaps in Songs”

·        Time: 10-15 minutes

·        Preparation: Songs

·        Supplies: CD discs, paper

Procedure:

Write or find lyrics to any song. Remove some of the words, leaving blank spaces (you can xerox or write in on the board or wallpaper). Students listen to the song and fill in the blanks as they listen. They may need to listen several times. Discuss the song.

“The Art of Listening”

·        Time: 15-20 minutes

·        Preparation: Pictures

·        Supplies: Markers or pens, paper

Procedure:

Give each student in a pair one exercise sheet. One student describes picture no one can see and another pupil have to draw it based on what he\she hear. Compare the copy and the original.

Then distribute the second picture and repeat the activity with the second partner doing the drawing.

“Listening Fantasy”

·        Time: 15-25 minutes

·        Preparation: None

Procedure:

Instruct your students to relax and listen. They should not take notes, they should not be tested.

Ask your students to shut their eyes while you read the following fantasy.

For example:

         “Let’s imagine we are going on a picnic to the mountains. We will leave tomorrow morning. We will take a lunch and plan to spend the afternoon taking pictures, watching the birds and wildlife and enjoying the fresh mountain air.

         I have the perfect place in mind. We will have to drive for three hours to get there. The picnic spot is in the mountains near a small stream and a lake.

          There is one other family already here and the parents are preparing the picnic lunch under a big tree. “

“Keep this picture clearly in your mind. Try to remember what everything looks like. Do you have it in your mind? Now you can open your eyes.”

Allow students to work in small groups sharing their answers to the questions on the exercise sheet.

               Questions: 1. How many children are there?

2. What do the children look like?

3. What are they playing?

4. What is in the picnic basket?

There will be many different answers depending on imagination and details.

“Scrambled pictures”

·        Time: 15-20 minutes

·        Preparation: Story

·        Supplies: Pictures

Procedure:

Choose a short story. Draw some simple pictures to illustrate the story and cut them out. Hand them to students and ask them to put the pictures in the proper order after listening to your story.

Tell your students to retell the story according to the pictures.

References:

1.      Комунікативні методи та матеріали для викладання англійської мови (Ознайомлювальна брошура для українських учителів англійської мови)  Oxford University Press, 1998.

2.     Проектна робота за рівнями. Англійська мова/ Упоряд.

    Т. Михайленко.- Київ: Шкільний світ, 2008.

3.      Multi-Sensory Language Activities. Marry Ann Christinson, Sharron Bassano, 1995.

4.     In-class Activities. Nickollete Patric, 2005.