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Date Posted: 19:32:38 06/20/03 Fri
Author: Daniela Elisa Duarte Ferreira
Subject: Task 7 - Project "Buy a Car" - analysis

Analysis of “Buy a Car” project:

First of all, I found the topic of the class very interesting. A car is something very much present in almost everyone’s lives and buying it requires a complex decision-making that would get students very involved within the project. I believe that the goal of the project is clear for the students, which is providing students with the chance of learning about cars and all the vocabulary related to it, and also get them working together through the process of creating a collaborative list of buying principles.

In opposition to other’s opinions, I understood the first task of the Research Phase as a warm-up. While students work on the facts to consider when buying a car, it activates their background knowledge about the topic, they can also share individual’s information and it motivate them to learn more about the topic. The presentation, which according to Ryan (2001) precedes the warm-up, would be done together with it in the Research Phase. Through research students have the chance to learn new vocabulary and acquire knowledge in general (new words and grammar functions, e.g., in dealing with cars, students learn the language used when talking about this topic).

Through the Decision Making Phase, students practice reading, speaking and listening (as they talk to each other), but I did not see this practice as a controlled one, because students are free to have the discussion as they wish, there are no rules on turn-taking or vocabulary/structure that must be used. I think it would fit better the Free Practice suggested by Ryan, because students practice freely. I found this task interesting because as students interact among themselves, they have the chance to negotiate, as they have to discuss and decide the grid proposed.

The Sharing Phase would be a post-activity, then students practice writing using the car information they have just acquired. It is interesting to link practicing the four skills together working on one topic, however, I did not understand whether students were supposed to write just a composition or a text for internet, newspaper etc. Anyhow, the writing would be more related to real-life if students are asked to write something like a magazine article comparing cars in past to nowadays’ and then they all together could publish the class’ results of the research, as suggested in the plan.

Finally, the project lacks a feedback moment for the students. As Ryan argues, it is important for students to receive an appropriate feedback, because it makes them aware of their performance. In addition, it would also be useful for the teacher to get a feedback from the students on how interesting/useful they found the tasks.

References:

RYAN, Stephen B. Overcoming Common Problems Related to Communicative Methodology. In: The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 11, November 2001 http://iteslj.org/

WELLS, Karlys. Buy a Car. In:
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/OConsumerEdBuyCar912.htm

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