Project based learning in lower level Spanish classes

Emily Dawn Ash

The University of Southern Mississippi

PBL in Spanish 2 1

Abstract:

The following study is an analysis of the effects of implementing a project based learning (PBL)

unit in Spanish 2 classroom. Its goal is to observe and analyze the effects of PBL on student

academic achievement and motivation during a particular unit of the classroom.

PBL in Spanish 2 2

Introduction

Educational initiatives; ideally, the latest, most effective, research based teaching

methodologies encouraged by those in charge of education. One of the initiatives teachers find

themselves currently navigating is project based learning (PBL). This approach calls for teachers

to become facilitators who design student centered and driven learning experiences (Bell, 2010).

Tamim and Grant (2013) confirm, PBL is an instructional model that is based in the

constructivist approach to learning, which entails the construction of knowledge with multiple

perspectives, within a social activity, and allows for self-awareness of learning and knowing

while being context dependent (p.73). Although it is true, and obvious, that PBL culminates in a

student created product that can be presented to a select audience, the approach requires much

more. PBL is designed to ultimately form the basis of the curriculum instead of simply acting as

a supplementary activity; however, it is doubtful that many schools or teachers are prepared to

make such a change.

PBL however does offer several benefits. For example, PBL addresses the strong

demand from society that students should learn how to meet the challenges of a knowledge-

based and fast-changing society (Lam, Cheng, & Choy, 2010, p.487) through encouraging real

world skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking (4Cs). PBL

also helps foster feelings of self-esteem and confidence in students because the learning process

is made more personalized and varied so that more students experience more success (Tamim &

Grant, 2013). When used correctly by a teacher, PBL promotes a rather simple goal; to help

students achieve a greater understanding of a topic while simultaneously increasing student

motivation to learn.
PBL in Spanish 2 3

Problem formation

Before the school year started I attended a two day professional development conference

on the implementation of PBL in foreign language classrooms. I left the conference frustrated

with the lack of feasible ideas for lower level language courses; therefore, I had not considered

using PBL in my Spanish classes. Use of PBL was also discouraged by other teachers due to its

ambiguous, dynamic nature (Tamim & Grant, 2013). Many teachers need additional time and

training before feeling comfortable with PBL teaching. The value of PBL however cannot be

overlooked and therefore when given the opportunity to conduct an action based research

assignment, PBL immediately came to mind. Although this will be the first time I take on the

challenges of designing, managing and assessing PBL, it will provide valuable insight to and

evidence of the effectiveness of the methodology.

In addition to contributing to a gap in current research on PBL in lower level language

classrooms, pursuing this line of investigation also allows me to address a recurring challenge in

my classroom. This challenge revolves around student acquisition of the Spanish preterit and

imperfect tenses. In previous years the concept has been extremely difficult for students to grasp.

It also tends to be a concept that reduces student moral, confidence, and interest in the language.

Whether it is the concept itself, the time of the semester when it is taught, or my lack of ability to

appropriately find the appropriate zone of proximal development; I have grown to hate teaching

the unit (Unit 4) in the traditional transmission of knowledge approach..

Question formulation

Noticing both my own lack of motivation and the consistently low success rate of

Spanish 2 students during Unit 4 i have chosen as the focus of this study, to use a PBL approach.
PBL in Spanish 2 4

I propose the use of a PBL approach will increase moral, confidence, and motivation in my

students during Unit 4.

Developing a plan for intervention

Rationale and previous endeavours

The first step to discovering the impact of PBL in my Spanish 2 classroom is to develop a

unit using this methodology. As previously stated I was particularly interested in applying this

technique to Unit 4, the unit with the grammatical focus of the Spanish preterit and imperfect

tenses. I have decided to create the project and unit plans by using the theme of natural disasters

and heroism; a theme derived from the AP Spanish theme of Global Challenges. Although, like

many teachers, while planning I I felt the need to teach the students the skills before embarking

in the project (Tamim & Grant, 2013), I have refrained from infringing on the necessary time

for students to build their own understanding. However, in previous non PBL units the students

have been exposed to the conjugations of both preterit and imperfect verbs. The previous

knowledge will allow for a smooth transition into the project; students will be able to focus on

obtaining a deeper understanding of the difference in the two tenses if they are not worried about

conjugating them incorrectly.

With the theme established I can better develop a project to drive the students learning

goals. Similarly to Bas & Beyhan (2010), I believe the process of learning is social and therefore

can be enhanced by group interaction. For this reason I have designed a project that requires

effective collaboration and communication to complete. To help assure this happens I drafted a

group contract and will allow students time to generate contract agreements before beginning the

project. This contract also helps students to, as Bell (2010) says, learn accountability with PBL
PBL in Spanish 2 5

through the daily goal setting, as well as through expectations of their peers (p.41). Peer

pressure is a great motivator.

Project design

After designing the contract I have started the careful planning required with PBL (Bell,

2010; Lam,Cheng & Choy, 2010; Mikulec & Miller, 2011). I kept in mind the following PBL

tenants as outlined in Mikulec & Miller (2011): integrating skills, working collaboratively, and

providing a tangible product. In order to best capitalize on the four areas of language production

- reading, writing, listening, speaking - the product I will ask students to produce through inquiry

and collaboration is two fold. First students will research natural disasters which occurred in

Spanish speaking countries. I suspect that at this level much of their research will be completed

in their first language. To encourage them to use target language sources instead, I have not

provided a set of designate vocabulary. According to Stefanou et al. (2013) helping students to

engage in behaviours that support their own learning is a goal for most instructors (p. 111).

Giving them autonomy to decide on the vocabulary is one way in which I can, as a teacher,

support student autonomy. This ability to make decisions about what will be learned, how it will

be learned, for what purpose and to what extent it will be learned is at the heart of motivation to

learn (Stefanou et al., 2013, p.111). Autonomy and student voice therefore support the goal of

this PBL research; to increase student motivation. In addition, students will need to determine

needed vocabulary in order to complete the second step in the project; create a natural disaster

special edition newspaper.

I have proposed the newspaper as the product of this PBL unit because it lends itself to

creating independent thinkers and learners (Bell, 2010). By not providing requirements (other

than the theme and the rubric that will be used) for the final product I have relinquished control
PBL in Spanish 2 6

over planning their learning, organizing their research, and designing their final product. This is

not to say that I will be completely removing myself from the learning process. Following Bells

(2010) advice, I will provide for students adequate scaffolding in order to help support and

monitor their progress on the project; making the tasks manageable and achievable instead of

overwhelming and frustrating.

The final piece of the project is a filmed newscast. After they have completed the

newspaper, I will ask students to pick one of their stories and turn it into a breaking news

segment of the nightly news. Including both a written and a spoken piece of the project addresses

more of the ACTFL national standards for language learning. It also helps students to see the

connections between the four primary language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).

I will need to be careful to provide sufficient, explicit instructions and structure for the tasks

(Mikulec & Miller, 2011). Ultimately however, it is my hope that students, similarly to how they

will in the real world, capitalize on individual strengths and talents (including time management

and organization) instead of relying completely on my oversight and scaffolding.

Data gathering

Participants and timeline

The project will be implemented in a Spanish 2 classroom. The classroom is comprised of

15 students ages 13 and 14. These students successfully completed the requirements for Spanish

1 in their middle schools and this class is their first High School Spanish class. The class takes

place between 7:25 and 8:45 each day of the week. The PBL Unit will be implemented over 11

days of class. Students had access to computers and recording equipment during class time for 8

of the 11 days. The scope of work outlined above perfectly exemplifies Mikulec and Millers

(2011) description of PBL projects as multiphase tasks that take weeks to complete.
PBL in Spanish 2 7

Data collection procedure

Because the proposed research looks at two possible effects from implementing PBL I

will gather data in two primary ways; 1. a student questionnaire given upon the completion of the

unit and 2. notes and documentary evidence I collect throughout the 10 day unit.

The student questionnaire (Appendix A) aims to gather data on the affective aspects of

learning. Specifically, it focuses on confidence and motivation levels of the students. It will be

given after students present their newscasts to the class. Students will be allowed to submit their

responses anonymously.

The notes and documentary evidence will be used to evaluate academic achievement. It

will be compared to previous years of results in order to determine if PBL results in higher

academic performance.

Analyzing and reflecting on the data

Results

In 2015 Unit 4 was taught using traditional approaches to language teaching. These

approaches consisted of a mix of communicative activities and older audio lingual instruction

methods. A lot of focus was placed on grammatical understanding and translation. The result of

this teaching were inconsistent quiz scores, quizzes that needed to be omitted due to low

performance, and, in 4 different classes a summative assessment average score of 75. Even

though this score may seem average, most of the students in my classes are high performing,

college bound students; a C is simply not acceptable. After such hard work I also felt defeated by

this average outcome.

The use of PBL in this study however changed the results. This years average on the

Unit 4 assessment was an 88. This shows a significant increase in achievement. Moreover, the
PBL in Spanish 2 8

questionnaire (Appendix A) designed to evaluate student motivation and confidence using their

new language skills, demonstrates a high level of motivation and confidence. Results are shown

in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1: Results of Questionnaire:

Question Average Response

(Scale 1-5)

I understand how to use the preterit tense 3.8

I understand how to use the imperfect tense 3.8

I can accurately decide between using preterit and imperfect tenses 3.6
when talking about the past..

I had to collaborate with my classmates in order to complete the 4.8

project.

I had to be creative in order to complete the project. 4.5

I had to communicate effectively in order to complete the project. 4.7

I had to use critical thinking skills in order to complete the project. 4

I found the project to be more interesting than previous units that ended 5
with a test.

I was more motivated to complete this project than I am when studying 4.6
for a test.

I enjoyed completing this project more than studying for and taking a 4
test.

I feel more confident about my grade than I do when I finish a test. 4.2

I feel more confident about my speaking abilities after completing the 3.6
project.

I feel more confident about my writing abilities after completing the 3.8
project.

I feel more confident about my reading abilities after completing the 4.1
project.

I feel more confident about my listening abilities after completing the 4

project.
PBL in Spanish 2 9

I prefer doing projects. 4.4

I prefer taking traditional tests. 1.9

Discussion of questionnaire results

Table 1.1 shows the average of the students answers to each question. The students used

a scale of 1-5 with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. As you can see the

average student, upon completing the PBL unit feels as if they strongly (above a 3) agree with all

of the statements about ability, confidence, and motivation.

Students were also asked to openly reflect on the PBL process at the bottom of the

questionnaire. Several students commented on the increased level of autonomy the project gave

them. Although their writing was not as eloquent their responses in this area closely reflected

Bell (2010) who praised how the active learning process of PBL takes students various learning

styles and preferences into account (p.41). They also describe how completing the PBL

contributed to a sense of control (no cramming) and ownership (satisfied and proud of their

product) of their learning (Stefanou et al, 2013).

PBL, as a constructivist model, is a learning experience that inherently requires group

work. It is a methodology that can help to establish and maintain a classroom culture of

collaboration (Tamim & Grant, 2013). It is not surprising therefore, that other students focused

more on the social aspect of the project in their reflection. Several commented on the need for

more measures of accountability (group members not doing their share of the work) and for

better planning (they did not abide by the timeline established in their contract). Communication

and follow through are life skills that students will need to consistently employ and practice in

order to strengthen and master. Bell (2010) goes so far as to say these skills are critical to future

success in the structure of our global economy (p.41) therefore, it is vital and understandable
PBL in Spanish 2 10

that as a teacher I start to help students acquire communication skills in both their target and

native languages from the beginning of the learning process.

Comparison data

To insure the self-reported feelings about academic skills (in this case deciding between

the preterit and imperfect tenses in Spanish) was not a poor indicator of actual skill I also gave

the students two short tests on the topic during the unit. The first test was given after 4 class days

using PBL and the average was a 68. However, on the assessment given on the 10th day of the

unit students had increased their scores to an 85. The validity of the students reflections and self-

reported feelings about their academic skills is therefore confirmed.

Conclusion

The use of PBL in my classroom was driven by my observation of its value and

advantages. Like many others I have come to the conclusion that, as a teaching methodology

PBL not only has a better impact on the learning process but also motivates, engages, and gives

my students a sense of ownership over their learning (Tamim & Grant, 2013). This study has

confirmed in multiple ways that project-based learning method not only has more positive

effects on the students academic achievement levels and attitudes towards the lesson, it has also

more positive effects on students academic risk taking, problem solving and creative thinking

skills (Bas & Beyhan, 2010, p.379) than traditional teaching and assessment methodologies. It

has also proven that even lower level language learners benefit from the PBL process. I

recommend that future studies be conducted in order to demonstrate long term benefits (such as

motivation to take higher levels of Spanish, better retention of information, etc.) of using PBL to

teach at the lower levels.

PBL in Spanish 2 11

Appendix A

Questionnaire

Using a scale of 1-5 with 1 being strongly disagree, 3 being neutral, and 5 being strongly agree
please rate the following statements.

____ I understand how to use the preterit tense correctly.

____ I understand how to use the imperfect tense correctly.
____ I can accurately decide between using preterit and imperfect tenses when talking about
the past.
____ I had to collaborate with my classmates in order to complete the project.
____ I had to be creative in order to complete the project.
____ I had to communicate effectively in order to complete the project.
____ I had to use critical thinking skills in order to complete the project.
____ I found the project to be more interesting than previous units that ended with a test.
____ I was more motivated to complete this project than I am when studying for a test.
____ I enjoyed completing this project more than studying for and taking a test.
____ I feel more confident about my grade than I do when I finish a test.
____ I feel more confident about my speaking abilities after completing the project.
____ I feel more confident about my writing abilities after completing the project.
____ I feel more confident about my reading abilities after completing the project.
____ I feel more confident about my listening abilities after completing the project.
____ I prefer doing projects.
____ I prefer taking traditional tests.
PBL in Spanish 2 12

Please write a few sentences to reflect on your learning during this unit. Did you feel as if you
had more control/say in your learning process? Why or why not? Did you feel less stress? Why
or why not? Are you happier with the product you helped create than a test grade youve earned?
Why or why not? What you change about the project? Why?

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PBL in Spanish 2 13

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