Project-Based Learning Enhances the Writing Process

Tips on designing and organizing a project for web publishing

Week 3 | Our YahooGroup Site

Often students hate to write. Why? Many times writing assignments are not meaningful and relevant to student interests or a natural extension of classroom learning. 

For example, requiring the ubiquitous 5-paragraph essay can be stifling. Teaching students a fixed format first and then having them plug in content to fit the format puts severe constraints on truly insightful development of ideas concerning an issue or topic; also, it does not inspire creative, imaginative writing.

Involving students in genuine, collaborative investigation of a topic or in a meaningful, creative writing project leads to the development of ideas, inspires them to express these ideas, and gives them a genuine desire to communicate with others. In other words, project work generates ideas and opinions and gives students a real reason to write. 

The incorporation of a web-publishing as a culminating component in project-based learning is an effective way to provide them with a real audience--a genuine worldwide audience. They are writing for a purpose and their communication is authentic.

Moreover, the interactive nature of the Web allows readers to respond to their writing, highlighting the connection between classroom learning and the real world for students.

• Choose curriculum goals that can be enhanced by student involvement in a project. For example, you may focus on: speaking skills (e.g., language for negotiations, interviewing techniques, debating techniques), reading skills (e.g., skimming, scanning, vocabulary development, reading for main ideas/ details), listening skills, writing skills (e.g., organizing, revising, editing...), grammar usage, or language to show such things as cause and effect or comparison and contrast.
  
  Key points to remember:
  - In project work, all skills are integrated.
  - What you publish is an extension of classroom work.
  
  
• Provide guidelines for activities and for creating the final project. Students. need to know why they are doing each activity and what skills they are learning
  
  
• Plan carefully for collaborative student involvement. It's the students' project, but you can help make it happen!
  
  
• Set publishing goals: Decide what you are going to publish. You need to set goals before you actually begin project work. However, as as the project develops, new possibilities will emerge. You and the students may discover you want to incorporate these new developments, so set goals but not in stone!. You may want to wait until after the project nears completion to finalize publications decisions. Giving your students more input in this way empowers them and leads to more involvement on their part.
  
  

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