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problem-based learning instructions: how to activate students' motivation in learning English

Mariya Valentinovna Falaleeva

Elena Yur'evna Kosheleva, Ph. D. in History

Department of English Language and Technical Communication National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University falaleevamv@mail.ru, koshelevalena@mail.ru

This article is the reflection of the authors' experience of teaching English using problem-based learning (PBL) instructions. The purpose is to acquaint the readers with PBL principles and its application as a new method of creating motivation and team-work skills.

Key words and phrases: problem-based learning; students' achievements; PBL procedures; provoking-designed problem.

МЕТОДЫ ПРОБЛЕМНО-ОРИЕНТИРОВАННОГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ: КАК ПОВЫСИТЬ МОТИВАЦИЮ СТУДЕНТОВ К ИЗУЧЕНИЮ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА

Мария Валентиновна Фалалеева Елена Юрьевна Кошелева, к.и.н.

Кафедра английского языка и технической коммуникации

Национальный исследовательский Томский политехнический университет falaleevamv@mail.ru, koshelevalena@mail.ru

Данная статья является отражением опыта авторов в плане обучения английскому языку с использованием методик проблемно-ориентированного обучения. Цель представленной работы - познакомить читателей с принципами проблемно-ориентированного обучения и его применением в качестве нового метода повышения мотивации и привития навыков работы в команде.

Ключевые слова и фразы: проблемно-ориентированное обучение; достижения студентов; методы проблемно-ориентированного обучения; искусственно созданная проблема.

experience english teaching motivation

To begin with, it is necessary to answer: “What is PBL?” Originally, PBL, defined as a curricular method, emerged from the field of medical sciences over three decades ago. However, in the field of language education, it is considerably young method of inquiry. PBL is considered to be an effective strategy, exciting alternative to traditional classroom learning. The main idea of this method can be described in the following way:

Students are engaged in complex issues and encouraged to take the roles of problem-solvers. “It allows learners to take part in real-life decision making process by first identifying the “major” question before formulating appropriate solutions” [2, p. 103]. Obviously, the issue has to have a “hook”, that is, should be interesting to explore, to discuss, and, of course, it should be linked to content of your syllabus. These learning goals can be achieved by students:

To examine and try out what they know.

To discover what they need to learn.

To develop their skills for achieving higher performance in teams.

To improve their communications skills.

To state and defend positions with evidence and sound argument.

To become more flexible in processing information and meeting obligations.

* To practice skills that they will need after their education.

To help the students to achieve these goals, the teacher must take into consideration some preliminary rules.

The teacher needs to make sure that students understand the goals and benefits of a problem-based approach for language learning and emphasizes the importance of using English in problem-solving activities. There are many ways of motivating students to participate in PBL. To begin with, the teacher can offer the students some simple steps to form creative-thinking. They are the following:

Look at problems in many different ways. Find new perspectives that no one else has taken.

Over-sell yourself. Send samples of your work or portfolio to anyone that might respond.

Broaden your target audience. What other fields could you specialize in?

Utilize diagrams and imagery to analyze your dilemma.

Combine and recombine ideas, images, and thoughts into different combinations no matter how incongruent or unusual.

Form relationships. Make connections between dissimilar subjects. This doesn't always apply to objects: form relationships with people and ask them questions.

Get to know people in your field that can help you excel to the best of your ability.

Think in opposites. Don't always stick with the obvious solutions. Get outside of your comfort zone. “Opposites” bring two approaches to a situation but they do share a basic similarity.

Think metaphorically. Metaphors are connections that are unusual or not an ordinary way of thinking.

Learning from your mistakes is one example of using failure. As strange as it seems the human brain is failure machine: it generates models of reality, acts on them, and adjusts or creates new, successful models based on failures.

Don't confuse inspiration with ideas. Apply your ideas with patience for the reward they may deserve [3].

In addition to this, it should be noted that before any discussion which is based on PBL, the teacher introduces problem and vocabulary. The teacher may use pictures, video, or texts to introduce the problem to students. Students also need to be prepared for vocabulary related to the problem. The teacher may ask students about previous personal experiences with the problem and provide pre-reading exercises about it.

Next, the teacher groups students and provides resources. The teacher needs to make sure that students understand the problem and the expectations of them that there is no single answer or solution, and that students need to choose what appears to be the most viable solution to them and be prepared to explain why they chose that solution. The teacher should give students access to resources and make sure that students are aware of the range of resources available and know how to use them. Sources of information can be presented in a variety of formats: lectures by teachers, textbooks, fictional story/novels, interviews and biographies, eyewitness commentaries, magazine articles, original source material as diaries, government documents, electronic media such as videos, radio programs, and web site pages.

Then, the teacher observes students and provides support as needed, by do not attempt to direct their efforts or control their activity in solving the problem. While observing, the teacher takes notes and provides feedback on students' participation in the activity and on language used during the activity.

Finally, the teacher provides students with opportunities to present and share the results of their work, provides follow-up activities based on his/her observation and assesses students' participation and success in the activity.

The advantages of PBL in language learning are obvious. It is widely accepted that utilizing problem solving activity promotes construction of useful knowledge, develop reasoning strategies and effective self-directed learning strategies, increase motivation for learning, and become effective collaborators.

In our case, particular situation is linked to the topic “Nanotechnology: advantages and drawbacks”. Firstly, it is necessary to state provoking-designed problem. Nowadays, there are a great number of blogs in the Internet on different topics, and we take into consideration some blogs, involving opinions on this subject which are quite different.

Studying these blogs helps the teacher to motivate students to discover this topic in a detail.

Blogs involve evaluation of the problem by people of different age, educational level and, obviously, they give the possibility of participation in discussing the problem on-line.

The teachers can use the following links to let students find remarkable quotations that sometimes contradictory:

http://www.thebeautybrains.com/vanilla/comments.php?DiscussionID=133&page=1;

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100922100655AAZFD12; * http://www.crnano.org/faq.htm#boosters.

It's necessary to emphasize that the teacher needs some assistants in the group of students:

The “Leader” who sets time limits for each part of discussions, invites questions, responds to each point of view.

The “Secretary” who writes the problems and solutions suggested.

The “Observer” who gives feedback to each participant at the end of the discussion. * The “Expert” who makes decision what problems should be investigated in detail.

Then, the teacher follows the PBL procedures, according to the method, suggested by Chalermsri Jogthong, Nakhon Rachasima Rajabhat University [1]:

First phase (1 hour of class time discussion) 1. Term clarifying

It is better to have the handouts with most interesting quotations (or text) related to the development of nanotechnology in different fields. In addition, if you use the text, you can ask the students mark it, using the element of critical thinking technology, such as “INSERT”. The students study the text, give definition of nanotechnology and clarify the terms for precise understanding.

2. Problem listing

Students raise some questions about the topic.

The secretary writes the questions on the board (for example: Will nanotech be good or bad for peace and security?).

3. Brainstorming

Students brainstorm to find out the possibly solutions for each problem raised in step 2.

The secretary writes the responses on the blackboard.

4. Hypothesis setting

The students sets hypothesis based on the discussion in step 3.

The secretary writes the responses on the blackboard in terms of cause/effect diagram.

5. Learning objective identification

The students identify their learning objectives in order to test the hypothesis stated in Step 4.

The secretary writes the learning objectives on the blackboard.

Second Phase (5 hours of self-study and 2 hours of class time discussion and presentation) 6. Analysis

Students are divided into groups to search for the solutions in response to each hypothesis posted in step 4 by conducting self-study or meeting with a resource person.

7. Synthesis

Students perform oral presentations about their work to class in English, discuss their results, the teacher gives a feedback to all participants. The goal is to present not only the conclusions, but the foundation upon which they rest. The students should prepare to state clearly both the problem and their conclusion, summarize the process they used, options considered, and difficulties encountered. Sharing the findings with teachers and other students is an opportunity in demonstrating that students have learned. If they know their subject well, this will be evident.

The experience of using this method of teaching leads to some conclusions. PBL shifts the emphasis on learning activity from teachers to students; it can also help students become more autonomous learners who will transfer the skills learned in the classroom to their lives outside of the classroom. Moreover, while students are focusing on the problem to be solved, they will try to overcome the linguistic hindrance, retrieve prior knowledge of the language to be used, and finally, become skillful language users. However, PBL procedure has to be well-designed, and the teachers need to be well-trained, e. g. to know when and how to break into the discussion appropriately and to be very patient and supportive in the way they interact.

References

Chalermsri Jogthong. Using Problem-Based Learning Instruction to Activate Students' Participation in Speaking English [Electronic resource]. URL: http://www.nrru.ac.th/student_center/admin/resource/file/pbl_article/human/003 (retrieved from: 27.01.2011).

Farhoomand A. Writing Teaching Cases: a Quick Reference Guide // Communications of the Association for Information Systems. 2003. Vol. 12. P. 103-107. 3. Study Guides and Strategies [Electronic resource]. URL: http://www.studygs.net/ (retrieved from: 25.01.2011).

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