The Project in the Foreign Language Classroom

Joan Bornscheuer

ABSTRACT Second-year university students were presented with the idea of doing a project early in the semester and chose topics based on their own interests. After a month, a two-part program was scheduled in place of the regular classes; projects on similar subjects were grouped and presented to the class as a whole. This article describes some projects in detail, also some variations on the "one student, one project" idea which were introduced as a result of student participation in the planning process. The students' reactions are shown through their re- sponses to the Teacher/Course Evaluation ques- tionnaire, administered a t the end of the semester.

One of the 1976 "Teachers of the Year," Robert Rivkin, bases his entire teaching - and thereby his success - on the belief that language and culture are synonymous. Educational textbooks and journals constantly stress the importance of the student being able to relate what he or she learns in the classroom to his or her outside interests. It seems to me that the inclusion of a project in a foreign language course can accomplish this end while providing an interesting and enjoyable inter- lude during the course of the semester.

I decided to incorporate a project into my second-year classes a t the University of Texas at El Paso. Every teacher is familiar with the need to cover a certain amount of material in the course of a semester: by a careful rearranging of the

Associate Professor Paso, El Paso, Texas.

schedule after the beginning of the semester, it was possible to devote one week of the fifteen- week semester to the project. (We chose the twelfth week of class, so as to have a 'change of pace' activity when the pressure of other course work was becoming severe.) I introduced the idea to the students early in the semester, explaining that I wanted each one of them to prepare a presentation for the class which was connected in some way with French, and which coincided with their academic major or an outside pastime. I stated my reason for this, namely, to give them the opportunity to delve into some aspect of French other than the grammar and selected cultural topics covered by the textbook, and to discover or develop some subject of more immediate interest to them. In a subsequent discussion of the project, I agreed that in some instances, two or more students might work together, a necessary conces- sion for those interested in theater who wished to present a dramatic performance.

Two weeks before the project was due, I asked each class member to give me a title or outline of their topic i n writing. In some cases, I had to provide guidance in the choice of subject or suggestions as to how they should proceed, offering them books and other materials at my disposal. For example, one title I received was simply "Catherine de Medicis and Mary Queen of Scots;" this seemed to be a rather vast subject, so I suggested to the student that she concentrate on the relationship between the two queens from 1559 to 1561, and I was able to provide her with some reference material.

Based on these titles, I was able to plan a two- part program, one for each class period of Project Week, in which I grouped presentations on similar themes. Topics included "Contemporary Affairs," "Art," "History," and "Travel." Once 1 had

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checked the time assignments with the students and their needs in the way of departmental equipment - slide projector, maps, filmstrip projector, etc. - 1 typed an "Official Program," listing under the various headings mentioned above the names of the students and their project title. This added a degree of formality, provided information as to what kinds of subjects would be treated, and explained each student's place in the week's activities.

There are always students who feel ill a t ease when faced with an oral presentation or who prefer additional written practice; in these cases, I allowed them to turn in written work. For example, I had one student enrolled in my 3202 class whose major objective in learning French was to be able to translate; since he was also interested in history, I assigned him some passages dealing with Louis XIV and Cardinal Mazarin for transla- tion. I found that by being flexible in what I would accept as a project topic, I not only achieved variety in what was done, but a greater acceptance of the idea as a whole. For this experiment to be a success, enthusiasm is clearly a must.

During the initial discussion of the project, I set out some guidelines, designed to help the students in their preparation and to make every- thing run smoothly. Time scheduling can obviously be a problem with a new classroom activity and this was the first subject clarified. I asked the students to limit their presentations to five to eight minutes in length and stressed the need to adhere to this, to allow for coverage of all the topics, and time for questions and follow-up discussion by the other members of the class. I explained the importance of using visual aids wherever possible, and discussed the various kinds that might be used, from posters and wall plaques to slides and filmstrips. I was also able to tell the

students what was available in the department and elsewhere in the university.

Students had the option of doing their presen- tations in French or English, except in the case of majors, who were required to use French. This gave those who were not linguistically strong the opportunity to share information on a subject of interest to them, and to show what they knew, unencumbered by language difficulties.

The week devoted to the projects was soon upon us and the appended programs, as well as the subsequent descriptions of some individual pro- jects , graphically demonstrate its most outstand- ing characteristic -variety. Excitement is always generated when the classroom is rearranged: added to this is the experience - pleasurable to some, terrifying, a t least initially, to others - of individual students being the focal point of the class. I enjoyed the lesser role I played. My primary responsibility was to coordinate the presentations by making the introductions. I also took photographs (for later use as part of a bulletin board display advertising the advantages of learning French).

In the mop advanced of the two classes with whom I tried %is experiment (French 3202), the two days devoted to the project were different in nature. The Thursday program included three travel projects accompanied by slides and post- cards. The presentation on Haiti was highlighted by crafts from the island - a three-shelf mahogany stand, and a shopping bag made from woven palm leaves. The section on art included a fascinating demonstration of the process of enameling and a history of the ar t as refined by Faberg6; the student showed jewelry and bowls she herself had enameled.

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It is obvious that this class was very interested in history, especially the Renaissance, and the Tuesday presentations were more academic. Of particualr interest to the class was the project on Maurice de Saxe, the most successful general under Louis XV. The student used a blackboard map of Saxe's victory a t Fontenoy to describe the action most graphically.

Many of the same kinds of topics were chosen by the other class (French 3201), with the addition of a section on French cuisine which produced some of the most amusing moments of the week. Two student 'chefs' made and distributed to the class small bowls of Creme Chantilly which they prepared while explaining the procedure in French.

One presentation which could not be incorpo- rated into the week's schedule was a play performed by four members of one class. This required a small theater on campus which I booked for the next-to-last class period of the semester; the play, which was lighthearted and well acted served as an end-of-semester treat and a satisfac- tory end to the projects. In the words of one of the other students, "the play was most rewarding as a listening (and laughing and learning!) exercise."

I added a sheet to the courselteacher evalua- tion questionnaire completed by the students a t the end of the semester which dealt with the projects. Since they are assured that their comments remain anonymous and are kept from the professor until after grades are turned in, students tend to be open in their assessment of any new experiment. The questions on the additional sheet were as follows:

1) Did you enjoy doing the project? Did you learn anything from i t?

2) Did you enjoy other people's presentations? Did you learn anything from them?

3) Do you have any comments or suggestions for improving the general idea?

Of the 40 students responding to the questionnaire, more than 90% answered the first two questions in the affirmative. The comments and/or sugges- tions for improvement were varied, as might be expected, and produced some surprises: for example, five students stated that more, i f not all of the projects should be in the target language. Several requested more supervision and controls in the presentations, while others enjoyed the freedom and variety. Specific suggestions which I intend to incorporate the next time I use the idea are (1) to have the students prepare an abstract or outline of their project in French for inclusion in the program; (2) to try setting a definite theme, such as "Travel" or "Contemporary France." One gratifying fact emerging from the survey was that many of the students asked that the experiment be repeated in future semesters, wi th more than one project per semester if possible. Some actual comments from the students might help to illustrate what they felt that they gained from the projects: "Not only did I learn....but have become interested in something new because of a project presented by one of the students." "I wouldn't have expected to come to...cultural enlightenment in a language class!" "I had an opportunity to discover something about the country that I doubt under

other circumstances I would ever have looked into."

Certainly it is not my intention to imply that there is anything new or revolutionary about the project in a foreign language course; most educational textbooks mention its place in the language curriculum, and journals have included variations on the subject. It is m y contention that the project can be a very positive force in the classroom, and comments such as "It should be a part of every semester" and "It really got me involved.." underline my conviction. Not only does it spark interest and make the study of a foreign language meaningful, but it is amusing and instructive a t the same time.

FRANCAIS 3201

PROGRAMME

Mardi, le 20 avril LA FRANCE

CONTEMPORAINE La mode (Fr.) "La Vie," school magazine Advertising

The French Intervention in Mexico De Gaulle (Fr.) Robespierre

Toulouse-Lautrec Picasso

MILIT AIR E

ARTISTIQUE

Jeudi, le 22 avril

VOYAGES Le Mont St. Michel Un chiteau franqais (Fr.) Lourdes Paris e t Versailles

LITTERATURE Sc6ne tir6e du Misanthrope (Fr.) Victor Hugo Balzac

French cooking Le vin fran ais La Cre'me Zhantilly (demonstration)

CUISINE

FRANCAIS 3202

PROGRAMME Jeudi, le 15 avril

VOYAGES Paris, la capitale (Fr.) La Tour Eiffel (Fr.) Haiti

CBzanne Enameling Picasso (Fr.)

ART

ET - The etymology of certain French wo&

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Mardi, l e 20 avril HISTOIRE

Catherine de MGdicis e t Diane de Poitiers Catherine de Mddicis e t Marie Stuart Maurice d e Saxe (1696-1750) Louis XVI (1754-1793)

AFFAIRES CONTEMPORAINES French television L'Education e n France (Fr.) French elections

ET - La Do6sie de Mallarrnb (Fr.) A venir, rnardi, l e 3 mai: pi&e de thkitre!