The Student Project: A Technique That Works with Community College Students

and Can Work with Others

Louise H. Allen

ABSTRACT Methodology for community college classes in foreign languages presents some special problems. The heterogeneity of the student body, t he limitations placed on students' study t ime by their outside commitments, and the personal pragmatism of many students call for considerable ingenuity on the part of instructors. The writer recommends t h e use of individual student projects as a technique for engaging and holding the inter-

est of these students, for adding the human dimen- sion to the classroom, and for fostering genuine communication among the students. The ar t ic le describes the project technique as she has used i t , provides concrete examples from one intermediate-level class, and suggests the adapt- ability of the method to secondary school or university classes.

Introduction

Foreign language classes in community col- leges present special challenges to their instruc- tors. The students are exceedingly diverse in age, background, interests, and goals. Most of them a r e studying part-time, and almost all have outside commitments--work, commuting, family responsi- bilities--which cut deeply into study time. Few have much previous experience with foreign lan- guage study, and many have histories of difficulty in English classes. Some have had a 'college-prep' program in high school, but more have not. Some have set career objectives; others are 'shopping' for a career--and for a sense of personal identity.

1 A majority are those K. Patricia Cross calls the New Students--those who would not have gone to college before the community college move- ment burgeoned in the 1950's and 1960's, and probably still would not go to a Harvard, a Wellesley, an Oberlin, or a University of Chicago. Cross points out that New Students lack family

traditions of college-going, tend to come from

blue-collar homes, were generally C to low-B students in high school, and make low scores on standardized tests. She further observes that they lack confidence in their own abilities, that they are more likely to avoid risk situations than to welcome challenges, and tha t they prefer working

1. Beyond the Opm Door (SU, Francisco: 3 o s ~ y - B a s r , 1971).

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with things t o working with words, numbers, ideas,

and theories. Some of t h e New Students expect t o transfer t o

baccalaureate institutions. They a r e likely to be in

the language course because someone told them

they had to be, to fulfill what they consider an arbitrary requirement. They tend to approach the

course with trepidation, because they have heard tha t "language is hard, and it's drill, drill, drill,"

and with skepticism, because they wonder "what

can I &wi th it?"

The pro jec t t echn ique m o t i v a t e s

s t u d e n t s to l ea rn to c o m m u n i c a t e

in the . fo re ign language abou t

a subjec t t h a t is impor t an t to

them.

Others hope t o use the language in the careers they will en te r directly from the community col- lege. They plan to be nurses, secretaries, teacher

or human service aides, or police officers. They, too, have concerns about language study being difficult, but they know what they expect to do

with it. Side by side with t h e young New Students in the

community college language class sit a few 'tradi- tional' students, not infrequently college gradu- ates, from an earlier era. They a r e in the class for refreshment of spirit, enrichment of experience,

or preparation for travel or retirement. They approach the class with enthusiasm for thesubjec t

ma t t e r but with uncertainty about their ability to

reacquire the knack of studying.

Occasionally, particularly in Spanish classes, there a r e native speakers of t h e language. They

are in the class to perfect their reading and writing

skills and their knowledge of grammar--and of ten

to improve their English as well. They approach t h e language with confidence (sometimes not altogether warranted) but a r e frequently diffident

about their ability t o communicate with their Anglo and Black classmates.

Finally, most community college classes have a f e w semitraditional students--those who have tried a liberal a r t s college or a 'multi-versity' and been unsuccessful. They a r e in t h e class to improve their study skills and grade-point aver- ages sufficiently to be readmitted to t h e other

institution. Often they also want t o recoup their

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financial position and to 'work off' a f ew courses

(of which language was very likely one) which they found troublesome.

Reaching These Students

Obviously, reaching and motivating all these students puts heavy demands on the language

course and i t s instructor. What appeals to one student may put off another. What seems an ap- propriate learning mode for one may be highly

unsuitable for another. What delights one may

bore another. Some kind of individualization is indicated--but what kind?

Self-pacing helps, particularly with the all-

too-common problem of irregular attendance. (The numerous outside demands on t h e t ime and physical strength of community college students lead to frequent absences and the consequent dis-

ruption of t he orderly, step-by-step presentation of materials tha t characterizes many language

programs.) But self-pacing is a lonely business, prevents interaction and socializing in t h e lan-

guage, and sometimes allows the student to rein- force his errors by conversing with no one but himself.

Work in pairs or small groups helps, too. But, as Wilga Rivers' has noted cogently, groups cannot

in te rac t in the absence of something to interact

'New Students' lack confidence in

their abilities, a r e more likely

to avoid risk situations,

and prefer working with things.

about. They must have a topic or an activity with which to work. Again, t h e pair or group is subject

ot t h e vagaries of attendance; if one person i s not

there the work of the others is hindered.

2. SpeakinR in Many T o n g ~ i Essays in F w e i i p Language TcachinB (Rowley, Mu*: Newbwy House, 19721.

In 1972 t h e writer published a paper3 in which

she advocated, as a device for meeting these con-

cerns, t he use of individual student projects and,

eventually, student specialization in particular a reas of t he language. The project technique is self-pacing and self-directed, in tha t students design and prepare their projects individually (with assistance from the teacher, or course). I t i s interactive in that, once a project is ready, i t is presented t o and discussed by the whole class. I t provides students with something concre te and

The project technique is

self-pacing and self-directed; it is interact ive in t h a t

t h e project is presented to

and discussed by t h e whole class.

interesting to talk about--and often to hold in their

hands. In the preparation stage, i t is flexible enough to deal with the attendance problem, and at the presentation s tage exciting enough to fos te r full attendance.

Students could begin in elementary classes with such small projects as explaining a picture, a t ra f f ic sign, or a gesture, and progress t o present- ing an original skit, designing a crossword puzzle, or taping and transcribing a native speaker. The

intermediate student might specialize in one area or aspect of t he language, according to individual career or personal goals: medical vocabulary and idioms for t he fu ture nurse; slang and legal te rms for t he police officer; hotels, restaurants, and sights for t he traveler; l i t e ra ture for t h e rare,

prospective language major. 4

0 . E, p p 60-63 et passim.

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The paper in which these proposals were made was subsequently subject to critique. The responder, Professor Peter Russo of t h e College of DuPage, very properly questioned t h e idea of

specialization, saying, "There are many com-

munity college students uncommitted to any kind of specialization. They have no burning desire to

explore any particular aspect of language. They a r e there, they want t o learn, but they don't really know what i t is tha t they want to learn. For this

type of student to decide on a meaningful project

f o r himself would t ake more t ime than is available and would tax t h e instructor's ingenuity beyond t h e wildest imagination." 5

Choosing Projects

The criticism was basically accurate; t h e stu-

dent-project technique needed refinement in ways tha t would appeal to students still in search of

themselves and their goals, particularly intermediate-level students who come to the com-

munity college as freshmen but already know some

of t he language. There are various ways t o s t a r t searching f o r

suitable projects for these students. The instruc-

tor may, taxing his or her ingenuity indeed, t ry to have a suggestion for each student: a t r ip to plot on a map and i l lustrate with brochures; a problem in business communication, such as ordering a book from abroad; a n inventory of close but fa l se cog-

na tes which can cause misunderstandings; some realia which can be researched and discussed.

The instructor can try t o ge t t he ideas for

projects from the students themselves. This i s

preferable, both because i t leads to fresh ideas and

personalizes t h e projects. One productive ap- proach is to look at the students' hobbies and see how they can be adapted for projects. All students are interested in something beyond their studies,

and many a r e f la t te red if a teacher appears to be interested in tha t 'something.'

The hobby-project is fun, generating laughter

and spreading enthusiasm. At t h e same time, i t

requires solid research, usually teaches new vocabulary and idioms, and frequently provides new impressions and insights about t h e foreign culture. Most importantly, i t gives each student

t h e opportunity to demonstrate interests, talents,

and skills his classmates may not have dreamed he

has, as well as his knowledge of t h e language. It

fos te rs t ha t "warm, uninhibited, confident, sympa- the t i c relationship" which Rivers considers a nec- essary fac tor in "spontaneous communication and f r ee interaction.'I6

For example, in one fairly typical class of second-year students, mostly freshmen who had

had two years of high school Spanish, t h e writer discovered:

A coin collector, A maker of string scultures, An enthusiast of w,

5. "Foreign Language Cwriculm in the TwwYear College: A Response," in ChandnR Patterns, p. 71. 6. Speaking in Many Tongues, p. 4.

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Several recipe collectors, A poetry lover, A sketcher, A sports fan, A clayworker, A dollmaker, A ca r tinkerer.

With an idea of their personal

interests, one finds i t easy to suggest projects for

some students.

Except possibly for the poetry lover and the maker of string sculptures, most of these interests would likely be represented in any dass of twenty or so

community college students. Actually, this particular group was unusual in tha t it did not include a guitarist or an organic gardener.

With an idea of their personal interests, one finds i t easy to suggest projects for some of these students: for t he coin collector, a mounted and labelled display of his Spanish and Latin American coins; for t he dollmaker, a china poblana; for t he recipe collectors, flan, burritos, paella.

With minimum urging from t h e instructor, t h e poetry lover can be persuaded to do an explication d e t ex te of a Neruda piece, t h e salsa enthusiast to bring records of Santana and other groups to play and talk about, t h e dayworker to make a copy of a Tiahuanaco beaker and compare i t with slides of t h e original.

Some students need no suggestions. One of t h e joys of the project technique is t he ideas tha t t h e students genera te themselves. The string sculptor in this class, for example, founda photo of a s t a tue of Don Quijote in the textbook and decided to interpret i t in string. The sports f an discovered fhbol and chose to explain the differences in rules and game procedures between i t and American football. The sketcher found the pre-Columbian exhibit in a nearby museum and decided to present drawings of some of t he pieces. All of these

projects would clearly enrich the class's back- ground on l i fe in Hispanic countries.

Occasionally a student has an idea tha t does not f i t t he culture pattern so neatly. The c a r tinkerer in this class had a used carburetor from a

1962 Chevrolet; he wanted to tell t he class about its s t ruc ture and function and how i t differedfrom carburetors currently in use. Making a connection between tha t idea and 'classroom Spanish' is not easy. But when one remembers tha t all cultures have and need skilled mechanics, t he proposal be- comes eminently practical. Its presentation, incidentally, requires unorthodox vocabulary but very precise grammar.

Presentations Once the topics have been set, i t is t ime to plan

the presentations. Beginning students obviously do shorter and simpler presentations; more advanced students do longer and more detailed ones. In a first-quarter, second-year class such as this one, i t was reasonable to require each student to prepare an oral and a written report on why he or she chose t h e particular project, t he materials and tech- niques used, t he eventual purpose (such as a gift for a friend or a snack for the class), and what he or she expected to do next along t h e same line. The writ ten reports were to be at leas t two pages long and the oral reports about ten minutes.

By t h e end of t he second year, most students can do something complicated enough to justify a full-length paper and to address their classmates fo r a n en t i re class period. It is wise not to insist tha t they plan for tha t much time, because t h e technique works best if i t i s nonthreatening, and the idea of a whole hour is threatening for most students. Nonetheless, when the adrenalin and t h e questions (and sometimes the gastric juices) begin to flow, t h e hour is often over before the presenter realizes it. Even with a first set of projects, questions a r e generally so lively tha t one can safely schedule only two reports per class meeting.

Community college students seem t o like spending about a third of their t ime on projects, a

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third on grammar and writing, and a third on read-

ing and culture. Since each project takes about a month to prepare properly, each student can usually present two projects a semester. I t is

useful to schedule the presentations to break t h e

tension preceding mid-semester and final exami-

nations, planning for a day or two of review bet- ween t h e last presentation and the examination

day. Giving quality-point grades for t h e 'product' of

t h e project is inappropriate, but giving point credit

toward a cumulative total in t he course is suitable and encouraging to students. The oral report may

or may not be graded, but i t should be carefully prepared and not presented until t he instructor has reviewed i t and found i t adequate. The writ ten reports should be graded both on content, including

suitability of vocabulary and tone, and on gram-

matical accuracy. Projects should be fun but not

done frivolously. They should be l ighthearted but not lightheaded.

Adaptability of the Method The flexibility of t he project technique makes

i t adaptable to almost any teaching situation. The

heterogeneity of t he community college class makes i t particularly appealing, but all classes

have individual differences and hard-to-reach students. One might want to a l te r the balance of t ime alloted for projects in asecondary school or a

university setting, and d e a r l y one should expect and require different kinds of project proposals from students of different ages and levels of intel- lectual achieveme n t . But t he basic idea of helping

students t o do something self-directed and yet communicative is sound for any language course at any level. The idea of a class activity tha t both entertains and teaches also has merit for any

concerned teacher.

Conclusion The student-project technique has much to

recommend it. I t represents an appropriate bridge

between t h e conventional grammar-reading- dialogue course and the f r ee conversation for

which elementary and intermediate students a r e usually not ready. I t responds to the diversity and

t h e pragmatism which characterize today's stu- dent bodies. It offers a practical solution to the dilemma of individualization within t h e group set- ting tha t volume two of the ACTFL Review of Foreign Language Education laid before us so tellingly. I t affords the human dimension in teach- ing and learning tha t George Isaac Brown' and

others have urged upon us. Most significantly, i t promotes that genuine communication in t h e for-

7

Projects should be fun but not

frivolous, l i gh thea r t ed but

not l igh theaded .

eign language classroom to which the ACTFL Review devoted i t s sixth v ~ l u m e . ~ It motivates students t o learn to communicate in the foreign language about a subject tha t is important t o

them, and their enthusiasm leads their peers t o

share in the communication. Obviously, i t is not t he only technique tha t will

exc i te foreign language students, humanize class- rooms, and fos te r communication in t h e language, but i t is one tha t the writer has found successful. In the direct, pragmatic language of t h e commu-

nity college student--it works.

7. Dale L. Lange, ed. (Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1970).

8. Hunan Teaclung for Human Learning: An Introduction t o Confluent Education (New Ycfk: Viking Press, 197n.

9. Gilbert A. Iarvis, ed., The Challenge of Corninmication: The ACTFL Review of Foreign L a n g u e e Education, Volume 6 Bkokie, 111.: National Textbook, 1971).