Learning English by Doing Project Works

Abstract

Many certified English teachers in Korea have studied communicative language teaching (CLT) methods during their teacher education programs and most attempt to employ CLT approaches in their own English language classrooms. Although there has been an effort in implementing CLT methods in most public schools, many Korean students still believe that these communicative activities were not helpful in helping them to develop their creativity and critical thinking skills. At the same time, the Ministry of Education has recently begun to emphasize the importance of creating an interdisciplinary curriculum as a way of enhancing students' creativity and critical thinking skills. Starting in September 2016, Korean middle schools will designate one semester per year in which first-year students will have no exams or homework assignments; during this “free-learning semester,” students are encouraged to explore future career options within a flexible curriculum in which they will have an opportunity to develop creativity and critical thinking skills through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) education. Considering the above changes in the curriculum, this text book will present an alternative teaching method for the foreign language classroom. The aim of this book is to create student-centered classrooms in which students will work toward a specific outcome. As students work toward specific goals and outcomes, they will develop their confidence and an ability to work independently as well as in groups by addressing “real-world issues” (Fried-Booth, 2002, p.6).