Teaching in Our Place

In Teaching in Our Place, teachers explore the core abilities they need for project-based teaching. The examples here give us ideas for project-based learning (PBL) to explore sustainability issues in our place, Galápagos.

Project-based learning engages students with the world beyond the classroom. Students apply what they are learning to issues within their community and beyond. In PBL, students learn content through the project in order to respond to their authentic questions. They ultimately share the final product, developed through their project, with an audience. The short video, Project Based Learning: Explained, describes how PBL works. Exploring Our Place links to videos and other resources for conducting place-based PBL in Galápagos.

Project-based learning is a great way to develop second language skills in a meaningful context (Alan & Stoller, 2005). According to Grossman et al. (2019), teachers who implement project-based learning successfully integrate four essential teaching goals in teaching their students. These goals are:

1. developing disciplinary knowledge

2. addressing authentic contexts

3. promoting an iterative process

4. supporting peer collaboration

As teachers design lessons for learning, they choose how to address these goals. Click on the links below for descriptions and examples of how these essential teaching goals apply to English education in Galápagos.