Subject: Tasks and Projects

Name and surname(s): Martha Margarita Martinez Rangel

Login: MEFPMTFL1677568
Group: 2015-10
Date: July 27th, 2016.
Name and surname(s): Martha Alejandra Morales Vargas
Login: MXFPMTFL1996963
Group: 2015-10
Date: July 27th, 2016.
Name and surname(s): Raquel Saucedo Ochoa
Login: MXFPMTFL1283311
Group: 2015-10
Date: July 27th, 2016.
Name and surname(s): Vanessa Patricia Llera Calcneo
Login: MXFPMTFL2016571
Group: 2015-10
Date: July 27th, 2016.

Contents
1. Introduction

2. Analysis of the Music Project according to the criteria laid by Rib and Vidl, FriedBooth and Legutke and Thomas
4
2.1. Steps 1,2,3

2.2. Steps 4, 5,6,7,8

2.3. Steps 9,10,11,12 ..

3. Adapting the project

4. Conclusion

10

5. Bibliography ..

11

INTRODUCTION
There is no shortage of challenges in school education. The crucial need to re-design the
curriculum to prepare students for life and work in the 21 st century has led to profound
research and the need of breaking paradigms to teach not only the subject itself, but also
the way to lead our students to solve problems, develop critical thinking skills, and work
cooperatively and efficiently with others. The purpose is to equip students to face the
unexpected changes and adapt themselves to a rapid changing and globalized world
which demands that we, as teachers, prepare our students for careers which have not
been created yet, but which will emerge to respond to the needs they will face. The Project
Approach is one way to accomplish this.
A project is an in-depth research of a real-world problem or situation which students are
motivated to address. Projects can be undertaken by the whole class, small groups and
students of any age. Projects integrate language skills work in order to accomplish a goal
and are divided into stages: brainstorm, planning, research, discussion, problem solving,
oral and written reports, presentation of results and evaluation. It is worth to mention that
the process itself is much more important than the result. Therefore, Hutchinson (1992)
emphasizes that students should be active participants from the early beginning.
With this in mind, we will analyze The Music Project from Its Magazines following the
criteria laid by Rib and Vidal, Fried and Booth and Legutke and Thomas and after that,
we are going to adapt the project to our students, which is in our opinion, one of the most
crucial and important aspects of carrying out a project to really boost their inner motivation.

ANALYSIS OF THE MUSIC PROJECT ACCORDING TO THE CRITERIA LAID BY

RB AND VDAL, FRIED-BOOTH AND LEGUTKE AND THOMAS.
Rib and Vidal help us to identify task generations, according to their definitions, we can
classify the Music Project from ITS Magazines and the Project work with advanced
classes as a third generation task, since it involves communicative development, cognitive
development and global personality development. The Music Project from ITS Magazine
collects students likes and abilities towards musical instruments, musical genre likes and
social abilities enhancing creativity and critical thinking. The steps described on their book
Project Work Step by Step (1993) showed us a clear idea of how the musical project has
been set up and let us verify whether its layout and design are properly arranged.
The main objective of The Music Project is to provide a significant context to carry out the
activities necessary for the resolution of different tasks. This project is an ideal way to
integrate communication in the target language, the formal aspects, socio cultural content,
and the students cognitive development and organizational abilities, etc. Learning in this
way also incorporates less tangible aspects such as cooperative work, decision,
responsibility, the learners autonomy in learning, etc. It is said that cooperative work
favours autonomy, motivation and participation of students, causing them to use the target
language as a real means of communication.
The different tasks are going to help us as educators- to organize the teaching in
communicative activities that promote and integrate different processes connected to
communication. When these tasks or set of tasks are activated in the context of the
classroom, students must also deploy a number of strategies used to solve specific
problems (like fluency, meaning, etc.) related with the proposed task. The whole project
will provide a broader framework than any of the individual tasks; therefore students learn
not only language skills but also the cognitive skills related to the management and
organization of information on the topic chosen. As long as the topics of the project are of
interest for the students they will be motivated to participate and negotiate meaning which
will improve their language skills and as a consequence encourage them to try even
harder. Rib and Vidal (1993) point out the benefits of learning by projects related to the
same acquisition of the target language. According to them, the motivation and the interest
generated by a project are necessary but not sufficient for the acquisition of target
language. To produce an improvement, tasks need to present a challenge, both in their
contents and in the language required for resolution. This implies the presence of three

elements: the presence of a significant input in terms of content and language level, need
to process information to achieve an objective and comprehensible production
(comprehensible output).
STEP 1- CHOOSE AN INSTRUMENT
By using visuals, the teacher starts building up some of the language which will be
necessary in the project. At this point it is very important to build up vocabulary, which in
this case will be related to music and musical instruments. At the same time, students start
to get involved with the topic and get to know the people with whom they may create their
teams. Then, by answering a survey, the project becomes student-centred as students are
able to identify which instrument would be suitable for them.
In this step, students use memory and metacognitive strategies, first to learn the new
vocabulary and secondly to reflect about themselves in order to choose an instrument. We
guess that at this stage, the teacher will explain what the project consists on, the steps that
will be taken, how the project will be carried out, due dates, etc.
STEP 2- FORM A BAND
This step involves the use of communicative and social strategies in order to interact with
others and be able to find people in order to set up a band. This step is crucial to succeed
in the project. Students need to be able to find others they can work with efficiently, whom
they can interact with and form a good team. This is the beginning of their autonomous
work and decision-making process.
As Bygate suggested, projects provide learners with opportunities to use L2 for a wide
range of purposes which include planning and organizing of roles and tasks; the
organization and preparation of information, communication and negotiation of meaning.
The different tasks that need to be carried out in this step, require the use of language with
a clear purpose: discuss different ideas, support points of view, evaluate, decide and make
a plan. The student has already reflected upon his/her likes, dislikes and previous
knowledge about music. However, if the teacher has already explained during Step one
what the following steps will require, the students might be able to identify their strengths
in the different activities to come, such as writing the lyrics, designing the cover, etc.
STEP 3- PRESS RELEASE
With the press release, the teacher leads students to interact with other peers and find out
a bit of information about the decisions they have taken, which can lead them to give

feedback to each other. This step is important because the group will create its identity, as
students introduce their groups in front of the class.
STEP 4- RAP
By using a guessing game, the teacher leads students to find out information about
rappers and rap songs, leads them to notice how rhyming is key when writing a rap song
and leads them to develop the different stages to finally write their own, which according to
Fried-Booth is a motivating activity because they are active participants of their own
learning.
This step involves communicative and social strategies as a lot of interaction takes place.
Also, it promotes metacognitive strategies to evaluate the results obtained based on the
interest that the peers show towards their band. This step prepares students for step 5
which is writing your song, as students will know what to aim for when writing their own
lyrics, rhythm, rhyme, vocabulary, etc.
STEP 5- WRITE A SONG
At this point the students are using language to communicate ideas that make sense.
Using the different strategies from artists when writing their own songs, students interact
among each other to come up with sentences structured in ways that express their ideas.
With this activity, the teacher can approach grammar topics, as there may be sentences or
structures that may contain errors which impede others understanding the message of the
song.
STEP 6- GET A DEAL
This step is focused on linking research to real-life situations and linking the project to the
students personal preferences. It also involves discussing ideas to get to an agreement by
giving well-supported points of view.
STEP 7- SIGN A CONTRACT
This step requires analytical skills, as students will have to pay close attention to the
written information. It also involves new vocabulary, legal jargon. The group has to work
closely to be able to identify and discuss the different clauses and come up with a final
decision on either signing the contract or not and making the necessary changes to it. It
involves reading comprehension, communicative skills and communication strategies.
STEP 8- MAKE A RECORD
This step demands a lot of creativity as they have to design their record cover. This is the
opportunity for the creative members of the group to come up with ideas and designs. All
the members of the group have to participate in the decision making process and agree in

a single design in the end. This activity helps develop affective skills, as having to agree on
a final product could mean that sometimes the student will have to give up his own ideas in
order to reach an agreement.
STEP 9- FROM DISC TO DAT
This step focuses mainly on analysing a text to come up with questions, then answering
questions written by others. This is an opportunity to work on form, and allows the students
to practice writing and oral production of questions and answers.
STEP 10- MUSIC SURVEY
This step is the follow up of the previous exercise in which the students will be able to
practise asking questions. Some skills that can be practised with this exercise are
communicative and cognitive, as well as social because students from different groups will
talk to each other.
STEP 11- START A FAN CLUB
This step requires the students to use memory, communication and compensation skills.
The student has to introduce him/herself as if he/she is the real artist. At this point the
students have enough information, vocabulary and tools to be able to perform the activity.
The second part of the activity also involves filling in the blanks of a letter to personalize
the content.
STEP 12- THE FAME GAME
Dynamic activities product of previous research lead learners to communicate with each
other and use compensation strategies. Finally, an interactive game is carried out to
demonstrate what they have learned. This game could be used as part of the evaluation of
the project.
Throughout all the steps, students have a more experiential learning as they learn by
doing things, they report to the class progressively and this promotes motivation because
immediate goals are met. For this project however, there seems to be no participation from
the students in the planning of the project or even deciding on the topic. Fried-Booth
(1986:6) suggests that the students in collaboration with the teacher discuss and make
decisions about the project.
Fried-Booth points out that it is possible to work with projects in an EFL environment, not
just ESL, and states that students motivation and how teachers present the project are
more important than the environment in determining the success of a project as part of the
learning process.

According to Fried-Booths criteria this project is set up with bridging activities since most
of them are designed to take place within the classroom. Bridging activities constitute a
form of preparation for full-scale projects, which are designed to go beyond the classroom,
and require students to do a large amount of work out of the classroom.
Input: The project is well planned in terms of input, students receive input related to each
stage of the project when they need it thus ensuring that they will have the vocabulary and
language they will require at the right time.
Activity: Some of the advantages of this project are that students have the opportunity to
choose their peers, to get to know each other, to communicate with a purpose, be creative
and practice English in order to complete their project.
Teachers role: The teachers role is as a guide who provides students the steps to follow
the task, makes sure the students understand the instructions, provides the necessary
input for the tasks and checks the development of the students while they are working on
it. This type of activity involves very little teacher talk, and this provides the student the
opportunity to communicate and produce.
Learners role: The variety of activities in this project will allow the students to play different
roles throughout the different tasks. These roles will depend on their faculties, affective,
intellectual and physical, as Legutke and Thomas (1991:215) suggest. According to Rib
and Vidals point of view, its going to be difficult for students to be evaluators, but they
have to do it in order to realize that they understood the work.
ADAPTING THE PROJECT
The material for this project is designed to be used with a class of young adults or
teenagers with an intermediate or higher level. However, it is important to consider the
environment and the context of each Second Language Acquisition class, the motivation
and above all the learners, in order to be able to adapt the project so that it suits our
students needs and our goals.
As we work to adapt any project we need to take into consideration the syllabus set by the
school or institution in which we will carry it out, as well as the standards set by the
education department. Students age also plays a major role in how motivating a project
turns out to be. We run the risk of assuming that a topic is interesting for students of a
certain age. One way to ensure that the topic is in fact interesting for them is to let them
take part in deciding what project they would like to work on, in this way they will find it
more stimulating, rewarding and meaningful. Regardless of the topic and tasks, in large

classes there is the chance that some students find it hard to comply with the activities and
work cooperatively.
In the cases where a project is set up within a school, we need to consider if we will
require the participation of teachers of other classes, which is sometimes tricky as
sometimes our colleagues are not willing to collaborate. Collaboration between teachers
from different subjects is one way to enrich a project and make it more meaningful.
Here are some ideas on how to adapt this project to use with students between 11 and 13
years old with an A2+ level and above. This proposal also considers updating the
information and resources students use to develop it.
As a warm up to ease students into the topic, we will ask them about the music they listen
to, the bands and styles they like, and ask them to prepare short presentations to share
this information with the rest of the group.
Step 1: Keep the same activities, though since the students are younger they may not
know all the instruments, so we must be ready to explain and maybe show a short video
where they see the instrument and hear it play so they know what instrument they would
like to play. Since the kids are young, answering exercise 6 may be too complicated. In
case there is a student who knows a lot about musical instruments, we could ask him/her
to present the ones he/she knows.
Step 2: In order for students to form their band, they talk about the bands they like first ,
then they group according to the instruments they chose to play, then they form groups
where there is a variety of instruments and those would be the bands or work groups.
Then students proceed to decide on their musical style, bands name, etc. using the
worksheet provided.
Steps 3, 4, 5, 6, 10: These tasks would remain the same, for the texts. However, some
assistance from the teacher may be necessary to clarify some of the vocabulary. At this
age students may not yet master working with percentages so the teacher must assist on
this as well.
Step 7: For this task we should first ask our students about lawyers, contracts and law, to
make sure they understand how important contracts are, and the role they play for music

bands. The contract provided should be simplified so students can manage to participate
in the negotiation. Since they are very young they may not know what to look for so the
teacher can help out with some hints. This activity is great to practice ways to express
agreement and disagreement.
Step 8: This activity will provide a chance to go into music history, students should do
some research into old bands and LPs, cassettes, CDs, etc. since they may not know
them. The rest of the activity can be done as originally planned, though the material may
be updated to more modern bands, records, etc.
Step 9: This activity is good to practice making questions, however the material is outdated
so it should be updated. Reading has already been practiced in the previous tasks so for
this task we could use a documentary or video and turn it into a listening practice instead.
Step 11: For the fan club we should ask students if they are part of a fan club or if they
follow any famous people in Twitter, instagram or any other network, and discuss the type
of information they like to hear about. Then they will complete the fan letter provided.
Step 12: For the fame game the questions should be updated so the students can really
relate to them.
CONCLUSION
Teaching English goes beyond grammar, pronunciation or any other content. It is about
culture, values and beliefs too, English teachers should always be aware of their students
needs, abilities, and circumstances among others. While analysing this project, several
topics have come to light, for instance: the challenge of working with a project, the
learners needs, the aims, the teaching points, the tasks; etc.
Projects test our teaching abilities to lead indirectly because students should be the main
participants, therefore proper organization, planning and rubrics are essential so there is a
clear understanding of what the expected result and objectives are, how students will be
graded, deadlines, etc.
Nowadays there are technological advances which make it easier to monitor what each
student is doing such as google docs.
Close monitoring will help us in leading and evaluating in a fair way.

There are practical issues that we must consider while planning such as internet
availability, computer access, etc. so all students are actually able to do the work we
planned, in case we do not have these resources in the classroom, all the research could
be done by the students as homework.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Legutke, M. y Thomas, H. 1991: Process and Experience in the Language

Classroom. London, Longman.

Nunan, D. 1989: Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge,

Cambridge University Press.

Rib, R. y Vidal, N. (1993): Project Work Step by Step. Oxford, Heinemann.

Material provided by FUNIBER

Hossein Yousefi, M., Ghorban Mohammadi E. & Koosha M. Task Complexity and
Its Implication for Pedagogy. Available at:
http://www.academypublication.com/issues/past/tpls/vol02/07/14.pdf [Retrieved:
10th July, 2016]