Support ELLs with Project-Based Learning

Two students creating a mechanical project.

by Brianne McGee

The number of students classified as an ELL (English Language Learner) has grown exponentially over the past decade. Approximately 10% of the students currently receiving an education in the United States speak another language at home. Many educators can’t help but wonder how to assist these particular students. They are desperate to find a way to help them learn the rigorous academic content, while also assisting them in learning the English language.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been shown to help students not only acquire the English language, but also learn the academic content. The Buck Institute for Education defines PBL as a “teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question.” PBL can be an extremely effective teaching method for all grade-levels and content-areas if certain criteria are considering during the planning of the project. Educators need to ensure the PBL is focused on teaching students key knowledge that directly correlates to the content standards. The PBL must revolve around inquiry, which means the students are using academic resources to answer the driving question. It is imperative the PBL has a real-world context. We want our students to feel connected to the project. We want their voice to be heard, especially since ever PBL results in a final product that the students have to explain to the class.  

There are numerous online examples of how primary, intermediate, and secondary educators have implemented project-based learning into their own classrooms. I have spent many hours perusing their website, but I always find myself coming back to one specific example. Middle school students were tasked with creating a sailboat that could efficiently move through the water. Before the students could begin constructing this sailboat, they had to research the physics of sailing. The students had to consider how sailboats are stabilized, what causes them to be buoyant, and how to control the direction of the sailboat.2 I have always marveled at this particular project, because the students had to utilize skills from a variety of different content areas. The students had to effectively conduct research, determine what information was important, and then utilize that knowledge to create their own sailboat. This particular PBL encapsulates how powerful inter-disciplinary projects can be for our students.

Project-Based Learning, though complex in nature, has the potential to help the ELLs in your classroom for a number of different reasons. The first being that PBL allows the students to actively discuss the academic content. Students are working in heterogeneous groups to research potential solutions for the driving questions. Each student, no matter their academic ability, has the potential to assist their group members in some way throughout the project.

The second way PBL can be benefit the ELLs in your classroom is because they are learning by doing. When ELL students get to participate in hands-on learning, they typically develop a better grasp of the academic material. They are able to quickly build schema and/or activate their prior knowledge even if they are lacking the vocabulary to explain every part of their learning.

PBL can benefit your ELL students by allowing them to discuss a topic that is interesting to them. As mentioned above, PBL should connect to the real-world in some sort of fashion. This connection is particularly beneficial for ELLs because it allows them to learn about the city and/or state where they are currently residing. Our ELL students can begin to build a connection to their home-town by exploring different aspects of the city and/or state through PBL.

In order for your ELL students to truly be successful, there are a few questions you need to answer before beginning the PBL. What vocabulary will your students need to know? What language skills will my students need to understand? What scaffolds can I provide to help my students be successful? It is imperative you take the time to answer these questions ahead of time, so that all of your students can be successful.

Citations

  1. Buck Institute for Education (2018).

  2. Buck Institute for Education (2018).

To Further Your Learning

Curriculum and InstructionConfianza: For Educators of Language Learners3b, 2c, 4c