Lightening round presentation at the 2nd Annual Conference for Advancing Evidence-based Teaching at Northeastern University

1. An Experiential
Learning Project
English Language
Learners
For
By Vincent Chunhao Qian
Description
Design for success
Evaluation

2. Project Description
Participants: students in “Culture and Communication Skills”
at Northeastern University
A presentation about a group field trip to a selected Boston
neighborhood
Research
Interview
Reflect
“What attracts people to the neighborhood?”

3. About “Culture & Com. Skills”
Learning goals:
Students will learn about the key values of American
culture through topics such as immigration, religion and
family lifestyle.
Visiting local
neighborhoods
Interviews
&
Self-reflections
● Students will be aware of the cultural contexts of
communication and their own style of interaction.

4. Why Experiential Learning?
Authentic language learning tasks helps bridge the gap in
understanding between students and the local
community. (Laur, 2013)
“I hear and I
forget. I see and I
remember. I do
and I
understand.”
- Xunzi
For English
Language Learners

5. Why Experiential Learning?
Leveraging student’s strength
Areas of strength for English language learners:
Grammar
Pronunciation
Cultural background knowledge
Pragmatics
Enhance the confidence and proficiency of students who do not excel
at traditional assignments that focus on grammar and
pronunciation. (Hinkel, 2011)

6. Preparing ELLs for Experiential
Learning
Formative assessment
USING evidence of student achievement to make better or better-
founded decisions in the next steps of instruction. (Black, Paul;
Wiliam, Dylan, 2009).
To identify and remediate group or individual deficiencies
To improve students' metacognitive awareness of how they learn
Project proposal
→Field trip + trip
summary →
Presentation→
Written reflection
Bridging the gap in skills sets
Brainstorming for interview skills
Instructor present additional resources

7. Survey
1. I improved my research skills.
2. I improved my communication
skills.
3. I learned more about American
culture.
4. I became more comfortable with
the differences in American
culture.
5. I became more confident about my
English.
Part II: What part of the assignment
design worked/not worked?
Part I: What did the students learn?
1. I received clear instructions on
how to complete the
assignment.
2. What type of additional
support would you like the
most, if you were to do this
assignment again? Why? (Short
answer)
3. I would like to have more
assignment like this in the
future.
Reflection
“What is the most
important thing you have
learned?”

8. Results

9. Discovery about oneself
● I think the field trip
presentation not only gave
me a chance to share my
thoughts but also a chance
to view myself. I found out
about what I lacked and
what I had advantage in.
For example, having
creative ideas is my
weakness while
organization is my
strength. (Nina)
● I found out that I was
brave enough to speak
English with the locals,
which is a huge
improvement for me.
(Ellen)
Culture
● I learned about the residential life of ordinary
American people. A man who was working in the
North End said he would like to work here but not live
here. Almost every people we asked told us that they
would prefer to live in the countryside, which is
interesting to me. (Ellen)
Teamwork
● Gradually during the interview, we eliminated the nervous
feeling; we became calm, and chatted with the
interviewees… It was an amazing experience in my
opinion. Not only did I interview people and talked to them
in English, I was also happy to work with my teammates.
Each of us was in charge of different parts but we helped
each other to achieve more. (Rainnie)
● Getting good grades are important, but to cooperate with
each other is more important.(Renjie)

10. Using experiential learning project to promote
collaboration, reflection and authentic language learning.
Formative assessments can remediate deficiencies, create
intrinsic motivation and stimulate metacognition of
learning.
Why would the students not want more assignments like
this?
Too much hard work?
Design needs to be improved?
Lessons learned

11. Credits &
Citation
Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, image source:
http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/enviroprojects/what.html
Black, Paul; Wiliam, Dylan (2009). "Developing the Theory of Formative Assessment,
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability" 21 (1): 5–31.
Hinkel, E. (Ed.). (2011). Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning
(Vol. 2). Routledge.
Laur, D. (2013). Authentic learning experiences: A real-world approach to project-based
learning. Routledge.
Wilhelm, K.H. (1999). Collaborative dos and don'ts. TESOL Journal, 8, 14-19.
Yourdictionary .com http://esl.yourdictionary.com/esl/esl-lessons-and-
materials/unique-strengths-of-esl-learners.html