Application of the project based language learning and cooperative learning methodologies to a learning unit proposal about cooking titled “bon appetit!” for english as a foreign language of first year of secondary education

Abstract

Learner-centered methodologies are nowadays gaining importance in English as a Foreign Language classroom. Hence, granting the students’ independent learning and motivation in a higher position than instruction itself. Nevertheless, this is not always the case, and there are still many teachers using traditional methodologies in which they are the reference, and the students acquire a secondary and passive role. During a temporary placement period observing a Secondary Education classroom, some specific needs were identified such as lack of motivation and too much reliance on individualism. In order to correct these necessities, it could be useful to combine two different but complementary methodologies that placed the focus on the learner: Project-Based Language Learning and Cooperative Learning. Consequently, and considering the Aragonese Curriculum’s (2016) specifications about Communicative Language Teaching, this learning unit plan aims at increasing the students’ motivation and engagement within the EFL classroom at the same time that it enhances their communicative and linguistic competences’ development by integrating the previously mentioned approaches. Bon Appetit! is an imaginative and productive unit that requires the students to carry out, plan and design cooperatively a poster’s recipe and present it by sticking to the genre’s specifications. Interaction and cooperation are enhanced through diverse activities and tasks, tempting the students to engage in the organisation by acting as if they were the chefs. Besides, through cooking matters this learning unit also helps to develop the students autonomy and originality.<br /