ABSTRACT
Chapter 9: Project-based Learning and Collaboration. Building on the observations in the previous chapter, that disciplinary work increasingly involves participation in teams, this chapter introduces readers to project-based and collaborative learning approaches. It is argued that the advantage of such approaches is the way that they promote situated learning, with ESP learners engaged in meaningful and authentic activities that require the development of relevant genre knowledge in the process of doing simple scientific studies, for example. Our own practical observations derived from the case study research demonstrate the importance of diversity and the management of different roles within the team for effective team functioning. The chapter explains how such roles can be negotiated and describes potential problems and pitfalls by drawing on a research study of students’ perceptions of important project processes, as well as their actual social media interactions, which directly illustrate teamwork processes.
