PROJECT: PROJECT WORK AS A TEACHING TECHNIQUE

FOR FOSTERING THE PUPILS’ MOTIVATION TO LEARN

Atgimimas High School in Visaginas, 2005

Guided by: AGRIPINA DAVAINIENĖ

The project is aimed at helping the teachers in establishing the causes of the reduced progress syndrome and developing methods and techniques for correcting both school and home environment in order to compensate the social influence and create conditions for enhancing the motivation to learn and improving the attainment of pupils. According to research carried out by a psychologist at the high school, the motivation evidently declines among pupils at the level from 6^th to 8^th classes. The research findings allow concluding that in addition to positive motives there are negative ones, which interfere with successful teaching and learning process. It was noted that teachers could achieve better results by employing new and varied educational methods and techniques.

Purposes of this project are as follows: encouraging of the unmotivated pupils to engage and participate in competitions, projects, events, non-standard lessons or research work, enhancing the awareness of every pupil of his important role in solving ecological problems, providing conditions for their self-expression and self-realisation, and fostering their motivation to learn.

When working with pupils with the underachievement syndrome and reduced motivation for learning, teachers prepare an individualised educational content and draw up individual syllabus of instruction. The lesson in mathematics “The Quadratic Function and Function Graphs” is described. It is an integrated lesson of mathematics and information sciences with the use of Excel Tables. This lesson was developed for a class where Tatjana Zemlianskaja, a mathematics teacher-methodologist, have been teaching according to an individual mathematics syllabus starting from the class 6. Employment of new information technologies during lessons helps to boost in unmotivated pupils their interest in a subject and involve them into the educational process. This lesson is aimed at enhancing the motivation to learn in reluctant pupils by employing information and communication technologies. Function graphs, histograms and diagrams drawn up by pupils are presented.

Teachers of physics, chemistry and biology undertook strategies for enhancing the interest and involving of young scientists in a research work. Julija Pikalova, a teacher, guided the project and research work of pupils over a number of years. Measurement of environmental pollution was the main objective of the research work carried out by pupils. After completing research and computation operations, the young scientists formulated conclusions of interest to the general public. Titles of this scientific research work included: “Aldehyde Content in Various Kinds of Mineral Water” (Svetlana Soboleva, a 2^nd-class pupil) and “Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Aldehydes in Water Solutions” (Jevganija Podčernina and Margarita Kronina, 3^rd-class pupils).

The pupils from all schools of the town of Visaginas participated in the project: “Ecological Aspects of the Closing of Ignalina Nuclear Power Station”. Tatjana Selivanova, a physics teacher-methodologist at our high school, guided this project. The project was aimed at fostering of responsibility for the future of our planet and developing of public spirit in young generation. The project was efficiently carried out over two years and the following series of lectures were organised: “New Approach to the Nature”, “Our Place in the Nature” and “The Structure of the World”. The discussion on the programme “The Energy – the Ecology”, meetings with workers of Ignalina Nuclear Power Station, the Mayor of our town and a delegation of Japanese scientists were held within the framework of this project.

The defending of the project, “Ecological Aspects of the Closing of Ignalina Nuclear Power Station”, was held with participation of physics teachers from all schools of our town. Pupils made reports on problems of the nuclear energy sector and ecology. The defending of the project was filmed (enclosed).

When taking part in project-related activities, the pupils are stimulated to broaden their knowledge in and gather information on relevant subjects, their motivation to learn is boosted, their enthusiasm to participate in the project evidently increases, and they more willingly collaborate with each other.

The project “Project Work as a Teaching Technique for Fostering the Motivation of Pupils” should be completed in 2006.