Z. M. Bobur nomidagi andijon davlat universiteti chet tillar fakulteti ingliz tili va adabiyoti kafedrasi

Stage 2: Designing the project activities
This stage includes formation of groups and assigning of roles, decisions concerning methodology, sources of information, activities that will take place, and places outside the classroom that students will visit. The better organised and more analytical the structuring of the activities, the easier and faster the research will be conducted.
Stage 3: Conducting the project activities
At this stage the groups implement the activities designed in the previous stage. Students gather information, process and categorize it. If deemed necessary, there may be intervals of information and feedback, in which students discuss issues related with cooperation among group members, problems of personal relations, and possible changes in group composition.
The next phase is synthesis and processing of information gathered. The final products are displayed in the school or the wider community, and become a stimulus for thought and action for other students, teachers and local community. The project moves away from school and becomes social intervention, connecting the school with the community and real life (Fragoulis, 2008:35).
Stage 4: Evaluation
Evaluation refers to the assessment of the activities from participants and discussion about whether the initial aims and goals have been achieved, implementation of the process, and final products (Brinia, 2006:82). Evaluation also entails assessment of the experience at individual and group level, identification of errors and problems, but also appraisal of the rich cognitive and experiential material gathered. Evaluation includes evaluation from others, as well as self-evaluation.
Although there are many studies focusing on the theoretical underpinnings for project-based learning in foreign language teaching, there are relatively few empirical studies linking theory with practice, evaluating the impact of project work in the context of foreign language instruction. In this context, our study examines the practical aspects of implementing project work in primary school settings, reporting difficulties encountered, benefits from project work, and pedagogical implications.
Goals of project work
The overarching aim was to implement project work in order to make students aware of the history of the area in which they live, and use it as a mechanism for cross curricular, and interdisciplinary work, as well as to make use of new technologies. The specific aims were:
Cognitive aims

1. 
   To help students learn about the history of their village and the wider area.
   
2. 
   To help students realize the significance of the historical and natural environment in relation to the sustainable development of the area.
   
3. 
   To improve students’ reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary skills, and communicative competence.
   
4. 
   Emotional aims
   
5. 
   To sensitize students about the problems connected with the development of the area.
   
6. 
   To foster respect about the collaborative efforts of people who lived in the specific geographical area.
   
7. 
   Psychomotor aims:
   
8. 
   To acquaint students with observation and research.
   
9. 
   To foster the development of curiosity and observation skills to students.
   

Sequence of project activities
Drawing on Stoller, the following six stages were followed. The first step included choosing the topic of the project and agreeing on the final outcomes. The project topic was “local history”, and it was determined by both the teacher and the students, since it was a semi-structured project (Henry, 1994).The term “local history” refers to the total social, cultural, financial and political history of a specific region in relation to the history of the wider geographical region of which it is part, but also in relation to the national and global history.
Choice of topic for research was based on the following criteria: a) the topic forms part of the immediate students’ experiences, b) it is close to their interests, needs and their everyday problems, c) it creates the conditions necessary for investigating, interpreting and critically analysing the world. Students study local history, come into contact with the problems of the area and approach them diachronically, make judgements, analyse and compare information, so they gradually acquire historical awareness.
In the second stage teachers and students structured the project work. This included determining information required, sources of information, how analysis of information will take place, formation of project groups on the basis of the students’ interests and needs, and assigning roles and coordinators for each group. The following principles were applied in relation to group formation and function:
a) tasks were at such level of difficulty that students could complete with reasonable effort,
b) each group member was allocated some specific responsibilities,
c) each group had a goal and motivation to work toward the goal, and
d) the teacher checked the progress of groups at regular intervals, providing progress and corrective feedback.
The third stage included the gathering of information from a variety of sources. The process and study of issues related with local history was attempted through the cross curricular - interdisciplinary approach. The following activities were implemented:

• 
  Search in a variety of information sources (magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and libraries).
  
• 
  Field trip to Patras to interview individuals who are engaged, either directly or indirectly with the operation of the port of Patras.
  
• 
  Collection of articles, fictional texts, myths and legends about the area.
  

The fourth stage included analysis of data gathered, that is, selection of appropriate information and discarding of irrelevant material. The fifth stage was presentation of the final products, which included:

• 
  Creation of a topographic map.
  
• 
  Creation of an album with photographs and comments depicting the “positive” and “negative” human interventions in the area.
  
• 
  Creation of a brochure about the importance of protecting the area and its ecosystem.
  
• 
  PowerPoint presentation.
  
• 
  Organization of an event directed towards the local community, presenting the final products from project work.
  

The final stage included evaluation of the project. Evaluation was expressed positively and not negatively, because the aim was to reflect on language and content mastered, effectiveness of steps and activities used. The focus is on whether and to what extent knowledge, experiences, and skills acquired formed new values and attitudes that changed or substituted old negative attitudes. These transformations constitute the essence of real learning.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the above activities implemented in the context of project work do not constitute “ideal” or “correct” classroom practices. English teachers should be aware that what is successful in one teaching situation might be inappropriate in another.