Project-based language learning in the EFL classroom: promoting a communicative approach while fostering key competencies in the pandemic era

Abstract

[eng] According to the recommendations of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the current curriculum for the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) subject in the Balearic Islands stresses the need for using a communicative approach in the EFL classroom. Besides, the curriculum emphasizes that English instruction should contribute to developing the key competencies it defines. Therefore, the present work has sought to design a didactic proposal that responds to these two fundamental principles and their implications. This proposal is based on a literature review of three teaching approaches, Communicative language teaching, Project-based learning, and to a lesser extent, Competency-based teaching. More specifically, this dissertation aims at developing a present-day proposal, able to engage secondary education pupils in the EFL classroom in the Balearic Islands by incorporating current events while fostering key competencies. As a current global issue that has a direct impact on the lives of pupils, the COVID-19 pandemic was chosen as the central theme of the project. The latter consists of creating a website in collaboration with pupils from European countries to deal with issues arising from the coronavirus pandemic. A balance of focus on meaning and focus on form activities is used to guide students through the creative process and help them produce different types of content and share experiences using English as a lingua franca.