Project-based learning in Portuguese as an additional language classes

Luciana GRAÇA

Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Toronto

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Learning (also) an additional language is not limited to learning vocabulary and grammar rules, as it represents a much more complex process. Precisely to facilitate this demanding process, project-based learning has become increasingly prominent in our language classes, due to the various advantages associated with it, such as increased student motivation and interaction between them, at the same time that the most varied language skills are mobilized. And, in this way, not only does learning become more meaningful, but also knowledge is built more easily and solidly. This contribution aims, precisely, to describe a project-based activity implemented in a class of Portuguese as an additional language and which followed the model of the television program «O lago dos Tubarões/Shark Tank», implying the fulfillment of several stages, from the choice of product or service until the final pitch, before the expected fictitious «investors». We will also consider students' perceptions of this project, as a way of discussing the strengths and limitations of this approach, in teaching an additional language, more in particular.