Back to its Roots: Cross-Curricular Project-Based Learning in Vocational Education and Training for Improving the Acquisition of English

Abstract

[eng] This dissertation casts a beam of light at the end of a long tunnel that represents the everlasting crisis in the Spanish educational system, characterised by high dropout rates. An alternative to the traditional teaching approach is the implementation of the global methodology that is Project-Based Learning (PBL), whose basic principles accord most effectively with those of vocational training: learning by doing in a collaborative environment in order to acquire both the knowledge and the skills to succeed in the workplace. Comprehensive research into the literature together with an analysis of study case with successful outcomes proves the effectiveness of this constructivist point of view. The development of my teaching proposal seeks pedagogically innovation in the English class of vocational training courses related to administrative and business management, a field whose job offers have increased significantly in recent years in the Balearic Islands, where English is, as in every tourist destination, particularly evident and a compulsory requirement in companies of all kinds. Considering the diversity of its pupils, so that no one is left behind, ProjectBased Learning is a methodology which aims at fostering students’ motivation for acquiring meaningful knowledge by actively participating in their learning process, which is based on their interests, in order to meet their academic challenges and achieve their aims.