PROJECT WORKS

According to Haines (1989):”Projects are multi-skill activities focusing on topics or themes rather than on specific language targets. Of crucial importance is the part which the students play in the initial choice of subject matter and in the decisions related to appropriate working methods,the project time table and the end product. Because specific language goals are not prescribed, and because students concentrate their efforts and attention on reaching an agreed goal, project work provides students with opportunities to recycle known language and skills in a relatively natural context.”

Similarly for Legutke & Thomas (1991): “It is a theme and task mode of teaching and learning which results from a joint process of negotiation between all participants. It allows for a wide scope of self determined action for both the individual and the small group of learners within a general framework of a plan which defines goals and procedures. Project learning realises a dynamic balance between a process and a product orientation. Finally, it is experiential and holistic because it bridges the dualism between body and mind, theory and practice, experience and thinking.”

In project work,students work together to achieve a common purpose,a concrete outcome (e.g., a brochure, a written report, a bulletin board display, a video, an article for a school newspaper,etc.). Haines (1989) identifies four types of projects: information and research projects, survey projects, production projects, and performance organisational projects. What these different types of projects have in common is their emphasis on student involvement,collaboration,and responsibility.

Ideas that support project work

It is student-centred and not syllabus centred.

It is co-operative rather than competitive.

It is skill based not structure based.

It allows people to learn from other people within the group.

It caters for interdisciplinarity,since beinga topic related activity it allows for all kinds of contacts with
      bother subjects.

It is connected with reality.

It allows students “to learn through doing” and to learn how to learn, since they have to plan their own work
      and draw from their own personal skills.

Characteristics of Project Work

We have worked out a decalogue of characteristics that can clearly summerise the potential of this approach to language teaching and learning. Project work must be...

Interesting: the topic, the teacher’s approach and attitude.

Productive: the final goal is a product of some way or other.

Active: Students do = Students learn. It is also interactive and student centred. The students are an essential
     ingredient in the Project Work recipe.

Coherent: For the students and for the school. It must be internally coherent and levelled with the
      students’ knowledge.

Integrative: Of the four linguistic skills, also communication skills, information skills, group skills, indivual skills and
      procedural skills for learning and autonomy.

Obtainable: It must be oriented to success, but still be a challenge to maintain students’ spirits high.

Authentic: in language, in context and interaction.

Useful: For the student, for the teacher and for the school. Most final products can be used as stepping stones
      for future projects.

Motivating: It has to be a challenge and get students involved.

Flexible: Adaptable, it must allow for evaluation and modification in progress.

Industry represents the pulse of economic development of any nation. The goods and services provided by industry directly infl uence the social, political, economic, and cultural structures of any population. Thus, successful industrial project management holds a key position in advancing local, regional, and national development. A community that cannot institute and sustain industrial vitality will eventually become politically delinquent and economically retarded. Project management is the process of managing, allocating, and timing resources to achieve a given goal in an effi cient and expeditious manner. The intrinsic benefi ts of this defi nition are even more pronounced in fast-paced and globally infl uenced industrial projects.

TIME–COST–RESULT GOALS OF A PROJECT

The objectives that constitute industrial project goals may be in terms of time, costs, or technical results. Projects can range from the very simple to the very complex. Owing to its expanding utility and relevance, project management has emerged as a separate body of knowledge that is embraced by various disciplines ranging from engineering and business to social services. Project management techniques are widely used in many endeavors, including construction management, banking, manufacturing, engineering management, marketing, health care delivery systems, transportation, research and development, defense, and public services. The application of project management is particularly of high value in industrial enterprises. In today’s fast-changing and highly competitive global market, every industrial enterprise is constantly striving to get ahead. Integrative project management offers one avenue to achieve that goal.

ELEMENTS OF DETAILED OPERATIONS

Industrial development is one primary path to achieving national economic development. So, industry is very vital to the development of any nation. Historical accounts abound on how the industrial revolution had a profound effect on world development. A sustainable industrial development can positively impact the political, economic, cultural, and social balance in a community. In order to achieve and sustain industrial development, both the technical and managerial aspects of industrial projects must come into play. This book focuses on the integration of managerial approaches and analytical techniques to improve the planning, scheduling, and execution of industrial projects.