(SKKN 2022) Extra- curricular activities to boost the spirit and motivation of students with the subject English at Ba Thuoc high school

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.Rationale of the study In today’s era, the era of explosion of science, technology and information, the trend of globalization and integration among countries also poses a very important task for the education industry in our country Above all, language barriers are a heavy barrier to cooperation and absorbing scientific, technical and cultural advances between nations ad people Many countries around the world are using English as it has been chosen as the international language Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training has included English in the educational program of Vietnam right from the primary school level However, Vietnamese students’ ability to communicate in English is still not proficient, not commensurate with the level compared to other subjects It is thought that creating a communication environment for students to practice is a necessary method to improve foreign language learning However, the time in class is limited with a lot of knowledge content and a large number of students, so the implementation of extracurricular activities both enhances the love of the subject and strengthens the amount of knowledge in class Creating a comfortable atmosphere for communication is extremely helpful to overcome the above difficulties In order to improve the effectiveness of English teaching in high schools and practice communication skills for students, I chose the topic of Experimental Initiative:” Extra- curricular activities to boost the spirit and motivation of students with the subject English at Ba Thuoc high school” 1.2 Aim of the study In order to help studets overcome difficulties in learning foreign languages effectively, I have tried to research and study written documents on methods,plus practical experiences in teaching methods and creating interest for students about th subject I hope my experience will be a small document for my collegues What students like most in the class is that they can regularly apply English communication in many different situtions right in the classroom sothat they can think well and react quickly Teacher’s enthusiasm plus interesting topics help students overcome both psychological and linguistic barriers sothat the classroom atmosphere is always lively and exciting The lessons are very interesting, the extra-curricular acitivities are exciting to make students excited to learn English After the course, students not only speak English fluently, listen well, read correctly style, but also have a lot more courage in communicating with each other Extra-curricular activities are good opportunities for students to apply English in practice and also for teachers to see the ability of each child in the class with the motto “ learning must be used” 1.3 Scope of the Study - System of basic and in-depth knowledge about "language skills" in English 11-12 - Documents on extracurricular activities in learning, developing communication skills, developing thinking, improving understanding of subject knowledge as well as society - Methods of designing extracurricular activities in teaching and learning skills of reading comprehension, listening, speaking, grammar of English 11 and 12 1.4 Methods of the Study - High school textbooks - Using the form of conversation with teachers and students to investigate teaching and learning that interest high school students as well as the application of extracurricular activities - Conduct research on relevant documents to serve as a theoretical and practical basis for the topic - Find information on books, newspapers, internet CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical basis of the problem Theoretical basis Foreign language is one of the language skills in the process of communication Like the skill of learning Vietnamese as a child, because the language that is acquired through listening is spoken Learning from the lessons in the textbook for a whole school year will make students boring and stressful When teaching content in textbooks, teachers often have to logically follow the order of the curriculum content, arrange in an orderly manner as prescribed by the Ministry of Education; Teaching and learning between teachers and students is often repeated throughout the school year To create a new atmosphere, a new space, we must change the space and time for the children, so that they have the opportunity to relax their thoughts and get out of the pressure of studying That's why I dared to create a few extra-curricular classes in one semester Extracurricular lessons are organized by teachers in terms of time and space for students, depending on the convenient location of the school Moreover, participating in extracurricular activities will help them be more active and bolder Just doing it 2-3 times in a semester also helps children to be interested in learning English, giving them the opportunity to apply what they have learned in class Therefore, when teaching foreign languages, in addition to general tips applied to receptive skills, teachers also need to have specific tricks for students' extracurricular activities 2.2 The current state of the problem before applying the experience initiative Every year, the graduation rate in English at our school is very low Through professional group activities, we discussed and analyzed Most of the group members realize that students lose basic knowledge from lower grades Furthermore, the teachers' teaching methods are not really attractive to students In class, teachers often teach one-way knowledge, without much interaction between students and teachers or between students and students Students are used to just learning grammar and exercises In addition, there are teachers who, because of their high requirements for subject knowledge, put pressure on students through high-level exercises Since then, students' English learning also has more difficulties Many students participate in class with the attitude of being forced, because it is a graduation exam, so they often lack positivity and lack of initiative in class Why is learning English difficult? When students learn, the teacher imparts knowledge, they are used to just learning grammar and doing exercises In addition, teachers also emphasize the expression of language through exercises, so forming habits that are difficult to change in language learning Therefore, learning foreign languages becomes more difficult When studying, students face the following difficulties: - Not being able to control the volume of their own language - Improve reading and writing skills to participate in exams - The lesson has many new words, lazy to study - Do not pay attention to pronunciation, intonation - Students who not listen and speak often will not recognize words they know So how to help them expand their foreign language learning, so that an English class is less stressful and more interesting That's what a lot of teachers are thinking about? Do students feel confused when they have to speak English? Are you afraid of bad pronunciation? Or you still make a lot of grammar mistakes when you speak? Are you having trouble trying to understand native speakers talking? Or you feel like a failure because you don't understand the language of the characters in the movie easily? Will our students never learn English well? Are you sad because you have studied English for many years and still cannot speak English easily? To improve the situation and answer the above questions is the task of our teachers High schools all want to create a diverse and rich environment, they also value learning outside the classroom (from the surrounding environment and community) as much as learning in the classroom So they need students with different interests and extracurricular activities to contribute to the hundreds of clubs and programs at the school On the other hand, it is these well-rounded students who will make the best of college opportunities to grow not only academically but also socially, culturally and personally Extracurricular activities are activities outside the regular curriculum, often of a voluntary nature rather than compulsory You can participate in extracurricular activities in class / school or in the community with many different options: Sports, Culture, Art, Volunteering, Organization Extracurricular activities play an important role in adding skills and life experiences to you, helping you to become a more complete and interesting person Extracurricular activities of English subject are not simple, teachers must prepare many visual tools to help stimulate students' curiosity and interest in this subject 2.3 Experience initiatives or solutions used to solve problems Steps to organize an extra-curricular activity: Step 1: The professional leader consults with the management board, coordinates with the teachers in the group, the homeroom teacher, chooses a time and place for the organization, and then assigns specific tasks : the group leader is mainly responsible for developing the implementation plan, supervising the activity session, the other teachers prepare knowledge, content, and organizational form, other members are responsible for hosting the program prepare sound, maintain order during the activity Step 2: Subject teachers choose content and integrate educational knowledge for extracurricular activities Step 3: Arrange a reasonable time and notify students to prepare according to the plan Step 4: While conducting the action, besides managing the number of students, the teachers must perform the role of propagandists, providing knowledge of each issue to students, being the nucleus of creating a happy atmosphere fresh, positive of the extracurricular session Step 5: After preparing the content, the subject teacher reminds students to show up at the specified time Step 6: Before the end of each session, the teacher can advise and draw useful lessons to educate and raise students' awareness Thus, with this new method, students are provided with useful knowledge about the topic and directly practice effective communication skills Thanks to that, the number of students participating is increasing, the interest in English is increasing day by day Measures to create an effective English extra-curricular activity session: - Let students choose the topic or content that is limited by the teacher This draws students’ attention to the topic and keeps them interested in the lesson - Introduce topics, context, situations and related content in the activity: explore what students already know and don’t know about the topics’content, aruse curiosity, create interest about the topic, content to be discussed - Explain some necessary words and structures: however, it is not necessary to introduce all new words, so let students guess the meaning of words in the context If students not understand the meaning of a word, I will explain it with a definition or an example - Prepare specific requirements, tasks and roles for each extracurricular activity session - When carrying out activities, using visual aids, pictures, illustrations, movies, music or acting as characters of a story Attached will be very good support for clarifying the context, suggesting discussion content Pictures are a means of checking student understanding - Conducted in three stages: before, during and after extracurricular activities Divide the process into steps: for example, watching a video clip depending on the topic, I divide it into three parts + Discuss main ideas, answer guiding questions, compare predictions + View details of that video + Discuss according to my request about the clip that has just been cut - Exploit the differences in the answers of pairs and groups and compare the results, discuss after answering - Ensure the quality of activities + Good quality image projectors and tapes + Teachers operate with average speed, accurate pronunciation, clear detailed instructions Types of extracurricular activities If you know how to control your time and have the right study method, you will have time for very interesting extra-curricular activities Participating in these activities will help you discover yourself, discover other qualities besides intelligence in learning So, if you haven't been, now is the time to throw yourself out there and discover yourself Even if they not serve the purpose of studying abroad, these activities will help you a lot in life Sounds appealing right? Here are some suggestions for extracurricular activities and movements that you can participate in Form 1: Game activities: You can participate in a traffic safety game, one team will follow the instructions of the other team (in English) … It is not necessary to have an achievement or a certificate of merit So you can schedule a stress-free practice time that fits your study schedule Form 2: Cultural activities: You have a talent for singing, playing an instrument or break dance, classical dance and have participated in performances in front of school or at proms… Cultural activities are often very rich and not require you to have extraordinary talent For example, participating in singing in cultural programs does not require you to have the golden voice of the singer, as long as you have the confidence to go on stage Or break dance performances don't have to be on a professional level, practice with your friends to perform or just to practice Form 3: Organizational activities - Leadership: You are the class president, the vice-president, the secretary of the school union, the secretary of the class Those are personal titles that are persuasive for your leadership ability However, it is not necessary to have a "title" for you to be an active person, a leader You can participate in school union work, organize proms, exchange programs between classes, pre-school, etc These organizing activities teach you how to work with a plan, responsibility and ability to work in teams So don't just be partygoers, be fun makers Form 4: Talents: You are good at design, you learn to draw from a young age, you study vocals, you play musical instruments (guitar, piano, violin…) very well… These special talents distinguish you from other “applicants” With these talents, it will be very easy for you to "contribute to the campus" of your school in the future Basic requirements when designing extracurricular activities - Requirements are consistent with the textbook program - Request must be suitable for the object - Ask for convenience and usefulness - Language requirements Are you having trouble trying to understand native speakers talking? Or you feel like a failure because you don't understand the language of the characters in the movie easily? Will our students never learn English well? Are you sad because you have studied English for many years and still cannot speak English easily? To improve the situation and answer the above questions is the task of our teachers High schools all want to create a diverse and rich environment, they also value learning outside the classroom (from the surrounding environment and community) Stages of extra course activities: In order for extracurricular activities to be attractive, I have prepared myself in many different ways to change the content of activities For example: Watch a movie, listen to music, watch a talent show on American television, or play the characters in the story of your choice… Here I would like to present an example kind of watching talent shows in the UK a) Introduce new vocabulary As I said above, it is not necessary to introduce all new words before learning Children can develop listening, speaking, reading comprehension skills by practicing guessing the meaning of words through images of videos Only difficult words that students not understand the content of the listening should be discussed first b) Prepare students to watch, think about what to watch, arrange, predict Complete the exercises before watching a short movie, or a program in English However, this is an extracurricular activity period, we should not apply the same types of exercises as in textbooks much because that will be a reason for boredom for students c) Viewing Process: Students focus on seeing details to complete the request Play the video 2-3 times, ask students to see details, the required types of exercises designed by the teacher The types of exercises are: + Choose true or false (Defining T - F) The teacher gives to true and false sentences on a small piece of paper and distributes to each group that has specified the main idea of the video + Answer the question (Answer the comprehension question) The teacher gives a few questions containing the main idea of the video to focus the students' attention while listening Students not have to guess the answer, after listening the first time, ask students to answer + Fill in the blank information (Filling in the gap, chart) The teacher prepares exercises to distribute to students in groups, so that students can get key information while watching the video + Find errors of information (Lediberate mistake) d) After watching the movie: Teachers can choose many different forms for students to practice: changing information, giving personal opinions, raising similar issues for students to contact themselves, can organize a talent contest in class to practice the languages they learned from the videos they watched…Activities could be: - Recall the story: Have students retell in their own language Teachers can help students with small suggestions such as pictures and simple sentences - Write it up: Ask students to rewrite the information they hear and see in their own language, using the information in that context - Roll-story: Students play the character in the movie just watched - Discussion: Discuss the problem in the lesson in pairs - groups Above are some extra-curricular tips to practice and improve students' awareness of learning English Designing extracurricular activities to effectively base and reinforce students If we implement the methods and tricks well, we will gradually overcome the teaching and interest of students in foreign languages Illustration lesson (phases of an extracurricular session) I Purpose (Aim): - Practice listening comprehension skills to get key information - Practice life skills - Practice practical application skills - Students watch a video about the talent competition and complete the teacher's requests II Stages of teaching 1) Before watching the video - Teacher introduces the topic: We will watch a video about talent competitions in England On that basis, the teacher let students guess the meaning of some important words - Teacher can ask questions before watching the video: The teacher asks a few discussion questions in English or Vietnamese depending on the level of the question and the student's level of learning to help students have some vocabulary while watching the clip For example: This is a talent competition, so what talent you think they will compete about? “What talent will everyone compete? " How many judges are there? + Teacher asks students to work in pairs, guess the answer The teacher writes the students' answers on the board 2) During viewing 1st time: Students watch the movie, check the prediction - Ask students: Can you name the category of the contest? “Can you name the kind of competition?” - Ask students to watch the clip and notice how the contestant communicates with the judges This is an information-led function - Asking for information/garthering information: To ask for unknown information, we use different types of questions to collect different information, so the answer is different Yes, I like it very much Everyone can take part in this programe Checking information - Common verbal actions in social relations include: greeting and introducing (Greeting and introducing), leaving and saying goodbye, complimenting and congratulating, thanking, apologizing, and expressing sympathy The dialogue in clip number The Judge: Hello Boy: Hello The Judge Welcome to Britain's got talent What's your name? Boy: Robin Robin, how old are you? Boy: seven The Judge: And, you go here to get competition? Boy: Yes The Judge Oh, good Boy: Louis, My aunt is looking for a boyfriend • Teacher asks students to practice exchanging information with their partners Example: What does Robin say about his Aunt? He wants to look for a boyfriend for his aunt • Teacher asks the children to report the results after watching the movie 10 (Saved on CD, video samples collected as teaching materials for extracurricular sessions) Second time: Teacher asks students to carefully read the information given in the table and then listen to the tape to fill in the missing information (listen twice) + Teacher asks students to compare their answers with their partners + Ask students to present their results Third time: Teacher asks students to review and check their answers After watching the teacher distribute some questions to the groups, ask them to their own research and answer them Then present it to the class 3) After watching, Ask students to work in groups to summarize the content of the lesson Some illustrations in my school: Students are role-playing 11 Sudents are discussing Students are making a speech 12 2.4 Effectiveness of experience initiatives for educational activities, with myself, my colleagues and the school 2.4.1 Findings of the study After a period of conducting extracurricular activities according to the method described above, I see the following advantages: - Students have the opportunity to practice in pairs "pairwork" and in groups "groupwork" -By watching audio images a few times, students can grasp the main information of the lesson and develop other secondary skills such as: listening, inferring and guessing the meaning of words, applying Practical use in communication, can be used immediately after learning - Students are more active now, students can participate in many different activities - Teachers can easily help students who are lazy to learn English - Students practice all skills, especially listening and speaking skills Reading skills are demonstrated through doing exercises Writing skills are demonstrated through writing and presenting the results of the exercises -With the teaching of an extra-curricular period according to the above method, the results in the main lessons of the students have also improved markedly Clearly see the excitement for this subject Frequency distribution table by grade level of students through tests Test Time Alternative Number of papers Weak, After a trial period in some classes at Ba Thuoc High School in the school years 2020 – 2021 and 2021-2022, I noticed that the students made a considerable progress in comparison with those in the previous year:2019-2020 They were more interested in learning English Specific findings: School year 2019 – 2020: Marks 8-10 6.5-7.9 5-6.5