SKKN applying blended learning method in teaching and learning writing skills a case in grade 11 do luong 2 high school

CONTENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION Abstract I REASON FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC` The reality of the problem requiring the new solution II AIMS, SCOPE AND RESEACHING METHOD Aims: Scope Object of study: Method Significance of the study PART B: CONTENT I Theoretical background 1: WRITING 1.1: Definition of Writing 1.2: Types of writing 1.3: Writing as a Process 1.4 Writing a Paragraph 10 BLENDED LEARNING 11 2.1 What is blended learning? 11 2.2: Factors influencing the application of blended learning 13 2.3: Blended learning design process 13 2.4 Advantages of blended learning 14 2.5 Challenges facing blended learning 16 II METHODOLOGY 17 Research approach 17 Research design 17 Population of the study 18 Sample of the study 18 Online Treatment (Facebook platform) 19 Online Learning Activities:20 20 6.1 Writing a Paragraph or an essay20 20 Methods of Assessment (Criteria of Evaluating Assignment) 21 Tool of the study: writing tests (pre-test and post-test) 21 Table (1) 21 Data Analysis: Statistical package social science (SPSS) program21 21 III Results of the Study 22 Table (2) 23 Table (3) 23 Table (4) 23 Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-Test and the PostTest for the Experimental Group 23 Table (5) 24 Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Post-test in Terms of Request letter Sequence 24 Table (6) 26 Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Post-test in Terms of Cohesion 25 Table (7) 26 Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Post-test in Terms of Punctuation 26 Table (8) 27 Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Post-test in Terms of Grammar 27 IV Some samples collected from two groups 28 PART C: CONCLUSION 35 REFERENCES 36 Appendix 37 Rating Scale: 1- 5=Very poor/ 5-7= Good/ 8-10= Terrific 37 PART A INTRODUCTION Abstract English is an international language for communication that is spoken by a lot of people in many countries all over the world It is the language of technology, science, medicine, tourism, airlines, computer, literature and commerce When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete communication; listening, speaking, reading and writing The success of our students is based on their ability to communicate and express their needs, feelings, thoughts and experiences in written words Writing is one of the four language skills that requires special attention as it is a productive language process Writing proficiency plays a great role in conveying a written message accurately and effectively Moreover, writing is necessary in everyday life, in business, in creativity, and in scholarly pursuits In short, it is a tool of survival The more clearly one can write, the more easily one can survive and navigate the world Writing is an important language activity and a major classroom procedure It is an effective technique for reinforcing oral language It is important for providing evidence of our students' achievements It is a communicative skill to send, store and retrieve messages with the help of written symbols Writing can be expressive, poetic, informative and persuasive Depending on the type of writing, the writer concentrates either on the subject matter of the written piece, on the reader or on one's own feelings and thoughts Writing allows us to share our communication not only with our contemporaries, but also with future generations It permits people from the near and far distant past to speak to us Blended learning is natural evolution of e-learning towards a complete program of various multimedia applied in an ideal way to solve problems, taking into account the individual differences and achieving a distinguished teaching It is considered one of the modern trends based upon employing information technology in designing new learning situations which increase active learning and learner-centered strategies Blended learning combines the advantages of face-to-face and e-learning to satisfy individual differences (Bersin and Associate, 2003) Graham (2006: 35) points out that the essence of blended learning is the combination of face-toface instruction and computer-mediated instruction Blended learning is not just about using technology because it is available; blended learning is about finding better ways of supporting students in achieving the learning objectives and providing them with the best possible learning and teaching experiences, as well as supporting teachers in their role (including the management and administration of courses) Of course, the integration of blended learning in courses will naturally vary according to such factors such as: discipline, year level, student characteristics and needs, course or program learning objectives The goal of blended learning should be to unite the best features of in-class teaching with the best features of online learning, to promote active, self-directed learning opportunities for students (Garnham and Kaleta, 2002) Several studies like have proved the effectiveness of computer assisted programs or web-based programs on developing students' writing skills The above-mentioned viewpoints and discussions support developing teaching approach to develop writing skills and highlight the importance of blending various multi-media with face-to-face I REASON FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC The reality of the problem requiring the new solution Having taught English as a foreign language for over 15 years We noticed that students have got low marks in writing tests It may be because teachers still adopt traditional methods of teaching writing despite the information revolution and availability of all technology resources In Viet Nam, nearly every school is equipped with a computer lab and has the Internet access At the same time, a lot of our students have personal computers at home and internet access as well This could be a rich learning environment to apply blended learning programs inside schools However, as far as we know, it seems that few studies writing about either teaching writing experience or practicing investigating the effectiveness of a blended learning program on developing writing in schools Therefore, we wrote this blended learning experience which can be used to improve and develop students' writing skills This study offers teachers and students the opportunity to use a blend of various media in writing lessons The findings of this experience might encourage educational leaders to reconsider blended learning for schools to create effective learning environments inside the classroom which justifies the implementation of this study In the age of globalization, information technology and the Internet, written English is becoming a critical demand for any individual who intends to follow up the vast change in our modern world However, teaching and learning writing is not an easy job for both teachers and learners We believe that the problem of the present study springs from students' low achievements in writing skills, in achievement tests, lack of motivation and weak participation in class In addition to common observations of many teachers, this problem was documented through English exam-marking experiences and consultation with English supervisors and teachers as well Along with the development of technology, the development in economy, today, almost every home has at least a smart phone; a smart TV or a laptop, desktop to serve for their personal purposes The current purpose is for their children to study online due to the out-breaking of the COVID-19 epidemic Every device mentioned above can be used for online learning Online learning has its advantages such as students don't have to go to school to study so that they can comply with the rules from the Ministry of Health, but its disadvantages also vary such as students can what they want in front of their screen without punishment, some may not pay attention to what the teacher is saying or sharing on the screen Although learning online has its disadvantages, the advantages surpass Moreover 45 minutes at school for a writing lesson is not enough for below average, average or even fairly good students to acquire knowledge and complete their writing tasks For the above reasons, the writer decided to choose "Applying blended learning method in teaching and learning writing skills - a case in Grade 11 Do Luong high school" as our teaching experience II AIMS, SCOPE AND RESEACHING METHOD Aims: The purpose of this study is aim to examine the effectiveness of the blended learning method on improving and developing the Do Luong eleventh graders' English writing skills The study aims at answering the following questions: Are there any differences in students' achievement scores in paragraph writing between the experimental and the control groups in the post-test? To what extent does blended learning develop students' overall performance in paragraph writing in the experimental group? To what extent students, under the influence of adopting blended learning, improve cohesion within sentences in a paragraph? To what extent does adopting blended learning improve students’ performance in using the punctuation marks? To what extent does blended learning help improve students' performance in using accurate grammar? Scope The study was going to be conducted at Do Luong high school for advanced students Due to the limitation of time, only class 11C4 were asked to participate in the study They are in an advanced class of English and we would apply this method in writing skill in Unit - Writing an online posting about relationship problems Unit - writing a brochure introducing an ASEAN member state, Unit - writing an essay about the causes and effects of global warming, and the possible solutions; English 11, school year 2021 - 2022 Object of study: - Students in grade 11 at Do Luong high school, School year: 2021 - 2022 Method - The study used the experimental approach to analyze the data, and verify the results of using blended learning in affecting students' writing abilities Significance of the study The study is conducted with the aim of making some improvements in the teaching and learning method of writing skill Hopefully that our study would be a contribution to the new trend of education - that is applying information technology to improve the students' writing abilities and encourage them to engage more in their learning process PART B CONTENT I Theoretical background WRITING This section deals with the writing skill; definition, types of writing as a process, writing a Learning a foreign language bridge some of the gaps among nations and reduces isolation Each culture can benefit from the positive sides of other cultures and keep in touch with the latest developments all over the world Writing is a highly demanding productive skill It is also not a naturally acquired skill - a fact that makes writing different from speaking On the other hand, writing skill, whether in one's native language or foreign language, requires much training and practice in order to get developed Writing remains the commonest way of examining student performance in English 1.1: Definition of Writing There are a lot of definitions of writing For example, Byrne, (1995) defines writing as the use of graphic symbols: that is, letters or combination of letters which relate to the sounds we make when we speak In the same context, Abu Shaaban, (2003) defines writing as "a complex process involving the construction of recorded messages on paper or on some other material and, more recently, on a computer screen" On the other hand, Gebhardt and Rodrigues (1989: 11) describe writing as both process and result It is a way to explore material, a way to discover insights into subjects According to Chastain (1988: 244) "Writing is a basic communication skill and a unique asset in the process of learning a second language" Sokolik, (2003) describes writing as the mental work, which involves inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into sentences and paragraphs that will be clear to readers In describing writing, Olshtain, (2001), and Reid, (2002) point out that it is the process of documenting thoughts and experiences It is viewed as a communicative social activity through which one can communicate a variety of messages to a close or distant, known or unknown reader(s) 1.2: Types of writing Britton cited in Hudelson, (1989) and Mahmoud, (1997) divide writing into three categories: Expressive writing: This type of writing reveals the person as an individual and focuses on his feelings, emotions, and ideas Examples of expressive writing are diaries, journalism and personal narratives Poetic writing: This refers to writing that uses artistic or literary aspects of language to produce certain genres, e.g., stories, poems, jokes and songs Transactional/ Expository (informative/ persuasive) writing: This type focuses on writing to get things done The writer writes clearly for an audience and needs to describe, explain, argue, address, summarize or answer questions Examples of this type of writing are reports and summaries Millrood (2001: 134-142) agrees with Britton that in expressive writing, the emphasis is made on the writer him/herself expressing one's own thoughts as in a diary While, in poetic writing, the emphasis is made on the language, as the choice of language creates the necessary poetic effect He also assures that the emphasis, in informative writing, is on the subject matter While in persuasive writing, the emphasis is on the reader who is in the focus of the writer's attention and whose train of thought is intending the change Hedge (2001: 224) classifies writing into six domains as shown in Table (1.1) Table 1 – Hedge, (2001): Types of Writing Institutional Writing Posters Instructions Speeches Applications Specifications Note-making (doctors and other professionals) Agendas Manuals Memoranda Reports Reviews Contracts Business letters public notices Advertisement Creative writing Diaries Journals Shopping Lists Reminders for oneself Packing lists Addresses Recipes Study writing Social writing Making notes while reading Taking notes from lectures Making a card index Summaries Synopses Reviews Reports of experiments Workshops Visits Essays Bibliographies Letters Invitations Notes of Thanks Condolence or Congratulations Cablegrams Telephone Messages Instructions-to friends to family Public writing Letters of – enquiry Complaint Request Form Filling Applications (for memberships) Personal writing Poems Stories Rhymes Drama Songs Autobiography 1.3: Writing as a Process Heald-Taylor (1994) was cited by Jarvis describing her method of the process writing in the following way: "Process Writing is an approach which encourages ESL youngsters to communicate their own written messages while simultaneously developing their literacy skills in speaking and reading rather than delaying involvement in the writing process, as advocated in the past, until students have perfected their abilities in handwriting, reading, phonetics, spelling, grammar, and punctuation" (cited by Javris, 2002) Johnstone et al (2002) assure that writing is an interactive process involving the following elements: The writer's long-term memory: This includes knowledge of topic, audience and writing plans developed through previous experience The task environment: This involves the specific rhetorical problem the writer encounters (e.g., topic and audience) The writing processes: These involve planning, translating, reviewing and monitoring sub-processes - Harmer (2004: 4-6) writes about the process of writing – that is the stages a writer goes through so as to produce a piece of writing He suggests four main elements: Planning, the writer has to think about three issues (purpose, audience and content structure.) Drafting, is the first version of a piece of writing The final stages are editing (reflecting and revision) as well as the final version He represents these stages in the following way: Planning => drafting => editing => final draft - Oshima and Houghu (1981: 4-15) identify four stages of the writing process: (prewriting, planning, writing as well as revising drafts, and then a final copy) Stage 1: prewriting: two steps should be focused on: choosing and narrowing a topic and brainstorming Prewriting (step 1) Choosing and Narrowing a Topic: This means the topic should not be too broad to write in one paragraph because it is impossible to cover a topic like "environment" in only one paragraph Prewriting (step 2) Brainstorming: Brainstorming means generating ideas that help students write more quickly on the topic they are interested in through using three techniques: listing, free writing and clustering Smalley et al (2000: 4-5) describe brainstorming as a sudden insight to associate ideas and stimulate thinking It includes listing ideas as quickly as possible without looking back or organizing - Similarly, Gebhardt and Rodrigues (1989: 44) describe brainstorming as rapid writing which stresses the ease with which words and ideas flow Stage 2: planning: students are asked to organize the ideas they generated by brainstorming Stage 3: writing and revising drafts: students are asked to write a draft or more until they produce a final copy This can be done by: writing the first draft, revising content and organization, proofreading the second draft for grammar, spelling and punctuation Stage 4: writing the final copy: after making the needed corrections, students can write the final copy - Lindsay and Knight (2006: 94-95) break down the writing process into three stages: 1- Preparation: Think about the reader, consider why we are writing, think about the content, and decide the appropriate layout and style 2- Drafting: Put our ideas together in a draft form This is probably all we need for things like shopping lists and memos Gebhardt and Rodrigues (1989: 45) indicate that drafting and redrafting can be done several times during writing process 3-Editing and Rewriting: Write several times so that the text is coherent and clear We believe that EFL learner need more practice in order to focus on these stages and thus develop their writing skill Writing a Paragraph Stern, (1976: 253-257) and Smalley et al (2000: 13-17) argue that the paragraph is a unit of thought, writing that includes several sentences focusing on one single idea or topic A well-written paragraph has a controlling idea, supporting points, and a conclusion related to the idea Maclin (1996: 227) agrees with them and says that the length of a paragraph varies according to the purpose of writing Academic writing, business writing, journalism, scientific and technical writing have different purposes They may require paragraphs of different lengths In academic writing the paragraph body is often 75 to 125 words long Sometimes it is much longer The organization of a paragraph depends on the purpose of the writing In a short paper, each major point in an outline may be developed into a paragraph In a very long paper, several paragraphs may be necessary to develop one point The topic sentence of a paragraph tells what the paragraph is about and how the ideas are developed However, not all paragraphs have topic sentences The purpose, content, organization, and length of a paragraph can vary widely according to student needs and interests and the level of detail needed to support the controlling idea Choices about paragraph length and structure should reflect the proficiency levels of the students in the class 10 Post – test No Percent Pass 18 90 % Fail 10 % 20 100.0 % Total - This table shows the percentages of the failing students in the experimental group before and after the treatment It is evident that the number of the failures is highly reduced in the post test results This could be related to the excessive exposure to the online material as it was proven that constant exposure to the material solves many problems, and students will store more information, (Myles, 2002) Moreover, the high grades could be attributed to the students' high learning goals (Klein et al., 2006) and readiness to accept the blended learning activities which were related to the course ILOs, and were also carefully selected to meet students' level Table (4) - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-Test and the PostTest for the Experimental Group Test Means Type Grade Pre-test Total 11 5.32 S D Df t Sig Post-test Pre-test Post-test 7.27 1.30 1.52 58 5.28 0.000* - This table indicates that the total score means of students' performance in writing improved from 5.32 in the pre- test to 7.27 in the post-test This difference was significant since the significant value is less than 0.05 in favor of the posttest The means of the post test scores are higher than those of the pre-test scores of the experimental group The following table clarifies the total grades' differences: - This table shows that there are significant differences in the pre-test and post-test total grades in writing for the experimental group This shows that the more exposure to the online material leads to an effective employment of the language writing abilities Moreover, employing the flexible asynchronous approach could be another reason why students' writing abilities improved The Research has proven that online communication increases when the course content is uploaded online (Johnson, 2002) This could be another factor why students' results in the post- tests were significantly better than in the pre-tests The teacher also investigated meaning links and thought links forming coherent request letters that are logically arranged and ideas which clearly relate to each 23 other in orderly sequence The following hypothesis was tested, and the results of data analysis are presented in the following table: Hypothesis 3: There are no significant differences in the students' preand post-test scores at ( =0.05) in terms of request letter sequence due to blended learning Table (5) - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Posttest in Terms of Request letter Sequence Test Type Details Means S D Df T Sig Grade Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-test 11 1.54 1.96 0.54 0.42 58 3.34 0.001* - This table shows that students' writing abilities in terms of coherence in request letters significantly improved One reason for such improvement in the scores of the sequence of details in writing a request letter could be the fact that students had the chance to read their peers' answers online Therefore, they were able to read, comment and add to their own knowledge This mode of collaborative learning made the students unconsciously motivated to read more and write more, (Storch, 2001) Moreover, the asynchronous approach to teaching writing made the mission of writing easier to accomplish as the flexibility of the blended learning environment and the teacher's continuous instructional material given inclass or online made the process of practicing writing easier and better (Hyland, 2002: 78) The teacher also investigated meaning and thought links forming coherent request letters containing sentences that are logically arranged and ideas which clearly relate to each other in orderly sequence, and arrange the details of the request letter according to the subject-matter The following hypothesis was tested, and the results of data analysis are presented in the following table: Hypothesis There are no significant differences in the exp pre- and posttest scores at ( =0.05) in terms of cohesion due to blended learning for the experimental group Table (6) - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Posttest in Terms of Cohesion Test Type Cohesion Means S D Df T Sig Grade Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-test 11 0.98 1.46 0.32 0.47 58 4.61 0.000* 24 - It is found that the students' scores in cohesion improved due the implementation of blended learning This could be attributed to the fact that students were given the chance to participate in errors analysis and then they were given the chance to engage in active writing decisions by involving the students and decentralizing the teacher's roles, (Hyland 2002: 129-131) By doing so, the students talk more and pay attention to their cohesive ties by using the correct transitions, reference, collocations, conjunctions and terminology in terms of using correct transitions, pronoun reference and parallel structure The effect of blended learning and online activities on the proper use of the punctuation marks was investigated for the experimental group, and the differences between the pretest and the post-test are presented in the following table which answer the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 5: There are no significant differences at ( =0.05) between pre- and post-test scores in terms of punctuation due to blended learning for the experimental group Table (7) - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Posttest in Terms of Punctuation Test Type Punctuation Means S D Grade Pre test Post test Pre test Post test 11 0.52 0.76 0.26 0.25 df 58 T Sig 3.66 0.001* - This table indicates that the total average of students' scores of adequate uses of the punctuation marks improved from 52 in the pre-test to 76 in the posttest This difference was significant in favor of the post-test Correcting mistakes by themselves and being exposed to additional written forms helped the students pay more attention to the proper use of the language, and printed in their memories the frequent use of some punctuation marks of less frequent in Arabic - The effect of blended learning and online activities on the students' performance in grammar was investigated for the experimental group, and the differences between the pre-test and the post-test are presented in the following table which answer the following hypothesis: Hypothesis There are no significant differences at ( =0.05) between the pre- and post-test scores in terms of grammar due to blended learning for the experimental group Table (8) 25 - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Posttest in Terms of Grammar Test Means Type S D Df Grade Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Grammar 11 1.23 1.55 t Sig Post-test 0.37 0.45 58 3.04 0.004* - Table (8) shows that the students' grammar scores improved from 1.23 in the pre-test to 1.55 in the post-test The difference between the two tests was significant and students' scores improved due to the fact that blended learning provided students with more writing activities This goes in line with other eachers (Al-Khasawneh, 2010; Myles, 2002)) as they stated that students' writing abilities improve if they are exposed to additional activities - The effect of blended learning and online activities on the students' performance in spelling was investigated for the experimental group, and the differences between the pre-test and the post-test are presented in the following table, which answers the following hypothesis: Hypothesis There are no significant differences at ( =0.05) between the pre-test and post-test scores in terms of spelling due to blended learning for the experimental group Table (9) - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Posttest in Terms of Spelling Test Means S D df Type Spelling Grade Pre-test Post-test 11 0.46 0.66 Pre-test Post-test 0.20 0.29 T Sig 58 3.12 0.003* - Table shows that the mean of spelling scores in the pre-test is lower than that in the post-test for the experimental group Students scores improved from 0.46 in the pre-test to 0.66 in the post-test The difference between the two tests is significant in favor of the post-test, which indicates the importance in reading a lot and integrating students in frequent visual activities to imprint spelling of words in students' memories This result ensures the assumption that the eye of the student imprints in the memory the spelling of the words if frequently seen The photographic memory enables students with the ability to identify misspelled 26 words and recall the spelling of words when writing This is something that blended learning activities can provide - The effect of blended learning and online activities on the students' performance in capitalization was investigated for the experimental group, and the differences between the pre-test and the post-test are presented in the following table which answers the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 8: There are no significant differences at ( =0.05) between the pre-test and post-test scores in terms of capitalization due to blended learning for the experimental group Table (10) - Students' Differences in Performance between the Pre-test and the Posttest in Terms of Capitalization Test Type Capitalization Means S D Df T Sig Grade Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-test 11 0.60 0.88 0.28 0.22 58 4.44 0.000* - Table 10 shows that the mean score of using proper capitalization in the pre-test is lower than that in the post-test for the experimental group Students scores improved from 0.60 in the pre-test to 0.88 in the post-test The difference between the two tests is significant in favor of the post-test, which indicates the importance in reading a lot and exposing students to frequent visual activities to get used to using capitalization Integrating students in the process of correcting their peers' mistakes and exposing the students to additional written forms helped the students to pay more attention to capitalization, and printed in their memories the proper use of capitalization which is not found in English This is something that blended learning activities can provide - All the results tables show that there are significant differences between the pre-test and post-test total writing grades in favor of the experimental group This shows that the excessive exposure to the online material leads to an effective employment of the language writing abilities Moreover, employing the flexible asynchronous approach could be another reason why students' writing abilities improved The research has proven that online communication increases when the course content is uploaded online (Johnson, 2002) This could be another factor why students' results in the post-tests were significantly better than in the pretests The results of the differences between the pre-test and the post - test for the whole items of students' writings are illustrated in the following diagram, where we can clearly see improvement in all aspects used to assess students' writings and the total score: 27 Diagram1 - Improvements in Students' Performance in Writing comparison chart between pretest and posttest 8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 pretest 4.00 posttest 3.00 2.00 1.00 0.00 Gr (2.5) Punct (1) Ds (2.5) tests - The diagram illustrates development in students' performance in writing and this is an indication of the usefulness of using blended learning as a supportive aid for face-to-face lectures when teaching writing IV Some samples collected from two groups https://www.facebook.com/groups/2189567514519652/permalink/241306591 8836476/?comment_id=2414287252047676¬if_id=1648466959654746&n otif_t=group_comment&ref=notif https://www.facebook.com/groups/576534993533559/permalink/6867308091 80643/?comment_id=687612325759158¬if_id=1648452043440773¬if _t=group_comment&ref=notif 28 29 30 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2189567514519652/posts/2417085498 434518/?comment_id=2418279098315158&reply_comment_id=241834227497 5507¬if_id=1648910162687776¬if_t=group_comment&ref=notif 31 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2189567514519652/posts/2414718098 671258/?comment_id=2415598835249851¬if_id=1648557346571431¬i f_t=group_comment&ref=notif https://www.facebook.com/groups/576534993533559/posts/687979615722429/ ?comment_id=688680218985702¬if_id=1648596812198909¬if_t=group _comment&ref=notif 32 33 34 PART C: CONCLUSION - This study's findings showed that the blended learning method had a positive impact on students writing skills in writing recount text This statement was supported by descriptive statistical analysis, independent sample T-test, and effect size test after treatment This statement is proven by the results by interview gave to the students after implementing the blended learning method Furthermore, the researcher suggests the teachers use blended learning methods in English and other subjects The other researchers are advised to expand the research variable and subject matter regarding the implementation of a blended learning method Other researchers are also expected to develop the use of blended learning in other English skills such as reading, listening, and speaking and examine the effect of blended learning at different education levels, such as in junior high school - Based on the findings above, WhatsApp face book technology can also enhance students' active participation in the ESL classroom It can provide students with: a) an opportunity for practicing the language for free, b) more personal and comprehensive relationship between students and teachers, c) a chance for students not to be more sociable only but to learn better, and d) an opportunity for students to relate their opinions to those of others Also, we should make use of modern technology in teaching our students In the past, it was difficult to communicate with our students especially after the class The teacher made great efforts to prepare material and aids to prepare their lesson With passing time and increasing advance in technology, we should be a part of this technology We should make use of them in our teaching process - As for the conclusion, the use of WhatsApp face book as a blended in learning the language in the classroom would really beneficial to the students and also to be implemented in today’s education since it could be able to make the learning more effective 35 REFERENCES Abi Samra, N., An Analysis of Errors in Arabic Speakers’ English Writing Error Analysis (2003) Al-Jarf, R The Difficulty of Teaching English Writing Courses to Arab Students Al-Khasawneh, F Writing for Academic Purposes: Problems faced by Arab postgraduate students of the college of business, UUM ESL World, Issue (28) v ol 9, 2010, from http://www.esp-world.info Boyle, T., Bradley, C., Chalk, P., Jones, R., & Pickard, P (2003, October) Using Blended Learning to Improve Student Success Rates in Learning to Program Journal of Educational Media, 28(2-3), 165-178 BuSaad, A., Scholarly Overview: Non-Native Speakers of English Buyse, K., (2006) Motivating Writing Education Cameron, B (2003) The effectiveness of simulation in a hybrid and online networking course TechTrends, 47(5), 18- 21 Cameron, C., and others Blended Learning Technologies in ESL Courses: A Reflexive Enquiry School of Languages and Linguistics Ascilite (2009) Carroll, B (2003) Going hybrid: Online course components increase flexibility of on-campus courses Online Classroom, p 4, Carroll, B., On Line Courses Components Increase Flexibility of On-Campus Courses Online Classroom, H.W.W: lson Co, 2003 Colis, B., and Mooner, J (2001) Flexible Learning in a Digital World: Experiences and Expectations London: Kogan- page Corder, S.P (1967) The Significance of Learners’ Errors Introductional Review of Applied Linguistics, 2, Dowling, C., Godfrey, J.M., & Gyles, N (2003, December) Do hybrid flexible delivery teaching methods improve accounting students’ learning outcomes? Accounting Education, 12(4), 373-391 Dziuban, C., Hartman, J., & Moskal, P (2004, March 30) Blended learning ECAR Research Bulletin Available online at http://www.educause.edu/ecar/ Dziuban, C.D., Hartman, J L., (2004) Higher Education, Blended Learning and the Generations: Knowledge is power- nomore EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research Bulletin, 7, 112.8 Eugenia, M., Engaging Student Teachers in Peer Learning Via a Blended Learning Environment Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology vol 5, 2008 Essa, (2010) Arab EFL Learners’ Writing Dilemma at Tertiary Level Canadian Center of Science and Education vol 3, no 36 Appendix General paragraph or essay Rubrics Rating Scale: 1- 5=Very poor/ 5-7= Good/ 8-10= Terrific Criteria R First sentence contains appropriate idea from thesis Details are ordered in a coherent way Conclusion rephrases, sums up, or expresses a result, advice 2.5 Cohesion is used in a correct way (conjunctions, linking words, redundancy is reduced) Punctuation Grammar: Subject/verb Spelling Capitalization Comments 2.5 Another rubric Criteria Rating scale Easy to follow 1đ coherent 1đ Successful fulfillment of the task 4đ Appropriate vocabulary 1đ Suitable connectors 1đ Correct grammar 1đ Punctuating / Spelling 1đ Form of passage content Language Comments 37 ... tasks For the above reasons, the writer decided to choose "Applying blended learning method in teaching and learning writing skills - a case in Grade 11 Do Luong high school" as our teaching experience... diverse learners Hassan (20 12) depicts the relation between traditional learning, elearning and blended learning as shown in Figure (2. 1) Face-to-face learning E -learning Blended learning Figure... relation between traditional learning, e -learning and blended learning Al Fiky (2 011: 21 -22 ) describes blended learning as a whole compact system that blends traditional learning style (face-to-face)