Skkn applying some solutions in teaching english revision for national examination to better students’ performance at ha trung high school

TABLE OF CONTENTS No Section Page Introduction 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aim of the study 1.3 Study subjects 1.4 Research Methodology Content 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Factors that influence the acquisition of national exam values 2.1.2 Revision 2.2 Practical background 2.2.1 Mixed-ability classes 2.2.2 Negative effect from pandemic 2.2.3 For the teachers 2.2.4 For the students 2.3 Solutions to the problem 2.3.1 Taking the form of learner’s diary 2.3.2 Formulating a revision plan 2.3.3 Writing a contract of behaviour for students 2.3.4 Work groupings 2.3.5 Teaching procedure 2.3.6 Increasing students’ motivation 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 14 2.3.7.Engaging parents and caregivers, form teacher 2.4 Effectiveness of the teaching experience 14 15 16 Conclusion 3.1 Conclusion 3.2 Recommendation Reference 16 17 skkn INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English has shown its importance as one of three compulsory subjects in the National Examination However, the average English score has been the lowest among nine subjects during many national high school graduation examinations This fact implies that there are still problems in the process of teaching and learning English Based on observations in the English result in the National Examination of Ha Trung high school, it can be seen that the acquisition of the national exam rate of the 2019- 2020 academic year for the average value of English obtained is 5.77 whereas for the year 2021- 2022 is 6.18 According to the report, nearly 515 students took part in the English test and approximately 218 of them, or 42.33%, scored below the average mark of out of 10 297 students, or 57,67% have scored over in English, only 10 % reach mark over The above result reflects negative performance of Ha Trung high school’s students in English subject Compared with the result of other subjects and the students’ result in English of other schools, the average value in English subjects of Ha Trung high school’s students is still low and uneven Related to these problems, as an English teacher, I directly teach revision for 12th grade students in this school year, I really worry about the students’ performance The thought of what strategies and techniques can be utilized to motivate the learners, what we can to have interesting and effective process of revision for students to better the result of English in National Examination at Ha Trung high school led me to choose the topic for my thesis namely “Applying some solutions in teaching English revision for National Examination to better students’ performance at Ha Trung high school” 1.2 Aims of the study The purpose of the study was to identify the factors influencing pupils’ performance in English revision for the National Examination with a view of making recommendations and suggestions for enhancing better performance  Analyze challenges of revising English for National Examination  Suggest some solutions for English teachers to better students’ result in English in the National Examination 1.3 Study subjects Though there are many suggestions relating to improving the school language policy, teaching and learning resources, teaching techniques and evaluation technique affecting to students’ achievement However, for the limitation of time, conditions, and materials, this study only focuses on finding solutions for English teachers’ teaching revision to improve students’ score in the National Examination This thesis is also carried out on 81 students of classes which I have been in charge for English in school year 2021-2022 Class 12G (41 students) Class 12N (40 students) skkn While the students of 12G are guided revision with applying solutions, the students12N are taught revision without applying suggested solutions 1.4 Study methodology To carry out this research, the following methods have been used:  Theoretical study: Reading documents related to the topic  Survey Methodology: Conducting surveys among students by distributing questionnaire to students to catch students’ thinking, their desire for revision  Experimental Methods: Assess the skills of students as well as the effectiveness of revision methods through the exercises, tests  Class observation CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Factors that influence the acquisition of National Exam values Factors that influence the acquisition of national exam values can review from two factors, namely internal and external factors Internal factor of students are initial ability, student motivation, and student learning, while external factors are: teacher competency, school environment, and family support  Internal factor Internal factor that affects students' performance is teacher's material and explanation Students don’t experience themselves how to gain concepts, structures, and the principles of the material being taught because their attention transfixed only to the teacher's explanation according to research from Yunita, Sunardi, and Dafik (2013, p 206) According to Setiawati & Sudira (2015, p 337) there are influence between students' learning discipline on their learning achievements Those learning achievements also being influenced by learning According to Feriady, Harnanik, & Sunarto (2012, p 2) learning interest is basically students' interest to study without any compulsion from anyone According to Berutu and Tambunan (2018, p 109) factors that affecting the learning outcome are interconnected to one another Any weaknesses on one of those factors could affect the students' success on learning  External factors External factors that affect the results of the national exam are that parents should be providing psychological support to students so they are increasingly prepared mentally to face them (Yuzarion, 2017, p 108) Parents are instrumental in preparing student psychology, as national examinations are the source of anxiety (Anggarawati, 2017) Preparing the student's psychology is influenced by the level of education and employment of the parents (Raharjayanti, 2019, p 141) According to Solehah (2012, p 19) The onset of anxiety begins with cognitive appraisal against external situations that are considered threatening The student's anxiety in the face of national examinations should be eliminated, in order to get optimal results According to Sudiarta, Marhaeni, and Suhandana (2013) in order to achieve optimal results, all quality compensator has to be noticed skkn 2.1.2 Revision  Definition The act of looking again at something previously written, studied or enacted to either commit it to memory, change it, or improve it  The purpose of revision  To check pupils’ understanding.   To make links between different topics to see how the whole subject fits together  To remind themselves of material they’ve forgotten  To reinforce their learning  To identify and fill gaps in their knowledge  To be confident with the test format and know what to expect on the day.   The aim of effective revision  Students are motivated and enjoying learning  Students are making progress with their knowledge  Students are interacting with resources to aid their revision  Students know how to learn independently  Parents know how to support their children with their revision 2.2 Practical background 2.2.1 Mixed-ability classes Mixed-ability classes are very common at Ha Trung high school They may have different levels for any number of reasons such as: starting levels of English, different speeds, various objectives Because of these natural variations, there will always exist some students more advanced than others Therefore, it’s difficult for English teacher to teach various levels at once so that no student is lost or bored This can be overwhelming for the teacher and students 2.2.2 Negative effects from pandemic The school year 2021-2022, education has been tremendous affected by the pandemic of COVID-19 which has negatively affected students' learning in general education Ha Trung is one of districts where was extendedly impacted by Corona virus outbreak Instead of having regular classes in the institutions, the students' learning was suspended and they did not have classes for months School closure badly impacted students' motivation and engagement in learning It in turn could affect the quality of education especially students of grade 12 who are preparing for the next National Examination The disadvantages of online learning from lacking of electronic devices required for online classes, lacking direct interaction between students and teachers, inadequate individual attention and the delay in response from teachers might also be contributing factors to poor performance encountered by student 2.2.3 For the teachers The responsibility of the teacher in classroom management, teaching methods, teachers characteristics, prepared teaching plan dominantly influence the student performance In fact, many teachers find difficulty to adapt suitable material for different levels of students It takes them much time to prepare That skkn most teachers give the same lesson for all students in a class contributes negative achievement of students While stronger students may feel held back, weaker students may feel pressured Some teachers has little interest or lacks experience in teaching specially to reluctant students They also have shortage of the required competence to create effective teaching- learning process thus low academic achievement 2.2.4 For the students The given data shows insufficient awareness of students of the important role of English and low motivation of students in learning English Teachers can hardly accomplish their goals for teaching if their students have no motivation in learning The majority of students regard English as compulsory, even expect to get mark over grade in examination In two classes 12G, 12N, only 18 students in comparison with 73 students who take the University entrance examination choose English as special subject to win a place at university Some of them even show no interest in the course Therefore, only few students participate in learning process actively 2.3 SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM 2.3.1 Taking the form of learner’s diary Make sure to record the needs and level of each of your students in a simple way Keep a chart for yourself, and alter it as your students' needs change Make a conscious effort to monitor the needs of your individual students regularly The teacher may take the form of a learner's diary, regular self-assessment, keeping records of mistakes, keeping a record of things learned 2.3.2 Formulating a revision plan skkn After collecting this information and basing on the plan of school, the plan of English group, the teacher formulates an a revision plan Once a plan has been drawn up, explain it to the students and get their agreement Doing this allows your students to understand what is expected of them, and it will also help get the students’ cooperation and make the class run more smoothly 2.3.3 Writing a contract of behaviour for students Talking directly with the students is one way to help them understand the situation and how to improve it You may even decide to have an open-class discussion and make a contract of behaviour for students  Follow the rule of school, class, group activity and teacher’s arrangement  Finish the given homework on each Sunday  Ask students work efficiently, willing to help other classmates  Do as contract of assessment, reward and comment If there is any student who can’t finish given task, they will be punished by keep staying after school to complete The next, all members of the group he/she belongs to work together to help him/her finish if any member still keep failing 2.3.4 Work groupings Basing on learning style, learning strategies, language needs, learning enjoyment, motivation, language strengths and weaknesses, teachers can divide students in a class into variety of group Then choosing team leader for each group who is in charge for checking the number of student finishing the task, filling in the diary and collecting the difficult question that need explaining from teacher  Mixed-level groups I place students in a small group of often ten or eleven In each group, you can have at least one advanced student and at least one beginner Students are often divided into groups basing on their own seating to give them comfort and convenience to group work This method is especially effective for correcting test paper By mixing the levels in these groups, students will be able to rely upon each other Students can ask members of their group questions and try to solve problems together You can then divide your time between 4groups rather than trying to bounce around and help 40+students skkn Preparing for each group a diary to note the result of students after test The team leader is responsible for collecting the result of members in group and fill in This helps student to identify your progress, compare their effort with their own target to try more  Same-level groups I also divide the students of 12G into groups by their English level intermediate group with the leader “Hoang Thi Uyên”, the other group or advanced group with leader “Tran Thi Linh” based on my initial interaction with my students or the quality of their first few tests The teacher can divide groups as officially or unofficially as you choose But same-level groups will help address the same level of student all at once, which will allow us to give levelspecific assignments to help each level students to reach their own target skkn Group 1: Intermediate Leader: Hoàng Thị Uyên Lê Thị Ngọc Anh Phạm Ngọc Châm Nguyễn Vân Dung Nguyễn Chùng Dương Dương Văn Đại Lê Thị Đoan Vũ Thị Thu Hiền Đỗ Thị Liu Li Đỗ Thị Ái Linh 10 Lê Thị Linh 11 Vũ Thị Hoàng Linh 12 Vũ Thị Kim Ly 13 Lê Thị Mai 14 Trần Thị Mai 15 Lê Đức Mạnh 16 Cao Xuân Nhi 17 Vũ Thị Nhung 18 Nguyễn Vũ Minh Phương 19 Lê Văn Thành 20 Trịnh Thị Huyền Trang 21 Hoàng Thị Uyên 22 Nguyễn Hồng Vân Group 2: Advanced Leader:Trần Thị Linh Hoàng Minh Ánh Vũ Thanh Hà Nguyễn Thu Hằng Lê Thị Thùy Linh Phạm thị Linh Trần Thị Linh Ngô Thị Loan Dương Thị Nga Vũ Phương Nga 10 Đỗ Thị Hồng Nhung 11 Nguyễn Thị Tú Oanh 12 Hoàng Thị Quyên 13 Trịnh Hương Thảo 14 Lê Thị Trang 15 Mai Huyền Trang 16 Vũ Thị Huyền Trang 17 Vũ Thị Thu Trang 18 Phạm Hoàng Yến 19 Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Trang With advanced group, I focus on giving them more exercises related to vocabulary and reading which contributes to help them reach the target 8+ The intermediate I often ask them to finish questions related to grammar to get mark 5+ This allows me to correct the test for each level easily The table below shows the specific content that each group need focus on skkn Intermediate group - Phonetic - Word form - Tag question - Preposition - Conjunction - Adjective order - Tense+ tense combination - Passive voice - Reducing adverbial clause - Double comparison - Communication skill - Finding error with verb tense + reference word - Writing - Relative pronoun - Quantity Advanced group - Synonym - Antonym - Reading - Vocabulary - Collocation - Idiom The given specific homework for each group  Some notices in work groupings Overall, variety in the types of working groups, and an open discussion of the class situation will help to deal with some of the difficulties that are present in mixed ability classes The aim of these strategies is to create a positive working environment, which is all part of ensuring better learning Through your observation, you can make change if necessary to get the most effective result by placing them in an effective seating arrangement skkn Teachers can circulate the room to monitor students' progress If students are working independently or in groups, teachers should intervene when the students are not understanding the material Teachers can also take note of students' comments and participation levels during class discussions to gauge their learning 2.3.5 Revision Procedure Teachers should employ as many varied teaching methods as possible with learners It is asserted that students’ interest could be enhanced “by using varied materials, by starting lessons with questions that put the learner into a problem-solving mode, by relating instructional material to topics already of interest to learners, and by the use of paradoxes and puzzles”  Specify the content and skills to examination Introduce the form of illustrative exam paper and prepare material which has the same form and the equivalent level with it Every language is unnecessary to be included in the exam Only specific language skills, active vocabulary, and structures must be tested by the exam The students also need to be provided the structure of exam including the number of questions, the nature of each question, and the marks dedicated to it T skkn For example: The teacher can design some reading related to hot events such as “Sea Games 31 takes place in Viet Nam” or “Vietnam’s vaccination” Reading1: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from to Preparations are well underway for Vietnam to host the Southeast Asian Games for the second time, from 12-23 May 2022 The 31st SEA Games, originally scheduled for November-December 2021, were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic Now that we’re living according to the ‘new normal’, Vietnam is proud to welcome teams from all 11 SEA member countries to participate in this riveting biennial, multi-sport event Around 10,000 athletes, coaches, and sports delegations are expected to arrive for competitions in 40 sports across 526 events.The Vietnamese delegation to SEA Games 31 consists of 1,341 members, including 951 athletes, 250 coaches, and 30 experts, and is led by Deputy General Director of the Sports Administration Tran Duc Phan They will compete in 508 events across the 40 sports and are aiming for at least 140 gold medals to top the medal standings In particular, they are determined to defend the men’s and women’s football crowns The SEA Games 31 opening ceremony will be held at Hanoi’s Mỹ Đình National Stadium on 12 May The two-hour entertainment extravaganza will include the torch relay, in which top Vietnamese athletes will pass the torch to each other In addition, “the event will be a colorful performance of light and sound technology, introducing audiences at home and abroad to the culture, tradition, and people of Vietnam while conveying the spirit and the theme of the Games ‘For a Stronger South East Asia’,” says the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.The Games is an invitation to athletes, spectators and tourists from 10 skkn the region and the world at large to come to Vietnam - a beautiful, safe, hospitable and attractive country SEA Games 31 will feature all the Olympic sports for the first time in the spirit of nobility, undauntedness, creativity, and honesty Question 1: What does the article mainly discuss? A the Southeast Asian Games B The SEA Games 31 opening ceremony C The SEA Games 31 D Vietnam- the host of the SEA Games 31 Question 2: According to the passage, which is not mentioned as the spirit of SEA Games 31? A nobility B creativity C honesty D quality Question 3: According to the pasage, how many Vietnamese athletes participating in the SEA Games 31 ? A 1341 B 250 C.951 D 30 Question 4: The word "biennial" in paragraph is closest in meaning to A.two-yearly B periodic C.every years D regularly Question 5: The word "the event" in the passage refers to A The SEA Games 31 opening ceremony B entertainment C the sport competition D.The SEA Games 31 Reading 2: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from to At the peak of Vietnam’s vaccination drive in September/October 2021, there were times when (1) than 2.1 million doses were administered in a single day From the existing infrastructure of 11,000 immunization points across the country, capacity has doubled to include schools and even stadiums Buses brought people(2) living in remote areas to vaccination sites, (3) mobile units made sure those who could not go outside for health reasons were inoculated at home.  For the first time in its 40-year history, Vietnam’s (4) programme on immunization was joined by both public and private hospitals, the military, the police and even neighbourhood wardens to (5) COVID-19 vaccines to the people as fast as possible Question A more B much C fewer D greater Question A who B which C what D whom Question A because B while C however D therefore Question A expanded B extended C lengthened D varied Question A divide B deliver C support D distribute 11 skkn  Using flexible revision method Asking students to revise the theory of specific grammar and vocabulary located basing on the illustrative paper test by various methods such as using mind-map.… Then the teacher give some cues for circulating the correct answer for each type of question and provide exercises for students to practise Sample: With topic: “ finding the closest meaning sentence” related to tense that appear in options It takes students much time to understand all options and decide the best answer Besides the requirement of remember the structure of tenses, I often give them some cues to find out the answer exactly and quickly This question mainly relates to changing from the present perfect and past simple Some notes: Key words in questions Answer Last Rewritten in the present perfect in negative form First Rewritten in the present perfect in negative form+ “before’ Started/began Rewritten in the present perfect in affirmative form Since+ timestamp For+ timescale Example 1: The last time I went to the museum was a year ago A I have not been to the museum for a year B A year ago, I often went to the museum C My going to the museum lasted a year D At last I went to the museum after a year Example 2: Mary started to chat with her friends five minutes ago A It is five minutes ago since Mary started to chat with her friends 12 skkn B Mary has been chatted with her friends for five minutes C Mary has been chatting with her friends for five minutes D Mary has chatted with her friends five minutes ago The teacher guide students to circulate the best answer correctly and quickly Some activities of revising “Tense” Then giving students some tests which have the same form and equivalent level with the illustrative paper tests Regularly issue practice questions which emulate the kind of questions students will face in the exam allows learners’ speed and efficiency be improved over time Half the battle in an exam is not just knowing the information, but having the time and skills to actually demonstrate that they know it  Assessing 13 skkn Using a wide range of assessment options gives teacher flexible ways to measure the amount of information the students have learned The teacher could collect data from pop quizzes, diagnostic or placement tests, timed writing activities, oral test or simply by observing students within the class Sometimes, form of assessment should be creatively changed into games or peer correction to build up comfortable atmosphere and excitement for students Some applied types of assessment Students are required to underline the cues to circulate answer for each question After each assignment or test paper test, the students have to take note and remember important vocabulary and structure that will be checked on the next lesson The teacher also would like to give positive comments and assessment, remind weak students or lazy students, collect information about effort of students to fill in the diary 14 skkn Giving reward for students who make progress or better groups to make an competitive atmosphere among students and groups To reluctant students, you can ask them to finish specific task at their level in limited time If they find it difficult to finish it, you can make both the student and the group they belong to linger more at class to learn until they understand the duty Encouraging students to join in the Mock exams They give the students opportunity to see how they might perform No matter how they do, this will help your students really understand the exam process and what is expected of them 2.3.6 Increasing students’ motivation Motivation expresses its vital role in students’ learning Students’ achievement can be ameliorated due to their own innate desires to perform or accomplish a task Students’ learning is not entirely dependent on their own motivation Teachers play a vital role in increasing students’ learning through motivational support Teachers can increase students’ motivation to learn by support of students’ autonomy, relevance, relatedness, competence, teachers’ interests in the subject, and self-efficacy Secondly, teachers could assist students to make a goal suitable for them, enhancing their motivational strength and help them hold positive attitudes towards English learning through given model This study shows that personal goal and motivational strength are two important factors for students to choose certain learning strategies Thus, English teachers should help learners to establish proper and specific short-term goals which are achievable for them Through achieving these short-terms goals, their confidence and motivation can be greatly increased, which will motivate them to reach their long-term goals Besides, teachers may give cons of learning English through choosing career related to English 15 skkn 2.3.7 Engaging parents and caregivers, form teacher It is important to have a supportive home environment for children to engage in learning process Therefore, keeping contact with their parents and having common agreement on how they can support brings many advantages Inform them about the tasks and expectations you have The parents should be update informed about the tasks and performance of students The teacher should exchange information to the form teacher who has positive relationship with students of the class to get their interest, thinking, and the strength and weakness to facilitate student’s learning This connection brings many benefits for training and educating students 2.4 Effectiveness of the teaching experience 16 skkn These suggested activities have been applied in my teaching revision to 12G students at Ha Trung high school and they seem to be useful to students Most of the students find it easier and more effective with revision This is shown through their high motivation and interest, participation in activities and many students at low levels can achieve grade over 5, many students belong to advanced group get higher mark As a result, students’ grade, to some extent, has been improved on some mock examinations during the school year Below is the improved result achieved of 12G students in the year 20212022 through two mock exams when they are taught revision applying suggested solutions in comparison with those of 12N students who were taught to revision without applying new solutions The 1st test Class Number Excellent Good of students Average Weak poor 12G 12N The 2nd test 12G 41 40 41 29 12 ( 0%) (22%) (70.7%) (29.3%) (2.4%) 18 15 ( 0%) (10%) (45%) (37,5%) (7,5%) 20 (22%) 12N 40 ( 0%) 10 (48,2% 24%) (10%) ( ( 4,8%) (0%) 20 13 (50%) (35%) (5%) The comparison of students’ result of 12G and 12 N in mock Examinations 17 skkn 12G students’ result in mock Examination 12N students’ result in mock Examinations Looking at the table, we can see the results: applying some suggestion for revision shows significant advantages The students’ performance of class 12G is better than 12N students’ one CONCLUSION 3.1 Conclusion 18 skkn In conclusion, the achievement of success in student’s National Examination is not solely decided by the revision but teaching-learning process However, doing revision plays important role in bettering students’ performance in exam In this paper, I addressed some influential suggestions of teaching revision for students and gain some positive results It has been revealed that students feel motivated and comfortable to consolidate their knowledge There is no “one size fits all material” to use for all types of learners Each method has its own strength and weakness Therefore, to this effectively, it is demanded that the teachers put much efforts on studying and flexible applying the strategy in the real situation and various level students to have effective revision 3.2 Recommendation These suggested activities will be carried out more effectively if they are combined appropriately with improving other factors affecting to students ‘performance such as: education policy, environment, motivation… To better students’ achievement in the National Examination needs cooperation, support from manager, other organizations in school, English group Innovation examinations should pay attention to the following points:  The examined knowledge should be focused on the curriculum  The national high – school final examinations should be planned stably in a long term During the studying process, I have read a lot of documents and consulted my colleagues about this matter Due to the limited ability and time for implementation, it is inevitable that there are still unavoidable shortcomings I would like to show my gratitude for contributions, supports for my research to be completed Principal’s confirmation Thanh Hoa, May 5th 2022 I assure this is my initiative experience, not copy others’ content Written by Lưu Thị Loan 19 skkn REFERENCES McDonough, J., & Shaw, C (1993), Materials and Methods in ELT A Teacher’s Guide, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Penny Ur, (1996), A course in Language Teaching Practice and Theory, Cambridge University Press Richards, J C & Renendya, W A (2002), Methodology in Language Teaching, An Anthology of Current Practice, Cambridge University Press Lưu Quý Khương (2006), A practical for teaching English as a foreign language, College of Foreign Language, University of Danang, Vietnam https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mde.4090100106 https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teaching-mixed-ability-classes-1 20 skkn DANH MỤC SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM NGÀNH GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO HUYỆN, TỈNH VÀ CÁC CẤP CAO HƠN XẾP LOẠI TỪ C TRỞ LÊN Họ tên tác giả: Lưu Thị Loan Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Giáo viên TT Kết đánh giá xếp loại Cấp đánh giá xếp loại Tên đề tài SKKN Some suggested solutions for Cấp tỉnh C Năm học đánh giá xếp loại 2017-2018 ineffective teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschool * Liệt kê tên đề tài theo thứ tự năm học, kể từ tác giả tuyển dụng vào Ngành thời điểm 21 skkn ... namely ? ?Applying some solutions in teaching English revision for National Examination to better students’ performance at Ha Trung high school? ?? 1.2 Aims of the study The purpose of the study was to. .. learners, what we can to have interesting and effective process of revision for students to better the result of English in National Examination at Ha Trung high school led me to choose the topic for. .. factors influencing pupils’ performance in English revision for the National Examination with a view of making recommendations and suggestions for enhancing better performance  Analyze challenges