Microsoft Word 119 Pham Thi Linh Thuy doc Tuyển tập Hội nghị Khoa học thường niên năm 2019 ISBN 978 604 82 2981 8 646 THE USE OF ROLE PLAY TO IMPROVE THE STUDENT’S SPEAKING SKILL Pham Thi Linh Thuy Th[.]
Tuyển tập Hội nghị Khoa học thường niên năm 2019 ISBN: 978-604-82-2981-8 THE USE OF ROLE PLAY TO IMPROVE THE STUDENT’S SPEAKING SKILL Pham Thi Linh Thuy Thuyloi University, email: thuyptl@tlu.edu.vn RESEARCH LITERATURE REVIEW ON ROLE PLAY Montola (p.179, 2007) holds the view of role play as “an interactive process of defining and re-defining an imaginary game world, done by a group of participants according to a recognized structure of power One or more participants are players, who portray anthropomorphic characters that delimit the players’ power to define” Since its presence, role play has long been recognized by EFL researchers and practitioners as a truly valuable teaching and learning practice in the quest to master the art of English speaking Shamin, F (p.86, 1996) in her study concluded that “role play is a participatory and experiential learning method that emphasizes learning by doing” In addition, it is critical that students interact with each other and experiment the target language in a nonthreatening, enjoyable environment (Holliday, 1994) Thus, role play activities can provide both authentic practice and a relaxing atmosphere - two significant conditions in teaching spoken English As shown in Li’s latest research in 2001 the target group experiencing role play became involved, active and better in oral production These studies show that role play is a psychological catalyst and a powerful linguistic tool to boost students’ speaking ability RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH This is a secondary research which involves the summary, collation and synthesis of existing research, books, and articles on using role play in English speaking classrooms as a source of data for analysis Through the researcher’s teaching experience and observation, speaking skill is not paid due attention by students at Thuyloi University Since grammar translation teaching and learning method have prevailed in primary, secondary and high school, students just focus on studying grammar, vocabulary and translation skill for the sake of passing rigid exams As a result, they may know plenty of English forms and structures but turn out to be tongued-tied speakers Students are found to be de-motivated and passive in speaking activities and have great difficulty in orally communicating This secondary research attempts to present the effectiveness of role play in motivating and improving students’ speaking skill in various researches as well as outline the logical stages of role play from preparation to evaluation Moreover, it recommends practical application of role play into the English course book which is currently being used for the first and second year students at Thuyloi University HOW TO APPLY ROLE PLAY IN SPEAKING SKILL Role playing in the classroom works best when there is an attempt to follow a definite logical sequence of steps (Mark, C and Robert, F,1996) 646 Tuyển tập Hội nghị Khoa học thường niên năm 2019 ISBN: 978-604-82-2981-8 3.4 Error correction & evaluation 3.1 Preparation and instruction This stage covers problem selection, general and specific instructions to participants and audience An issue or problem to be worked on should be selected by the teacher and students The explanation of the general problem situation needs to be clear to the entire class Students should be grouped in or Then, the teacher explains in detail the exact role each of student The classroom can be re-arranged for the sake of the play Some items such as desks, chairs, boards can be prepared to make the environment relevant and real 3.2 Rehearsal It is fundamental to provide appropriate languages because students might get stuck for words and phrases Obliviously, role plays are often set up to target particular grammar structures such as simple past tense, future with ‘going to’, infinitives… and to integrate social interaction skills such as asking for assistance, negotiating, interrupting Therefore, students need to be equipped with these target languages and then spend time beforehand drilling the vocabulary and structures they would use during the real play By doing so, students’ English speaking are taken place in a natural and memorable environment 3.4.1 Error correction Students can be corrected straight after a role play while the language is still fresh in their minds Students ‘common mistakes are pointed out and dealt with In addition to teacher’s correction, there are some other effective means of correction (Jeremy, 1989) Self-correction: If the teacher has equipment to record the role plays on videos, students can watch & listen to the role play again and reflect on the language used They may find it easy to spot their own mistakes Peer-correction: Fellow students may be able to correct some mistakes made by their peers Group-correction: Structure, sentences with errors can be written on the board for the group to correct together 3.4.2 Evaluation The teacher and students review the successes and failures of their role play experience The teacher will make a further personal evaluation of the students’ role plays in the light of some criteria as suggested below (Montola, 2007) Table Teacher’s evaluation & feedback form 3.3 Role play Sufficient time should be allowed for students to be thoroughly immersed in the problem situation, so that they can take full advantage of the play to express and practice the language It is rarely appropriate for the teacher to jump in and correct every mistake on the spot This can incredibly de-motivate the students The teacher, in this stage, as a spectator, watches the role-play and takes notes for correction and evaluation Sometimes, the teacher can be a participant to get involved in the role play with students If students are eager to perform, ensure that every group gets an opportunity to present their role play to the class If students are reluctant, let the volunteer groups present Group no : - Date : role play: -time: Evaluation Criteria St St St St 1.Participation degree Idea expression & comprehension Speaking ability: + language use: Vocabulary and structure + Pronunciation + Fluency +Naturalness (intonation, word & sentence stress) Teacher’s suggestion for improvement : - 647 Tuyển tập Hội nghị Khoa học thường niên năm 2019 ISBN: 978-604-82-2981-8 APPLY ROLE PLAY IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES AT THUYLOIUNIVERSITY It is suggested for English teachers at Thuyloi University to exploit different types of role plays in speaking teaching Prepare course book (Cambridge University Press, 2015) in English 1, 2, for the first and second year students Some groups their role plays right in the class; the others can latter outside the class and make videos and send to their teachers 4.1 The cooperative role play This requires participants to work together for the common interest Cooperative role plays involve safe, simple situations, so they are good for shy, passive students to make conversations and build relationships within a student group (Jeremy, 1989) For instance, the teacher assigns the role play to students in speaking activity (unit 2, Prepare 2): how to make a pancake- A TV cooking program Students work together to find out the ingredients, the steps to cook, things to decorate their pancake Students discuss to take the role as the MC, the chefs Cooperative role plays can be easily used in various lesson such as planning a summer holiday (unit 7, Prepare 2), preparing a fashion show (unit 9, Prepare 2), making weather forecast (unit 14, Prepare 2) 4.2 Information gap role play This is based on filling in holes in the participants’ knowledge It is an excellent way to practice question and answer patterns as well as prepare students for real-life encounters Some suggestions for applying role play can be: answering questions from a doctor in health-check (unit 13, Prepare 2), asking for the weather in different places (unit 15 - Prepare 2) 4.3 Task-based role play It requires participants to complete a set activity such as airport checking in, giving directions to a certain places (unit 14, Prepare 2); ordering a meal (unit 11, Prepare 2); selling and buying (unit 8, Prepare 2) They are useful for students to practice realistic survival English skills and build students’ confidence in their ability to function in real situations CONCLUSION In summary, role play is motivating and effective to practicing speaking The classroom is easily set up and broadened to the outside world with a much wider range of language opportunities This enables students to practice the target language, interact with one another, build confidence and put learning into action If teachers still feel reluctant to use role play in the class, it is suggested to integrate it slowly The results may be pleasantly surprised REFERENCES [1] Holliday, A 1994 A culture-sensitive approach in appropriate Methodology and Social Context Cambridge University Press [2] Jeremy, H 1989 The Practice of English Language Teaching London.Longman [3] Mark, C and Robert, F 1996 Role-Playing Method in the Classroom Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge Institute for Social Research University of Michigan [4] Montola, M 2007.Tangible Pleasures of Pervasive Role-Playing Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Situated Play Conference The University of Tokyo [5] Shamin, F.1996 Learner resistance in classroom innovation Cambridge Cambridge University Press 648 ... written on the board for the group to correct together 3.4.2 Evaluation The teacher and students review the successes and failures of their role play experience The teacher will make a further personal... for the first and second year students Some groups their role plays right in the class; the others can latter outside the class and make videos and send to their teachers 4.1 The cooperative role. .. instance, the teacher assigns the role play to students in speaking activity (unit 2, Prepare 2): how to make a pancake- A TV cooking program Students work together to find out the ingredients, the