Application ò active learning activities to teach english in primary school

HỒNG ĐỨC UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES APPLICATION OF ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO TEACH ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOL Submitted in partical fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English Language Student: ĐOÀN MINH TRANG Student ID No.: 1867020052 Class: K21 – English Language Supervisor: Ph.D NGUYỄN THỊ QUYẾT Thanh Hoa, 2022 MỤC LỤC MỤC LỤC .1 ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .6 PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims of the study .8 Research questions Scope of the study .8 Research methodology Structure of the study PART II: DEVELOPMENT 10 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .10 1.1 Definition of Active learning 10 1.2 Definition of Active learning activities 11 1.3 The basic elements of active learning 13 1.4 Active learning design model 15 1.4.1 Active learning framework model 15 1.4.2 Active learning time model .16 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 17 2.1 Participants and purposes of the survey questionare 17 2.2 Data analysis 17 2.2.1 Teacher questionare 18 2.2.2 Classrom observation .23 2.2.3 One-to-one interview .23 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23 3.1 Results of active learning activities in teaching English 24 3.3.1 Questioning 24 3.1.2 Quiz 25 3.1.3 Role-Playing 26 3.1.4 Draw the pictures 28 3.1.5 Do “ Quick Check” 28 3.2 Attitudes of pupils towards active learning activities 30 3.2.1 Attitude of pupils with active learning activities 30 3.2.2 Effectiveness of Active learning activities in primary students in English class 32 PART III: CONCLUSION 36 Conclusion 36 Advantages and Disadvantages of active learning activities 37 2.1 Advantages of active learning activities .37 2.2 Disadvantages of active learning activities 37 Recommendations .38 3.1 Recommendations to teachers in Active learning at Primary school 38 3.2 Recommendations to students in Active learning at Primary school 39 REFERENCES 40 APPENDIX 41 ABSTRACT Active learning is an essential part of education Students are better equipped to apply what they learn when they are actively involved in the learning process This paper summarizes the data that supports the use of active-learning methodologies in pharmacy education and provides ideas for incorporating active learning into pharmacy curriculum in the classroom and during pharmacy practice experiences Active learning involves students in the process of learning through activities like as reading, writing, conversation, or problem solving that enhance analysis, synthesis, and assessment of class information When active learning approaches are used in the classroom, student learning interest improves It increases student understanding and retention of content Active learning involves students in two activities: doing things and thinking about what they are doing The use of technology and multimedia in the classroom helps to improve the environment Active learning tactics such as group discussion, think-pair-share, flipped classroom, brainstorming ideas, and so on can be used in an in-class or out-of-class segment activity The quality of teaching and learning, especially in primary schools, is an issue of increasing public opinion and concern This is because primary schools are geared towards young learners aged 6-12, a period considered to be the best time to acquire knowledge In line with the basic principles of primary school students to learn English well, teaching and learning English in elementary school has both benefits and challenges This active learning method researches methods to help teachers teach more effectively, students actively learn English through methods and games such as: Questioning, Quiz, Role play, … ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would want to express my gratitude to Ms Nguyen Thi Quyet, my passionate thesis adviser, for her support and guidance Her concern and open-mindedness have been a fantastic source of inspiration and advice for me It would have been tough to complete my graduation paper without her assistance Furthermore, I would not have been able to complete my thesis without the invaluable assistance of all of the teachers at Hong Duc University’s Faculty of Foreign Languages, who provided useful lectures, helpful support, and encouragement throughout my four years of study I’d want to express my gratitude for everything you’ve done for me Last but not least, my thankfulness for my family and friends is immeasurable They have provided me with a great deal of support, direction, and encouragement during the process of writing my graduation paper Thanh Hoa, June, 2022 Student Đoàn Minh Trang LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviation eg & PPT mins English full name For example And Power Point Minutes LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES No Name Content Picture Picture Four elements of active learning Picture Four elements, languages course by Paul Nation 2001 Picture Castle top activity design Figure The amount of time pupils have learned English Figure The amount of pupils like learning English Figure Option of pupils on the difficult of learning English Figure Pupils spend time on learning English Figure Pupil’s favorite activity in English class 10 Figure The amount of grammar memory in questioning activities 11 Figure Results of pupils after apply Quiz in teaching English 12 Figure Effect of Role0playing 13 Figure The percentage of pupils on reflex and memory 14 Figure 10 15 Figure 11 Effect of Active learning activities 16 Figure 12 Agreement of Active learning strategies 17 Figure 13 Test results in English active learning class Engagement Pyramid (adapted from National Training Laboratories Bethel, Maine) The proportion of pupils who like the active learning activities PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale The best age for learning a foreign language is when a child is between the ages of three and fourteen Adults have more active, linked, and flexible brains than children It will become more difficult to learn the language if it is obtained after the ideal era Many parents have debated whether of the many distinct techniques of transmitting knowledge from instructor to student helps the youngster learn English successfully, improving pronunciation, and fluency at the ideal age Teaching English in primary schools will have more benefits than drawbacks In terms of awareness, linguistic ability, time, and confidence, the advantages are as follows: They have self-confidence; in elementary schools, pupils have more time to master foreign language education It is difficult to teach English in elementary schools Some students may speak English fluently, while others may not There are certain obstacles: young learners are energetic, self-centered, quickly bored, and have difficulty distinguishing between tangible and abstract concepts; instructional materials are unappealing; pedagogical competency dealing with the effective application of teaching tactics is lacking In language teaching and learning, several innovative learning methodologies are employed For a variety of reasons, however, teachers may find it difficult to implement such tactics In addition to local and national languages, English has become one of the foreign languages taught in Indonesian schools Active learning methods promote student learning and develop teacher flexibility in a variety of learning situations, from basic approaches to get students interested in lectures to sophisticated assignments that combine critical thinking and problem solving Active learning can be defined as “instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing” and covers any activity or technique that motivates students to interact with the topic via meaningful activities (Bonwell and Eison, 1991) During instruction, such activities take place in the classroom and include all pupils Aims of the study The study’s goals are to: Provide an overview of active learning methodologies within the context of a minor thesis In order to add some enthusiasm to the classroom, trying active learning tactics to see how they affect pupils Provide some ideas to ensure the quality of training for students in order to achieve the outcome requirements and assisting students who are aware of their own learning style in becoming better learners Research questions The following questions are based on the previously described issue statement: Do active learning activities work for elementary pupils? What is the pupil’s attitude towards active learning activities? Scope of the study This research looked at the facts of teaching and learning English in elementary schools, as well as the efficacy of active learning methodologies and some ways for promoting active learning in the classroom Furthermore, the study’s findings are confined to pupils in elementary school, and these findings may have an influence on the generalization of these findings to the greater population of all students, as well as serve as references for anybody who want to actively teach or learn English Research methodology Survey method is critical for moving on and completing the entire research project The following steps are included in research design: Qualitative research, survey, observation, and experimentation, information definition Procedures for measurement and scaling Questionnaire design, sample size and sampling technique, and data analysis plan Second, instructors and students were interviewed To obtain information and data for the study, a survey questionnaire linked to active learning methodologies was done Then, have students take midterm and final exams to collect the results of the experimental process In addition, the Internet is a huge source of information on the subject of my graduate paper, which I will derive information from In addition, a qualitative technique was used with two instruments: an informal interview and observation, to make the data acquired more credible and authentic All of the study’s comments, observations, suggestions, and conclusions were based on the study’s data analysis Last but not least, a flexible mix of approaches is used to complete the thesis, which includes data collecting, classifying, and analysis, as well as result explanation Structure of the study The research is broken down into three parts: PART I: INTRODUCTION PART II: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical background Chapter 2: Methodology Chapter 3: Findings and discussion PART III: CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES APPENDIX  Teachers and students  Policemen and offenders  Doctors and patients Or whatever else you’ve been preparing to teach in class Students in one group link up with members of the other group for a few minutes each before moving on to another at your discretion Depending on their level of competence, they may be given precise instructions from the teacher about what to talk at each position, or they could improvise In a purchasing and selling role-play, for example, each Seller may have a list (or images) of what they’re selling This might be planned ahead of time by the teacher or produced during the activity Buyers might each have their own shopping list (words or graphics), which could be designed by the teacher or made by students The Sellers may be seated, and each Buyer could approach a Shop and inquire about something(s) on their shopping list: they have the item, how much is it, and so on When the pupils hear the teacher’s signal or call, each Buyer walks on to the next Seller’s table Effect of Role-playing 35 30 25 20 15 10 Intonation Speaking skill Before Figure 8: Effect of Role-playing 27 Memory After Understading story After applying the role-playing activity, we see that the number of students with the initial up and down tones is very small, only students, but then at the end, there are 24 students who can go up and down the melody when playing read or communicate times the original amount The students’ speaking skills and memory ability also improved when students had to act, memorize, create lines to act out, the number of students who were more confident in communication also increased by more than 50% Almost 100% of students understood the content of the story after participating in the role-playing activity 3.1.4 Drawing the pictures Drawing activities will be used when you have a vocabulary lesson, or listening time How to play: The teacher will divide students into small teams and divide them for students such as: one person brings crayons, one person brings paper, one friend brings glue or scissors, … When conducting the activity, the representative member of each group will go to the board to receive suggestions from the teacher and these students will describe to the team about this vocabulary, can actions, can say things related words, but not say the word the teacher said If any team says the word directly said by the teacher, that team will lose On the other hand, when the team members receive your suggestion on the board, they will quickly redraw the picture and raise the picture when the teacher shouts out time Finally, the teacher will compare the pictures with each other to see which picture will be the most similar and proceed to score each team This is a great activity to engage students and increase their versatility 3.1.5 Doing “ Quick Check” After finishing the class and preparing to leave, the teacher will let the students put away all their books and materials and the teacher will quickly check the students’ knowledge 28 How to play: The teacher will stand in the middle of the door and have the students line up in front of the door Mark one of the things they learned in today’s lesson to each student (for example, show a picture and ask “What is this?”, “ How many pens are there?”, “Do you like grapes?”, …) For vocabulary, you can show them one of your worksheets and ask them to touch an object (for example, “Touch the lion”, “Point the bed”, “Show the flowers”, …) When they respond, say goodbye and allow them to depart The percentage of pupils on reflex and memory 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Reflex Memory Before After Figure 9: The percentage of pupils on reflex and memory The purpose of this activity is to increase students’ reflexes and memorization in the best way and to help students review the learning content at the end of the class After this activity the percentage of students with good reflexes increased rapidly from 30% to more than 90% Students’ ability to memorize also increased significantly from 50% to more than 90% This proves that this activity helps students have better reflexes and better memorization 29 3.2 Attitudes of pupils towards active learning activities 3.2.1 Attitude of pupils with active learning activities At initially, the pupils’ views toward learning activities were uninteresting since these kids were learning using traditional techniques, mostly memorization After a time of arranging teaching and learning, students gradually discovered the engaging and beneficial characteristics of active learning activities, and their desire and eagerness to engage increased Proportion of activities 30 25 20 15 10 Questioning Quiz Role-playing Before Draw the pictures Do "Quick Check" After Figure 10: The Proportion of pupils who like the active learning activities According to the data table above, the initial number of students who loved the Questioning and Do “Quick Check” activity was just out of a total of 30 students This demonstrates that you previously thought this activity dull and distasteful However, as the usage of Questioning and Do “Quick Check” approaches in active learning activities has expanded dramatically, 22 and 25 out of 30 pupils in the class rated these activities highly This demonstrates that the children had a good time engaging in the classroom activity 30 Also according to data table above, the first number of students who liked the quiz activity was 10 out of a total of 30 students This demonstrates that you believe that this activity previously piqued students’ curiosity but was ineffective However, after using the Quiz approach in active learning activities, it nearly tripled, with 27 out of 30 kids in the class enjoying this activity, a rate of nearly 100% This activity is popular among English students This demonstrates that the children had a good time engaging in the classroom activity Initially, the role-playing activity was an activity that students rated as dry because it was only correct to re-read the content of the text or story so only out of 30 students liked to participate After adapting and applying the Quiz method in active learning activities that increased by more than times compared to the original number, 23 students out of a total of 30 students in the class enjoyed the activity This shows that this change has motivated students to participate in the role-playing activity in the classroom and it has worked effectively Drawing a pictures is not popular in English class since it is not useful for learning English and is dull for students; just three pupils enjoy this activity However, once instructors adjusted and re-applied this exercise, the number of kids who enjoyed it considerably improved, with 15 children out of 30 liking it In general, after implementing positive activities, the most popular activities among students are Quiz with 90%, Do “Quick Check” with 83 percent, Role-playing with 77%, Questioning with 73%, and Drawing the pictures with 50% 31 3.2.2 Effectiveness of Active learning activities in primary students in English class Effect of active learning activities In the survey’s second part, students indicated relatively high active engagement in the courses Students rated their level of effectiveness on a 5-point scale, with representing strongly negative and representing strongly positive Grade students in Active learning Strategies courses indicated a relatively greater amount of active engagement compared to their other classes Active learning strategies increased their enthusiasm for the course and positively affected their learning Effect of Active Learning Activities No effect Negative effect 2 2 26 27 28 Positive effect Interaction Understanding Reflax Figure 11: Effect of Active learning activities Active learning exercises are beneficial to pupils The kids’ intonation improved, with up to 28 out of 30 children improving, remaining the same, and none adversely affected by the beneficial activities The majority of the pupils grasped the lesson’s topic, with 90% of the students understanding it However, 7% of students saw no effect, while 3% experienced a negative effect Changing 32 the students’ reflexes likewise has beneficial results, with 88 percent of students having good reflexes, percent having normal reflexes, and percent having negative reflexes The class grows noisier as a result of the activities that take place within it, and mastery of the technology employed becomes a problem However, with perseverance, the new teaching regime’s effects began to be realized Student responses revealed that the active learning classroom had had an overwhelmingly positive impact on everything from engagement with the lecturer to knowledge of course material Agreement of active learning activities An especially interesting finding was that the majority of pupils (90 percent) said they would prefer the surveyed course be taught in the same way in the future Agreement Of Active Learning Activities 20 I want to study English lesson in this way Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree 0 0 5 20 I enjoy this lesson Strongly disagree Figure 12 Agreement of active learning activities According to the options “I enjoy this lesson”, “I want to study English lessons this way”, the bar chart shows that 17% of children strongly like the 33 English lesson very much, 23% of the children extremely want to study in this form in the future Up to 67% of students choose the option “I enjoy this lesson” and “I want to study English lesson in this way” Finally, students stated that they neither enjoy nor dislike these activities, and students stated that it makes no difference whether they study in this format or not in the future Averrage score on test learning Compare the results between the midterm test and the final exam in elementary school Averrage score on test of learning 9,6 9,4 9,2 8,8 8,6 8,4 8,2 Midterm test Averrage score Final test Figure 13 Test results in English active learning class The bar graph shown in Figure 13 highlights several aspects of the results: After months of review, the English skill score of the final exam is point higher than the midterm test, from 8.5 points to 9.5 points This most clearly demonstrates the positive influence of learning activities on students Students expressed like “I want to learn English lessons this way”, Students in active classes think they learn less, when in fact they learn more, so they “really enjoyed this course.” 34 Previous research has shown that active learning can effectively improve student engagement and have a positive impact on student perception 35 PART III: CONCLUSION Conclusion The study’s findings helped to substantiate the anticipated benefits of implementing active learning activities in the classroom to achieve instructional goals in elementary school Although the amount of benefits brought about by active-engagement strategies may surprise you: Teachers are unlikely to notice increases in student test results, but they are likely to have a favorable impact on student attitudes and study habits According to studies, kids will remember material longer and may develop improved critical thinking abilities, creating a natural setting for developing problem-solving and life-long learning skills Attendance rates increased, student retention improved, and student and parent satisfaction matched objectives As a consequence, for the forthcoming academic year, the school is maintaining — and upgrading — courses based on active learning methodologies The data collected show that the results are quite promising Most students indicated an excitement and appreciation for active learning and considered it to be a valuable learning and teaching method; this appreciation was enhanced when classrooms were held according to Active learning strategies Active learning is providing opportunity for children to participate in engaging play and activities that promote and motivate learning Active learning is frequently depicted in primary school as a shift away from passive listening and toward activities such as counting and adding model animals, actions, songs, and artwork to practice phonics, or problem-solving in a building project Active learning is defined as “learning that engages and challenges children’s thinking utilizing real-life and imagined circumstances” in the core curriculum criteria for the courses covered in this study The guidelines go on to say that spontaneous play, planned and intentional play, researching and exploring, events and real-life experiences, and targeted learning and instruction are all important 36 Furthermore, it calls for a wide range of resources to be available, space for children to learn through social, sensory, creative, constructive, and dramatic activities, and for learning opportunities to be appropriately paced and challenging in order to meet the needs of individuals Teachers are asked to plan responsively and intervene with sensitivity However, there remain expectations of and targets for high scores Advantages and Disadvantages of active learning activities 2.1 Advantages of active learning activities For starters, students are more likely to access existing information, which is essential for learning, and to develop personally relevant issue solutions or interpretations Second, they will be provided with more regular and quick feedback Because of this, learners may be forced to extract knowledge from memory rather than just identifying a true statement Furthermore, youngsters will gain self-confidence and self-reliance For most students, being active rather than passive is more stimulating A task that they have completed on their own or as part of a group is more highly regarded Furthermore, student concepts of knowledge shift, which has consequences for cognitive growth Last but not least, when children collaborate on active learning projects, they learn how to interact with individuals from various backgrounds and attitudes, and they discover techniques for learning by observing others 2.2 Disadvantages of active learning activities Some students initially refuse to work in groups, and some disputes may arise when students work in groups on occasion Second, the instructor loses control of the class and creates activities that generate more noise than beneficial results Furthermore, it is difficult for pupils to grasp huge groups Students may also be resistant to departing from standard approaches Furthermore, a lesson design based on Active Learning Strategies necessitates more preparation time: more time is necessary to cover course content, and additional pre-class preparation is required 37 Recommendations 3.1 Recommendations to teachers in Active learning at Primary school Two fundamental elements are required for successful and effective teaching Teachers must be able to teach the topic assigned to them while also employing effective teaching approaches to ensure that students learn effectively To begin with, instructors who teach young learners are not the same as teachers who educate adult learners Some criteria for elementary school English instructors should be met Second, in order to inspire pupils to study English, instructors must first identify the students’ peculiarities, as they are still young and require specific care from teachers Teachers focus not just on brilliant students, but also on sluggish learners As a result, if teachers understand their students’ characteristics, they may motivate them to want to study English Third, English teachers must be inventive in the classroom since they must still give enjoyable learning activities They can organize their learning method by recognizing each category Storytelling, games, music, small role play, and other entertaining learning activities are advised while teaching English to young learners Teachers have a tendency to criticize pupils for their low academic achievement We can effectively overcome each of the primary challenges or barriers to the implementation of active learning methodologies, lowering the likelihood of failure Their open-mindedness, desire to ask questions, reading habit, and eagerness to open a dictionary will make them professionals in their field, particularly while teaching elementary pupils Finally, English teachers must make their classes as pleasant as possible since pupils prefer to move about and physical motions will dominate the activities Teachers may also need to plan an outside activity to introduce pupils to their surroundings 38 3.2 Recommendations to students in Active learning at Primary school Students who employ a range of methods and activities can boost English learning Students must think that they require incentive to study English Setting up the correct self-concept and a clear and realistic study aim are critical The learning objective is so obvious that it might inspire people to work hard and persevere in order to achieve it To begin, students should define appropriate goals for their English learning, stating that a clear objective of study and a stage for students to assist them accomplish their goals one by one The objective is for students to strive in the right path, and for their academic standards to be evaluated and improved To make pupils completely understand the importance of English study Creating a goal for studying English and developing a strong interest in learning English Students should develop self-esteem Students develop self-confidence and focus on training themselves to ask questions, identify issues, and solve them And the pupils may ponder carefully and actively respond to questions, guiding diverse thinking and inventive consciousness Students should participate in activity groups as well Students in the English classroom should pay close attention to group activities And the students initiate the activity, giving them more opportunities to learn English Finally, pupils must establish a genuine desire in studying English One of the most fundamental prerequisites for learning English is interest Only students who are committed to learn English properly may produce a strong interest in learning, allowing them to be joyful and efficient while studying English and obtaining a positive result Students develop good study habits Correct learning strategies and skills in English study are critical to achieving the greatest results A healthy habit can also help pupils study more successfully Students studying English should focus on developing spoken English, autonomous learning English, and strong writing skills 39 REFERENCES Materials Bonwell and Eison, (1991) Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports, p121 C.G Mooney, (2013) Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Paul Nation, 2001 Learning Vocabulary in Another Language Cambridge University Press, p60-73 C.G Mooney, (2000) Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky Redleaf Press Hartley & Davies, (1978) Psychology of Language Journal of Memory and Language, p20 L Dee Fink, (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences San Francisco, Calif Neal, (2010) Higher order thinking and academic achievement among vocational high school students Washington, D.C National Academies Press Stuart, John, and Rutherford, (1978) Medical Student Concentration During Lectures The Lancet Vaishnavi, V and Kuechler, W, (2004) Design Research in Information Systems 40 APPENDIX Thank you for taking survey questinare part in this survey This survey will help the researchers better understand the impact of active learning in the classroom We value your help today This is NOT a test All of your answers are confidential No one, not even your parents or teachers, will ever know what you answered Please be honest when you answer the questions Mark only one option per question unless the instructions tell you to something else If you not understand a question or not wish to answer a question, please continue to the next question Choose the option that is the closest to what you think/feel is true for you (Note: In questions 1,2 is a question of liking with being disliked, being favorite and being very favorite In questions 3, is a question of time with being hour, with being 12 hours and with being 2-3 hours With question number as an essay question, participants will write their answers directly.) No Question 1 Do you like learning English? Is learning English difficult? How long you been learning English? How often you practice English? What is your favorite activity in English class 41 Option