Classroom managemnt strategies in english speaking classes at some high school in tuy hoa city

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself Date: … / … / 20… Signature Full name i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In this part, I would like to show my profound gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc.Prof.Dr Le Pham Hoai Huong for giving me strong support, guidance and feedback when I was conducting my study Besides, I would like to express my special thanks to all the EFL teachers and the grade 10th students at the three high schools: Nguyen Hue, Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Binh Khiem high school in Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province for offering me opportunities to collect data for my study All in all, my family, my friends and many others who continuously offer me spiritual support and encouragement deserve to have my gratefulness for helping me during the process of conducting my own study Dang Tran Quoc Hung ii ABSTRACT The present study investigated high school EFL teachers’ and students’ perceptions of strategies used in managing speaking classes at three high schools: Nguyen Hue, Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Binh Khiem High School in Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province The participants included 11 high school EFL teachers and 100 high school students from these three high schools Data were collected by means of questionnaire, interview and classroom observation The results from questionnaire and interview reveal that EFL teachers and students emphasized the importance of changing the attitudes towards mistakes made by students in speaking classes They indicated that the use of L1 in speaking classes should be tolerant but not overused Besides, EFL teachers were suggested to use more communicative activities in the forms of pair work, group work in their speaking classes to give students more opportunities to speak English Classroom observations show that the classroom management strategies EFL teachers usually used were pair work and group work as similarly reported in the questionnaire data The EFL teachers and students also stated that they faced some problems during the process of teaching and learning in speaking classes, such as lack of the interaction between EFL teachers and students, students’ disruptive behavior, impatience and having hatred for English Upon the research findings, suggestions were put forwards for managing English speaking classes more effectively iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…….…………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT…….………………………………………………………………… iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Research Objectives 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Significance of the Research 1.5 Scope of Research 1.6 Structure of the Dissertation CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Importance of Speaking Skills 2.3 The Role of Teachers in English Language Classrooms 2.4 The Concept of Management 12 2.5 Techniques of Classroom Management 14 2.6 Rules of Classroom Management 16 2.7 A Speaking Lesson 17 2.7.1 Characteristics of a Successful Speaking Lesson/ Activity 17 2.7.2 Shape of a Speaking Lesson 19 2.8 Communicative Activities 22 2.8.1 Definition of Communicative Activities 22 iv 2.8.2 Features of Communicative Activities 23 2.8.3 The Significance of Communicative Activities in Speaking Lessons 24 2.8.4 Ingredients for Successful Communicative Activities 25 2.8.5 Sample Communicative Activities 28 Information Gap Activities 28 Discussions 28 Role Plays 28 Class Surveys 29 2.8.6 The Teacher’s Role in Communicative Activities 29 2.9 Techniques for Teaching Communicative Activities 30 2.10 Previous studies 31 2.11 Summary 35 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 36 3.1 Introduction 36 3.2 Research Approaches 36 3.3 Participants 36 3.4 Data Collection Tools and Procedure 37 3.5 Data Analysis 39 3.6 Summary 39 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 40 4.1 Introduction 40 4.2 High School Students' Perceptions of Classroom Management Strategies Used by Teachers in Speaking Classes 40 4.2.1 Data from Questionnaire 40 4.2.2 Data from Student Interviews 45 4.2.3 Data from Teacher Interviews 46 v 4.3 Classroom Management Strategies Used in English Speaking Classes 50 4.3.1 Data from Student Questionnaires 50 4.3.2 Data from Student Interviews 52 4.3.3 Data from Teacher Interviews 54 4.3.4 Data from Classroom Observations 56 4.4 Problems Related to Managing English Speaking Classes 61 4.4.1 Data from Student Questionnaire 61 4.4.2 Data from Student Interviews 64 4.4.3 Data from Teacher Interviews 65 4.5 Summary 68 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES 69 5.1 Summary of Major Findings 69 5.2 Implications 70 5.2.1 For Teachers 70 5.2.2 For Students 71 5.3 Limitations of the Study 72 5.4 Suggestions for Further Studies 72 REFERENCES 73 APPENDIX 78 APPENDIX 85 APPENDIX 94 APPENDIX 97 APPENDIX 99 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 The Reliability of the Questionnaire 40 Table 4.2.1 Mean Score of Questionnaire for Students 41 Table 4.2.1.1 Descriptive Statistics 41 Table 4.2.1.2 High School Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Management in Speaking Classes 43 Table 4.3.1.1 Descriptive Statistics 50 Table 4.3.1.2 Classroom Management Strategies Used in English Speaking Classes 51 Table 4.4.1.1 Descriptive Statistics 61 Table 4.4.1.2 Problems Related to Managing English Speaking Classes 62 vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English language has attained the position of mother tongue in several countries and second language in many countries such as Singapore, the Philippines and India, etc It is also regarded as a foreign language Among all languages in the world, the English language is the most prevalent one Through learning English, people can accumulate their knowledge and broaden their respective horizon about the culture, custom and history of English speaking countries In the education field, classroom management is an indispensable element in ensuring that the teaching and learning process can be carried out smoothly and effectively The modifications of classroom demands have alleviated the subject of classroom management to the level that a teacher should become a facilitator who facilitate the learning process of their respective students (Larrivee, 2005) This has been a result of the difference in socio-cultural backgrounds of students in the classroom; therefore, the people who take the role as EFL and ESL teachers in classroom would encounter harsh trials in the process of teaching English language; that is whether they themselves are qualified sufficiently in skills and knowledge of classroom management strategies or not It is no doubt that everything an EFL teacher does has implications for classroom management, comprising creating the setting, arranging the chairs, speaking to children and addressing their responses, putting routines in place, developing rules, and communicating those rules to the students These are all aspects of classroom management Learning is not only the work of the head but also the work of the heart A peak of fear can handicap all of the goals of higher learning At the first impression, students usually develop their thinking, form the manner due to the teacher and to give teacher a sense of satisfaction, meanwhile they should learn for the intrinsic value they attach to the subject matter or tasks Nevertheless, the knowledge of subject matter alone is not sufficient to ensure the teaching quality of teachers and the learning achievement of learners To be successful, teachers also must acquire an understanding of their students´ interests and styles of learning "The knowledge base of motivation is essential that making the best choice for a specific problem must be imperative Unless we have acquired the extensive motivational knowledge base, the limitation of our choices is inevitable” (Aldermann, 2004, p.15) More importantly, when a teacher of English makes an effort on a lesson plan, they have to face the reality of the classroom, in which they will attempt to put these plans into practicality Nevertheless, they must consider what will probably happen if things not turn out as they have planned As an illustration of why I am writing, to put it simple, their students may not respond to their initial directions and may be restless, tired for several reasons Teachers may encounter a difficult prior class or have to handle with several personal problems Teachers of English have to be always ready for the unexpected things that might be thrown at them when they walk into the classroom; in selected cases, this is called classroom management (Farrell, 2006) As a result, unqualified EFL teachers who not have enough working experience usually encounter varieties of difficulties when having unexpected situations during their teaching process Therefore, those must learn the ways to address their problems in order to overcome their harsh trials when managing classroom According to Nuffield Languages Inquiry (2000), language learning allows people to develop one of the most important soft skills - communication skill which is considered essential not only for securing a job but also using language in daily life Similarly, this is the purpose of the people who have been learning English as a foreign language Vietnamese students study English as a preparation for their prospective career in such a temporary circumstance that English has become an international language As a result of it, at high school level, the role of learning English should be imperative seriously by schools and families That leads to the fact that English has become one of the three compulsory subjects in high-school final examinations This also leads to a common problem: The Grammar Translation method that is used in some EFL classrooms Frankly, grammar teaching seems to be a preference of teachers of English in the context of Viet Nam rather than teaching English four skills Apparently, teaching grammar is only to meet students’ short-term demand After high-school finals, students are not able to integrate English four skills comprehensively they have learnt for a long time for the purpose of developing English communication competence It is no doubt that they cannot speak English even in a daily conversation, so how can they use English in a communicative environment in their jobs? The reality requires that high school English teachers need to focus more on cultivating students’ English four skills competence especially English listening and speaking skills It would be better for students if teachers integrate Communicative Language Teaching in classroom To attain the goals of learning English which is able to communicate with both native and non-native speakers, communicative activities in English classes are very necessary Particularly, it seems to be easy theoretically for teachers to integrate several communicative activities in English speaking lessons which always address an important trait – “learners talk a lot” (Brown, 2001) However, in reality, some challenges deter teachers from organizing the communicative activities in speaking classes; a common one is the teaching time constraint Such reasons mentioned above result in the necessity of conducting the thesis: “A study on classroom management strategies in English speaking classes at some high schools in Tuy Hoa City” 1.2 Research Objectives The objectives of this research are: - To explore the classroom management strategies in English speaking classes - To find out problems in classroom management in English speaking classes - To recommend ELT pedagogical implications regarding classroom management in speaking classes 1.3 Research Questions This research aims to answer the following questions: What are high school EFL students’ perceptions of classroom management in speaking classes? What classroom management strategies are used in English speaking classes? A: Which of the chores you like doing most? B: Well, I think I like sweeping the house A: What you like about it? B: It’s not too hard, and I like seeing the house clean A: Which of the chores you dislike most? B: Washing the dishes because I often break things T < > Ss Give comment or pronunciation correction if necessary Ss < > Ss Activity 10 minutes Ask Ss to use the information above to make the similar conversation with partner (about themselves) Work in groups of three then present in front of the class Practise in pairs about their own chores at home Present orally in pairs Example: A: What household chores you everyday? B: I A: Which of the chores you like doing most? B: Well, I think I like A: What you like about it? B: Because A: Which of the chores you dislike most? B: I hate Because - Ask Ss to consolidate the main contents Consolidation - Give feedback (2 minutes) 102 T < > Ss Homework - T asks Ss to write the dialogue in the notebook (1 minute) - Prepare for the next lesson 103 T < > Ss Date of preparation: December, 6th 2017 Distributive period: 44 UNIT 5: INVENTIONS Lesson Speaking Instructor: Teacher A Nguyen Hue High School, Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province Distributive Period: 44 Class: 10C5 A Aims and Objectives: - To teach Ss to talk about inventions, their uses and their benefits - To teach Ss some words and phrases related to inventions - By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to: + Talk about unique inventions, their uses and their benefits + Perform their viewpoints to other people in real life B Preparation: - Teacher: + Handouts, textbook and pieces of paper + Language: Present simple, gerunds after ‘used for’ and infinitive to express purposes - Students: Textbook C Methods: - The whole lesson: Integrated, mainly communicative D Procedures: Time/ Stages Activities Warm up - Ask Ss to fill in the word-web about Modern (7 minutes) inventions and their functions in four minutes - Work in groups to fill in the word-web - The representatives from four groups present 104 Interactions T < > Ss their works in the boards - Check Ss’ work and give comment - Lead in the new lesson New lesson Task 1: 10 minutes - Ask Ss to think of the heading of the speaking Pair work lesson “Unique inventions” => very special and unusual inventions - Ask Ss to practice the conversation in pairs - Invite two pairs to read aloud, give comment T < > Ss on Ss’ pronunciation - Explain some new words + Solid object (NP): + Original (n) Task 2: 12 minutes - Have Ss complete the table about 3- D printer Pair work - Control and assist - Check Ss’ work and comment - Work in pairs to fill in the suitable information in the table * Suggested answers a Name of invention 3- D printer b Characteristics Bigger and heavier than a normal printer c Use To produce solid objects similar to the originals d Benefits Saving a lot of 105 T < > Ss money Task 3: - Ask Ss to look at the pictures of a portable solar charger and a USB stick, and discuss which benefits (in the box) are suitable for each 13 minutes invention Group work - Explain new words if any - Let Ss work in groups to this activity in minutes - Check some Ss’ answers And comment - Work in groups of three or four to discuss the benefit of a portable solar charger and a USB stick Ss < > Ss * Suggested answer: + Portable solar charger: not dependent on electricity, environmentally – friendly, easy to carry, not costly + USB stick: not costly, easy to use, easy to transport files Task 4: - Have Ss work in pairs making up similar dialogues with the information in the table - Check two or three pairs and give comment on 10 minutes Ss’ pronunciation in intonation Task 5: - T gives a model for Ss I’d like to recommend a food processor to all of 106 Pair work you This machine is small and portable It is used to prepare meals with delicious dishes within a short time It is an economical device for all households T < > Ss - Get Ss to work in groups of four of five to give a similar small talk - Check some Ss and give feedback to their talks Consolidation - Summarize what they have learnt by asking Ss (2 minutes) some questions T < > Ss - Give some descriptions and ask them what are they Homework - Ask Ss to learn by heart the expressions (1 minute) - Prepare for the next lesson T < > Ss - Prepare a small talk to introduce a new item to the whole class in the next period E Experience: 107 Date of preparation: January, 3rd 2018 Distributive period: 57 UNIT 6: GENDER EQUALITY Lesson 3: Speaking Instructor: Teacher B Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province Class: 10A A Aims and Objectives - To teach Ss to talk about equal job opportunities - To teach Ss to express agreements or disagreements about equal job opportunities for men and women - By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: + Express their opinion about equal job opportunities for men and women + Perform their viewpoints to other people in real life B Preparation: - Teacher: Handouts, textbook, pieces of papers - Students: Textbook C Methods: - The whole lesson: Integrated, mainly communicative D Procedures: Time/Stages Activities Warm up - Ask Ss to call out some phrases to express their minutes point of view Interactions T < > Ss - Lead in the new lesson - T informs Ss of the lesson objectives: Exchanging opinions about equal job opportunities 108 for men and women New lesson Task 1: minutes - Write Equal job opportunities on the board Give Ss time to read through the useful expressions - Let Ss work in pairs - Go around and provide help if it is necessary - Have them compare the answer with others Check Ss’ answers - Call on individual Ss to read aloud these activities and the reasons why they are important * Key: A A D A A D Very true, but ; Sure, but (D) That’s for sure / Exactly / I couldn’t agree more (A) Task 2: - Have Ss in pairs read the example, and then ask all Ss to share their opinions - Guide Ss to prepare the ideas to support their reasons - Invite some students to perform their opinion in front of the class - Give feedback Task 3: - Ask one student to read out loud the opinion Married women should not pursue a career and explain the activity to the whole class - Divide Ss into groups of three/ four Ss 109 - Ask one group to model the activity using the example conversation Then ask all Ss to discuss and note down their group’s discussion - After 3-4 minutes, have some Ss from different groups report the results of their group work back to the class Consolidatio n 10 minutes - Make some arguments for Ss to discuss and T < > Ss present their own view points (Women should (not) be equally paid to men/ Men should not some jobs like childcare, or nursing) Homework - Ask students to learn by heart the expressions minutes - Prepare for the next lesson T < > Ss E Experience: 110 UNIT 7: CULTURAL DIVERSITY Part 4: SPEAKING Instructor: Teacher C Nguyen Trai High School (Febuary 28th, 2018) Period: 66 Class: 10D I Objectives By the end of the lesson, Ss can: - Talk about cultural features around the world - Be educated to be confident in giving opinion II Knowledge Language: Vocabulary: cultural feature III Skills Main skill: Speaking Sub-skills: Listening, Reading and Writing IV Methods Communicative V Teaching techniques: Brainstorming, Pair-work, Group-work, Ask-answer, Listen-repeat VI Teaching aids: textbooks, posters, pictures VII Time: 45 minutes VIII Procedures Teacher’s activities Warm-up (4 minutes) Students’ activities Answer the questions - Ask Ss to look at the pictures and elicit Key: black cat, fish and chip, figure their opinions about cultural features that skating, samovar, 111 are related to the pictures => Lead in the new lesson “Traditions around the world” Pre-speaking: (8 minutes) Do the quiz 2.1 Quiz Suggested answer: - Have Ss the quiz about two 1.b 2.a 3.b 4.a countries: the UK and Russia Elicit their background knowledge about the cultural aspects of these two countries, - Ask them to compare and contrast the answers with a partner While-speaking (20 minutes) 3.1 3.1.a Expressions to give opinions 3.1 a - We think/ believe - take notes - In my opinion - Personally, 3.1.b Cultural features - Divide the class into two big teams of equal number of members: Team A and Team B and ask them to read one 3.1.b Read the passage and write down the most interesting things about the country that they read about country, either the UK or Russia - Have Ss note down the most interesting things about the country that they read and then share the information with Ss from different groups to report the results of their group work to the class other members of their group Ask several groups at random to report their 112 viewpoints - Conduct Ss how to use body language when giving a speech or a presentation Work in pairs - Feedback by listening to each other 3.2 Traditions and customs in the UK and Russia Ask Ss to regroup: one member of team Work in pairs A with one member of team B Ask Ss to share about traditions and customs of either the UK or Russia Move around to assist or listen to different pairs to detect errors/ problems Post-speaking (10 minutes) - Get Ss to work in groups of and cover one of four fields: foods, drinks, sports, festivals - Call some to talk in front of the class Report Homework (3 minutes) Do Exercise D in the workbook (page 18,19) _ 113 Date of preparing: 20/03/2018 Date of teaching: 24/03/2018 UNIT 8: NEW WAYS TO LEARN Part 4: SPEAKING Instructor: Teacher C Nguyen Trai High School, Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province Period: 77 Class: 10D I Objectives By the end of the lesson, Ss can: - Talk about how electronic devices can help students learn - Be educated to be confident in giving opinions II Knowledge Language Vocabulary: phrasal verbs (take notes, look up, take advantage of, etc.) III Skills Main skill: Speaking Sub-skills: Listening, Reading and Writing IV Methods: Communicative V Teaching techniques: Brainstorming, Pair-work, Group-work, Ask-answer, Listen-repeat VI Teaching aids: textbooks, posters, pictures VII Time: 45 minutes VIII Procedures Teacher’s activities Student’s activities Warm-up (4 minutes) - Ask Ss: Answer the questions 114 1.1 Do you have any personal electronic devices? 1.2 Do you bring them / it to school? 1.3 How useful are they/ is it? => Lead in the new lesson: “Go Digital” Pre-speaking: (8 minutes) 2.1 Complete the table - Have Ss read through the arguments in favour of using electronic devices in Have Ss read through the arguments learning and match arguments 1-4 with in favour of using electronic devices in explanations a-d learning and match arguments 1-4 - Ask them to compare and contrast with explanations a-d their answers with a partner Suggested answer: While-speaking: (20 minutes) D B C A 3.1 3.1.a Expressions to give opinions 3.1.a - We think/ believe - Take notes - In my opinion, - Personally, 3.1.b The most effective ways of using electronic devices - Ask Ss to read the arguments and - Present the two most effective ways explanations in again and work in by using the following expressions: pairs Ss decide on the two most effective ways of using electronic devices, talk to their partner and explain why + The two most effective ways of using electronics are _ because + We think _ is an effective way 115 - Conduct Ss how to use body language of using _ when giving a speech or a presentation _ - Feedback by listening to each other + In my opinion, because 3.2 How useful electronic devices are in learning Ask Ss to discuss how useful electronic devices are in learning, using the Discuss with a partner arguments in in pairs Post-speaking (10 minutes) - Get Ss to focus on getting answers to the questions and note down their group’s discussion (work in group of four people) Ss from different groups report the results of their group work to the whole class - Call some to talk to in front of the whole class Homework (3 minutes) Do exercises D in Workbook (page 26) _ 116