Communicative activities in teaching grammar at Tran Phu High School, Thai Nguyen = Các hoạt động giao tiếp trong việc dạy ngữ pháp tại trường THPT Trần Phú – T

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUAGE STUDIES MAI THI THAI COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES IN TEACHING GRAMMAR AT TRAN

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUAGE STUDIES

MAI THI THAI

COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES IN TEACHING GRAMMAR

AT TRAN PHU HIGH SCHOOL – THAI NGUYEN

CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG GIAO TIẾP TRONG VIỆC DẠY NGỮ PHÁP TẠI TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG TRẦN PHÚ – THÁI NGUYÊN

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410

HANOI - 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration ……… i

Acknowledgements ……… ii

Abstract ……… iii

Part A Introduction 1 Rationale…… ……… 1

2 Aims of the study……… 1

3 Scope of the study……… 2

4 Research questions……… 2

5 Significance of the study……… 2

Part B Development Chapter 1 Review of Literature 1.1 Definition of grammar……… 3

1.2 Objectives of teaching grammar……… 4

1.3 Principles of teaching grammar……… 5

1.4 Methods of teaching grammar……… 5

1.4.1 Deductive approach……… 6

1.4.2 Inductive approach……… 7

1.5 Communicative Language Teaching……… 10

1.6 Communicative Activities……… 15

1.7 Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Teaching Grammar – Previous Studies 15 Chapter 2 Methodology 2.1 Research design……… 19

2.2 Some characteristics of Tran Phu School 19

2.2.1 The institution……… 20

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration ……… i

Acknowledgements ……… ii

Abstract ……… iii

Part A Introduction 1 Rationale…… ……… 1

2 Aims of the study……… 1

3 Scope of the study……… 2

4 Research questions……… 2

5 Significance of the study……… 2

Part B Development Chapter 1 Review of Literature 1.1 Definition of grammar……… 3

1.2 Objectives of teaching grammar……… 4

1.3 Principles of teaching grammar……… 5

1.4 Methods of teaching grammar……… 5

1.4.1 Deductive approach……… 6

1.4.2 Inductive approach……… 7

1.5 Communicative Language Teaching……… 10

1.6 Communicative Activities……… 15

1.7 Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Teaching Grammar – Previous Studies 15 Chapter 2 Methodology 2.1 Research design……… 19

2.2 Some characteristics of Tran Phu School 19

2.2.1 The institution……… 20

2.2.2 The learners……… 20

2.2.3 The teachers – participants……… 21

2.3 Instrument……… 22

2.4 Procedures of the study……… 23

Chapter 3 The Study 3.1 The analysis of data ……… 24

3.1.1 What methods have been used to teach

English grammar at Tran Phu School? 24 3.1.2 To what extent that the application of communicative activities could enhance the teaching and learning of English grammar at Tran Phu School? 25 3.1.3 What are the appropriate communicative activities that could be used in teaching grammar at Tran Phu School? 28 3.2 Findings and discussions……… 29

3.3 Recommendations……… 31

3.3.1.Accuracy and fluency activities……… 31

3.3.2 Mechanical, meaningful and communicative

activities………

32 3.3.3 Other kinds of communicative activities…… 34

Part C Conclusion 1 Conclusion ……… 36

2 Limitations and suggestions for further study……… 37

References……… 38

Appendix……… 39

PART A INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

In this 21st century, English has become an international language – the tool for international integration It has been used in many respects, such as science, technology, tourism, industry, education, medicine, art, etc In order

to develop the country as well as have chance to get good jobs in the future, today students must equip themselves with good English Therefore, learning English is not only the institutional requirements for students but also their own needs This is reflected through the compulsory subject of English in the Entrance examination for grade 10th at many high schools as well as in the General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination all over the country

In order that students can use English well for the purpose of passing the examinations or further studies and job–related communication, grammar

is one of the core elements However, for my students, English is only a compulsory subject to learn They study English grammar only for examinations They do not feel interested in grammar lessons very much To improve the atmosphere in my grammar lessons, to encourage students to join

in my activities for grammar practice and to use more English language, etc ,

I have tried to use some communicative activities in English grammar lessons

To investigate the application of communicative activities in teaching English grammar as well as the effectiveness of the application, I choose this thesis, titled “COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES IN TEACHING GRAMMAR AT TRAN PHU SCHOOL – THAI NGUYEN”

2 Aim of the study

The main purpose of this study is to help teachers be better at teaching English grammar communicatively To achieve this aim, the study sets out to:

- Find out the grammar teaching methods that have been used at Tran Phu High School

- Investigate the effect of application of communicative activities in teaching English grammar

- Suggest some appropriate communicative activities which could be used in teaching grammar at Tran Phu School

3 Scope of the study

With the rationale and aims mentioned above, it is necessary to limit the study to the areas which are meaningful and manageable The study first attempts to explore the way of teaching grammar which was used at Tran Phu School Next, it examines the effect of communicative activities on learning grammar at present Then, based on the result of the study, some kinds of communicative activities which should be used in teaching grammar at Tran Phu School will be suggested

4 Research questions

The study attempts to find out answers to the following questions:

1 What methods have been used to teach English grammar at Tran Phu School?

2 To what extent that could the application of communicative activities enhance the teaching and learning of English grammar at Tran Phu School ?

5 Significance of the study

The study empirically identified some effective communicative activities for teaching grammar for English teachers that will bring about new learning methods for students at Tran Phu School The results of the study will probably inform researchers who carry out research into English teaching-learning problems facing high schools in Vietnam and elsewhere

PART B DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1 Review of literature

The need for communication in English today has been increasing greatly This gives birth to Communicative Language Teaching Approach What is Communicative Language Teaching Approach? What are characteristics of this approach? What is the process of its development? That the role of grammar in this approach is important or not is still a question Why do we need to teach grammar through communicative activities? The answers to these questions will be mentioned in chapter one

1.1 Definition of grammar

Up to now, many teachers of English have said that teaching grammar

is difficult and boring because both teachers and learners follow the old way – memorizing structures and rules, doing grammar exercises, etc However, grammarians give strong support to grammar teaching They consider that grammar gives us means to understand a language; Meanwhile, it also reflects the order in thought of a person and cultural diversity of countries So, do we need to study grammar to learn a language? The short answer is "no" Very many people in the world speak their own, native language without having studied its grammar Children start to speak before they even know the word

"grammar" But if you are serious about learning a foreign language, the long answer is "yes", grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly and more efficiently

In order to have an effective grammar lesson, it is important for both teachers and learners to have a clear and exact concept of grammar

Richards, Platt and Platt (1992, p.161) point out that

…grammar is a description of the structure of a language and the way in which linguistic units such as words and phrases are combined to produce sentences in a language It usually takes into account the meanings and functions theses sentences have in the overall system of the language It may or may not include the description of the sounds of a language

It is clear that grammar is necessary for learners when studying a foreign language Thornbury (1999) assumes that grammar is a process for making a speaker‟s or writer‟s meaning clear when there is a lack of contextual information Grammar is also the relationship between grammar, words and contexts This means it is necessary for students to learn basic and fixed forms and particular forms so that they can express particular meanings

In general, we understand that grammar is the system of structures in a language Grammar specifies rules for standard use of words and how their component parts combine to form sentences A grammar is also a system for classifying and analyzing the elements of language including inflections, functions, rules and relations in the sentence

1.2 Objectives of teaching grammar

Similar to teaching other language skills, teaching grammar has its own objectives Let us look at these objectives

1 It helps to use the language effectively

2 Knowledge of the underlying „rules‟ of grammar is provided

3 To develop students insight into the structure of English language

4 To enable the students to assimilate the correct patterns of the language

5 To teach grammar as a rule governed behaviour

6 To develop the mental abilities of reasoning and correct observation

When understanding these objectives obviously, teaching as well as learning grammar can be much more effective

What are principles of teaching grammar? Have all the teachers of English known these principles? Next, we consider this aspect (http://nsambatcoumar.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/te2_teaching-

grammar.pdf)

1.3 Principles of Teaching Grammar

1 To let the pupils absorb grammatical items in the initial stages

2 Grammar should not begin on abstract lines and principles

3 Grammar points should begin with language

4 Try to teach grammar and usage simultaneously

5 Attention should be paid to the meaning of the structure

6 Grammar should not be taught as an intellectual exercise (http://nsambatcoumar.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/te2_teaching-

grammar.pdf)

1.4 Methods of Teaching Grammar

Teaching grammar is a much debated topic in language learning Different experts have different opinions about teaching of grammar According to some, the language can not be learnt without studying of grammar of the language According to Sweet (cited in Patel & Praveen,

2008, p.141): “grammar is not a code of rules.” According to Chapman (cited

in Patel & Praveen, 2008, p.141) “grammar is a study of language by specialist, made in order to establish the rules and principles which underline the correct speech and writing, rules and principles which are followed more

or less unconsciously by the native speakers”

But some people say that utility of teaching of grammar is doubtful in learning English They say that the students who study grammar are very often able to solve grammar exercises but do not write correct speech

Teaching of grammar has a very important place in the past It is commonly believed that to help the learners to learn English language, its grammar must be taught first It is also believed that without knowing and mastering grammatical rules of English, one can not learn to speak and write

it Slowly it is realized that correct usages go on changing from time to time And as a result, grammar teaching which was regarded as an end in itself lost its importance However, nowadays, it is believed that grammar can not be taught in isolation Widodo (2006, p.122) says that “grammar is thought to furnish the basis for a set of language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.” Doff (2000), Long and Richards (1987) also gives opinion about the role of grammar in learning language as follows:

By learning grammar, students can express meanings in the form of phrases, clauses and sentences

It can not be ignored that grammar plays a central role in the four language skills and vocabulary to establish communicative tasks

(cited in Widodo, 2006, p.122)

Now, we consider the approaches for teaching English grammar

Many linguists give the same idea about the approaches for teaching English grammar As Richards (2006, p.6) points out, grammar has an important place in traditional approaches It is considered as the basis of language proficiency In traditional approaches, grammar is assumed to be learnt though direct instruction or repetitive practice and drilling Traditional approaches are divided into two types: deductive and inductive

1.4.1 Deductive Approach

Widodo (2006, p.126) says that a deductive approach is derived from

the notion of deductive reasoning, i.e from the general to the specific In this

case, rules, principles, concepts or theories are presented first, and then

applications are treated In other words, we can simply understand that in

deductive one, “learners are presented with grammar rules, then given

opportunities to practice using them” (Richards, 2006, p.6)

The procedure of the deductive approach can be generalized as follows

1 Presentation of rule

2 Illustration with examples

3 Verification and application of rule

4 Practice

In this approach, teachers must make sure to follow the following rules:

1 The rules should be true

2 The rules should show clearly what limits are on the use of a given form

3 The rules need to be clear

4 The rules ought to be simple

5 The rules need to make use of concepts already familiar to the learners

6 The rules ought to be relevant

Michael Swan, cited in Thornbury, 1999 (Widodo, 2006, p 126)

Also in the book Approaches and Procedures for teaching grammar,

Widodo (2006, p.127) assumes that most importantly, when the rules are

presented in the deductive approach, the presentation should be illustrated

with examples, be short, involve students‟comprehension and allow learners

to have a chance to personalize the rule

1.4.2 Inductive Approach

In contrast to deductive reasoning, “An inductive approach comes from inductive reasoning stating that a reasoning progression proceeds from particulars (that is, observations, measurements, or data) to generalities (for example, rules, laws, concepts or theories)”

Felder & Henriques,1995 (cited in Widodo, 2006, p 127)

According to Richards (2006, p.6), in the inductive one examples of grammar points are given first, then learners work out the rules for themselves

We can see that this approach requires learners to participate actively in the learning process as well as encourages learners to develop their own mental strategies for dealing with tasks Learners understand grammatical rules through examples

The procedure of the inductive approach can be generalized as follows

1 Presentation of examples containing grammatical rule

2 Learners‟analysis for the rule from given examples

3 Application and Practice

As for Richards (2006, p.6), techniques used to teach grammar here include memorization of dialogues, question and answer practice, substitution drill and other forms of guided speaking and writing

Everything has its two sides, the two approaches of deductive and inductive have both advantages and disadvantages The following is the tables

of advantages and disadvantages of deductive approach and inductive one

TABLE 1 Advantages and disadvantages of the deductive approach to teaching Grammar

3 A number of direct practice/application examples are immediately given

4 The deductive approach respects the intelligence and maturity of many adult learners in particular and acknowledges the role of cognitive processes

2 Learners‟ greater degree of cognitive depth is “exploited”

3 The learners are more active in the learning process, rather than being simply passive recipients In this activity, they will be motivated

4 The approach involves learners‟ pattern-recognition and problemsolving abilities in which particular learners are interested in this challenge

5 If the problem-solving activity is done collaboratively, learners get an opportunity for extra language practice

3 The approach can place emphasis on teachers in planning a lesson

4 It encourages the teacher to design data or materials taught carefully and systematically

5 The approach may frustrate the learners with their personal learning style, or their past learning experience (or both) would prefer simply to be told the rule

(Widodo, 2006, p.128)

So, which is the best approach of the two? Eisenstein (1987) and Brown (2000) (cited in Widodo, 2006, p.129) give the answer as follows:

“To sum up, both deductive and inductive presentations can successfully be applied depending on the cognitive style of the learner and the language structure presented”.

In general, using deductive or inductive approach depends on certain structures and learners‟ cognitive mode

1.5 Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT)

In many parts of the world, English language teachers have changed, or are changing, from traditional approach to teaching formal grammar rules to a more communicative approach to teaching how to use grammar meaningfully

in context So what is CLT?

 Definition of CLT

Yalden (1987, p.61) summarized the essence of CLT thus:

It is based on the notion of the learners as communicators, naturally endowed with the ability to learn languages It seeks to provide learners with the target language system It is assumed that learners will have to prepare to use the target language (orally and in written form) in many predictable and unpredictable acts of communication which arise both in classroom interaction and in real-world situations, whether concurrent with language training or subsequent to it

(cited in Chung, p.33) Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics

(1992, p.65) defines the Communicative Approach or Communicative

Language Teaching as “an APPROACH to foreign or second language

teaching which emphasises that the goal of language learning is COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE ” According to the dictionary, the approach which has been developed by British applied linguists as a reaction away from grammar-based approaches:

a) teaches the language needed to express and understand different kinds of functions

b) is based on a NOTIONAL SYLLABUS or some other communicatively organised syllabus

c) emphasises the process of communication, such as using language appropriately in different types of situations; using language to perform different kinds of tasks, e.g to solve puzzles, to get information , etc.; using language for social interaction with other people

Besides, we also know similar definitions, such as “CLT starts with a theory of language as communication, and its goal is to develop learners‟communicative competence” (Li, 1998, p 678) “CLT sets as its goal

the teaching of communicative competence” (Richards, 2006, p.2) “The aim

of CLT is the acquisition of communicative competence via student engagement in meaningful use of language at discourse level.”(Canh & Barnard, 2009, p.21)

Greg Bock (2000, p24) gives the assumption of CLT that the goal of language study is to communicate in that language He also says that:

meaning is what is communicated, therefore, CLT is tailored to get at meaning Learners are given opportunities to negotiate meaning in class A CLT classroom is learner-centered.” According to him, with CLT approach, the role of teacher is a “facilitator”, not a “transmitter”

Similarly, Patel& Praveen (2008, p.94) state that

The communicative approach is a learner centred approach This approach gives the learner not only grammatical competence but also a social skill as to what to say How to say, when to say and where, in order to satisfy his daily needs as larger aim In this approach, apart from fluency, accuracy and appropriateness are equally important.

“CLT can be understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom”

(Richards, 2006, p.2)

 The goals of language teaching

In Richards‟ opinion, “CLT sets as its goal the teaching of

communicative competence” This term means the ability to use language for

different purposes (invitation, suggestion, apology ), settings & participants (formal or informal context), and different types of texts, such as narratives, reports, interviews And it is the ability to maintain communication in spite of limited language knowledge

 How learners learn a language

In recent years language learning has been viewed from a very different perspective It is seen as resulting from processes of the following kinds:

- Interaction between learner and users of the language

- Collaborative creation of meaning

- Creating meaningful and purposeful interaction through language

- Negotiation of meaning as the learner and his/her interlocutor arrive

at understanding

- Learning through attending to the feedback learners get when they use the language

- Paying attention to the language one hears (input) and trying to incorporate new forms into one‟s developing communicative competence

- Trying out and experimenting with different ways of saying things

 The kinds of classroom activities

The main types of activities in CLT include (Richards, 2006):

Fluency versus Accuracy activities

Both activities of fluency and accuracy should be used in balance However, accuracy practice could come before or after fluency practice Learners are encouraged to participate in pair – work, small group work activities with kinds of exercises such as dialogues, pronunciation drills

Mechanical, meaningful and communicative practice

Mechanical practice means controlled practice activities, for

example repetition and substitution drills

Meaningful practice is less controlled Meanwhile, learners are

asked to make meaningful choices when carrying out practice For example, using prepositions of place to describe buildings in different locations in a given street map

Communicative practice is activities in which there is a focus on

practice in using language with a real communicative context, real information is exchanged and language used is not predictable

 The role of the teachers and learners

The role of the learners and the teachers in CLT classroom has become new compared with traditional classroom Characterized by high participation, the CLT classroom becomes a place for students to engage in meaningful language use With the role of “interactor”, learners have to participate in activities that are co-operative rather than individualistic, work in pairs or small groups The teachers now are in role of a “facilitator” or “monitor”, not

a model Agree with this view, Patel & Praveen believe that In this approach the role of teacher is that of a co-participant not that of an authoritarian master

So, we can see that some common forms of communicative activities are role play, interviews, information gap, games, language exchanges, surveys, pair work and learning by teaching The aim of using these activities

is to enhance learners‟ communicative competence

And there are five characteristics of the Communicative Language Teaching Approach

1 An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

2 The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

3 The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on the learning process itself

4 An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

5 An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom

1.6 Communicative activites

Sun and Cheng (2000) have collected many related views about communicative activity and summarized their three common features as follows:

1 Communicative activities are task-based Task-based English teaching concentrates on communicative tasks that learners need to engage in outside the classroom

2 Communicative activities are learner-centered The emphasis of teaching activity is on students‟ initiative and interaction Students are expected to participate in the activities as real people and take responsibility for their learning

3 Communicative activities emphasize the use of authentic language input The teacher‟s native or near native language competence and a true language milieu is necessary in order to produce communication in the classroom

1.7 Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Teaching

Grammar –Previous Studies

As mentioned above, grammar should not be taught separately It must be combined with other skills

When should we teach grammar? Before, during or after communicative activities? Research suggests that teaching “at the point of

need” is the most effective:

- when students need the grammar in preparation for a particular activity

- as they are doing the activity and need brief input from the teacher

on a particular form

- after the activity in order to refocus their attention on key patterns

or vocabulary needed to complete the activity

(Burns, 2009)

How do we teach grammar?

In CLT, the lessons are action-oriented The only essential grammatical elements are taught through context-based inductive tasks and activities emphasizing not on accuracy but on fluency like pair works, group works as well as collective works beside individual done by the learners And in CLT, activities as collective works beside individual performances are conducted in almost every lesson ensuring integration of four major language skills

Previous Studies

There have been many studies about the topic Communicative Language Teaching Approach and Grammar And these studies show findings through different ways of collecting data

In the thesis: The Application Of Communicative Activities To The Teaching Of Grammar At VIET DUC High School-Ha Noi (2006), the author

Vu Thi Thuy Mai gives conclusion on the use of communicative activities as follows

 Advantages

- The students can get somehow better achievement with communicative grammar lessons than with traditional grammar translation (GT) lessons Communicative activities such as language games, role-play, pair work and group work can help to improve students‟ grammar appropriateness and accuracy better than GT activities The communicative grammar lessons would make the learners more enjoy learning English

- The communicative lessons help to enhance the learners‟ grammar competence and performance

- The interesting communicative lessons bring much motivation to the learners, which the grammar translation lessons can not offer

 Limit

- The author also give some limits in introducing and applying CLT at her school, such as the lack of teachers‟ training of CLT, the

unfavorable teaching and learning environment, et ceteras

Also in a similar thesis: A Study On Communicative Approach To Grammar Teaching And Learning At Tran Phu Gifted High School (2007), Pham Thi Mai Anh affirms that:

In deed, both the teachers and students acknowledge the importance of grammar, grammar teaching, and effectiveness of grammar teaching in communicative approach They are really motivated in learning grammar in real-life contexts with varied teachniques as songs, games, pictures, realia, etc More importantly, the study highlights the most appropriate approach to brigde the gap between teaching styles and learning styles that is the combination between implicit and explicit approaches to grammar to meet the students’ demands for their learning styles

It is possible to see the findings say that using CLT approach or communicative activities to teach grammar has been applied at many schools and has brought certain advantages; however, there are still limits in using this method to teach grammar So, how do we do to make CLT approach effective in teaching grammar depends on conditions of each institution

In short, chapter 1 has mentioned aspects relating to the topic of the thesis First, definition of grammar as well as objectives and principles of

teaching grammar are given Then, it is followed by approaches of teaching grammar Although there are arguments about this aspect, many linguists claim that there are two core approaches in general: deductive and inductive approach Last but the most important, an overview of Communicative Language Teaching Approach, which is used widely in teaching language today is presented With these mentioned aspects, readers are better aware of importance of grammar in learning language as well as role of an effective teaching approach which helps learners use grammar structures communicatively Therefore, the readers will have a better view about the reason why I choose this thesis How do I carry out the study? Who are the participants? What research approach/methods are used and how the data are analysed? These questions will be answered in the next chapter