Hiện nay phong trào dạy và học tích hợp liên môn đang được các giáo viên và học sinh quan tâm nhiều. SKKN sau đây đúng cấu trúc có nội dung mới mẻ về phương pháp dạy học nói chung và Tiếng Anh nói riêng rất đáng để các bạn đọc và tham khảo.
A INTRODUCTION Reasons for the study In recent years, teaching and learning English at high schools hasn’t been really effective in general Therefore, students often have difficulty in using and perfecting four basic skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing Reading is one of the four important skills emphasized in each unit of study in current English textbooks However, it is a difficult skill for students Many students often feel bored with reading long and difficult passages In fact, traditional teaching method only helps them collect vocabulary and structures while reading skill requires more than this Each passage designed in text book mentions an important problem in our life and the author always sends a message through it If teachers can use an appropriate teaching method to help student find this message, they will feel more excited with reading Moreover, at the present time, integrated teaching method is being used in most high schools because of its benefits This method is too familiar with most English teachers Normallly, we integrate four skills in a lesson However, it isn’t enough for students to master a long and difficult passage like a scientific text The purpose of reading is to connect the ideas on the page to what they already know If they don't know anything about a subject, then pouring words of text into their mind is like pouring water into their hand They don't retain much For example, please try reading these numbers: 7516324 This is hard to read and remember This is easy with 7-516-324 because of chunking and this is easier to read 1-234-567 because of prior knowledge and structure Similarly, if you like sports, then reading the sports page is easy When you have a framework in your mind for reading, understanding and storing information, it becomes easily Moreover, in my teaching, I realized that many students had difficulty in reading passage and understanding the author’s implication in unit reading (People’s Background) Some students also asked me why the writer had told that the founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 had made Marie Curie’s humanitarian wish come true This question promoted me to carry out this research Therefore, I chose “Teaching Unit People’s Background (Part A - Reading) by integrated method” for my experience initiative “Marie Curie was born in Warsaw on November 7th, 1867 She received general education in local schools and some scientific training from her father As a brilliant and mature student, Marie Curie harboured the dream of scientific career, which was impossible for a woman at that time To save money for a study tour abroad, she had to work as a private tutor, and her studies were interrupted Finally, in 1891, Marie, with very little money to live on, went to Paris to realise her dream at the Sorbonne On spite of her difficult living conditions, she worked extremely hard She earned a degree in Physics with flying colours, and went on to take another degree in Mathematics She met Pierre Curie in the school of Physics in 1894 and a year later they got married From then on, they work together on their research In 1903, Marie became the first woman to receive a PhD from the Sorbonne After the tragic death of Pierre Curie in 1906, she took up the position which her husband had obtained at the Sorbonne Thus she was the first woman in France to be at a university professor Soon after, she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the atomic weight of radium But her real joy was “easing human suffering” The founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 made her humanitarian wish come true.” (Reading passage on page 32- 33, English 10 textbook) Aims and objectives of the study My study gives a new approaching method to reading skill In traditional method, students often read passage and then the tasks It seems boring and normally they just collect some new words and structures By integrated method, students can read and approach knowledge in and out of classroom They will have a chance to work in groups They know the way to apply skills and knowlegde from the other subjects in solving problems given They understand the author’s implication and then have right attitude in their life Moreover, students will be active to search information and present effectively in front of the class Scope of study My study focuses on Unit Reading (English 10) and is carried out on 70 students in two classes B CONTENT Theory 1.1 What is integration? According to Vietnamese dictionary: "Integration is a combination of activities, programs or the various components of a function block Integration means unity, harmony, combination " According to Educational dictionary: "Integration is an action used to link the objects of research, teaching and learning of the same or different fields in the same teaching plan" 1.2 What is integrated teaching method? Integrated teaching method comes in many varieties such as connecting skills and knowledge from multiple sources and experiences; applying skills and practices in various settings; utilizing diverse and even contradictory points of view; and, understanding issues and positions contextually Moreover, integrated studies involve bringing together traditionally separate subjects so that students can grasp a more authentic understanding Veronica Boix Mansilla, cofounder of the Interdisciplinary Studies Project at Project Zero, explains "When students can bring together concepts, methods, or languages from two or more disciplines or established areas of expertise in order to explain a phenomenon, solve a problem, create a product, or raise a new question, they are demonstrating interdisciplinary understanding” 1.3 What is the purpose of integrated teaching method? The purpose of integration is to increase the effectiveness of the teaching- learning process According to Ministry of Education (New Zealand, 2003), integrated teaching and learning provides many benefits for NESB (Non English Speaking Background) children: Children are grouped according to learning needs or cooperative learning Effective integrated programs provide opportunities for experience-based learning Students are able to use their prior experiences to construct learning A range of shared experiences scaffold NESB children into learning, giving every child in the class knowledge to base their learning on Because integrated units are child-centered, they provide opportunities for cross- cultural sharing Opportunities for children to display competence are given rather than relying on a written or oral test 1.4 Main features of integrated teaching a) Learner-centered The main feature of integrated teaching is learner-centered Student-centered learning puts students' interests first, acknowledging student voice as central to the learning experience In a student-centered classroom, students choose what they will learn, how they will learn, and how they will assess their own learning This is in contrast to traditional education, also dubbed "teacher-centered learning", which situates the teacher as the primarily "active" role while students take a more "passive", receptive role In a teachercentered classroom, teachers choose what the students will learn, how the students will learn, and how the students will be assessed on their learning In contrast, student-centered learning requires students to be active, responsible participants in their own learning and with their own pace of learning b) Output orientation Integrated teaching pays attention to the learning results of students to apply to their future career This requires that their learning process must ensure quality and efficiency c) Teaching and learning practical skills In integrated teaching, students are placed in situations of real life, they must direct observe, discuss, their homework and solve the tasks They search to explore the unknown things, not passively absorb the knowledge teachers have been arranged Thus, the teaching is not merely to impart knowledge but also to guide the practical operation Lesson plan Time allotted: 90 minutes (2 periods) Lesson: Unit Reading A Aims and objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Knowledge: - have general knowledge of Marie Curie - know the form of people’s background to prepare for Speaking and Writing - know some usages of Radium - an initiative of Marie Curie - mentioned in the article in life, medicine and military - Help students understand the writer’s implication Skills: - develop their reading comprehension skills - develop their speaking skills - develop students’ ability in analyzing and solving problems - apply knowledge of various subjects in solving problems Attitude: - Have proper awareness of scientist Marie Curie - Help students have right attitude to the usages of radium in both positive and negative aspects Then they can strongly condemn the use of atomic bomb during the war B Integrated knowledge: To perform the tasks of learning (in class and homework), students need to know and apply the following skills and subjects: Reading and speaking skills - Reading the passage, then presenting in front of the class Chemical knowledge: - Radium and its usages Knowledge of literature: - How to write a biography of a historical character Knowledge about the environment: - The impact on people and the environment after a nuclear bomb explosion C Teaching aids - Textbook, chalk, posters, pictures, PowerPoint, projectors, board D Procedure Period 1: D1 Warm- up: Guessing game (10 minutes) - T divides the class into big groups - T shows some pictures one by one on PowerPoint and asks students to look at them and guess the key words (It is similar to the gameshow “Road to Mount Olympia” on TV) Pictures: (Appendix 1) Key words: Radium - T leads in the lesson: Radium is a chemical element with symbol Ra and atomic number 88 - T asks the following question: “Do you know who determined the atomic weight of radium?” It is Marie Curie Today we are going to read a passage about her to know some milestones in her life D2 Pre- reading ( 15 minutes) Vocabulary (10 minutes) - harbour (v) : nuôi dưỡng example Eg: I harboured the dream of a scientific career - with flying colours (n): xuất sắc picture and explanation - determine (v) xác định explanation - ease (v): làm dịu explanation - humane (a) : nhân đạo example humanitarian (n) - mature (a) :trưởng thành example Checking vocabulary (5 minutes) A B With flying colours a) a Having a fully developed mind Determine b Keep in the mind Mature c Very well, with a very high mark Ease d Make less severe Harbour e having or showing compassion or benevolence humane f Find out exactly by making calculations Key: c, f, a, d, b, e Giving problems (20 minutes) - T divides the class into groups (A, B, C and D) and gives each groups one of the following problems Then T explains the problems for Ss if necessary and asks them to read the passage at home and solve the problems, then present in front of the class in the next period Problems: a) Talk about some milestones in Marie Curie’s life - T might give Ss some numbers and ask them to read the passage and give the events for o o o o o o b) o o o o o c) these numbers: 1867 1891 1894 1895 1903 1906 Find out the evidence from the passage to prove each of adjectives and tell the class about what you learned from Marie Curie’s characteristics Strong-willed Ambitious Hard-working Intelligent Humane Reading the passage carefully and give the form of people’s background - T asks Ss to pay attention to which information the writer used to describe Marie Curie d) Make clear of the following sentences “Soon after, she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the atomic weight of radium But her real joy was “easing human suffering” The founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 made her humanitarian wish come true.” (Why did the author say that the founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 had made her humanitarian wish come true?) - T guides Ss how to solve this problem (Find out the usages of Radium in our life and - search information about the Radium Institution) T ask Ss to read the passage at home and solve the problems, then present in front of the class in the next period T asks them to use one of the following ways: (T might give example for each of them) Reporting Eg: Marie Curie was born in…… Asking and answering Eg: A: When and where was Marie Curie born? B: In Warsaw on November 7th 1867 A: What did she in 1861? B: ……… Role- play Eg: Journalist: Hello, Marie Curie Nice to meet you Marie Curie: Hello, Nice to meet you Jounalist: Can I ask you some questions? Marie Curie:……………………… Period 2: D3 While - reading - T calls on the representatives of each group to report their findings in front of the class T delivers each group a paper of assessment - T listens and comments a) Talk about Marie Curie’s life (8 minutes) Expected answer: Marie Curie was born in Warsaw on November th , 1867 Marie went to Paris to realise her dream of a scientific career at Sorbonne in 1891 After that, in 1894 she met Pierre Curie in the School of Physics and a year later, 1895 they got married In 1903, Marie became the first woman to receive a PhD from the Sorbonne Her husband died in 1906, then Marie took up his position at the Sorbonne Soon after, she determined the atomic b) o o o weight of Radium and was awarded a Nobel Prize Find out the evidence from the passage to prove each of adjectives (8 minutes) Expected answer: Strong- willed: In spite of her difficult living conditions, she worked extremely hard Hard- working: To save money for a study tour abroad, she had to work as a private tutor Intelligent: She earned a physics degree with flying colours, and went on to take another degree in mathematics o Ambitious: As a brilliant and mature student, Marie harbored the dream of a scientific career which was impossible for a woman at that time o Humane: Her real joy was “easing human suffering” c) Reading the passage carefully and give the form of people’s background (8 minutes) Expected answer: o o o Name (Marie Curie) Date and place of birth (in Warsaw on November 7th 1867) Family (She met Pierre Curie in the School of Physics and a year later, 1895 they got married) o Education (She received general education in local schools, She earned a degree in Physics with flying colours, and went on to take another degree in Mathematics…) o Previous Jobs (a private tutor, a university professor …) d) Make clear of the following sentences (8 minutes) “Soon after, she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the atomic weight of radium But her real joy was “easing human suffering” The founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 made her humanitarian wish come true.” (Why did the author say that the founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 had made her humanitarian wish come true?) Expected answer: - T shows some pictures and elicits the answers (Appendix 2) Usages of Radium: o Be used in treating cancer (X- ray) o Manufacture bombs “As we know, cancer patients often suffer from physical pain and the aim of the founding of the Radium Institution is to research to find a cure for cancer This helps Marie Curie fulfill her dream” D4 Post - reading: Game: Lucky number (8 minutes) In this part, T asks Ss to close their books and then ask them to play the game “Lucky number” - T gives instructions “You have numbers (3 lucky numbers) Each group will take turn to choose the number If it is a lucky number, you will get two marks without doing anything If not, you must answer my question With each correct answer, you get one mark When all numbers are opened, which group has more marks will be the winner” Questions: Marie Curie’s dream was to become………? A a private tutor B a scientist C a nurse She married Pierre Curie in… A 1894 B 1895 C 1906 She was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for …… A determining the atomic weight of Radium B discovering gravity C her humanitarian What is her real joy? A being the first woman professor B being awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry C easing human suffering What is the aim of Radium Institution? A to study radioactivity B to make bombs C to research on chemicals Which of the following adjectives is NOT true about Marie Curie? A brilliant B hard- working C inhumane Keys: B 2.B A C A C D5 Homework (5 minutes) - Show the video about the atomic bomb destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan (Appendix 3) and ask Ss to answer the question: + “What are the consequences of using radium on creating atomic bombs?” - write Ss’ideas on the board - ask Ss to write a paragraph about 100 words about consequences of using radium on creating atomic bombs at home III CONCLUSION: Results: I carried out my study on students in classes, one with traditional method and one with integrated teaching method With the application of integrated method in Unit Reading (English 10), I realize that most students were more interested in and actively participated in the lesson Besides, through group work, students had chance to show their creativity and full ability The most important thing is that after the lesson students can not only develop their reading and speaking skills but also gain knowledge of other aspects such as chemistry, environment, medicine… (Most of students can answer the questions in postreading easily, but just some of students in traditional teaching class can answer) Below are some students’ presentation in my class: Group A: Role - play Journalist: Hello! Nice to meet you! Marie: Nice to meet you! Journalist: Our readers want to know all about you Marie: That’s nice Well, ask me your questions Journalist: First of all, tell me something about yourself Marie: Well, I was born in 1867 I got a general education at local schools Journalist: Where were you born? Marie: In Warsaw Journalist: I see Pierre, your husband is also a scientist When did you meet him? Marie: In 1894, and a year later we got married Journalist: Oh, you have any child? Marie Well, we have two daughters Irene and Eve Journalist: You are a very intelligent student Could you tell me some of your achievements? Marie: I earned a degree in Physics with flying colours and another degree in Mathematics Journalist: You were the first woman professor at the Sorbonne, weren’t you? Marie: Yes, after my husband’s death in 1906, I took up the position which my husband had obtained at the Sorbonne Journalist: For which service were you awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry ? Marie: For determining the atomic weight of radium Journalist: Was the prize your real joy? Marie: No, I would like to ease human suffering Journalist: Yeah, thanks a lot Group D: (show the periodic table of the chemical elements and some pictures, then give explanation) Radium is a chemical element with symbol Ra and atomic number 88 It is also a radioactivity which is used to create X-ray X-ray is used for the management of cancer 2 Advantages and Disadvantages The implementation of the method “Teaching Unit People’s Background (Reading, English 10) by integrated method” has brought certain results Following are some advantages and disadvantages during applying this method Advantages: - Students had had specific guidelines before they started their work - Student have general knowledge about chemistry and environment This helps teacher carry out this method more easily - Students participate enthusiastically in lessons Therefore, cooperation between teachers and students in activities is performed quite well This makes lessons successful - Teachers are well- trained, knowledgeable and experienced This helps teachers solve unexpected problems Disadvantages: - Students are lack of vocabulary, especially specialized terms - Students’ speaking skill is limited - Integrated method is quite new to most of the teachers and it is difficult to apply this method to all of the reading lessons - The number of students in each class is quite crowded, so it is not easy to work in groups - Distribution of classes for teachers is not stable so it is difficult for teachers to analyze and predict students' ability Proposals: - Organize a course about integrated teaching method for English teachers - Some of reading passages in textbook, which are out of date or unsuitable, should be rebuilt - The number of students in each class should be limited so that teachers can group them easily - Respectfully request school administrators to equip classrooms with a projector, especially specialized classrooms for teaching English - Distribution of classes for teachers should be stable so that teachers can know students' ability - Build a library equipped fully reference books for students because they lack of books to study, especially English Above is the content of my experience initiative I’m looking forward to hearing teachers’ comments so that my method can be applied widely and effectively I sincerely thank you REFERENCES Trần Xuân Điệp (2011) Dạy học theo chuẩn kiến thức, kĩ Tiếng Anh 10 Nhà xuất Đại học Sư phạm Hoàng Vân Vân (2006) Tiếng Anh 10, sách giáo viên Nhà xuất giáo dục Hoàng Vân Vân (2011) Tiếng Anh 10 Nhà xuất giáo dục Ministry of Education (2003) Experiences of being an ESOL student in New Zealand: some reminders for teachers http://cvct3.edu.vn/tintuc/chi-tiet-tin-tuc/thong-tin/dien-dan-chuyen-mon/co-so-ly-luan- ve-day-hoc-tich-hop/tt.html http://www.google.com.vn Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (7th edition) Oxford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJifBsXNRRQ 11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrative_learning Appendix 1: (Warm - up activity) 1914 – the year Radium was found Radium is used to manufacture atomic bombs Marie Curie who determined the atomic weight of radium Treating cancer by using X – ray The Radium element in The periodic table of the chemical elements Appendix 2: (While reading, problem 4) Cancer patients uasualy suffer from serious pain, especialy children Radium Institution is the place where scientists research to find a cure for cancer Appendix 3: (Homework activity) Some pictures were cut from video about the atomic bomb destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan Cancer patients uasualy suffer from serious pain, especialy children