Some teaching methods help improve students’ speaking skill at high school

TABLES OF CONTENTS TABLES OF CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION Reasons for choosing the study .2 Objectives of the study Object of the study Scope of the study Methodology of the study II DEVELOPMENT Theoretical background of the speaking skill Real situation Problems Some solutions for these problems Results: 15 Experience lessons: 16 III CONCLUSION 16 I INTRODUCTION Reasons for choosing the study All the languages are used as a mean of communication Therefore, it is very important to equip students with English- an international language How can they use it to communicate with other people after graduating from high school is a question for many educators To it, we – english teachers- have to change the teaching methods as well as the curiculums Many students cannot communicate well inspite of having known clearly about grammatical rules That means we are teaching english in ineffective ways Why are they afraid of using English to talk with other people while they can get high marks in written tests? Working as an English teacher at a high school, I realise that there are many difficulties which prevent students from communicating by English Therefore, I reseach this topic to give some effective methods which help students to learn and use English better Objectives of the study I research this topic because of some following purposes First, students can learn speaking lesson more effectively Second, students can use simple words, phrases and structures to communicate Third, teachers can apply some other ways to teach the speaking lessons effectively Object of the study - The English communication skill of students Scope of the study - Speaking skill Methodology of the study - Conducting a survey - Observing - Doing experiments - Checking the results II DEVELOPMENT Theoretical background of the speaking skill 1.1 The Importance of Speaking Skills Language is a tool for communication We communicate with others, to express our ideas, and to know others’ ideas as well Communication takes place, where there is speech Without speech we cannot communicate with one another In-order to become a well rounded communicator one needs to be proficient in each of the four language skills viz., listening , speaking, reading and writing, but the ability to speak skillfully, provides the speaker with several distinct advantages The capacity to express one’s thoughts, opinions and feelings, in the form of words put together in a meaningful way, provides the speaker with these advantages An effective speaker can gain the attention of the audience and hold it till the completion of his message Speaking skills are important for career success, but certainly not limited to one’s professional aspirations Speaking skills can also enhance one’s personal life ( Theo https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ /Speaking_Skill) 1.2 Some skills and strategies in communication a Remember word skill Remember word is one of the most important and helpful skills for a speaking lesson Remember word skill allows students to remember many words and the content of the lesson rapidly b Speak Clearly and Slowly c Prediction skill Student will predict what is the lesson about before practising speaking and what will happen next d Using dictionary Students can look up some new words to understand the lesson easily e Infering skill Students can communicate and infer others’ opinion, attitude or implicity 1.3 Phases in the speaking learning process - Before you Speak (5-7mins): The purpose of this part is attracting students to the lesson, preparing some knowledge relates to the topic for them It solves the problems of knowledge, culture or countries It also helps students to predict the information relates to the lesson - While you Speak(20-25mins): This part aims to develop the students’ speaking competence and comprehension It contains three to four tasks Students are asked to read and the tasks in order to widen their vocabulary and improve communicative skills Then, they get the content of the lesson - After you Speak (5-10mins): This part helps students to review the lesson and develop the communicative skills through connecting the lesson with the fact Teacher also test the students’ results and then he or she can appreciate the whole lesson in this part Real situation We- English teachers- have to cope with the fact that students speak English very badly today Majority of students cannot use English to communicate It is paid much attention to by both English teachers and educators After conducting a survey at my school, I can determine some following factors which prevent students from communicating fluently Difficulties + Boring topics + ineffective activities + opportunity to speak English is limited Rate 72% 55% 77% + Students prefer writing to speaking + Some students talk more than others + students are afraid of making mistakes 88% 45% 87% + teachers’ teaching methods are not really suitable 43% The result of the survey conducted in the 2016-2017 new school year for 129 students from class 10A2; 11B2 and 12C2 shows the rate of students who can use English to communicate is on the following table Class 10A2 11B2 12C2 number 47 40 42 excellent good 0% 2,5% 0% 21% 30% 24% average Below poor 32% 37,5% 60% average 43% 25% 16% 4% 5% 0% Problems There are many problems that limit the students’ communication - Text books + Some reading passages are too long and they contain many new words + Some exercises are too difficult for most of students - Teachers: + 45 minutes is not enough time to teach a speaking lesson so some teachers often quit the warm-up part, hardly organize pair or group activities while they are very important to bring the excitement for students + Some teachers often ask students to read and all the exercises one by one individually It takes so much time - Students: + The majority of students lack basic knowledge , vocabulary, structures + They cannot concentrate thoroughly on the speech + They are passive in gaining knowledge + They lack speaking skills, they often imitate the dialogue, so they have difficulties with hard dialogue + They speak so slowly that it takes so much time to practice a dialogue Some solutions for these problems 4.1 Applying some skills in speaking lessons 4.1.1 Disappearing text - What is “Disappearing text” ? - This is controlled activity or less controlled depends on students’ ability “ This can be done with a list of vocabulary items or phrases, a short text or a dialogue at any level + Write up the text on the board Read out the text and drill + Rub off a small part of it Students have to say the whole text again + Gradually rub off more and more in bits and each time get the students to say the whole text This provides intensive drilling practice as the students have to repeat it so many times However, the game factor also increases motivation to get it right and that gets more challenging as the activity continues” ( Theo http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/drilling-2) a Applying process - To use this skill, after warm-up part and lead –in part , teacher introduces the topic of the lesson and the following steps: + Elicit for students to make a dialogue (if they are good average students) or give an available dialogue (if they are below average students) This dialogue should be written on the other board at home or can be presented through PowerPoint + Practise reading out loud several times + Teacher chooses some good students to practise as examples + Students practise in pairs several times + Teacher checks some pairs + Teacher erases some key words or phrases in each sentences + Ask students to practise in pairs the dialogue several times + Teacher continue checking some pairs + Teacher erases all sentences gradually + Ask students to practise in pairs the dialogue several times It is very useful if teacher uses the PowerPoint to teach the lesson in that way b Apply this skill in the lesson - In English 12, I applied this skill in an activity The topic of the lesson is ask and answer the questions about the application process to tertiary study in Vietnam This is an activity whose content is formal so it is suitable for applying this skill After teaching some new words and providing some structures for students, I lead to the topic of the lesson like that - T says: Now suppose that you have got a friend in England and he / she wants to study at a university in Viet Nam but he don’t know anything about Universities in Vietnam He / She wants to ask you for some information - T elicits to build the following dialogue: Y: - Hello Can I help you ? YF -I was wondering if you could tell me about the application process to tertiary study in Vietnam? Y - Sure, I can YF - Well What I have to first ? Y - You have to fill in the application form YF - And when I have to send it? Y - In March YF - And what about the GCSE ? Y - You have to take the GCSE exam in late May YF - And how long will I have to wait to get the result? Y - About weeks YF - Do I have to take the entrance examination? Y - Yes, you It takes place in July YF - When will I get the entrance examination result? Y - In August YF - Thank you Y - Not at all! After finishing students’ practice and checking some pairs, teacher continues asking students to practise the dialogue which was omitted some key words Y: Hello Can I ………… ? YF -I was ……… if you could ……… the …………… process to ……… study …….Vietnam? YF -I was _ if you _ about the process to tertiary _in Vietnam? Y - Sure, YF - Well What _ I have to ? Y - You to fill _the application YF - And when I _ to send _? Y - In YF - And what _ GCSE ? Y - You _take GCSE _ in _May YF - And long will wait to get result? Y – About _ YF - _I have to _ the entrance _? Y - Yes, _ It place _ July YF - When will get examination result? Y - In YF - _ Y – Not _! And then continue to the same with the dialogue which has more words omitted YF - _ if you _ about process _ Vietnam? Y - Sure, YF - Well What _ I have ? Y - You the application YF - when to it? Y - In YF - what _ GCSE ? Y - You GCSE in _ YF - And wait to result? Y - About _ YF - to entrance _? Y - Yes, _ It place July YF - get the _examination ? Y - In YF - _ Y ! Students have to remember the words to practise the dialogue It is very good if they can remember all the dialogue c Some lessons can be taught in this way This skill is suitable for the activities such as job interviews, tertiary institutions, etc Therefore, we can apply it into these following lessons: - English 10: + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit 16 - Speaking - task - English 11: + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit 13 - Speaking - task + Unit 16 - Speaking - task - English 12: + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit 11 - Speaking - task +task d Some notes when using this skill This skill is suitable for the class most students of which are average They cannot develop a dialogue base on the given topic by themselves Therefore, depending on the students’ ability, we can + elicit for students to make a dialogue + give them an available dialogue + use it as an activity in pre-speaking or while-speaking + use PowerPoint to support the lesson + use it in the formal dialogue such as job interviews or tertiary institutions 4.1.2 Information gaps - What is “Information gaps” ? - This is less controlled activity and it focuses on students’ fluency more 10 “Information gap activities are often designed to provide highly controlled practice of particular structures By swapping information which requires use of a particular language pattern, the students have to solve a problem This problem solving provides a communicative purpose to what is essentially a drill” Example: The students have a shopping list of fruit they need to buy (6 oranges, kilo of apples etc.) Student A has the prices of various fruits in one shop, student B has the prices in another shop They have to ask each other and answer about the prices and complete a grid with the information The task is then to decide which shop will be the cheaper one for them to buy their fruit in ( Theo http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/drilling-2) a Applying process This skill is used to develop communicative demand when people exchange the information To use this skill, after warm-up part and lead –in part, teacher introduces the topic of the lesson and the following steps: + Deliver handouts (prepared at home) + Instruct students to work in pairs + Ask students to work in pairs ask and answer the questions about the information in the handouts + Check some pairs b Apply this skill in the lesson I applied this skill in task – speaking lesson – unit 13 – English 12 This activity talks about some of the records at the 22nd SEAGames After reviewing some new words and providing some structures for students, I lead to the topic of the lesson like that 11 - T says: You are going to ask for some information about the records of the 22nd Sea Games Let’s it - Students work in pairs practise these sentences + What is the name of the athlete who won the …( Men’s 200 meters ) ? + His / her name is …………… + Where is he/ she from ? + He/ She is from……… ( Thailand ) + What was his / her record? + He/ She……… ( ran 200 metres in 20.14 seconds ) Handout A: Record of the 22nd SEA Games Sports Name of the athletes Country Records Erni Indonesia h 52 m 28 s Ruphai Thailand 1.86 m Maria Philippines h 29 m 35 s Athletics -Men’s 200 m Women’s Marathon -42 km Men’s Long Jump Women’s High Jump Swimming -Men’s 1500 m Cycling -Women’s 25 km cross- country Handout B: Record of the 22nd SEA Games Sports Name of the athletes Country Athletics - Men’s -200 m Boonthung Thailand Women’s Marathon -42 km Men’s Long Jump Amri Malaysia Women’s High Jump Swimming -Men’s 1500 m Yurita Indonesia Cycling -Women’s 25 km Records 20.14 seconds 7.76 m 13 m 19.26 s cross- country 12 c Some lessons can be taught in this way We can apply it into these following lessons: - English 10: + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit 14 - Speaking - task + Unit 15- Speaking - task + Unit 16- Speaking - task - English 11: + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit 12 - Speaking - task + Unit 16 - Speaking - task - English 12: + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit - Speaking - task + Unit 13 - Speaking - task d Some notes when using this skill This skill is suitable for most of the students However, depending on the students’ ability, we can ask them to practise the dialogue in other levels + We have to design the background activities logically + It is necessary to use some teaching tools + This skill is suitable for Post speaking 4.2 Give students more chance to communicate by English - Why students prefer speaking Vietnamese to English? - With whom they speak English? What you speak English for? In my opinion, beside the factor of using language, environment for using language is one of the most important factors We cannot 13 communicate without objects or purposes For English, we need to widen communicative opportunities without limiting it in the speaking lesson a In teaching - skills lessons There are five periods in a unit, four for teaching skills and one for teaching language focus We have 45 minutes for a speaking lesson so we have to combine speaking activities with other activities of other skills b The important role of the class language Many teachers hardly pay attention to the class language This is one of the problems which prevent students from communicating by English A good teacher will make good class language According to British Council, class language consists of: - Starting and Finishing a Lesson - Presenting New Language - Giving Instructions - Asking Questions and Eliciting - General Classroom Management - Correcting Learners - Pronunciation - Giving an Accurate, Clear Spoken Model for Learners - Using language in the English Classroom c Apply this skill in the lesson * English 12- UNIT1: HOME LIFE Reading Post-reading Talk about your family's household chores - Instruction: Basing on the reading text, work in group of or to tell your friends about your family's household chores - Modeling: I live with my parents and two sisters -> Move around to give help -> Call some students to present in front of the class 14 -> Give feedback In this kind of activity, students will take part in excitedly because it is quite easy and close to them Besides, they know well what to say, with whom and how to say * English 12- UNIT 4: SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM Listening Post-listening : Talk about your school days - Instruction: Work in groups of four or five to talk about your school days, using suggested questions in task * Suggested questions: Did you always work very hard? Did you always listen carefully to your teachers? Did you always behave well? Did you pass your exams easily? Did you always write your homework slowly and carefully? Did you think school days are the best days of your life? -> Move around to give help -> Call on some students to present in front of the class -> Give feedback d Some notes when using this skill - Both teacher and students have to practise these skills regularly and improve it gradually - These activities are close to the life Results: After applying some above skills in teaching three classes 10A2, 11B2, 12C2, the quality of students’ tests is better Class number excellent good average Below poor 15 before after 10A2 11B2 12C2 10A2 11B2 12C2 0% 2,5% 0% 4% 7,5% 2% 21% 30% 24% 32% 50% 43% 32% 37,5% 60% 43% 25% 48% 43% 25% 16% 21% 17,5% 7% average 4% 5% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 2,5% 0% 4% 7,5% 2% Experience lessons: In oder to have effective speaking lessons, we have to pay attention to some following points: - We have to spend time preparing teaching tools such as pictures, board, electronic lesson plan - We shouldn’t omit warm-up part - We have to organize pair and group activities regularly - Students can check each other - We have to change the skills to make the lesson more interesting - Teacher should focus on teaching students ‘communicative skill - Teacher should pay more attention to poor students to help them improve their English III CONCLUSION From the experience of teaching English in a high school, I have found that a great variety of students in my school are afraid of learning English especially speaking which is considered to be the most important inputs to maintain conversations With a view to helping students improve their speaking ability , I have conducted this research Although I have tried best to offer some insightful findings through the study; however, the limitations are unavoidable , I hope to receive the sincere contribution from my colleagues about my research to help me perfect my study and enhance the teaching English skills in my school 16 Thanh hoa, May 21st 2017 Approved by the headmaster I confirm that this research is written by me I don’t copy from others Written by Le Thanh Ha Cao Thi Toan REFERENCES - Penny Ur, A Course in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, 1992 - Richard R Day, New ways in teaching Speaking, Illinois USA, 1993 - SGV, SGK Bộ GD - ĐT - Sách “ Một số vấn đề đổi phương pháp dạy học bậc THPT môn tiếng Anh Bộ GD-ĐT - Tài liệu tập huấn đổi phương pháp môn tiếng Anh - Tài liệu bồi dưỡng giáo viên Bộ GD-ĐT - Websites: ( https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ /Speaking_Skill) 17 ( http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/drilling-2) 18 ... teacher at a high school, I realise that there are many difficulties which prevent students from communicating by English Therefore, I reseach this topic to give some effective methods which help. .. Speaking skills can also enhance one’s personal life ( Theo https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ /Speaking_ Skill) 1.2 Some skills and strategies in communication a Remember word skill. .. the speaking skill 1.1 The Importance of Speaking Skills Language is a tool for communication We communicate with others, to express our ideas, and to know others’ ideas as well Communication