Ways to get students excited about learning english

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.The reason of choosing the topic According to Article 28 of the education law: “The method of general education must promote the students' activeness, self-awareness, initiative and creativity; suitable to the characteristics of each class and subject; fostering self-study methods, teamwork ability; practice skills to apply knowledge into practice; impact on emotions, bring joy, interest in learning for students.”[1] Documents ,however,about the innovation in teaching are not much, and often only used in making requirements with testing and evaluation.Besides that,many teachers still use the traditional method of transmitting knowledge, presentations, and expainations.They have not really focused on innovating teaching methods to create excitement for students If the situation continues regularly, students will be disgusted with the subject,which can result in Education targets will not be achieved As an English teacher at Hoang Le Kha High School,from my own observation, I realize that the majority of the students of English classes really have strong motivation to study English while those in other classes such as History,Math,Physics,Biology or Literature,etc… have no motivation as well as interest in learning the subject.That learners don’t find lessons interesting enough,that the lessons in their course books,somehow,lack authenticity as well as the amount of exessive grammar in each unit seem to be some of the reasons accounting for this.It is from this fact,making students engaged in a subject can be a real challenge Having identified the problem,I have tried to search for sollutions to make a boring lesson an interesting one so that students really show more enthusiasm and excitement in engaging in the lesson Thus,in this writing,I would like to present my ideas “ways to get students excited about learning English” with the hope that my collegues can also consider my teaching strategies as useful suggestions to help their students become more interested and confident in learning English 1.2 Aims of the research This paper aims : -To introduce some ways to create excitement for students and how to organize the activities effectively -To improve the quality of teaching and learning English in high school 1.3 Object of the Research This subject focus on students at Hoang Le Kha High School to help them to renew interest in learning the language 1.4 Methods of study - Finding out difficulties that students have in English classes - Reading reference books - Discussing with my colleagues - Attending classes of co-workers - Applying ideas in teaching - Observing and drawing out experiences CONTENTS 2.1.Rationale of the study Researches on Second Language Acquisition have shown that language is best learned through the close collaboration and communication among students This type of collaboration results in benefits for all or both learners In fact, learners can help each other while working on different types of tasks such as writing dialogues, interviews, drawing pictures and making comments about them, play roles, etc… to breaking the monotony of learning,increasing the involvement of the students Dornyei (2001) highlights the importance of the "motivational flow" when talking about the general rhythm and sequence of events in class and he considers that it is important to make students active participants and suggests selecting tasks which require mental or bodily involvement of each participant and creating specific rules and personalized assignments for everybody [2] In language learning,excitement is generally considered to be one of the primary causes of success and failure in language learning Organizing activities and creating English environment at the various stages of the lesson really appear to promote students' involvement in the English class Moreover, boredom and tiredness have been driven away by the fun during the lessons these kinds of activities Realizing the important roles of motivational activities in teaching English is the rationale of my study As an educator, wanting the best for the students, I understand that it is essential to keep students motivated in order to achieve the best learning results as possible They are some of the reasons why I have the initiative : “Ways to get students excited about learning English” 2.2 Practical basis Having teaching English at Hoang Le Kha High School for many years, I have noticed English is probably one of the most challenging subjects that often create high levels of anxiety and stress among learners here The fact is that those who were usually bored or not interested in the English class did not engage enough in class work, which leads to slow acquisition, unequal power in school They seem to feel discouraged and often neglect it.It is these problems that urge me to find out the solutions to help students get over the challenges and hold interest in the foreign languege in a flexible and easy manner To know exactly about this problem,I investigated 175 students in classes 10C1 ,10C2 ,10C3,10C5 and 11B8 before applying “ways to get students excited about learning” by asking them the following questions: SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE Do you like learning English? A.very like B.like C.normal D.dislike Honestly speaking,which one or which ones of the following factors are your expectations and interests regarding learning English as a foreign language this semester? A.reinforcing through grammar lessons and more extra excercises B.learning through games,videos/clips and interacts in class C doing nothing, leave the things like that And I got the bellow result very like like normal dislike Grade Total students number % number % number % number % 10C1 31 3.2 9.6 10 32.2 17 55 10C2 33 0 12 36.3 19 57.7 10C3 36 5.5 11 20 55.5 10 28 10C5 41 4.9 7.3 15 36.6 21 51.2 11B8 34 0 2.9 20.6 26 76.5 As can be seem from the tables that most of the students seem not to like English lessons with the current teaching method of their teacher and they express their preferences with suggested learning strategies of choice B.From these reason,the study entitled “ways to get students excited about learning English” has been conducted as a motivation and a means of creating opportunities for simple communication in English lessons with the objective of involving students' more participation 2.3 Ways to get students excited about learning English 2.3.1.Games-based learning Learning requires constant effort and that can be tiring.Nowadays,there is an interesting movement towards learning English through language games.According to “ Six games for the ESL/EFL Classroom” written by Aydan Ersoz [3], two of more good reasons why games should be included in the lesson are: - Games that are amusing and challenging are highly motivating - Games allow meaningful use of the language in context However ,the teacher needs to consider which games to use,when to use them,how to link them up with the syllabus,texbook and programme and how,more specially,different games with with benefit student in different ways.(Khan J,1996) [4] *Forms of playing -in pairs -in small groups of four or five -in large groups of two tables/each left or right hand side -in two groups(2 teams devided from the whole class) -in individual with class/teacher *Requirements: The key to a sucessful language games is that the rule is clear,the ultimate goal is well designed and the game must be fun Here are examples of some of the lessons I teach using language games Example 1: Unit in English 10 : “A DAY IN THELIFE OF….” Lesson: READING [7] *Name of activity: Chit chat (with the help of picture) *This activity is used in the warm-up stage of the lesson *Prepare the pictures describing daily activities and questions relating to the pictures *PICTURES [5] *Some questions: What time you get up? What time you go to school What you often in the morning/in the afternoon? What you often at(+time)? What is each member in the family doing? Who are the people in the picture? Before showing the pictures to the class ,the teacher can start by giving the clear instructions that students look at the pictures and answer the questions about the pictures with the teacher.(call on 3-4 ones to it) After showing the pictures and getting their answers for the first time,the teacher can writes some key new words and how to tell the time on the board to help the students explain the information in the pictures easily New words/structures -How to tell the time [5] Example: [5] It's six o'clock t's half past six It's quarter past six It's quarter to seven Note: quarter → 15 minutes half → 30 minutes o'clock (abbreviation: of the clock) only on the hour Vocabulary housework get dressed have dinner leave house sweep the house After the students have mastered how to tell the time and are able to answer all the given questions,the teacher can lead in the topic of the unit which is teaching students with special needs A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… Example English 11: Unit 6.COMPETITION Part C-Listening [8] *Name of activity: Brainstorming ideas *This activity is used in the warm-up stage of the lesson *Prepare the pictures and questions relating to the goal of activities PICTURES [5] After looking at these pictures, students understand that the will hear some information about Boston marathon Then teacher should ask students some questions such as: What is the Boston Marathon? When did it begin? Where you think the Boston Marathon might take place? How often is it held? Who you think can take part in the Boston race? These questions help students activate their existing knowledge about Boston Marathon Expected answer Every year amateur and professional runners one of the world's best-known road racing In 1897, USA -> The important information related to Boston marathon students provide helps not only raise their interest but also easily catch the details mentioned in while-listening -> By setting up the context, Teacher provides the background information- an experience in a fire to encourage students to listen attentively, so they will be better prepared to make sense of what they hear Example 3: English 10: Unit 2.SCHOOL TALKS Part E-Language Focus [7] *Name of the activity: knowledge quiz questions *This activity is used as a sum-up activity at the end of the unit *Language aim: The activity can create a positive atmosphere for quick review of the question words with their function and help students know how to make questions in small talks correctly.It also helps improve listening and speaking ability for students DIRECTIONS Step 1: Things to prepare - A set of questions which are in the form of specific-answer question - Two packets of candies as prizes for the winners Step 2: How to organize - Divide students into two teams ,A and B -Introduce a set of the rules of the mini game ▪The time limit is 5-7 ▪There are 15 asked questions ▪The answering time is as fast as they can,only max 30 seconds ▪The team discussion is allowed ▪The players of each team listen and try to answer as quickly as possible.If they cannot answer the question, the teacher can pass the questio ▪A correct answer will get ONE point ▪The team with the most points will win the game Note : In case of tie between 2, further questions would be asked for final selection These are the questions and expected answers Questions What is Vietnamese national costume for women? Which letters refers to the shape of VN on the map? How old was uncle Ho when he passed away? How long was DBP campain? When was the last American soldiers to leave Vietnam? What continent is the highest mountain in the world on? Which island is the largest in VN? What type of climate is in VN? What makes up 70% of earth’s surface? In wich season does Uncle Ho born? 10 11 Where is uncle HO’s hometown? 12 What is the highest mountain in the world? Expected answers Ao dai S 79 56 days and nights 29th March 1973 Asia phu quoc island tropical climate water/sea Summer NAM DAN district Everest 13 In Vn ,which telephone number you call when there is a fire? 14 Who is considered to be the King of Football? 15 When was the first man steps on the Moon? Further questions Who is the husband of the queen? When was the first man steps on the Moon? Which ocean is the deapest in the world? 114 Pele 21st July 1969(Neil Amstrong,USA) King 21st July 1969(Neil Amstrong,USA) Pacifics Set 3: Start the game -After finishing the game,the teacher claims which team is the winner and give participants two prepared packets of candies as a prize.if the time is still,the teacher can retell the function of the question words as follow Question words Who How What Where When Which Why Whose Example 4: To talk about People Manner,quality People,animal,facts,events Places Time Choices Reasons Possessions English 10: Unit 10-CONSERVATION Part A- Reading [7] *Name of the activity: Matching ( pictures with descriptions ) *This activity is used before the lesson as a warm-up activity *Language aim: The activity can create a positive atmosphere for quick review of the name of land animals and have an idea about their facts DIRECTIONS Step 1: Things to prepare - A set of pictures of land animals and descriptions - Two packets of Candies as prizes for the winners Step 2: How to organize - Divide students into two teams ,A and B -Show the pictures and its description seperatedly on the screen and ask students work together in their groups in order to put the right coorperation -Each group appoints a student as a presenter to write down their answer on the black board as soon as they can - The first group to finish with more correct answers will win the game These are prepared pictures and their descriptions for the game [5] 1.Monkey A It is very big.It’s strong.It’s grey.It lives in Africa.It eats leaves.It has got four legs 2.Penguin B It is very small.It has got a long tail.It lives in nearly all countries.It likes cheese 3.Mouse C It’s very long.It has not got any legs.It eats small animals.It is sometimes dangerous 4.Snake D It can run very fast.It has got a long neck.I t eats leaves.It has got four long legs 5.Zebra E 10 It can fly.It can swim.It’s usually white.It eats fish and lives by the sea 6.Giraffe F It can swim in the sea and walk on the land It cannot fly It eats fish.It lives in very cold countries 7.Seagull G It looks like a horse.It lives in Africa It eats grass.It has got black and white stripes 8.Elephant H It has got fingers.Itcan climb trees.It is brown.It lives on nuts and fruit.It lives in Africa and Asia Step 3: Organise the game -After finishing the game, the teacher feedbacks and gives correct answers 1.H 2.F 3.B 4.C 5.G 6.D 7.E 8.A -Declare which team is the winner and give the participants two prepared packets of candies as a prize - Lead to the new lesson: “Today,we’ll study the importance of wildlife and which animals are in danger and the need to protect them.” Example English 10: Unit 7- THE MASS MEDIA Part B- Speaking [7] *Name of the activity: Crossword *This activity is used in the middle of the lesson as a task 11 *Language aim: The activity can create a positive atmosphere for word study about TV progams and improve group work ability DIRECTIONS Step 1: Things to prepare - Handouts with a crossword which has 10 horizontal and one vertical line.The word in the the vertical line is made up of 10 letters in the the 10 horizontal lines -Information and definition of the words in the horizontal line - Two packets of Candies as prizes for the winners Step 2: How to organize - Arrange students to work in small groups of menbers - Give each group a handout and tell them to work together in their groups to complete the crossword - The time limit for the game is mn -The first group to finish with more correct answers within the least time wil be the winner Here is a crossword 10 Here are information and definitions of the crossword The program in which people come and discuss various topics A person who watches TV Transmitted directly to audiences at the time of the performance rather than being recorded A short film of adverts A motion picture film You should watch this program if you want to get advice on house to dress well You can get football results from this program 12 10 You can request songs through this program This program makes you laugh This program updates you with current affairs that happening domestically and internationnal Step 3: Have the class participate in the activity -After finishing the game, the teacher feedbacks and gives correct answers Expected crossword V M M S R U C S F P O A O M I M O H T T E L E V I S A W I R I O L E V C E N K R E I S S C 10 I O N C M E E W D S H A O W L Y S a vertical line “ TELEVISION” -Declare which group is the winner and give its participants the prepared gift as a prize - Lead to task 4/p56: “ we have known about the the programs of one of the mass medias and now we’ll practice speaking about the uses of information technology 2.3.2 Presentations Why I get students to presentations?Almost everyone agrees that presentations are a great way to help the presenter: learn how to prepare material for public presentation, ● improve their speaking skills ● build confidence ● practise all language systems areas (vocabulary, grammar, discourse and phonology) and skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening) ● structure and express their ideas clearly ● 13 To be successful in any walk of life, a person should have good communication and presentation skills which will need in the world of work in the future In this part, I would like to give you a few types of presentations of my classroom and how to conduct the activitie so that the students can prepare and deliver their presentations Example : English 10: Unit 2- YOUR BODY AND YOU( pilot) Lesson 6- PROJECT [9] *Name of the activity: Presentations on topics of interest *This activity is used as a sum-up activity at the end of the unit *Language aim: The activity can create a positive atmosphere for speaking practice with vocabulary relating to our body , our habit and modern medicine through group discussion DIRECTIONS -Have students work individually,in pairs or in groups of 5- 10 -Then, tell them to choose a topic of their interest relating to our body,our habit and modern medicine and prepare a two-minute personal talk ,four minutes for a group of and a ten- minute one for a group of or 10 people -Call on the individual or the pair or the group to present his/her talk to the rest of the class.For small groups,ask them to take turns to present their talks,and the others will make polite interuptions for clarification or explaination -Invite class opinions and comments -Give feedback and comments Note: If necessary,encourage students to prepare illustrations to help them with their presentation and let them hold their prepared words on papers in their hands for reference in case they can forget preparations during performance in front of the class Here are some images of my students’performances at class Work in groups Topic: “The names of the systerms and their functions.” 14 Work in pairs Topic: Habits are bad for your health Work in individuals Topic: Habits are good for your health Peer feedbacks and comments 15 2.3.3.Watching videos/clips One of the biggest advantages of using videos/clips in class is its ability to motivate students Well chosen videos /clips with authentic content can be fun, motivating and educational –.I mean that the teacher should search for clips that has a similar content with the topic of the lesson.In addition,the language used in the clip should not be too hard for the students’ imput.Another important thing to be taken into consideration when searching for a clip to show in class is that the teacher is expected to make sure there is no offensive “language” or anything inappropriate for Vietnamese high school students Once the teacher has found the appropriate clip to show in front of the class,he or she should decide the right time to this-whether before the lesson as a warm-up activity,in the middle of the lesson as a listening task,or as a sum-up activity at the end of each unit.This depends as whether the teacher wants to use the clip as a catchy introduction to a new lesson,as a part clarifying an important point in a lesson,or as a wrap-up for a lesson In addition,since it’s a known fact that the allocated time for each unit in the textbook is a pressure for both teacher and students,it should be up to the teacher in charge tot decide when and how to include video clips in her/his teaching Here is an example of one the lessons I teach using clips as visual aids Example 1: English 10: Unit - SPECIAL EDUCATION Part A: Reading [7] *Name of activity: Watching videos/ clips *This activity is used before the lesson as a warm-up activity 16 *Language aim: The activity can create a positive atmosphere for brainstorming ideas relating to special education DIRECTIONS -Search for a clip that has a similar content with the topic of the lesson “special education” Before showing the clip to the class,the teacher writes a few questions on the blackboard: 1.What is special about this dancer? 2.How old was he when he started tap dancing? 3.What did we learn from this dancer? -Show the clip for the first time Here are some photos with the Video I use the lesson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC8eHLN4DyQ [6] -After showing the clip for the first time,the teacher writes some key new words on the board to help the students understand the clip better New words -tumor(n) -amputate(v) -After the students have understood the clip and are able to answer all the given questions,the teacher can lead in the topic of the unit which is teaching children with special needs SPECIAL EDUCATION Example : English 11: Unit 15- SPACE CONQUEST Part C-Listening [8] *Name of activity: Watching clips *This activity is used before the lesson as a warm-up activity *Language aim: The activity can create a positive atmosphere for brainstorming ideas relating to space conquest DIRECTIONS 17 - Search for a clip that has a similar content with the topic of the lesson “space conquest ” Many students don’t know much about the subject – first moon conquest So, in this lesson, the teacher can have students watch a Video which shows the first steps of humain beings in conquering the Moon Thanks to this video, students can understand the important details in that historic moment and they will pay more attention to “while-listening” Here are some photos with the Video I provide my students with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCt1BwWE2gA [6] ->The video created a positive atmosphere to listen the passage and help students imagine the contents of the listening text 2.4 Research achievement “Ways to get students excited about learning English” has become rather effective for my students, who are generally showing their boredom with learning English After applying these activities to the lessons, my students are more interested in English lessons and work more effectively Real numbers are shown by the two following tables The result before applying the inititive Grade 10C1 10C2 Total students 31 33 very like number % 3.2 0 like Number % 9.7 normal number % 10 32 12 36 dislike number % 17 55.1 19 58 18 10C3 10C5 11B8 36 41 34 2 5.5 4.9 11 7.3 2.9 20 15 55 36.6 20.6 10 21 26 28.5 51.2 76.5 The result after applying the inititive very like like normal dislike Grade Total students number % number % number % number % 10C1 31 17 55.1 10 32 9.7 3.2 10C2 33 19 58 12 36 0 10C3 36 10 28.5 20 55 11 5.5 10C5 41 21 51.2 15 36.6 7.3 4.9 11B8 34 26 76.5 20.6 2.9 0 As can be seen from the tables, the number of students that are interested in English increases considerably while the ones who lack excitement about this subject decrease dramatically It means that “Ways to get students excited about learning English” are very helpful to the teacher as well as students in both teaching and learning the language 3.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 3.1 Conclusion I agree with what D Blocher means: “ If you want to master English, get involved and practise as much as possible.” [10] In fact,language games,videos/clips and presentations give practice in all the skills (listening, speaking, writing and reading) and in all the stages of teaching and learning that occur in a lesson (introduction, repetition, etc.) But one of the main reasons to use them in foreign language lessons is that they are very enjoyable for both teacher and students Games and entertainment activities in a foreign language lesson are very successful due to the fact that the process of learning becomes more active, encouraging students and involving them in the class to sustain their interest and work, and, therefore, making retention to improve enormously However, it is not easy to get fluency in the second language It is a long and hard process I hope my idea “Ways to get students excited about learning English ” can help partly the students as well as and the other teachers in their teaching and learning English process Because I can not avoid some mistakes in my writing, your opinions will be useful for me to perfect it 3.2 Recommendation 19 To confirm what have been written above and my ideas about “Ways to get students excited about learning English”, I conclude with these ideas: Firstly to the students, they should spend much more time at home on acquiring knowledge concerning topics and enrich their vocabulary regularly Secondly to the teachers, they should be thoughtful and flexible enough when using games and activities as a teaching aid to raise students’engagement and excitement in each lesson Thirdly to high schools, they should be equiped with modern devices such as projector, audiovisual room ect Finally, Department of Education and Training should provide high schools with more educational equipment such as tapes, interactional pictures ect I would like to thank The confirmation of the principle Thanh Hoa, May 20th 2019 I promise not to have copied Lại Thị Mai REFERENCES [1] Article 28 of the education law [2] Dornyei (2001) 20 [3] “ Six games for the ESL/EFL Classroom” written by Aydan Ersoz [4] Khan J,1996 [5] Pictures on the Internet [6] Clips on youtube [7] Texbook English 10(Basic) - Viet Nam Education Publisher [8] Texbook English 11(Basic) - Viet Nam Education Publisher [9] Texbook English 10(Pilot-2017) - Viet Nam Education Publisher [10] An article “19 motivation quotes to keep you learning english” on the Internet 21 ... about Ways to get students excited about learning English , I conclude with these ideas: Firstly to the students, they should spend much more time at home on acquiring knowledge concerning topics... However, it is not easy to get fluency in the second language It is a long and hard process I hope my idea Ways to get students excited about learning English ” can help partly the students as well... lessons with the objective of involving students' more participation 2.3 Ways to get students excited about learning English 2.3.1.Games-based learning Learning requires constant effort and that