Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm: Developing 11th grade students’ oral presentation skill through project – based learning: A case at a mountainous high school

Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English has become an international communicative language in the world It has been used widely in many different fields such as economics, politics, culture, science, technology, education and tourism It can’t be denied that English is one of the most important means of communication Therefore, teaching and learning English is more and more essensial In Vietnam, English has become a compulsory subject in the syllabus of many schools, colleges and universities It has been taught and learnt throughout the country However, the fact is that the speaking English skill has not been effective yet, especially oral presentation Students graduating from high school or even from university are unable to “speak” English, because we have not given them enough practice in speaking English Most of the students not find speaking a rewarding task We cannot learn speaking by observation Speaking is the most difficult in the four skills Reading, listening and writing can be learning with a teacher or on one’s own, with books However, speaking requires immediate comprehension and real time reaction I think that the way of teaching by oral presentation will motivate student and encourage them to practice English in the classroom At Doluong high school, many students are not interested in speaking lessons as well as they can not speak English well after leaving school even though they have learnt English for a long time Moreover, the teachers of English find it difficult to encourage their students to make oral presentation in the process of teaching speaking skill To meet the demand of learners of English, teachers of English in Do luong have been trying to find out the most suitable and effective method of teaching English They have always tried to catch up with the world’s latest frameworks of English Language Teaching As in other schools, teachers of English in Do luong are now approaching project based learning to teach English to students They hope to provide students with a means of communication, namely English which is vital for them to be successful in their job and to fulfill their social demands in the time of globalization Therefore, it is really essential to know whether the project based learning has the good effects on teaching oral presentation skill to the 11th graders of Do luong High school With the aim to access the method on teaching oral presentation through the Project based learning, I would like to choose the topic “Developing 11th grade students’ oral presentation skill through project-based learning: A case at a mountainous high school” to find out the answer, and further, to help improve the teaching of oral presentation at my school In this study, I would like to speak about developing students’ oral presentation through Project based learning in English language classrooms and its impact in speaking skill I think that the use of oral presentations in EFL classroom is important because of its positive impact on students’ proficiency level Some students not like to speak in the classroom In addition, they not have the opportunity to speak this language outside So if student not practice English in the classroom, may be they speak it never I know that I cannot learn to speak any language with observation Therefore, I put forward that the use of students’ oral presentation may develop students’ speaking level When we have students give an oral presentation in front of class is one technique to improve students’ oral proficiency Teachers can use oral presentation as a technical way to deal with students’ problems in speaking Oral presentation activities provide an excellent opportunity for the learners to develop this skill, speaking several minutes in a structured way, delivering into various aspects of a single topic 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study This study has been designed to investigate the use of oral presentation in English classes for the 11th students at Do luong upper secondary school In general, it has two purposes Firstly, it aims at finding students’ attitudes towards the use of oral presentations in the classroom Secondly, it is to investigate the impacts of oral presentations through project based learning on the students’ performance in English lessons Finally, it is to provide the teachers with some suggestions to make best use of oral presentations in their teaching with a view to better their students’ speaking skill Our objective is to show how project based leaning can help students enough practice to develop oral presentation skill in speaking English language 1.3 Scope of the study Although there are many different ways to motivate students to learn English, all these issues cannot be fully covered in this paper Due to the limited time and the length of the thesis, I focus on exploiting students’ attitudes toward the use of PBL and its effectiveness in teaching the oral presentation skill The subjects of the study include forty 11th graders at Do Luong high school 1.4 Significance of the study The main goal of study is how to make student perform well in classroom, by preparing activities where they will speak as much as possible We will focus on the use and effectiveness of the project based learning during the courses, and how will facilitate the students’ oral presentation skill This study is important to give the teacher some ideas for how to deal with students who not want to practice in classroom The use of oral presentation can help students of English language for being able to speak it, because in our universities we rarely learn how to speak Oral presentation in EFL classes give students a confidence to speak in public and help them in enhancing their proficiency Moreover, this study is important for both teachers and students’ Oral presentation can be an enjoyable activity for them It gives a break away from textbooks 1.5 Research Questions This study attempts to answer the following questions: What are the attitudes of 11th graders towards the use of Project-Based Learning? Does Project-Based Learning help 11th graders to develop their oral presentation skill ? If so, to what extent? 1.6 Design of the study The study contains four chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter presents the rationale, objectives, research questions, scope and organization of the study Chapter 2: Literature review This chapter introduces a historical overview of the literature The first is about oral presentation The next is about project based learning The final is the application of PBL in teaching oral presentation Chapter 3: Methodology The subjects of the study were 40 eleventh grade students who were chosen randomly from Do Luong upper secondary school during the school year 2017-2018 Three instruments were used to collect data for the study: An oral performance test (debate), an oral attitudes survey and a rating scale Additionally, this chapter will present the author’s suggestions on mentioned problems and summarize all the main points raised in the paper, the limitations of the study and some suggestions for further studies Chapter : Findings and discussions This part shows major findings and discussions and offers recommendations for motivating students to oral presentation through project based learning Chapter 5: Conclusion That is a summary of the study in which limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are presented Chapter LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Oral presentation 2.1.1 Definition of oral presentation Oral presentation is an extension of oral communication skill It is where the presenter shows their knowledge on a particular subject The participant might choose the title or the teachers give it to them In order to talk about it to their classmate after this the participant makes a small research to get more information about this topic The presenter is giving the most important information first, leaving the details for last According to Baker (2000, p 115) oral presentation is like a formal conversation, speaking to group as a natural activity Most of people spending hours of their daytime, speaking to others, however making an oral presentation that is a formal conversation, it is difficult task for them Oral presentation is part of spoken language The purpose of this practice is to communicate It is design to inform or persuade Oral presentation occurs in organizational setting and with limitation in time The audience is likely to be more specialized than those attending a typical speech event.” There are different between normal speech and oral presentation The later is a type of speech, but the former is more nature than oral presentation 2.1.2 Types of oral presentation 2.1.2.1 Informative oral presentation This type of presentation has a primary goal, which is to make the audience learning something new The speakers use in this type of presentation an informative speech The aim of informative presentation is to be communicating with the audiences and giving them much information in a limited time (Chivers, Shoolbred, 2007, p 5) Moreover, in this type of presentation the speakers use an informative speech to explain a concept, instruct the audience, demonstrate a process, or describe an event in an academic setting In addition, speakers may be choosing the topic by themselves (Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 5) In sum, the speaker’s aim of this presentation is to give the result of their research in informative way 2.1.2.2 Persuasive oral presentation Persuasive speech is to influence the audience in their thinking about a topic, which may be given or chosen According to Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 3) in this type of presentation, speakers need to have a strong content and present it in a clear way Baker (2000, p 76) states that persuasive has three elements, which are: * Logos In persuasive presentation, the topic needs to be logical Tacy (2008, p 9) claims that when speakers want to talk about their topic, they should organize the ideas from the more important point to less one Logos mean the speakers organize what they are going to say from the beginning to the end in a logic way * Character (ethos) Character or ethos is the speakers’ beliefs and personality Ethos means the one speak use their character to influence the audience * Passion (pathos) Pathos is the speaker’s use of their emotions It is the most important elements that speakers can use, to make the audience support their argument; also, pathos can make the audience change their opinions and take a positive action about the speakers’ topic They will have confidence in their performance and deal with any reaction 2.1.3 The benefits of using oral presentations in the language classroom Oral presentations have been shown to be extremely successful with respect to improving learners’ second language skills, and increasing their autonomy For example, Girard, Pinar and Trapp (2011) found that using oral presentations in their classroom lead to greater class interaction and participation, an increased interest in learning, and noticeable improvements in their students’ communication and presentation skills For most language teachers the five major benefits to use oral presentations in the classroom are:  They are student-centered  They require the use of all four language skills  They provide students with realistic language tasks  They have value outside the language classroom  They improve students’ motivation One of the main benefits of using presentations in the classroom is that oral presentations are student-centered When students are asked to give an oral presentation it is one of the few times in the language classroom that the students themselves have direct control of both the content and the flow of the classroom (Apple & Kikuchi, 2007) A properly scaffolded presentation can result in multiple opportunities for students to improve their English in a context in which the students themselves are acting as both teachers and learners Interactions between the presenters and the audience provide both sets of participants with numerous opportunities to practice their English abilities with other students in an authentic manner Oral presentations also provide students with a process-driven activity that requires them to use English, not just while they are giving the presentation itself, but also while they are preparing to present Another benefit of oral presentations is that they require students to use all four language skills; writing, reading, speaking, and listening Most teachers recognize the spoken component of presenting, as students are required to speak when giving their presentations If these students are given a simple task to during the presentation, or are expected to use the knowledge disseminated through the presentation for a specific purpose, this will allow practicing their listening skills and confirm their understanding by asking questions and interacting with the presenters (Thornbury, 2005, p 91) The final benefit of using oral presentations in the language classroom is that they can provide students with additional motivation to study English One of the joys of teaching a presentation class is seeing students gain confidence, self-esteem, and autonomy while they are working independently, or as a small group, to produce and give an effective presentation 2.1.4 Students’ common oral presentation problems Oral presentation is considered to be one of important skills of speaking, regarded as one of the most difficult skill to master for the majority of EFL students who are still incompetent to communicate orally in English As Loama (2004, p 1) states: “Speaking in a foreign language is very difficult and competence on speaking takes a long time to develop ˮ So, during the oral classes, learners encounter many obstacles that hinder their learning process of such a difficult skill Beside these linguistic factors such as: lack of vocabulary, mispronunciation, grammatical mistakes, the use of the mother tongue, students may face with psychological factors These problems are speech anxiety and group boredom Students often meet these factors as follows: 2.1.4.1 Linguistic factors 2.1.4.1.1 Lack of vocabulary The knowledge of vocabulary is the prior requirement that the students should have about the language they want to speak However, they face difficulty because their vocabulary is limited, so they are unable to communicate effectively in the target language Students find themselves uncomfortable when they intend to express their ideas in a clear manner It is due to the lack of vocabulary and limited knowledge Hence, this inadequate vocabulary affects the rate of their participation in oral activities and make them unable to share their ideas with others in a comfortable manner 2.1.4.1.2 Pronunciation mistakes They are defined by Kelly (2000, p 11) as: “A consideration of learners’ pronunciation errors and of how these can inhibit successful communication is a useful basis on which to assess why it is important to deal with pronunciation in the classroom.” Besides the learners’ problems in vocabulary, there is a noticeable problem which is mispronunciation of words, which leads to problems in reception or comprehension of an utterance’s meaning; consequently, reduce their oral participation Pronunciation is the most significant skill in foreign language learning since it helps EFL learner to be more competent in communication Furthermore, the level of pronunciation proficiency represents the main criteria that EFL students can be judged on and assessed Hence, they must practice the correct pronunciation forms and be aware of the various rules of sounds as stress, intonation …etc Morley (1991, p 488) emphasizes the importance of pronunciation in speaking proficiency: “intelligible pronunciation is an essential component of communication competence ˮ Therefore, mispronunciation is a serious problem to overcome that non-native English speakers face when they try to reach a high level of fluency So, pronunciation mistakes are one of the main factors that hinder the students’ freedom in classroom interaction 2.1.4.1.3 Grammar mistakes: Grammar is an essential element of a language, According to Harmer (2001, p 12) grammar is defined as: The grammar of a language is the description of the ways in which words can change their forms and can be combined into sentences in that language if grammar rules are too carelessly violated, communication may suffer […,] creating a good grammar rule is extremely difficult Linguists investigating Native-speaker speech …, over the years, devised various different systems to describe how the language works One of the most important aspects of being skillful in oral production is possessing grammar knowledge; Therefore, inappropriate grammar leads to misunderstanding in communication Moreover, EFL learners often prefer to keep silent rather than producing ungrammatical structures because they are afraid of being ridiculed in front their teachers and classmates Therefore, a grammatical mistake is one of the linguistic obstacles that prevent EFL learners’ participation 2.1.4.1.4 The use of the mother tongue It is obvious that EFL learners often use the mother tongue inside and outside classrooms because they are less exposed to the target language and feel demotivated to communicate Students tend to borrow words from their native language when they fail in expressing their thoughts in the foreign language due to the lack of vocabulary in this language According to Baker and Westrup (2003, p 12): “Barriers to learning can occur if students knowingly or unknowingly transfer the cultural rules from their mother tongue to a foreign languageˮ Therefore, the use of mother tongue lessens the students’ speaking capacity and leads to breakdown of communication in the classroom In addition, they will find it difficult to use the target language accurately if they keep on borrowing words from their native language which is caused by the lack of foreign language vocabulary 2.1.4.2 Psychological factors 2.1.4.2.1 Speech anxiety During the oral presentation, psychological sources were also held responsible for language learners’ high as well as low levels of apprehension There are various psychological variables that make EFL learners anxious in setting where they are required to speak English, to oral presentation Impact of speech anxiety makes language learners frightened and shakes their confidence which results in avoidance and withdrawal from speaking activities especially oral presentation in EFL classes One of the high apprehensive subjects of this study revealed in response to the question of influence on anxiety on his language, “Due to fear I cannot speak well, otherwise when I am alone, I really make good dialogues I think in English alone I think the main reason of my poor English is my confidence, my confidence level is very low I can’t speak in front of others even if I know the answer” “I am teaching tuition to my brother, I speak better English, I feel very confident at that time But in front of teacher and the classmate I forgot every thing” Both the statements of subjects who experience high anxiety clearly show that anxiety cast negative influence on learners’ productive skills and EFL teachers need to consider this multi-faced phenomenon 2.1.4.2.2 Group boredom Some EFL presenters have problem with memorizing information with English so they try to get it by heart By this way, the audience will feel bored when they have to listen to what the speaker said it is look like that they are reading their information “word for- word” from what the memorizing (King, 2002, p 405) Group boredom also results from listening to memorized speeches A total dependence on memorization is the pattern followed by most EFL presenters who usually have trouble adapting information to spoken English for the audience The audience feels bored when they have to listen to a tedious reading or word-for-word memorized speech from a presenter who reads rapidly and monotonously, losing command of their voice, tone, and pacing When the audience cannot follow the presentation, their attention drifts and they lose interest This makes the speaker feel less confident One can say that, students’ problems with oral presentations should take in consideration Find a solution of this problem is the rule of booth teachers and students 2.1.5 Strategies for teaching oral presentation Many students not find oral presentation an enjoyable activity They are afraid when teachers ask them to prepare an oral presentation According to Chivers and Shoolbred (2007, p 31), “Many students feel highly nervous about undertaking class presentation.” Moreover, students have a fear from give an oral presentation because they have not experience In addition, some of them not have a confidence in their abilities (King, 2002, p 406) When students have been asked about what a good presentation is, they have related it to a clear speech, correct language and when the audience get the main idea Therefore, it is important to teach students how to make an oral presentation 10 Elocution: Elocution is explained as an “art of articulation” Articulation is explained as the right production of a sound or sounds in a word, while at the same time using the appropriate diction and voice Elocution consists of perfecting one’s skills in oral presentation The research indicates that the whole group did not show the same average of development Twenty four students did not change their levels: Eight students were still at level and twelve students were at level without evident development Two students improved from level to level Five students improved from level to level Eight students improved from level to level This data shows clearly that students made so much progress in using perfectly skills to make oral presentation Oral presentation that is effective is the use of verbally using the correct language structure and grammar, like semantics, syntax and the correct pronunciation In addition, presenter must not only be able to use the language in a sophisticated way, but also be able to maintain and capture their audience’s attention for the entire performance This means the individual will need to have an understanding of body language and the power of the voice Level First presentation 17 16 Second presentation 12 15 11 Number of Sts Table 1.5: Elocution in oral presentation Number of sts Figure 1.5: Elocution in oral presentation 45 C Content Subject knowledge: Having a sound knowledge of your subject area is a vital when it comes to delivering a successful oral presentation Through the projects, the whole group showed clear development Three students improved from level to level Twelve students improved from level to level Twelve students improved from level to level Thirdteen students improved from level to level Good knowledge of the subject means that the ability to inform your audience and engage them in discussion should lead to you experiencing no embarrassing 'thinking' silences A 'thinking' silence, or mind blank, can dent your confidence and have a dramatic knock-on effect to other aspects of your presentation, namely eye contact, voice and body language In contrast, having a comprehensive knowledge of the subject area should mean the opposite i.e your eye contact, voice and body language confirm that you have done sufficient research and have the knowledge required to fulfil the projects And, of course, a good knowledge of the subject will mean questions will be easier to answer Level First presentation 20 13 Second presentation 13 24 Number of Sts Table 1.6: Subject knowledge in oral presentation Number of sts Figure 1.6: Subject knowledge in oral presentation Organization: Organization is the most essential aspect of oral presentation It clarifies your 46 argument and helps the audience remember what you say It also helps you, the speaker, easily manage the delivery of your presentation so that you can gracefully adjust to unforeseen developments The data below of the group showed clear development of students’ organization Four students improved from level to level Thirdteen students improved from level to level Nine students improved from level to level Eight students improved from level to level The structure is not intended as a template, but rather is an explanation of how each element of one thoughtful design helps a speaker communicate ideas to an audience There is an infinite number of ways to arrange ideas, and students are encouraged to experiment with structures until they find a clear and compelling way to organize your presentation Level First presentation 25 Second presentation 17 19 Number of Sts Table 1.7: Organization in oral presentation Number of sts Figure 1.7: Organization in oral presentation Mechanics: Language mechanics incorporate the proper use of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and other factors deemed necessary for high-quality captioned media Rules included in these guidelines are primarily those which are unique to captioning and speech-to-text For conventional words, dictionaries and style guides must 47 be followed Proper names, technical terms, and specialized language must be verified though specialty references or directly from an authoritative source And in this research, mechanics of the whole group showed clear development Twelve students improved from level to level Ten students improved from level to level Eight students improved from level to level Level First presentation 15 14 Second presentation 22 11 Number of Sts Table 1.8: Mechanics in oral presentation Number of sts Figure 1.8: Mechanics in oral presentation Although the results showed great development of oral presentation skills, some factors hindered more development The first factor was limited time allowed to carry out our project and achieving our goals Students have to study nine units, three preview units and four chapters They need 16 weeks to finish their main school course books Surprisingly, the available time to finish this is nearly 15 weeks only The lessons of the units are full of exercises which leave no more time to activities For example, unit ten lesson one there seven different exercises in addition to warm up in only 50 minutes It means minutes to explain each exercise, giving students time to answer and discuss, check in pairs and check answers with the whole group Both teachers and students are too overloaded to anything more except doing the book exercises Students would better if they had a checklist to evaluate themselves and to decide what they need to improve to have better evaluation Finally, analysis of the oral communication skills rubric asserts the fact that students achieved great development in oral communication skills as most of them reached levels and four at content skills Students present 48 information in logical, interesting sequence which audience can follow Presentation has fewer grammatical errors As for nonverbal skills, students showed great development in using eye contact, body language and poise; many students reached level and They achieved this because of practice and training They liked and enjoyed learning them very much They felt more confident They said that they are more able to covey their message As for verbal skills, students improved their levels at showing enthusiasm for the subject they speak about Students did not achieve the same average of development with elocution The whole group did not show the same average of development Twelve students did not change their levels Six students were still at level and students were at level without evident development A student improved from level to level Three students improved from level to level Four students improved from level to level On the contrary, the presentation group showed quite change A student improved from level to level Two students improved from level to level Four students improved from level to level 4, but four students were still at level without change They experienced the necessity to integrate the English four skills They now seek for the way to improve their language as one unit not only reading and writing Based on the results and discussion, the following actions are suggested • Oral presentation should be considered in the final evaluation Students can be tested by three or four teachers according to a rubric Authentic or performance assessment is highly recommended for assessing deep and real learning • Teachers should prepare their students for the exam by doing presentation projects throughout the school year • Teachers should be trained to use PBL • Although there are specified periods for both listening and speaking, they are neglected These periods should be taught in the light of the oral communication skills rubric the student will be tested according it later • Both teachers and students should use modern technology (computer, smart board, tablets and mobile phones) to listen to native English speakers and to improve oral communication skills especially pronunciation skills • Course books editors should afford some of the period's time for teachers to prepare some exercises related to his/her students' levels By this, a teacher can correct their errors and improve their weakness 49 Chapter CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary of major findings The investigation carried out thought this study has attempted to confirm the hypothesis: if students so much presentations in oral expression through Project based Learning within classroom then, their oral presentation skill will improve Our research mainly examined the 11th grade students’ attitudes towards The PBL and the use of the PBL to develop students’ oral presentations In the theoretical study, we had looked two different variables: oral presentations, and the PBL, we highlighted first the importance of students’ oral presentations in teaching English In addition, we focused on the PBL as essential for mastering any language To examine those theoretical beliefs, we have conducted three types of data gathering tools, questionnaires has been administrated to the 11th grade students at Do Luong upper secondary school, students’ oral performance and classroom observation Based on the data obtained from questionnaire, observation, we resulted the following: students and teachers were actually have a highly positive attitudes in their beliefs about benefits and usefulness of doing oral presentations In particular, they did agree that doing oral presentations through the PBL helps to learn English better and practice speaking skill Although, many students believed that making oral presentations was easy to them, some others found it difficult In addition, we notice that the majority of the 11 th grade students have many problems that prevented them to give an oral presentation and improved their proficiency level First, students need to build a self-confidence and selfesteem in their abilities, they need to improve their pronunciation by learn how to pronounce the phonetic symbols correctly In addition, fear of making mistakes and fear of public speaking are observable Secondly, students did not know how to prepare an effective oral presentation, what steps are included in presenting topics, and how to use visual aids Thirdly, students need to improve the use of body language including facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact Finally, yet importantly teachers need to give more feedback to some aspects of students’ oral presentations such as: grammatical mistakes, pronunciation mistakes and how to organize the content of presentation Moreover, the observation checklists show that students did not be willing to ask 50 questions after presentations; they have just listened and avoiding asked questions or given comments Research results show that doing an oral presentation through the PBL is an effective activity and students have positive attitudes towards using it as a learning activity Therefore, based on the findings teachers’ and students’ responses, we hope that the suggestions and recommendations proposed in this work will be helpful and useful for raising teachers’ awareness about the importance of students’ oral presentation through the PBL as a speaking activity with their EFL classes - Students should make a clear outline of their presentation before delivering it They should practice a lot at home before coming to class - Students make a lot of grammatical mistakes and pronunciation ones; we suggest that teacher can give his/ her students activities to help them improve their linguistic skill - Students should check words’ phonetic spelling before deliver their presentation - Teacher should try to deal with students’ fear of making mistakes by encourage them to speak This will lead them build a self-confidence in their speaking In addition, when students have confidence in their abilities, they will not be afraid to speak in public - Students’ actually not know how to use body language (eyes contact, gestures, and facial expression) which is necessary for an effective talk Therefore, the teacher can help his/ her students to improving these aspects of performance by giving them more practice - It is important for teacher to teach his/ her students how to be a good audience member, how to respond to the speaker by encourage them to ask questions and give comments - Assessment of oral presentation can be present a challenges in students’ production - Teacher should leave space for questions and comments - Teacher can encourage his/ her students to practice and motivate them to speak in order to avoid their fear of making mistakes - Teacher can try to establish a supportive environment for his/ her students To conclude, oral presentations through the PBL are very useful for students’ English learning; this approach can apply to the students of all levels to help them improve their presentation skills Students’ oral presentation if well prepared, organized, 51 and delivered will give students’ confidence to speak in public and will be beneficial to them in their future work 5.2 Limitations of the study Although the research has offered some helpful findings, it has also shown some unavoidable mistakes due to the researcher’s limitation of experience and knowledge Firstly, the study aims to investigate the students’ attitudes toward PBL and the effectiveness of using PBL in teaching and learning oral presentation skill for 11th graders at Do Luong high school, but the participants of the survey were limited So the results may not reflect fully the whole situation of learning and teaching oral presentation skill Secondly, the questionnaires may not cover all used by teachers, which leads to less reliable results Then, the results of research only collected and analyzed from questionnaires, class observation and it is absent of discussion which might be incomplete Finally, this study only focuses on the teaching of English oral presentation skill to the students at Do luong high school, the author does not have more chance to deal with other three skills in language teaching: Listening, Reading and Writing In spite of the unavoidable limitation, the author believes that this study will be beneficial to the teaching of English oral presentation skill to the students of the 11th grade in particular and all students at Do luong high school in general 5.3 Suggestions for further studies This study only focuses on problems encountered in teaching of English oral presentation skill to the students of the 11th grade at Do luong high School and suggests some communicative activities in order to motivate students to speak English The study only mentions a small theme related to the teaching and learning of oral presentation skill There are some suggestions for further researches at Do luong high school in particular as well as at other high schools in general: Firstly, there should be more researches into designing communicative activities that help both teachers and students have more advantages in applying and practising them more effectively Secondly, oral presentation is a technique of speaking Both speaking and listening are crucial skills that the learners need to marster well to take part in communication 52 There should be a study on problems encountered and solutions in teaching listening skill at upper secondary school Finally, the researcher also hopes to have more chances to cooperate with other colleagues to combine and compile some more supplementary materials that are useful for students when dealing with projects in oral presentation In summary, the author hopes that the further studies will overcome all the existing limitations of this study and help to improve the quality of English teaching and learning at Do Luong high schools in particular and at other schools in Nghe An province in general 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Arlington, VA: Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) APPENDICES Appendix A: Students’ Questionnaire The purpose of this questionaire is to provide information for my research entitled “ Developing 11th grade students’ oral presentation skill through project based learning: a case at a mountainous high school” Your assistance in completing the items is greatly appreciated I guarantee that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data * Please tick (√) where appropriate or write briefly where necessary 1- Are you satisfied with using PBL to teach English ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 2- Do you feel that you are able to use PBL strategy to make oral presentation inside classroom ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 3- Do you feel motivated after using PBL inside your classroom ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 4- Did using PBL strategy help you to collect information in new and different ways rather than usual and traditional ones ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 5- Did using PBL strategy help you to use information in new and different ways rather than usual and traditional ones ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 6- Do you feel that using PBL helps you overcome the fear of making mistakes ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 7- Do you want to include your project in your monthly evaluation ? A agree B partly agree C disagree 8- Do you want to use PBL strategy to learn other subjects ? A agree B partly agree C disagree Appendix B: Oral Presentation Rubric Oral Presentation Rubric LEVEL NONVERBAL SKILLS Holds attention Consistent use Displayed EYE of eye minimal eye contact with CONTACT audience entire of direct with contact but audience, entire report contact, still returns to while reading is read from seldom looking notes mostly from notes at notes the notes Movements Made Very BODY seem fluid and movements LANGUAGE help POISE eye with contact with audience, as the use of direct audience, eye No or movement or movement the gestures that descriptive audience enhances visualize articulation Student Makes displays mistakes, relaxed, little No gestures or descriptive gestures minor Displays mild Tension and but tension; self- quickly trouble confident nature recovers from recovering has nervousness is obvious; has trouble about self, with them; displays from recovering no mistakes or from little no mistakes tension mistakes VERBAL SKILLS Demonstrates a Occasionally ENTHUSIASM Shows some Shows strong, positive shows positive negativity feeling topic about feelings during topic about toward topic no presented entire absolutely in interest topic presented presentation Student uses a Student’s voice Student’s ELOCUTION Student clear voice and is clear Student voice is low mumbles, correct, precise pronounces pronunciation most Student incorrectly words incorrectly pronounces of terms so that correctly Most pronounces terms, and all speaks too audience audience members terms can members can Audience quietly for a hear hear members majority of presentation presentation have students difficulty hear to hearing presentation CONTENT Student Student SUBJECT demonstrates ease KNOWLEDGE full knowledge expected by is at Student is Student does with uncomfortabl e not with grasp answering answers to all information class questions, and is able to student questions with without answer elaboration and elaboration of information; all explanations have only cannot rudimentary answer questions questions about subject Student Student Audience has Audience ORGANIZATI presents presents difficulty ON information in information in following logical, logical interesting sequence which because sequence which audience audience can follow presentation cannot understand presentation because can student jumps there is no around sequence of follow information Presentation has Presentation has Presentation Student’s MECHANICS no misspellings no more than has three presentation or grammatical two misspellings has four or errors misspellings and/or more and/or grammatical spelling grammatical errors and/or errors grammatical errors ... between normal speech and oral presentation The later is a type of speech, but the former is more nature than oral presentation 2.1.2 Types of oral presentation 2.1.2.1 Informative oral presentation. .. the actual situation and thereby to clarify that the use of project based Learning can develop their oral presentation skill In addition, oral presentation is one of the best and appropriate... data gathering tools, questionnaires has been administrated to the 11th grade students at Do Luong upper secondary school, students’ oral performance and classroom observation Based on the data