A study of instructions for group work in 2nd year non english major classrooms at thai nguyen university

Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies Faculty of Post Graduate Studies Nguyễn Thị Hiền Hạnh A study of instructions for group work in 2nd year non English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University (Nghiên cứu việc hướng dẫn hoạt động nhóm lớp khơng chun tiếng Anh năm thứ hai Đại học Thái Nguyên ) Thesis Summary Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Phạm Minh Hiền, M.A Hanoi, August 2010 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TNU: Thai Nguyen University CLT: Communicative Language Teaching LIST OF TABLES Table Teacher’s profiles (Total number of teacher: 9) Table 2: The organization and content of the teachers’ instructions Table 3:The language used for the instructions Table 4: Physical expressions for the instructions Table 5: Students’ opinions on the purpose of using group work in their class Table 6: Students’ opinions on types of group activities they like most Table 7: Reasons for effective instructions Table 8: Favorite ways of forming group work Table 9: Students’ difficulties when following teachers’ instructions v TABLE OF CONTENTS Candidate’s statement Acknowledgements Abstract List of abbreviations, tables, figures Table of contents PART ONE: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………….…… 1 Rationales of the study……………………………………………… …………………………1 Aims and significance of the study ………………………………… ………………………2 Scope of the study……………………………………………………… …….…………………3 Research questions…………………………………………………… ……….……………… Methods of the study……………………………………….………….………………….………4 Design of the study………………………………………….………….……….……………… PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT………………………….………….……….……………… CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………….………….……….……… I.1 Communicative language teaching…………………………… …… ……………………6 I.1.1 An overview of communicative language teaching………………………… I.1.2 Communicative activities………………………………………………………….…10 I.2 Group work in communicative language teaching ………………………………… 11 I.2.1 Concept of group work…………………………………………………… …… …11 I.2.2 Advantages of group work ……………………………………………… ….12 I.2.3 General strategies for a successful group work…………………………… 17 I.2.4 Factors affecting the success of group work…………………………….… 19 I.2.5 Teacher’s roles in group work…………………………………………… ….20 I.3 Teacher’s instructions for a successful group work………………………… ……22 I.3.1 Teacher’s instructions and its relation to teacher talk………………… … 22 I.3.2 The definition of teacher’s instructions for group work……………… … 23 I.3.3 The importance of instructions in organizing group work…………… … 24 I.3.4 Principles of giving instructions to group work………………………… ….25 vi CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY II.1 The informants ……………………………………………………………… ….…27 II.1.1 The teachers…………………………………………………………… ….….27 II.1.2 The students…………………………………………………………………………….27 II.2 Data collection instruments………………………………………………………… … 27 II.2.1 Questionnaires…………………………………………………………………… ….28 II.2.2 Classroom observations……………………………………….…………………… 29 II.2.3 Interviews ……………………………………………………………… ……29 II.3 The current situation of English teaching and learning at TNU…………… ……29 CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS III.1 Result analysis…………………………………………………………………… 31 III.1.1 Classroom observations ……………………………………………… ……31 III.1.1.1 The organization and content of the teachers’ instructions… ……31 III.1.1.2 The language used for the instructions……………………… …….33 III.1.1.3 Physical expressions for the instructions………………… … …… 35 III.1.1.4 Observation of the nine classrooms in details…………… ….….36 III.1.2 Students’ surveys………………………………………………… ……… 49 III.1.2.1 Students’ opinions on the purpose of using group work in their class….…49 III.1.2.2 Students’ preference for group activities…………………………….50 III.1.2.3 Reasons for the effectiveness of teacher’s instructions………… ….51 III.1.2.4 Teacher’s most favourite group form………………………….…… 55 III.1.2.5 Difficulties students have experienced when following teacher’s instructions…………………………………………………….… 56 III.1.3 Teachers’ interviews……………………………………………….…… 60 III.1.3.1 Teachers’ satisfaction on the lessons observed……………………….61 III.1.3.2 Teachers’ views on the success and failure of the instructions and their plan for improvement……………………………… ………… …62 III.2 Discussion on the results…………………………… ……………………………64 III.2.1 How instructions are used for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at TNU? …………………………… ………………………… 64 vii III.2.2 What facilitates and hinders the teachers when giving instructions for group work …………………………… …………………………… …… 65 III.3 Cause analysis for the results of the study…………………………… ………….66 III.3.1 Cultural background…………………………… ………………………….66 III.3.2 Class size…………………………… ……………………………………….67 III.3.3 Factors concerned with learners…………………………… …………… 68 III.3.4 The limited teaching time…………………………… …………………….68 III.3.5 Teacher’s awareness toward instructions for group work……………… 69 III.4 Recommendations…………………………… ………………………………… 70 III.4.1 Recommendations to the teachers…………………………… ………… 70 III.4.1.1 Design and select appropriate activities…………………………….70 III.4.1.2 Suggested group activities with improved instructions……………71 III.4.1.3 Rehearse instructions before applying in the classrooms………….73 III.4.1.4 Give instructions flexibly…………………………… …………… 74 III.4.1.5 Train students group work skills……………………………………74 III.4.1.6 Self train to be effective instruction providers…………………… 75 III.4.1.7 Improve body language …………………………………… …….75 III.4.2 Recommendations to the students……………………………………… 76 III.4.2.1 Be attentive in class……………………………………………… 76 III.4.2.2 Be cooperative with the teacher…………………………………… 77 PART THREE: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………78 Summary of the study……………………………………………………………78 Limitations and recommendations for further research……………………… 79 REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaires for students Appendix 2: Classroom checklist for observations Appendix 3: Post- lesson interview questions for teachers PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Rationales In recent years, together with the increasing need for English learning, great efforts have been made in order to improve the quality of English teaching It is certain that teaching English is a complex process involving many complex factors Larsen – Freeman (1991) points out: language teaching can be summarized into three fields: language learner/ learning (How to learn); language/culture (What to learn); teacher/ teaching (How to teach) (Johnson, 2002) Since 1960s, the research on classroom discourse has grown rapidly Before that, teaching methodology has been explored and an effective teaching method is tried to be found Since teaching methods not play a decisive role in language classrooms, the focus has shifted from teaching methods to teacher‟s talk in classroom process, or teacher‟s instructions Giving instructions is particularly important to language teaching According to pedagogical theory, instructions that the teacher uses in the classroom determine to a larger degree whether a class will succeed or not since almost all of the classroom activities and teacher‟s help are organized and provided to the students through instructions In Vietnam, English has become an international language of communication as well as a compulsory subject at most schools and universities English proficiency is very necessary for those who want to get a better job or, for the least of it, pass the English exam at the end of their study course In order to improve the English teaching and learning quality, teachers at Thai Nguyen University, where I work, have been using different techniques, one of which is group work – key features of learner – centered orientation They believe that group work help to provide their students with more opportunities to exchange their ideas make them more confident and creative in learning and promote their autonomy by allowing them to make their own decisions in the group However, many teachers complain that they are facing many challenges in organizing and managing, especially giving instructions for group work Some teachers A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University not use English frequently and sometimes not confident in their use of the language Therefore, the effectiveness of their instructions for group work in class may not as high as being expected Along with a possible lack on the part of teachers to give instructions in English in the classroom, there may also be a reason on the part of class size Most of the non-English major classes at Thai Nguyen University are large Hence, the noise as well as the mixed ability of the students may lead them to an inadequate understanding about the instructions given Since a better understanding of the teacher‟s instructions for group work can undoubtedly help students successfully fulfill their tasks in the group and certainly improve their learning, it is necessary to some research on teachers‟ instructions for group work from both theoretical and practical perspective The author hopes to make a modest contribution to an increased understanding of giving instructions for group work in non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University Basing on which group work can be organized in a more effective way to create variety, dynamism, and freshness in the classroom Aims and significance of the study 2.1 Aims of the study The study is conducted with a purpose to investigate how instructions are used for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms Thus, the specific purpose is to provide reality evidence of the use of instructions for group work in 2nd year nonEnglish major classrooms In this way, the factors that influence to the effectiveness of an instruction will be clarified so that suggestions for better instructions will be discussed in order to help teachers improve their instructions for group work consciously 2.2 Significance of the study The study of teachers‟ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major at Thai Nguyen University (TNU) is significant in three different ways First to the teachers, they should realize the fact that instructions play the decisive role to the A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University success of group work They are the guiders that provide the students with all necessary information such as time limitation, group size, and detailed tasks assigned to each student Therefore, a carefully planned instruction is really needed when organizing a group activity Similarly, an appropriate procedure is inevitable in giving instructions In order to help the students fulfill their tasks successfully, the teacher should explain systematically That means the teacher must have good organizational skills In addition to effective instructions, a friendly and co-operative climate should be created so that students feel encouraging and rewarding to study Furthermore, teacher‟s eye contact and body language are also crucial When giving instructions, the teacher should bear in mind that they could use gestures such as using fingers to select students or to show the number of members in a group, or use eye contact to warn some noisy students as well as to check their understanding of the instructions In fact, many teachers have neither the habit of using the body language and eye contact nor the skill to utilize them, so the effectiveness is not high as they expect Secondly, the research provides evidence of how instructions are used by teachers at Thai Nguyen University It also reveals the teachers and students‟ attitudes toward good instructions Therefore, from the research results, the teacher can decide which techniques and procedure should be used to make effective group activities Finally, instructions are indispensable to the students in learning They may make progress after each lesson if the teachers‟ instructions for the class activities are well organized Scope of the study It is a fact that teachers have many ways to divide the class into small groups so that students can work together at the same time in an activity Thus, to limit the scope of the study, the researcher intends to investigate only instructions for activities in which the teacher divides the class into groups of two, three, four or five since they are the common size of group activities in the classroom at Thai Nguyen University A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University Moreover, the respondents of this study are limited to 2nd year non-English majors chosen randomly at TNU, therefore, their opinion about teachers‟ instructions might not be a representative of all students at TNU in particular and students learning English in general Research questions As stated in the introduction, the study is designed to seek answers to the following questions: How instructions are used for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at TNU? What facilitates and hinders the teachers when giving instructions to group work? What recommendations for improvement are needed to make instructions for group work more effective? Methods of the study In order to examine the situation of the study, the researcher used the following methods: observation checklists for every class of the teachers chosen, post – lesson interviews for the teachers and post lesson questionnaires for the students The post – lesson interview questions are aimed at obtaining information about the teachers‟ own judgments on their teaching, particularly on the instructions After each lesson, a questionnaire will be distributed to the students to get information about their evaluation and reasons for their successful or unsuccessful in following the teacher‟s instructions The author uses questionnaires for this stage because of the fact that they are easy to construct and uniquely capable of gathering a large amount of information quickly in a form that is readily processable (Dornyei, 2003) Observation of the teachers‟ classes will be carried out over a period of two months to obtain information about their actual teaching practices Specific episodes of events A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University observed during the lesson will be used to generate discussion topics during post – lesson interviews Design of the study The thesis consists of three main parts Part I is the introduction in which rationales, aims, significance, research questions, scope, methods and design of the study are presented Part II, development, consists of three chapters Chapter comes to basic concepts and knowledge relevant to the study as communicative teaching theory, the use of teacher talk, group work – its advantages and organization, the nature of instructions, and principles for giving instructions when organizing group work Chapter provides with an overview of the teachers and students chosen, the classroom conditions, timetable and teachers and students relationship at TNU Data collection and statistical result are also presented in the chapter Chapter discusses the findings of the research and suggests recommendations for the improvement of instruction giving Part III, the conclusion, summarizes the major findings obtained from the study Then it deals with the limitations and puts forward some suggestions for further study A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 74 activities, the teacher should stroll around the classroom, give quick instructions and assistance when necessary, adjudges unexpected behaviors arising in groups, and keeps groups on tracks At the end of the group work, the teacher should bring the class together to check the work and sum up the main language points having been practiced in the activities or throughout the lesson Finally, it is a good step to reinforce the oral instructions with written steps on the blackboard or newsprint It may be appropriate to uncover only one step at a time as the teacher gives that instruction Also, teachers should hand out worksheets or things to read only after they have given the instructions because once students have the materials in hand, they will start reading and stop listening III.4.1.4 Give instructions flexibly Giving instructions “different ways” is another key to the success The technique means to give instructions flexibly - both orally and in writing They can also be given symbolically, through pictures and diagrams, and concretely, by using sample sets of materials or examples of work to be completed Some students preferred to read instructions, and still others focus best when they could see what they were to (through demonstrations or graphic representations) III.4.1.5 Train students group work skills An effective group work needs good cooperation between the teacher and students Therefore, the teacher should train and instruct their students some skills to work in groups To be more specific, students should be taught some necessary language forms to fulfill the functions required for group work, such as: to agree, to disagree, to explain, to question, to repeat, to interrupt, to compare, etc Furthermore, teachers should train their students to obey some rules I group work, for example: start and stop work right after the teachers‟ command, be quick when moving to another activity, be self discipline, and listen carefully to teachers‟ instructions A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 75 III.4.1.6 Self -train to be effective instruction providers There is a fact that most classrooms of non-English majors are large Therefore, teachers of large classes are encouraged to be patient and persistent with their effort to make change, not to give up after a single failure They should believe in the success that will be achieved In order to be confident of the success, the teachers have to equip themselves with basic characteristics of a communicative language teaching teacher, for instance, be patient and supportive; be a good communicator, be flexible and creative, base their teaching on the needs,… With time and enthusiasm, the teacher is likely to persuade even the most passive students to participate actively in their lessons III.4.1.7 Improve body language The result of the students‟ survey and teachers‟ post lesson interview showed that body language is not popular in many classes The old teachers preferred sitting to talk instead of standing up to use the body to support instructions The younger ones seemed to realize the importance of body language but said that they felt embarrassed and unnatural when using their body to talk, like a clown performing on the stage For many reasons, those teachers reduced using their body Therefore, their instructions lacked vividity It is advisable for the teachers to accept the role of body language in communications as well as in classroom instructions Increasingly some of the lively and even exaggerated facial expressions or behavior can be make classroom atmosphere more active In order to improve the body language, the teachers should take the following advise in to considerations First, the teachers should notice how to sit, how to stand, how to use their hands and legs They might practice in front of a mirror which will give them good feedback and an opportunity to practise a bit before going to class A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 76 They could also observe friends, or other teachers who has good body language and try using what they can learn from them III.4.2 Recommendations for the students III.4.2.1 Be attentive in class Many students may think that school seems to be designed to make it harder for them to learn It seems to be all about grades, and tests, and exams, and ticking the right boxes They may sometimes make the teachers feel as if nobody is interested in answering their questions But every now and then they should get a notion that this is not the whole story Students sometimes forcedly get into a discussion about something that seemed dead dull at first and then find they have been talking about it for nearly an hour and not noticed the time passing The reason for their reluctance at first may be because of the habit they have fallen into while at school That is the habit of finding it all too dull to bother with, the habit of not asking questions and keeping on until they get answers or the habit of fitting in with everybody else who's also just marking time till graduation Being attentive is one of the essential characteristics to be a successful student It is also an important factor that contributes to the success of a lesson The teacher will be happier when having a lesson in a class consisting of active students with positive learning attitude Staying attentive in the class will help students understand most teachers‟ requirements, receive every language item explained by the teacher; and therefore, can cooperate with the teacher as well as the partners better During an activity, students may not know their tasks if they place their mind outside or chat with friends Thus, being attentive in class is essential for the sake of the students themselves and the teachers as well A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 77 III.4.2.2 Be cooperative with the teacher Students involving in the study are cooperative They were willing to sit silently to listen to my explanation about the questionnaires they were having Then after they had finished the monitors quickly collected all the papers to hand in I could infer from their attitude that they were eager to share their thoughts about the lectures and the teachers They did not hesitate to show their expectation for an effective lesson although sometimes their teacher was still in the classroom However, the teachers still reported that many of the students were uncooperative The reasons partly because of the teachers or the lessons A dull lessons with familiar and simple activities cannot be a motivation for the students to forget chatting with friends An instruction provided in a flat tone, long sentences and by a far away sitting teacher can not attract their attention Therefore, the teachers play an important part to make the students cooperate Besides, the students themselves have to recognize their roles in the classroom They must be clear that the success of the lessons partly depend on them Many students still believe that the lesson‟ s success is for the teachers‟ own sake Thus, they may try to break the lesson if something about the teacher does not satisfy them In conclusion, as students in a learner – centered class are the ones who are responsible for their success or failure in their learning, they should be aware of their active roles in the process of learning by choosing good learning strategies, and more importantly, cooperating with their teachers to gain success They should set their goals, be persistent, make a commitment, and participate in the lesson for their own sake A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 78 PART THREE: CONCLUSION This final part is devoted for summarizing major findings of the study and recommending further research Summary of the findings Few researches have examined classroom instructions, particularly instructions for group activities Therefore, this study tried to contribute something to the mentioned area Though it was a small scale exploration and the findings may reveal partial view of classroom research, it is hoped to give insights to the study of the language classroom for non – majors at Thai Nguyen University, and promote the awareness of teachers toward using instructions for group activities Based on the fundamental principle of classroom research and the features of instructions for group work, the author first illustrates the main issues of current English teaching for non-majors at Thai Nguyen University from the perspective of instructions for group work Then three questions of explorations are initiated All steps of investigations and case study are centered on the three questions of exploration, with close consultation of a great deal instruments, and other literary references After the data analysis and interpretive analysis of the outcomes acquired in the investigation and the case study, findings in several aspects are finally led to First of all, teachers in group 1, having at least 20 years teaching, were so successful in giving instructions Most of them used appropriate pacing when speaking and simple enough sentences for their instructions However, their students sometimes got difficulty in understand teachers‟ words because they were affected by the Russian accent In addition, they considered that they were too old to use their body language for the instructions, and that it was unnatural for them to try However, because of the teaching experience as well as the students habit in group work, they still got finished lessons A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 79 Teachers with more than 10 years of teaching were also pleased with their instructions It could be understandable because their instructions were lively with pictures, changing tone and speaking speed and demonstration Moreover, they were not reluctant to use body language and the fact is that they have natural body language On the contrary, just –graduate teachers in group did not use much body language when speaking They considered that it may makes students neglect listening to the teachers‟ words The teachers also have other problems with speaking speed, language simplicity and demonstrations Above all, they lack teaching experience Lacking teaching experience, therefore, is one of the factors that hinder the teachers‟ success in giving instructions for group activities The other factors are class size, limited teaching time, cultural background and the students‟ contributions Thus, some implications are suggested to teachers: 1) Design and select appropriate activities; 2) Improve instruction giving techniques; 3) Train students‟ group work skills; 4)Self -train to be effective instruction providers, and some suggested instructions for group work are also presented To summarize, the findings in the present study provide empirical evidence to insight into some aspects of group work and instructions for group work in non-English major classrooms Hopefully, teachers can reflect their behaviors embodied in instructions and improve their teaching quality effectively Limitations and further study The first limitation of the study comes from the limited population of the subjects 500 students and teachers involved in the study is a small figure in relation to the whole population of some thousands of teachers and students at Thai Nguyen University In addition, this research just covered instructions for group work only so it does not provide an insight from all round perspectives The following aspects deserve further research: A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 80 Firstly, more case studies on a large scale are needed to carry out, so more comprehensive Secondly, this tentative research just explores the instructions for group work; instructions for grammar study still needs further research Thirdly, it is need to further researches that is concerned with instructions and how to differentiate instructions To conclude, the study does some research on certain aspects of teachers‟ instructions for group work and the finding of it is hoped to contribute to the investigation of foreign language teaching classrooms, though there exist some limitations in the research A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 81 REFERENCES Brown, H.D (2001) Teaching by Principles – An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (second edition) London: Longman, Pearson Education Burns, A (1999) Collaborative Action Research for English Language Teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Burns, A and H Joyce (1997) Speaking activities in the classroom Focus on speaking Sydney Chaudron, C (1988) Second Language Classrooms: Research on Teaching and Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Dornyei, Z (2003) Questionnaires in second language research New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates G S Hughes (1981) A Handbook of Classroom English Oxford: OUP Gillham, Bill (2001) Case Study Research Methods London, New York Harmer, J (1991) The Practice of English Language Teaching London: Longman Holland, R and T Shortall (2000) Classroom Research and Research Methods Centre for English Language Studies Birmingham University Jim Scrivener (1994) Learning teaching Heinemann Joyce, B., & Weil, M., & Calhoun, E (2003) Models of teaching (7th ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon Larsen-Freeman, Diane and Michael H Long (1991) An introduction to second language acquisition research New York: Longman A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 82 Lightbrown, P.M and N Spada (1999) How Languages are Learned (second edition) Oxford: Oxford University Press Landsberger, Joe (1996) Organizing and Working on Group Projects Retrieved on November 1, 2006 from website http://www.studygs.net/groupprojects.htm McDonough, J and S McDonough (1997) Research Methods for English Language Teachers London: Arnold Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Methodology Prentice Hall Nunan, D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge.University Press Ur, P (1991) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory Cambridge: Cambridge University Press A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non-English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University I APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRES FOR STUDENTS I General information Sex:  Male  Female Class:…………………… Study result of the previous term: Excellent  Good Fare Bad II About the lesson What you think are the main benefits of group work used in the lesson?  To motivate students  To make the class more interesting  To help the learning process  To help the teaching process  To kill the time Others, please specify What group activity in the lesson you like most? Role play Information gaps Reading Story telling Speaking Listening  Writing Others, please specify Do you think the teacher had a good preparation for giving instructions for group work Yes No How are you often grouped for group work?  Students at the same table   Students from different tables  Students sitting next to each other  Students sitting far from each other  Students in different rows  Good students with the good ones  Weak students with the weak ones II  Good students with the weak ones  Others, please specify ……………………………………………………………………… According to you, were instructions for group work in the lesson given effectively? Yes  No (If YES, please answer question 6; If NO, please answer question 7) Why did you understand the instruction for group work in the lesson? (Tick the appropriate options)  The teacher attracted students’ attention before giving instruction  The instructions were short and clear  The teacher used simple sentences for the instruction  The teacher used familiar words  The teacher often repeated the instruction  The teacher usually paraphrased the instructions  The teacher gave demonstrations  The teacher wrote all the requirements of each activity on the board  The teacher used body language for the instructions  The teacher used pictures for the instructions  The teacher spoke slowly and clearly  Others, please specify, ………………………………………………………………………… Why didn’t you understand the instruction for group work in the lesson? (Tick the appropriate options)  The teacher didn’t draw students’ attention before giving instruction  The instructions were long  The instructions were confusing  The teacher used complicated sentences  The teacher used unfamiliar vocabulary III  The teacher spoke fast  The teacher’s voice was too loud  The teacher didn’t give demonstrations Others, please specify, In your opinion, in order to make the instructions more understandable, the teacher needs to (Tick the appropriate options )  The teacher attracted students’ attention before giving instruction  The instructions were short and clear  The teacher used simple sentences for the instruction  The teacher used familiar words  The teacher often repeated the instruction  The teacher usually paraphrased the instructions  The teacher gave demonstrations  The teacher wrote all the requirements of each activity on the board  The teacher used body language for the instructions  The teacher used pictures for the instructions  The teacher spoke slowler and clearler Others, please specify, IV APPENDIX 2: CLASSROOM CHECKLIST FOR OBSERVATION Teacher: _ Class: _ Date: Criteria I Organization The sequence of the information is in a sensible order Appropriate pacing maintains student engagement Demonstration and models precede practice exercises Differentiation strategies engaged A variety of techniques are utilized to make content concepts clear (e.g., modeling, visuals, hands-on activities, demonstrations, gestures, body language) Scaffolding techniques are applied consistently Content Information is provided in a specific way to the students Teacher takes into account the specific knowledge and experience of the students, adds explanations as necessary and refers to the students’ experience Clear Some Limited No evidence evidence evidence evidence V Language The use of speech is appropriate for students' proficiency level (e.g., slower rate, enunciation, and simple sentence structure for beginners) The use of language is in highly effective ways to emphasize the purpose and the requirement of the activity Teacher shows the flexibility in paraphrasing the instruction Delivery An authoritative tone is used The volume and rate varies to show emphasis The pronunciation and enunciation are clear Physical expression Teacher involves the whole class with eye contact Gestures are used effectively to pace the instructions and clarify their meanings VI APPENDIX 3: POST – LESSON INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS Do you satisfy with the lesson? Do you think all instructions for group work are effective? Why you think the instructions are effective (or ineffective)? What factor, you think, can most affect the success of the instructions? In your opinion, what you need to in order to improve your instructions? ... they are facing many challenges in organizing and managing, especially giving instructions for group work Some teachers A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non- English major. .. background and A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non- English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen University 23 experience, professional training as a linguist and teacher,... proud of the result On the contrary, teachers in group are young and have only a few years of A study of teachers’ instructions for group work in 2nd year non- English major classrooms at Thai Nguyen