APPLYING “FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL” TO HELP STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR ENGLISH COMMUNICATION AND SOFT SKILLS AT NHU THANH HIGH SCHOOL

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Traditional systems of teaching and learning are not necessarily providing young people with the skills they need to make it in the modern world Many of the more traditional classroom forms of learning are ill-equipped to improve the skills needed for developing creative solutions to complex problems Traditional schooling addresses problems of the past, not issues in the future Due to the rapid changes in the economic and social contexts it is imperative that educators redesign their teaching methods, create an innovative learning experience and support their students in acquiring the 21st century skills (Council of the European Union, 2018) Today’s students seem to have boundless and free access to information, therefore the key for their education, is not the memorization of information but the ability to search and manage information Also, the advancement of new technologies provides teachers with the opportunity to alter their methodology in order to promote their students active participation in the learning process Since teachers are no longer expected just to provide students with knowledge but to help them develop a set of skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, metacognition, effective communication and social skills so that they can meet the challenges of the modern world, their role is more crucial than ever in achieving the desired learning outcomes Since every student is unique, teachers are challenged to organise a learning environment that meets the differing needs of each student so that they can provide them with the opportunity to learn, regardless their abilities and their cultural, social and economic backgrounds Therefore, reshaping education is the medium to provide students with equal access to knowledge, skills and competencies, to promote their social and professional inclusion, their well being, so that they can have a positive impact in society Taking under consideration the above, it comes as no surprise that in recent times there is a move from the teacher-centered to the student-centered learning model (Kennedy, 2006, Kennedy, Hyland & Ryan, 2007) This paradigm shift in education has resulted to the development of new learning models and methods such as the flipped classroom, where the teacher does no longer provide just a lecture but becomes the students' guide and supporter at their educational path to learning Therefore, in this study I present a subject “Applying FLIPPED Classroom Model to help students improve their English communication and soft skills at Nhu Thanh High School” Coronavirus has changed the way that students have been learning Many students have been learning solely at home, while others have experienced a mixture of school and home, but life is not as it was Huge efforts and changes have been made in school to prepare videos and resources for learners to learn with at home As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and the closure of many schools around the globe, we have already been using a lot of the flipped classroom techniques, as learning has been taking place remotely A whopping 1.6 billion children were unable to attend school and pupils have been forced to try a new form of learning – whether that was through an ipad, the radio, the television, or using interactive lessons We have found a new way to educate, which doesn’t rely on pupils attending a school and getting their source of education from one teacher Now is the perfect time to harness what we have learnt from the remote learning experience and build this into our learning experience for pupils, rather than ignoring all the good work teachers, pupils and families have been putting in to support this approach II AIMS OF THE STUDY I the research to know about the fact of teaching and learning communication skills in Nhu Thanh High School more clearly This study also investigates whether the “FLIPPED Classroom Model” can have positive impact on process among students and can develop their communication and soft skills or not Bearing in mind, I decide the research with title “Applying FLIPPED Classroom Model to improve the students’ English communication and soft skills at Nhu Thanh High School” III RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study aims at finding answer to the following research question: How can “FLIPPED Classroom Model” help the students at Nhu Thanh High School improve their English communication and soft skills? The question has been addressed to two of the classes (A1, A2) that I have been teaching in Nhu Thanh High School with the aim to examine how “Flipped Classroom Model” affect the process of communication here IV SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study investigates applying Flipped Classroom Model to help students practice so that they can improve their communication and soft skills V METHODS OF THE STUDY In this study, I use some research tools to collect and analyze the needed data Recording is used to record the process of using Flipped Classroom Model The second tool used in this study is interviews with students at the end of the research to study whether Flipped Classroom Model is really suitable for them or not Surveying through the answer sheets is used to know the practical situation of teaching and learning English communication skills PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW I.The definition of Flipped Classroom Model In the traditional classroom model, teachers first explain each topic, and then assign homework In flipped classrooms, also known as inverted classrooms, students review lecture materials before class as homework In-class time is dedicated to discussions, interactive exercises, and independent work that would have previously been completed at home - all under the guidance of the teacher, who is present and available to respond to any questions that may arise The materials reviewed prior to class can take the form of recorded lectures, curated videos, reading assignments, video broadcasts - any material that the instructor assigns as relevant to the topic at hand II The definition of soft skills Soft skills are things like: *Communication: Written, listening, verbal, body language, and business etiquette *Strategies: Problem-solving skills, critical thinking, the ability to use information appropriately, creativity, and decision-making skills *Self-management: Emotional intelligence, time management, professionalism, being predictable, integrity, persistence, and attitude *Teamwork: Collaboration and empathy *Leadership: Conflict resolution, the ability to delegate effectively, and collaboration Soft skills, essentially, are the social skills that a person learns to communicate effectively at school and in the workplace, show empathy to others, and to work independently as well as alongside others Although none of the above skills are a focus onto themselves in schools, the atmosphere of any Flipped Classroom Model is rooted in learning essential soft skills through collaborative, hands-on project III Benefits of Flipped Classroom Model There are many benefits to a Flipped Classroom Including… * There are no more long, frustrating homework sessions Students have more time for family, friends, play, and extra curricular activities * A flipped classroom promotes student collaboration and concept mastery exercises * Flipping your classroom will create a student-centered environment * Video lectures are short - typically under ten minutes - keeping students engaged * Teachers are available for more one-on-one interaction with students in a flipped classroom * The flipped classroom provides flexibility - everyone works at their own pace Students take on the responsibility for their learning IV The four pillars and 11 indicators of F-L-I-P Flexible Environment: *The teachers establish spaces and time frames that permit students to interact and reflect on their learning as needed *The teachers continually observe and monitor students to make adjustments as appropriate *The teachers provide students with different ways to learn content and demonstrate mastery Learning Culture: *The teachers give students opportunities to engage in meaningful activities without the teacher being central *The teachers scaffold these activities and make them accessible to all students through differentiation and feedback Intentional Content: *The teachers prioritize concepts used in direct instruction for learners to access on their own *The teachers create and/or curate relevant content (typically videos) for their students *The teachers differentiate to make content accessible and relevant to all students Professional Educator: *The teachers make themseves available to all students for individual, smallgroup and class feedback, in real time, as needed *The teachers conduct ongoing formative assessments during class time through observation and by recording data to inform future instruction *The teachers collaborate and reflect with other educators and take responsibility for transforming their practice CHAPTER 2: PRACTICAL SITUATIONS I METHODS OF THE STUDY The research is done qualitatively in the context of two English classes (Class A1, A2 In this survey, I use the survey questionnaire for students This survey is designed to collect information for the study on “An investigation into the Reality of teaching and learning English communication skill at Nhu Thanh High School” II THE REALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SKILLS AT NHU THANH HIGH SCHOOL The whole procedure of teaching and learning is implemented similarly to all students of the class after all of them give consent to be part of the research However, due to the limit of the study, I only focus to collect information from the learning engagement of two classes (A1, A2) during this process as the data for analysis Below is the survey of the practical situation of learning English Communication skill at Nhu Thanh High School Survey no.1 Practical Situation of learning English comminication Skill at Nhu Thanh High School Questions for students How difficult is the English communication skill in new curriculum? What is your idea about improving English communication skill at your school? What you think of your skill classes at Nhu Thanh High School? What you think of the methods used for teaching skills at Nhu Thanh High School? Have your teacher ever applied Flipped learning to improve your communication skills? A B C D Too easy 5% Not difficult 10% Difficult 30% Really difficult 55% Very essential 12% Essential 16% Not really Not essential essential at 47% all 25% Really interesting 3% Interestin g 7% Boring 41% Difficult and boring 51% Difficult but interesting 8% C Interesting Easy and and boring stimulating 32% 9% Always 2% Sometime s 4% Rarely 5% Really boring 49% Never 89% From the survey number 1, we can see that communication skills are poorly improved at Nhu Thanh High School, this may not make it attractive to learners as a classroom activity The students often see communication as hard work, boring, unrewarding Moreover, students don’t know how to learn English and improve communication skills effectively Students often sit in individual desks facing the front while their teacher gives lectures, students sit at tables or desks pushed together or are off by themselves doing work Students are out of their seats, accessing books, computers and others students for information This could cause major problems in the future, especially for rapidly expanding and developing companies that will be driving forward and progressing technology in the future CHAPTER 3: RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ ENGISH COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS I RECOMMENDATIONS According to the data analysis from the survey, it can be personally concluded that the most important feature that makes my students to engage more in the real world is the kind of learning activities which forces them to learn through the meaningfulness of tasks Therefore, I have applied FLIPPED Classroom Model to improve my students’ English communication and soft skills Unlike the traditional classroom model, a Flipped Classroom puts students in charge of their own learning By providing lectures online, educators give students the opportunity to learn at their own pace Once a student masters a concept, he can move on Also, students who need more time to master a concept won’t get left behind This means that all students are not working on the same area at the same time in and out of the classroom In the Flipped Classroom environment, the teacher becomes the guide off to the side, acting as more of facilitator, helping and guiding small groups and individuals toward learning success ( Graphics of Flipped classroom model ) II PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects,or discussions The video lecture is often seen as the key ingredient in the flipped approach, such lectures being either created by the instructor and posted online or selected from an online repository Models of Flipped Classrooms Standard flipping Lectures are recorded (either as video or as narrated screencasts) Students are required to watch these lectures as homework and then spend class time to problem-solving or other highly interactive, structured activities, usually in groups and with guidance from teachers One-day-a-week flipping If a standard flip seems overwhelming, or not appropriate for your class, try flipping one lecture a week During class students work in groups to complete tasks where they solve real analytical problems; answers are presented in class and students are asked to correct their own work and reflect on their understanding Selected-content flipping Lecturing does not have to be completely eliminated from your class time Instead, be selective and strategic about what you record for students to watch in advance You might record only a subset of lecture materials, and reserve some of your class time for lecturing on advanced topics Are there particular topics or concepts on which students routinely get stuck? Try designing in-class activities around these ideas or concepts Or, consider recording lectures that cover content that’s likely to be reusable in future semesters, and plan on some in-class microlectures covering “hot-off-thepresses” topics, leaving plenty of time for active learning Flipping without recording video lectures It’s a common misconception that instructors can only flip if they pre-record their lectures, which admittedly can be a time-consuming process Instructors can, instead, find other ways for students to get content that might typically be delivered in a lecture: readings can be used, as well as other content such as powerpoint presentations, podcasts, or videos or animations that others have recorded Full hybrid flipping Eliminate some in-class lectures completely and replace those in-class hours with time students are expected to complete online activities, typically watching the lecture Simple steps of a flipped classroom model * Pick a standard Teachers review the scope and sequence or state standards, and select the standard that teachers would like to start with for their first flipped classroom lesson * Develop an assessment Now that the teachers know what they want their students to learn, the next step is determining what mastery of this standard looks like and how to assess to what extent students have achieved it * Locate instructional content Teachers think about how teachers would teach this concept to their students face-to-face, and then find instructional content on the Web to replace their direct instruction Tip: If some of the students don't have access to the Internet at home, teachers locate content resources that can be downloaded and have students download them to their devices before they leave school * Plan in-class activities Now that students will be receiving the initial direct instruction at home, the flipped classroom offers two major benefits First, students receive direct instruction on their own terms and at their own pace so that they can reread, go back and review, or fast-forward as they want in order to build understanding The second major benefit of flipping the classroom is that it allows more class time for working on activities that require higher-order thinking These are activities in which students practice and apply concepts, and doing these in class instead of at home allows teacher to be there to provide assistance when students need it, which leads to deeper learning Choose a few different short practice/application activities for students to complete-some individual and some with a partner or a group-teachers are sure that each activity they choose guides their students toward mastery of the standard Additionally, they are sure to select a mix of activities designed to develop deeper understanding (for students who demonstrate mastery on the first assessment) along with activities designed to build up to mastery (for students who don't demonstrate mastery on the first assessment * Roll it out Once teachers have this document created, give their students a short explanation of what the flipped classroom model is and why teacher are trying it Then, they can send their students the document through email or post it on a server they can access Teachers are sure that every student has the document downloaded to his device or a copy of document before leaving school * Evaluate To reflect the flipped classroom experiment, jot down the answers to these questions: - Did most of the students consume the assigned content? If not, why? How can you fix this issue? - How did students perform on the first assessment? Were the questions at the right level? Did the content adequately cover the standard? - How did the in-class activities work? Did all of the students have an activity or assignment that allowed them to develop their mastery of the concept? - Did you gain more time to spend with your students individually or in small groups? Teachers remember that they don’t expect perfection They should continue doing the things that worked well, and change the things that didn't; they make adjustments along the way until they find a method that works for them III SOME PRACTICAL EXAMPLES AFTER APPLYING FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL AT NHU THANH HIGH SCHOOL Physically, a flipped classroom is the same as a normal classroom But instead of paying attention to lectures while in class and applying the new knowledge in their homework after school, students will watch ,listen to or read the lectures at home, before the class starts, and use the time in the classroom to their homework Instead of telling students what to learn, how to learn, when to learn and how to prove that they learned, teachers support them in becoming self-directed learners The flipped classroom seems to create a win-win situation for both students and teachers Example : English 11- Unit Global Warming Part: Project English 11- Unit Global Warming Part: Project Flipping without recording video Task 1: Read the paragraphs and answer the questions lectures ( at home) Teacher sends students the Task 2.Discussion powerpoint Causes and effects of global warming presentations of the lessons and asks them to finish the tasks assigned During in-class time, students discuss some questions in individual, in pairs or in groups Solutions : 10 (The slides of students’ discussion after reading the powerpoint presentations of the lessons which teacher sent before) 11 CHAPTER 4: RESULT The main advantage of the flipped classroom is the possibility of making students more independent The ability to manage their own learning process is the basis for making future efforts related to self-education, which in the era of web resources is becoming increasingly important In the flipped classroom, students review the material before the classes, and therefore they can adjust the speed of acquiring new information to their abilities The teacher, on the other hand, is relieved of the obligation to present new material in class, and the time saved can be used for creative discussions or solving problems Moreover, thanks to a more frequent teacher-student contact and with the help of E-Learning platforms, an educator is now able to read a detailed report on specific problems faced by particular students Applying the flipped classroom method with the use of such tools allows students to learn not only by reading texts previously prepared by the teacher or watching his recorded presentation, but also through solving interactive exercises This way of learning is more engaging, helps the learner acquire new information, and gives him or her a chance to create a well-established and multi-tiered knowledge Moreover, the result of testing skills has increasingly improved The following is the result chart of class A1 and class A2: Before applying Flipped Classroom Model Class Excellent (%) A1 3,1 5,5 A2 Good Fair Poor (%) (%) (%) 11,9 15,0 After applying Flipped Classroom Model ( written tests and speaking tests) Excellent (%) good (%) Fair (%) poor (%) 11,3 27,7 35,8 25,2 14,3 34,2 35,7 15,8 16 31 32,5 20,5 17,4 36 32,5 14,1 36,2 48,8 32,9 46,6 12 PART THREE: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION I CONCLUSION While a traditional classroom is teacher-centered, a Fipped Classroom is student-centered Instead of trying to apply concepts they learned in class at home by themselves, they watch a 5-7 minute lecture at home, write down any questions they may have, and apply the concepts in class with the guidance of the teacher This method sets the student up for success The Flipped Classroom model has been proven to be effective even in the most difficult classrooms II SUGGESTION The students have most likely spent years learning in a traditional classroom Suddenly flipping the classroom without a clear set of expectations might set back the student’s success or cause teachers to give up and return to traditional classroom methods Avoid pitfalls by taking the time to plan and prepare before the big day and by applying these six helpful tips *Set a Date Set a date of at least a month in advance so that teachers and their students can prepare and get excited about the big day *Market the Flipped Model and Get Students Excited Not everyone likes change, including students and parents It’s important to be excited and positive about flipping the classroom to get the students and their parents on board Involve the students in planning and preparing for the flip day and offer an open discussion on how the students feel about the flip and what teacher’s Continue communicating with students everyday after the flip to ensure its continued success *Get out of the way As a student-centered pedagogy, the Flipped Classroom Model puts the teacher on the sidelines Get out of the way right from the first flip day and watch the magic happen By creating an environment where students learn from each other and at their own pace, the teacher becomes a guide, offering more time for individual and small group guidance *Make sure everyone has access to the Internet If even one student can’t access a pre-recorded lecture, the Flipped Class will fail If students not have Internet access at home and cannot use the library on a regular basis, provide that student with class time to view the material online or with copies *Use Flipped Model Assessments Because of all the teamwork and collaborative learning that takes place in a Flipped Classroom, teachers need teamwork friendly assessments * Give Students a Reason to be Prepared By offering an environment where participation and assessments lead to levels won and titles given, students will show up to class excited, motivated, and well prepared 13 The Headmaster’s identification Thanh Hoa, the second of May, 2021 I ensure that this study has been written by me The writer Bui Thi Tu 14 REFERENCES DeLozier, S J., & Rhodes, M G (2017) Flipped classrooms: a review of key ideas and recommendations for practice Educational Psychology Review Jensen, J L., Kummer, T A., & Godoy, P D D M (2015) Improvements from a flipped classroom may simply be the fruits of active learning CBE—Life Sciences Education Kerr, B (2015) The flipped classroom in engineering education: A survey of the research In 2015 International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL) Lage MJ, Platt GJ, and Treglia M (2000) Inverting the classroom: A gateway to creating an inclusive learning environment The Journal of Economic Education Source://blog.edmentum.com/flip-your-classroom Source: "What Is Flipped Learning?" (Flipped Learning Network, 2014) 15 ... students at Nhu Thanh High School improve their English communication and soft skills? The question has been addressed to two of the classes (A1, A2) that I have been teaching in Nhu Thanh High School. .. situation of learning English Communication skill at Nhu Thanh High School Survey no.1 Practical Situation of learning English comminication Skill at Nhu Thanh High School Questions for students. .. communication and soft skills at Nhu Thanh High School? ?? III RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study aims at finding answer to the following research question: How can “FLIPPED Classroom Model” help the students