Creating extra curricular activities to promote students spirit and motivation for studying english at nhu xuan high school

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I RATIONALE Nowadays when the era of science, technology and information boom develop, the trend of globalization and integration among countries also poses a very important task for our education sector.The most vital aspect, language differences are a heavy barrier to the cooperation and absorption of scientific, technical and cultural advances between nations and peoples Many countries around the world are using English as the national language, English has been chosen as the international language Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training has introduced English into Vietnam's education program right from the primary schools However, the ability of Vietnamese students to comunicate in English has not yet been proficient, not be commensurate with the level compared to other subjects Especially, Nhu Xuan High school is located in a mountainous district, 90km far from Thanh Hoa city All students not have many opportunities to practice the amount of English knowledge what they have learned From my own perspective, to create a communication environment for students to practice is a necessary method to improve their ability for learning foreign languages However, class time is limited with a lot of knowledge content and a large number of students, so conducting extracurricular sessions both enhances the spirit of love of the subject and reinforces the amount of knowledge in the classroom while creating a comfortable atmosphere for communication is extremely helpful to overcome the above difficulties In order to improve the effectiveness of English teaching in Nhu Xuan high school and practice communication skills for students, I chose the topic for my Experiences: “ Creating Extra-curricular activities to promote students' spirit and motivation for studying English at Nhu Xuan High School" II AIMS OF THE STUDY The major aims of the study are: - To improve the quality of the lessons - To help students be interested in studying English - To help students understand themes and memorize new words, structures, lessons more easily - To encourage Ss to speak in English smoothly when they communicate - To contribute a small part to the improvement of teaching and learning at Nhu Xuan high school III RESEARCH SUBJECTS This subject will help students interested in accessing to new words, structures, lessons to improve their little skills now IV METHOD OF STUDY - Research in the teaching of English at Nhu Xuan High School - School year 2019 - 2021 - Grade 10B2, 11A3 - Using some types of extra- curricular activities to promote students’ skills - Using comparison in percent before and after studying to assess the quality of teaching and study V PARTICIPANTS The subjects chosen for the research include students in class 10B2, 11A3 of Nhu Xuan High School with some types of extra- curricular activities , and teachers who are currently teaching English Their experience of teaching English varied from 10 years to 20 years The research was carried out during the first term of the academic year 2019 – 2020 at Nhu Xuan High School PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT I AN OVERVIEW Research history: 1.1.Research situation and organization of "Extracurricular activities" in the world: Every year, of more than 30,000 student applications submitted to each of the top universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, UCLA, nearly half of them have achieved excellent TOEFL, SAT, and academic grade points So how does the admissions committee select the most deserving students? After scores are checked, the admissions committee will read students' essays, interviews, and extracurricular activities With either of the two required essays, students must write about the meaning and influence of their personality and dreams If the scores were predictable due to the fact that each school publishes its average student admissions, these essays and extracurricular activities are considered to be the "hardest" to predict But to really put weight on these activities in essays and interviews, the following factors need to be achieved: - Students' enthusiasm and passion -The maturity and character development of students through each challenging stage of the activity - Leadership quality, dynamic, brave to promote your own ideas and teamwork - The long-term, persistent commitment of students to grow and contribute to each activity Talking about holistic education, Rabowle (1494-1533) Renaissance thinker and educator once emphasized “Education must include educational, moral, physical, aesthetic contents In addition to studying at home, there are also visits to the workshops, shops, contact with writers, parliamentarians, especially once a month teachers and students return to live in the countryside for a day Makarenco - the famous Russian teacher of the early twentieth century, also said: “I persistently say that the problems of education, the method of education that cannot be limited to the problems of teaching, are even more impossible so that the educational process is only done in the classroom that should be per square meter of our country That is, under any circumstances, it is not conceived that education work can only be conducted in the classroom " 1.2 Research situation and organization of "Extracurricular activities" in Vietnam: HUNA - Extracurricular classes help improve children's thinking and creativity Extracurricular activities - surely not an unfamiliar phrase to Vietnamese schools, parents and students However, in order for extracurricular activities to really promote effectiveness in improving the quality of teaching and learning is still a problem In developed countries around the world, the building of collaborative research networks and capacity building to implement extracurricular educational activities is an issue In the traditional classrooms that are very popular in Vietnam, teachers are considered as informants, knowledge is only transferred one way from teacher to student has also caused a boredom bored New teaching methods need to combine both elements of play and learning, which will help children be more excited to participate in learning and also appreciate the child's initiative Those who directly teach at high schools are very interested in how to promote the creative initiative of students, arousing passion for extracurricular learning in the current situation Extracurricular activities in the school not only help students work happily and healthy, but also create a friendly learning environment between students, between classroom and classroom, and between students with the teacher Extracurricular activities depending on each school can be done in different forms Some schools set up clubs of culture, arts and sports to encourage students to participate Some schools organize extracurricular activities on holidays, New Year, traditional school day Extracurricular subjects can be mentioned such as: Swimming, volleyball, badminton, cooking II Theoretical basis of the topic Learning Extracurricular activities In order to improve the teaching quality of the subject, recently, on research forums, conferences, seminars, people have discussed a lot about the issue of innovative teaching methods The pressing concern for those who directly teach at high schools is how to promote students' creative initiative, improve the effectiveness of aesthetic education, and arouse passion and excitement learning subjects in the present situation To deal with the above situation, it is necessary to combine innovative teaching methods in both formal and extracurricular activities, but first of all, there must be a correct concept of the importance and meaning of extracurricular activities Extracurricular activities under the concept of innovative teaching methods is a form of active, useful and effective self-study, connecting the podium with real life, expanding, extending the school of thinking - evaluation about lessons for students; promote the activeness and creativity of learners, recheck the quality of teaching in regular hours Extracurricular activities, therefore, are both educational and aesthetic activities, "Contributing to creating a cultural lifestyle and the ability to enjoy cultural arts for students Through extracurricular activities, students are developed intellectually, morally, physically and sensitively " Effects of extracurricular activities Through outdoor games and group discussions, students will practice leadership skills, including vision and goal skills, team motivation, project planning, and intentions Patience to overcome challenges More importantly, the sharing sessions of the siblings about how to pursue and create extracurricular activities will help students after the shaping program start their own activities from Therefore, while a parent or student may find extracurricular activities, if the above factors are not met, it will be difficult for the student to be special to his or her abilities Following up the process of renewing teaching methods in high schools in recent years, the innovative content often focuses on regular hours, while the extra-curricular form is less focused on implementation Is the student's afterschool activities unimportant, and does not play a role in improving the quality of teaching and learning the subject? It is time to redefine the position and role of extracurricular activities, highly promote creativity, dynamism and interest of students Theoretical basis: To create a new atmosphere, a new space, we must change the space and time for them, so that they have the opportunity to think freely, out of the pressure of learning That's why I have boldly created some extra-curricular lessons in one semester.Extracurricular lessons will be taken the initiative in time and space for students by teachers , depending on the convenient location of the school Furthermore, when participating in the extracurricular course, it will help them to be more active and brave Just doing it 2-3 times per semester also helps students enjoy learning English, giving them a chance to apply what they have gained in class Therefore, when teaching foreign languages, in addition to general tips that apply to receptive skills, teachers also need to have specific tips for students' extracurricular activities To have a quality extracurricular activity, teachers need to implement the following basic teaching tips: 3.1 Clearly defined for students to understand English extracurricular learning Why is learning English so difficult? When students learn, teachers impart knowledge, they are used to just learning grammar to homework In addition, teachers also emphasize expressing language through exercises, so forming a habit that can be difficult to change in language learning Therefore, learning a foreign language becomes more difficult When studying, students face the following challenges: - Can't control the amount of language themselves - Improve literacy skills to participate in exams - The lesson has many new words, lazy to study - Do not pay attention to pronunciation, intonation, tone - Students who not listen and speak often will not recognize words they has known So how to help children expand the scope of learning foreign languages, so that an English lesson is less stressful and more enjoyable That is what a lot of teachers are thinking about? Does the student feel confused when he speaks English? Is he afraid of the bad pronunciation? Or even make many grammatical mistakes when speaking? Have you had a hard time to understand what native speakers speak? Or feel defeated because you don't understand the language of the characters easily? Will our students never learn English well? Are you sad because you have learned English for many years and still cannot speak English easily? To improve the situation and answer the above questions, it is the duty of our teachers All high schools want to create a diverse and rich environment, they also value learning outside the classroom (from the environment and the surrounding community) as learning in the classroom As a result, they need students with a variety of extracurricular interests and activities to contribute to hundreds of school clubs and programs On the other hand, it is these well-rounded students who will make best use of college opportunities to mature not only academically but also socially, culturally and personality Extracurricular activities are activities outside of the formal curriculum, often of a voluntary rather than compulsory nature You can participate in extracurricular activities in class / school or in society with many different options: Sports, Culture, Art, Volunteering, Organization Extracurricular activities play an important role in adding your skills and life experiences to help you become a more inclusive and enjoyable person Extracurricular activities of the English subject are not easy, teachers must prepare many visual tools to help stimulate students' curiosity and interest in this subject 3.2 Measures to create an effective English extra-curricular activity: - Let students choose the topic or content that is limited by the teacher This brings the students attention to the topic and interests the students about the lesson - Introduce topics, contexts, situations, and related content in the session: explore what students already know and don't know about the topic's content, elicit curiosity, create excitement the article is about to discuss - Explain some necessary words and structures: however, it is not necessary to introduce all new words, so let students guess the meaning of words in context If the student does not understand the meaning of the word, I will explain it by definition or by example - Prepare the specific requirements, tasks and roles of each extracurricular activity - When conducting activities, using visual aids, pictures, illustrations, movies, music or playing the character of a story attached will support very well for clarifying context, suggesting discussion content Pictures are a means of testing students' understanding - Conduct in three phases: before, during and after the extracurricular activities Divide the process into steps: for example, to watch a video clip depending on the topic, I divided the process into three parts + Discuss main ideas, answer instructional questions, compare predictions + See details of that video + Discuss as per my request about the clip just about - Elicit the differences in answers of pairs and groups and compare the results and discuss after responses - Ensuring the quality of the meeting + Radio tapes, projectors with good quality images + Teachers operate with average speed, correct pronunciation, and detailed instructions 3.3 Types of extracurricular activities Type 1: Game activities: You can participate in a traffic safety game, one team proceeds to follow the instructions of the other team (in English) … It is not necessary to have an achievement or a certificate So you can arrange a non-stressful practice time that fits your study schedule Type 2: Singing activities: You have a talent for singing, playing an instrument or break dance, classical dance and have performed in front of school or at proms… Cultural activities are often very rich and not require you to have any extraordinary talent often For example, participating in singing in cultural programs does not require you to have the singer's golden voice, as long as you have the confidence to go on stage Or break dance performances don't have to be on a professional level, practice with your friends to perform or just to practice Type 3: Leadership activities: You are class moniter, class vice –moniter , school union secretary, class secretary… Those are convincing personal titles for your leadership ability However, it is not necessary to have a "title" for you to be an active person, a leader You can participate in school union work, organize proms, exchange programs between classes, pre-school, etc These organizing activities teach you how to work with a plan, responsibility and ability to work in teams So don't just be partygoers, be fun makers Type 4: talent activities: You are good at designing, you learn to draw from a little boy, you study vocals, you play musical instruments (guitar, piano, violin…) very well, etc These special talents distinguish you from other “applicants” With these talents, it will be very easy for you to “contribute to the campus” of your school in the future III Illustration lesson (Stages of an extracurricular session) I Aim: - Practise listening skills to get key information - Practise life skills - Practise practical application skills - Students watch a video about the talent competition and complete the teacher's requests II Stages of teaching: 1) Before watching the video: - Teacher introduces the topic: We will watch a video about talent competitions in the UK On that basis, teachers let students guess the meaning of some important words - The teacher can make guessing questions while watching the video: The teacher asks a few discussion questions in English or Vietnamese depending on the level of the question and the student's level of learning to help students have some vocabulary while watching the clip For example: This is a talent competition, so what talent you think they will compete about “What talent will everyone compete? " How many judges are there? "How many are there the judges?", Who will take part in the competition? )…If you don't have the vocabulary, your teacher will provide them in questions and answers + Teacher asks students to work in pairs and guess the answer + The teacher writes the students' answers on the board 2) While watching: The first time: Students watch the movie, check the prediction Ask students: Can you name the category of the contest? “Can you name kind of competition?” The teacher asks the students to watch the clip and notice how the contestant communicates with the judges This is an information-led function Information-led function (information-led function) - Asking for information / garthering information: To ask for unknown information, we use different types of questions to collect different information, so the answer is different Do you like this programe? What you feel like in this talent’s competiton? => Yes, I like it very much Everyone can take part in this programe Checking information: Common speech acts in social relations include: greeting and introducing (Greeting and introducing), leaving and saying goodbye (Leaving and saying goodbye), complimenting and congratulating (complimenting and congratulating) thanking, apologizing, and expressing sympathy The dialogue 1: The Judge: Hello Boy: Hello The Judge: Welcome to Britain’s got talent What’s your name? Boy: Robin The Judge: Robin, how old are you? Boy: Seven The Judge: And, you go here to get competiton? Boy: Yes The Judge: Oh, good Boy: Louis, My aunt is looking for a boyfriend Teacher asks students to practice exchanging information with you Example: What does Robin say about his Aunt? He wants to look for a boyfriend for his aunt The teacher asked the children to report the results after watching the movie - The Second time: Teacher asks students to carefully read the given information in the table and then listen to the tape to fill in the missing information (listen twice) + Teacher asks students to compare their answers with you + Ask students to present their results - The third time: Teacher asks students to review and check answers After watching the teacher hand out some questions to the groups, their own research and answer Then present to the class 3) After watching: - Have students summarize the content they have gathered during the practice of the previous exercises - Ask students to work in groups to summarize the content of the lesson Some images from my extracurricular activities lessons Leadership activities images Game activities images Talent activities images IV: RESEARCH RESULTS After a period of conducting extra-curricular activities according to the method described above, I see the following advantages: - Students have conditions to practice in pairs of "pairwork" and in groups "groupwork" - By watching audio images a few times, students can grasp the main information of the lesson and develop other secondary skills such as: listening, inferring and guessing the meaning of words, applying practical use in communication, after study can be used immediately - Students are more active now, students can participate in many different activities - Teachers can easily help students who are lazy to learn English - Students can practice all skills, especially listening and speaking skills Reading skills are demonstrated through homework Writing skills are demonstrated through writing and presenting the results of exercises - With the teaching of an extra-curricular period according to the above method, the results in the main lessons of the students have also improved markedly Clearly see the excitement for this sport Compared to the amount of the initial survey Result before applying extra- curricular to teach School year: in the first term 2019 - 2020 class Number of Average Weak (%) Rather (%) Good (%) students (%) 10 B2 40 57,5 30 12,5 11A3 39 55 40 Results after applying the research in teaching School year: in the last term 2019 – 2020 class Number of Weak Average Rather Good (%) students (%) (%) (%) 10 B2 40 20 50 20 10 11A3 39 20 50 22,2 9,8 The above tables disclosed that the good students accounted percent after applying the research in teaching helps students interested in increased 9,8% to 10%, rather students accounted from 5-12,5 percent increased 20-22,2 percent and bad students decreased rapidly PART III: CONCLUSION I SUMMARY OF THE MAIN FINDINGS Each person has own idea, each teacher has a style of promotion However, I think no matter the method, it has the common purpose of imparting to the students to learn the right and enough knowledge, helping them to understand the lesson and deepen their knowledge as quickly as possible, helping them to have passion in his discipline With this subject, I think, having a common method in teaching to achieve the highest efficiency is something that every teacher must explore, but not everyone can easily achieve that My thoughts above about "Exciting learning" are just the experiences drawn from the old and new methods of teaching practice There may be many shortcomings, but that is just a personal factor We hope all levels and branches pay more attention to this subject II IMPLICATIONS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE To the teachers Choosing techniques is the day – to – day business of every English teacher Extra-curricular may play an important role in lessons because if the teacher conducts this stage successfully, the classroom atmosphere will change and also the students’ performance will be much better Therefore, the teacher should make sure that the following things are done perfectly First of all, preparation is necessary for English teacher with a list in details of activities prepared with useful language knowledge, good time management for each activity, effective visual aids usages and clear instructions giving One more thing is that the teacher should know how to motivate the students by changing the activities day by day or take care of the quiet students in the class by using types of extra-curricular in teaching To the classroom facilities In Vietnam, it is normal that there are 40 to 50 students in a language classroom at high school This makes the teachers meet many difficulties in conducting a language lesson However, the situation can not be changed in a short period of time so the teacher should get over all these difficulties by making sure that the classroom facilities are comfortable enough before the lessons III LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH The study still has some limitations First of all, this study is very small – scale, which focuses on only the way students motivate the lessons Secondly, the study basically bases on one source of data, questionnaires, which might be subjective on the side of the informants, so the researcher can not guarantee the reliability of the information collected IV CONCLUSION Through the process of applying new teaching methods in the teaching departments, namely the application of the language in extra-curricular activities were predecessors in the same field so creative, I draw some lessons In the process of applying the extra-curricular activities , need to take measures to change or modification to suit each lesson and each object to avoid boredom XÁC NHẬN CỦA THỦ TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ Thanh Hóa, ngày 10 tháng năm2020 Tơi xin cam đoan SKKN viết, khơng chép nội dung người khác LÊ THỊ THƯƠNG REFERENCES Accoding to the opinion of Rabowle (1494-1533) Makarenco Famous Russian teacher of the early twentieth century Phan Trọng luận, Phương pháp dạy học Nxb Đại học Quốc gia 1996, Tr 381 4.Internet sources 5.Oxford Dictionary DANH MỤC CÁC ĐỀ SKKN MÀ TÁC GIẢ ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG CẤP GD&ĐT ĐÁNH GIÁ ĐẠT TỪ LOẠI C TRỞ LÊN STT TÊN SÁNG KIẾN XẾP LOẠI NĂM CÔNG NHẬN Using games in teaching warm – up activities for non – major English students to improve their English language Promoting the effectiveness of pair or group activities in process of teaching English How to teach the stated and unstated detail questions effectively in the G.C.S.E test for students at Nhu Xuan High School B 2017 C 2019 C 2020 ... judges This is an information-led function Information-led function (information-led function) - Asking for information / garthering information: To ask for unknown information, we use different... Extracurricular activities, therefore, are both educational and aesthetic activities, "Contributing to creating a cultural lifestyle and the ability to enjoy cultural arts for students Through extracurricular... subject? It is time to redefine the position and role of extracurricular activities, highly promote creativity, dynamism and interest of students Theoretical basis: To create a new atmosphere, a new