Using the project based learning method to stimulate the 10th form students’ thought, confidence and collaboration in speaking lesson of unit 13 in english 10 textbook

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING NGHI SON LOWER AND UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL - INNOVATION USING THE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING METHOD TO STIMULATE THE 10 TH FORM STUDENTS’ THOUGHT, CONFIDENCE AND COLLABORATION IN SPEAKING LESSON OF UNIT 13 IN ENGLISH 10 TEXT BOOK Written by: Mai Thi Thuy Function: Teacher Subject: English THANH HOA, 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Content INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the study 1.2.Aims of the Study 1.3 Scope of the Study 1.4 Methods of the study 2.CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Project-based learning 2.1.2 Types of projects 2.1.3 Steps of project method 2.1.4 Role of the teacher 2.1.5 Advantages of project method 2.1.6 Disadvantages of project method 2.1.7 Examples of project-based learning method activities 2.1.7.1 Using student-produced power points 2.1.7.2 Using oral presentations 2.2 Reality 2.2.1 To the teachers 2.2.2 To the students 2.3 Solution to the problems 2.4 Effect of innovation 3.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 3.1.Conclusion 3.2 Recommendation Page 1 2 2 2 6 7 8 18 20 20 21 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the study In the current integration trend, it is very important and necessary to equip yourself with knowledge of foreign languages, especially English For each individual from those who are working, have a career position in society must necessarily know at least one foreign language to serve their professional work It is very important for students to know the importance and the need to understand new languages, especially English, while still in school With the current trend and development needs of society, English is considered a universal language, so every student must now equip themselves with the knowledge and skills appropriate to the conditions, levels, ages and levels of education to lay the foundations for future development In addition, in language learning, learners have to master four skills, among which speaking skill is one of the difficult skills However, in many years of learning and teaching English, the author has realized the fact that, in high school, the teachers and the students seem to pay more attention to the grammar and reading skill than to speaking skill On the other hand, many students have not mastered teamwork skills, presentation skills, and skills in applying information technology to their speeches As a result, the students study the speaking class with less interest Furthermore, motivation is perhaps the key that leads to consecutive success in the learning process, especially in second language acquisition Therefore, maintaining the students’ interest during the lesson is very important If the students not have motivation, they cannot get the best result from learning As a foreign language teacher, the greatest desire is to help students absorb the content’s lesson through the appealing and effective communication In order to this well, besides coordinating teaching methods, we must also know how to motivate students by creative activities and innovating teaching methods with motto “student-centered” Instead of imposing spoken content on students, teachers let students create their own, as long as they have the opportunity to speak English about their favorite topics This will make a good impression on students and attract students during the lesson and encourage all students to participate in speaking activities, suggest weak students to use simple words, appropriate to their level, thereby breaking down feelings of fear and inferiority of these students when speaking English Speaking topic of unit 13: “Films and Cinema” is an interesting topic However, most of the time when developing skills to talk about this topic, teachers often uses traditional methods; students are not really active and creative As a result, the lesson will be less interesting; students will not be stimulated in thinking, confidence and teamwork skills All of the above reasons and factors have inspired the author to choose the study entitled: "Using the project-based learning method to stimulate the 10th form students’ thought, confidence and collaboration in speaking lesson of unit 13 in English 10 textbook With the hope of providing teachers of English in general and teachers at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school in particular a better understanding about using the project-based learning method in learning and teaching English, especially in speaking period In addition, the innovation was implemented with the hope to make a little contribution to the quality of teaching and learning speaking at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school 1.2 Aims of the Study The innovation aims at both students and teachers at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school First, the implementation of the new method is to design project-based learning activities in order to motivate the 10 th form students’ thought, confidence and collaboration in speaking period in general, and speaking period of unit 13 in particular Then build up learning strategies and improve their speaking skills Secondly, this study would like to focus to the importance of applying new teaching methods and raise the awareness of the teaching innovation among the schoolteachers 1.3 Scope of the Study The research was conducted among 10th graders The project-based learning activities were designed for the topic in Unit 13: Films and Cinema in English 10 textbook The implementation actually took place in different school years and was determinedly observed, reviewed and evaluated by the teacher researchers - 1.4 Methods of the study To carry out the study, the following methods and procedures were employed: Investigating methods Analytic and synthetic methods Descriptive methods Comparative and contrastive methods Firstly, the author reviewed the theories related to the matter in concern in order to shade up a framework for the analysis and then collected information associated with the project-based learning activities in speaking period from different sources: references, books, and internet Secondly, a survey was conducted on the real situation at high school by using questionnaires for students there Thirdly, the selected information and data were analyzed, and then the results were arranged into categories for comparison Finally, the information and data obtained were dealt with and analyzed so as to come to conclusion, and accordingly, to provide some recommendations to improve the situation CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Project-based learning (PBL) PBL is simply defined as “an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or products to develop” (Moss & Van Duzer, 1998, p.1) PBL is different from traditional instruction because it emphasizes learning through student-centered, interdisciplinary, and integrated activities in real world situations (Solomon, 2003) In particular, PBL activities can be characterized as follows (Srikrai, 2008) (Stoller, 2002): • Focuses on content learning rather than on specific language patterns • Is student-centered so the teacher becomes a facilitator or coach • Encourage collaboration among students • Leads to the authentic integration of language skills and processing information from multiple sources • Allows learners to demonstrate their understanding of content knowledge through an end product (e.g., an oral presentation, a poster session, a bulletin board display, or a stage performance) 2.1.2 Types of projects According to structure and size, project can be into the following suggested categories: Individual and Social projects: In individual project every students solve problem in their own according interest, capacity, attitude and needs Group projects the problem is solved by the group of pupil in the class Here the social, citizenship qualities and synergism are develops Simple and Complex project: In the simple projects, the students are completing only one work at a time It gives the deep information about the project in a one angle The students get deeper and broader knowledge about the problem In the complex project, the students carry out more than one work at a time They focus on the work in various subject and angles Here the students get the knowledge about the work in various activities and dimensions According to Kilpatrick there are four types of projects: Constructive project: Practical or physical tasks such as construction of article, making a model, digging the well and playing drama are done in this type of projects Aesthetic project: Appreciation powers of the students are developed in this type of project through the musical programmers, beautification of something, appreciation of poems and so on Problematic project: In this type of project develops the problem solving capacity of the students through their experiences It is based on the cognitive domain Drill project: It is for the mastery of the skill and knowledge of the students It increases the work efficacy and capacity of the students 2.1.3 Steps of project method Whether students work individually, in pairs, or in groups, having them design something from scratch taps their creative abilities When using the projectbased learning strategy, it is almost guaranteed that the endeavor will be interdisciplinary The teacher's role is to serve as coach, guiding students to use a variety of resources, employ a strategy that is fun and motivating, and uncover content with depth and breadth The process of conducting the learning project in the most general way can follow these steps Step Creating Situation: In the first step teacher creates the proper situation to the students in the class He puts up the knowledge about the project method procedure, steps, and uses to the students A project should arise out of a need felt by students and it should never be forced on them It should be purposeful and significant Step Selection of the problem: The teacher helps the students to select the problem and guide them Students are having freedom to choose the topic or problem based on their interest and ability Before choosing the topic, the principles should be taken in to an account Such as school tasks are to be as real and as purposeful and they are of such a nature that the student is genuinely eager to carry them out in order to achieve a desirable and clearly realized aim Teacher should only tempt the students for a particular project by providing a situation but the proposal for the project should finally come from students Step Planning: The teacher discuss with the students about the problem in various angles and points After the free expression of the students’ opinion about the problem, the teacher writes down the whole program of action stepwise on the blackboard In the process of planning teacher has to act only as a guide and should give suggestions at times but actual planning be left to the students Step Execution: The students are stating their work in this step They are collecting the relevant information and materials at first The teacher should give the time and right to the students according to their own speed, interest and ability During this step the teacher should carefully supervise the pupils in manipulative skills to prevent waste of materials and to guard accidents Teacher should constantly checkup the relation between the chalked out plans and the developing project Step Evaluation: Evaluation of the project should be done both by the pupils and the teachers Here the students evaluate their task They determine whether the objects are achieved or not After that they criticize and express their feeling about the task freely The evaluation of the project has to be done in the light of plans, difficulties in the execution and achieved results Step Reporting and Recording: It is the last step of the project method in which each and every step of the work are reported The reported things are recorded in a certain order in a book form It should include the proposal, plan and its discussion, duties allotted to different students and how far they carried out the projects It should also include the details of places visited and surveyed guidance for future and all other possible details The book-formatted report is submitted to the teacher at the end More specifically, if we examine project-based learning, we can break it down into the following nine steps (of course, teacher-coaches should modify the steps accordingly to suit the task and the students): The Nine Steps of Project-Based Learning The teacher-coach sets the stage for students with real-life samples of the projects they will be doing Students take on the role of project designers, possibly establishing a forum for display or competition Students discuss and accumulate the background information needed for their designs The teacher-coach and students negotiate the criteria for evaluating the projects Students accumulate the materials necessary for the project Students create their projects Students prepare to present their projects Students present their projects Students reflect on the process and evaluate the projects based on the criteria established in Step 2.1.4 Role of the teacher In this method of teaching the role of a teacher is that of a guide, friend and philosopher The teacher is not a dictator or a commander but a friend, guide and a working partner He encourages his students to work collectively, and cooperatively He also helps his students to avoid mistakes He makes it a point that each member of the group contributed something to the completion of the project If the students face failure during execution of some steps of the project, the teacher should not execute any portion of the project but should suggest them some better methods of techniques that may be used by them next time for the success of the project He should help the students in developing the character and personality by allowing them to accept the responsibilities and discharge them efficiently He should provide democratic atmosphere in the class so that the pupils can express themselves fully without any fear of the teacher He should be alert and active all the time to see that the project is running in its right lines He should have a thorough knowledge of individual children so as to allot them work accordingly He should have initiative, tact and zest for learning Teacher should always remain alert and active during execution step and see that the project goes to completion successfully During execution of the project teacher should maintain a democratic atmosphere Teacher must be well – read and well-informed so that he can help the students to the successful completion of the project 2.1.5 Advantages of project-based learning method - As students get proper freedom to execute the project in accordance with their interest and abilities, because of which they get their psychological needs satisfied to considerable extent - This method is not only subject centered, but due importance is being provided to the students also - Through this method, students are provided with various opportunities by which they can satisfy their interests and desires - Habit of critical thinking gets developed among the students through this method - With this method, students get the ample chances in which they can develop coordination among their body and mind - Through this method, teacher can lead a well-balanced development of the students - Through this method, science teaching can be done with considerable success, as science is a practical subject and this method is also scientific and practical in nature - This method helps in promoting social interaction and co-operation among the students, as they have to work in a group and have to interact with various persons for gathering information - As students gain knowledge directly through their own efforts, thus, they acquire permanent kind of information, which is retained by them since a long period of time - Mostly the projects are undertaken in classroom as classroom assignments, because of which load of homework from the students get reduced to considerable extent - It helps to widen the mental horizon of pupils - It sets up a challenge to solve a problem and this stimulates constructive and creative thinking 2.1.6 Disadvantages of project-based learning method - This method takes a lot of time to plan and execute a single project - It is not possible to design different projects for different topics and it is also not possible to cover all the topics or content in a single project - For proper execution of a project, large numbers of financial resources are required - Such method can only be proved successful if the teacher is highly knowledgeable, alert and exceptionally gifted - Systematic and adequate learning is not provided by this method, as it is a method of incidental learning Through this method, students learn only what is required by them in relation to the completion of the projects - Generally, it is found that teachers not possess much information regarding the manner in which this method should be used as a result of which they hesitate from using this method, as a result of which, its utility remains more or less limited to negligible extent - Sometimes the projects may be too ambitious and beyond student’s capacity to accomplish: they are unable to understand a topic easily in three languages at the same time 2.1.7 Examples of project-based learning method activities 2.1.7.1 Using student-produced power points For foreign language learners, the mastery of speaking English is essential nowadays Consequently, speaking ability is regarded as the measure of knowing a language for many learners and they define speaking ability as the most important skill in a language When compared to other skills, speaking can be said to be the most difficult skill to teach and also to evaluate and assess To overcome those difficulties, teachers need to come up with novel methods to develop learners’ speaking abilities Using student-produced power points might offer numerous opportunities for the development of learners' speaking skills These significant advantages of using PowerPoint in classes are: - Facilitating thinking and problem solving - Assisting with mastery learning - Inspiring and engaging students - Authentic learning opportunities 2.1.7.2 Using oral presentations Oral presentations have been shown to be extremely successful with respect to improving learners’ second language skills, and increasing their autonomy The research by Brooks and Wilson (2014) 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 Moreover, oral presentations have been shown to help bridge the gap between language study and language use; that presentations require students to use all four language skills in a naturally integrated way; and that presentations have been shown to encourage students to become active and autonomous learners For most language teachers the presentations in the classroom are: five major benefits to using oral - 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 2.2 Reality 2.2.1 To the teachers: Through the result of survey, the author realizes that the teachers’ attitudes are different among four skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing skill at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school As can be clearly seen from the chart, a half of the teachers (50%) think that reading skill is the most important skill among four language skills Speaking skill is considered the least important skill (37.5%) This shows the fact that the teachers in high school often pay more attention to reading and writing skill than to speaking skill Due to less consideration on the speaking skill, the teachers not really spend much time and preparation on speaking lesson As a result, the students will feel bored and uninterested in speaking lesson 2.2.1 To the students: Figure 1: teachers’ towards four skills of the 10 th form Similarly, theThe survey resultsattitudes from students’ questionnaire students show that they also have different attitudes towards the speaking skill Figure 2: The 10 th form students’ attitudes towards four skills The chart shows that a large number of the students (59%) consider reading skill the most important Only 12% think that speaking skill is the most important 10 Criteria Traditional teaching method in speaking lesson of unit 13 Participation of assignment - Few students, usually 35 strong students pay attention to perform the tasks in each lesson Project-based learning method in speaking lesson of unit 13 - Most students take part in the process of projects - active and contributive participation -reluctant participation Learning skills Mainly separate language skill in each lesson Multi-skills of language and integrated life skills Learning outcome Limited range of vocabulary and knowledge Broader vocabulary and in-depth knowledge Learning motivation Low High In addition, in order to carry out the study, a survey was conducted with 10 th form students at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school According to the data from the students’ questionnaire (after the experimental teaching) shows that project-based learning method really work effectively in English speaking classes at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school The students are more interested in speaking lessons in general, in speaking lesson of unit 13 in particular than ever before Project-based learning method not only makes them more confident, excited and relaxed in the speaking lessons but also create a relaxing, funny, and comfortable atmosphere Through project-based learning method, the students can know their classmates much better This is the result of survey: Answers a Improve your speaking skill b Provide you with Agree 10 73 12 16 69 11 (%) Not sure Disagree (neutral) (%) (%) Strongly Disagre e (%) Strongly Agree (%) 22 opportunities to experience the real- life situations c Increase your confidence in speaking d Increase your creativity and selfexpression e Bring a lot of fun and laughter f create a relaxed atmosphere of learning g Help you know your classmate better h Help you interact with others better i Engage (interest) you in learning process 66 17 11 70 10 15 71 36 57 29 60 17 74 1 18 75 From the results of the employment of the method at Nghi Son lower and upper secondary school, project-based learning method can create significant benefits English learning and teaching Firstly, learning is student-centered When students are asked to give a project, 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 Secondly, students have chance to practice their English abilities with other students in various manners This facilitates for students to meet a specific goal, in an realistic way, and with very little intervention from the teacher In addition, to produce a presentation, students will need to read for information and write the content and practice good speaking and listening skills That includes presenting their information for the varied needs of task, purpose, and audience They must be comfortable and knowledgeable They must appear to be experts in the subject as reflected in their dress, actions, and body language They must share their information in a way that respects their audience and does not waste anyone's time CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 3.1 Conclusion: Project-based learning method in speaking classes in general and in unit 13 in particular have brought a new method to learn English at Nghi Son lower and 23 upper secondary school It stirs up the monotonous teaching atmosphere among the staff and altered the indifferent attitude toward English among students Both literature and actual application of the method have proved its benefits The significance of the implementation the activities were not only various and remarkable of oral presentations but more importantly the positive changes in students learning attitude, students’ skill outcomes and learning strategies 3.2 Recommendation: - To Thanh Hoa Department of Education and Training, I suggest that there should be some training courses or forums for the high school English teaching teachers each school year to share their useful teaching experience and techniques Each time, a target teaching or learning topic is given and discussed Some modeling is done so that the teachers can see the fact of teaching and how the techniques are carried out in the class As a result, they can adapt or adjust what they have learned - Teachers should take part in more professional meetings to update new trend of learning and teaching and exchange the documents, lesson plans or useful tips - Teachers have more chances to decide what to teach that is suitable for teaching conditions and their students - Technological facilities are equipped for teachers as well as students to help learning and teaching be carried out more effective and easier - Evaluation criteria should be changed so that it fits the new learning and teaching focus - the communicative approach The evaluation should focus on the process more than the final results or marks Four skills are all assessed but speaking should be paid more attention - The class size is a big problem that affects the quality of learning and teaching in many classes The teachers cannot carry out the activities effectively if there are too many students in a class Therefore, when the students are divided into classes, the class size needs caring Above are my teaching experience in applying project-based learning method to stimulate the 10th form students’ thought, confidence and collaboration in speaking lesson on unit 13 in English 10 text book I hope that the colleagues will contribute ideas to my innovation so that it is more completed and useful Confirmation of the principal Nghi Son, April, 12 th , 2021 I assure that this innovation is written by me without any copying Written by: 24 Mai Thi Thuy 25 REFERENCES Akdeniz, N.O (2017) Use of Student-Produced Videos to Develop Oral Skills in EFL Classrooms, Illinois, USA Brooks, G & Wilson, J (2014) Using oral presentations to improve students' English language skills Humanities Review Brown, G & Yule, G (1983) Teaching the Spoken Language Cambridge University Press Brunetti, A Petrell, R & Sawada, B (2003) Team project-based learning enhances awareness of sustainability at the University of British Columbia, Canada International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education Garder, R.c (1994) Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: the Role of Attitudes and Motivations London- Edward Arnold Le, V & Barnard, R (2009) Curricular innovation behind closed classroom doors: A Vietnamese case study Teacher's Edition Lewis, M & MCCOOK, F (2002) Cultures of teaching: Voices from Vietnam ELT journal Solomon, G (2003) Project-based learning: A primer TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING-DAYTON Stoller, F (2002) Project work: A means to promote language and content Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice Blackwell publishers Vietnamese: Hoàng Văn Vân (Ed.) (2009) Tiếng Anh 10 Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất Bản Giáo Dục Websites: http://ebook.com http://mrswilder.org http://www.uky.edu APPENDIX SOME STUDENTS’ PRODUCTS: - PowerPoint presentation of group – class: 10A2 - PowerPoint presentation of group – class: 10A2 PowerPoint presentation of group – class: 10A2 - PowerPoint presentation of group – class: 10A2 Some pictures about students’ presentation: Unit 13:Films And Cinema Part B: Speaking Unit 13:Films And Cinema Part B: Speaking Unit 13:Films And Cinema Part B: Speaking After taking part in project: “ A film you have seen”, each student in each group can apply to write a paragraph to describe their favourite film in part D – Writing – Unit 13 DANH MỤC SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM NGÀNH GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO HUYỆN, TỈNH VÀ CÁC CẤP CAO HƠN XẾP LOẠI TỪ C TRỞ LÊN Họ tên tác giả: Mai Thị Thúy Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Giáo viên – trường THCS –THPT Nghi Son TT Tên đề tài SKKN Cấp đánh giá xếp loại Kết đánh giá Năm học đánh giá (Ngành GD cấp huyện/tỉnh; Tỉnh ) xếp loại (A, B, C) xếp loại Sử dụng trò chơi để tăng hứng thú học tập cho học sinh giai đoạn cuối học mơn nói Ngành GD cấp tỉnh C 2013 Sử dụng hiệu ứng dụng phần mềm “VNEDU-Mạng giáo dục Việt Nam” vào đổi công tác chủ nhiệm Ngành GD cấp tỉnh C 2016 Using short activities to warm up and increase the 10 th form students’ interest in the pre-listening stage Ngành GD cấp tỉnh C 2019 ... entitled: "Using the project- based learning method to stimulate the 10th form students’ thought, confidence and collaboration in speaking lesson of unit 13 in English 10 textbook With the hope of providing... to design project- based learning activities in order to motivate the 10 th form students’ thought, confidence and collaboration in speaking period in general, and speaking period of unit 13 in. .. traditional teaching method and Project- based learning method in speaking lesson of unit 13: 21 Criteria Traditional teaching method in speaking lesson of unit 13 Participation of assignment -