Application ò active learning activities to teach english in primary school

HỒNG ĐỨC UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES APPLICATION OF ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO TEACH ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOL Submitted in partical fulfillment of the requirements of

HỒNG ĐỨC UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

APPLICATION OF ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO

TEACH ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Submitted in partical fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of

Bachelor of Arts in English Language

Student: ĐOÀN MINH TRANG

Student ID No.: 1867020052

Class: K21 – English Language

Supervisor: Ph.D NGUYỄN THỊ QUYẾT

MỤC LỤC

MỤC LỤC 1

ABSTRACT 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 6

PART I: INTRODUCTION 7

1 Rationale 7

2 Aims of the study 8

3 Research questions 8

4 Scope of the study 8

5 Research methodology 8

6 Structure of the study 9

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 10

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 10

1.1 Definition of Active learning 10

1.2 Definition of Active learning activities 11

1.3 The basic elements of active learning 13

1.4 Active learning design model 15

1.4.1 Active learning framework model 15

1.4.2 Active learning time model 16

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 17

2.1 Participants and purposes of the survey questionare 17

2.2 Data analysis 17

2.2.1 Teacher questionare 18

2.2.2 Classrom observation 23

2.2.3 One-to-one interview 23

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23

3.1 Results of active learning activities in teaching English 24

3.3.1 Questioning 24

3.1.2 Quiz 25

3.1.3 Role-Playing 26

3.1.4 Draw the pictures 28

3.1.5 Do “ Quick Check” 28

3.2 Attitudes of pupils towards active learning activities 30

3.2.1 Attitude of pupils with 5 active learning activities 30

3.2.2 Effectiveness of Active learning activities in primary students in English class 32

PART III: CONCLUSION 36

1 Conclusion 36

2 Advantages and Disadvantages of active learning activities 37

2.1 Advantages of active learning activities 37

2.2 Disadvantages of active learning activities 37

3 Recommendations 38

3.1 Recommendations to teachers in Active learning at Primary school 38

3.2 Recommendations to students in Active learning at Primary school 39

REFERENCES 40

APPENDIX 41

ABSTRACT

Active learning is an essential part of education Students are better equipped to apply what they learn when they are actively involved in the learning process This paper summarizes the data that supports the use of active-learning methodologies in pharmacy education and provides ideas for incorporating active learning into pharmacy curriculum in the classroom and during pharmacy practice experiences

Active learning involves students in the process of learning through activities like as reading, writing, conversation, or problem solving that enhance analysis, synthesis, and assessment of class information When active learning approaches are used in the classroom, student learning interest improves It increases student understanding and retention of content Active learning involves students in two activities: doing things and thinking about what they are doing The use of technology and multimedia in the classroom helps to improve the environment Active learning tactics such as group discussion, think-pair-share, flipped classroom, brainstorming ideas, and so on can be used in an in-class or out-of-class segment activity

The quality of teaching and learning, especially in primary schools, is an issue of increasing public opinion and concern This is because primary schools are geared towards young learners aged 6-12, a period considered to be the best time to acquire knowledge In line with the basic principles of primary school students to learn English well, teaching and learning English in elementary school has both benefits and challenges This active learning method researches methods

to help teachers teach more effectively, students actively learn English through methods and games such as: Questioning, Quiz, Role play, …

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would want to express my gratitude to Ms Nguyen Thi Quyet, my passionate thesis adviser, for her support and guidance Her concern and open-mindedness have been a fantastic source of inspiration and advice for me It would have been tough to complete my graduation paper without her assistance

Furthermore, I would not have been able to complete my thesis without the invaluable assistance of all of the teachers at Hong Duc University’s Faculty of Foreign Languages, who provided useful lectures, helpful support, and encouragement throughout my four years of study I’d want to express my gratitude for everything you’ve done for me

Last but not least, my thankfulness for my family and friends is immeasurable They have provided me with a great deal of support, direction, and encouragement during the process of writing my graduation paper

Thanh Hoa, June, 2022

Student Đoàn Minh Trang

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

1 Picture 1 Engagement Pyramid (adapted from National Training

Laboratories Bethel, Maine)

2 Picture 2 Four elements of active learning

3 Picture 3 Four elements, languages course by Paul Nation 2001

4 Picture 4 Castle top activity design

5 Figure 1 The amount of time pupils have learned English

6 Figure 2 The amount of pupils like learning English

7 Figure 3 Option of pupils on the difficult of learning English

8 Figure 4 Pupils spend time on learning English

9 Figure 5 Pupil’s favorite activity in English class

10 Figure 6 The amount of grammar memory in questioning activities

11 Figure 7 Results of pupils after apply Quiz in teaching English

12 Figure 8 Effect of Role0playing

13 Figure 9 The percentage of pupils on reflex and memory

14 Figure 10 The proportion of pupils who like the active learning

activities

15 Figure 11 Effect of Active learning activities

16 Figure 12 Agreement of Active learning strategies

17 Figure 13 Test results in English active learning class

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

The best age for learning a foreign language is when a child is between the ages of three and fourteen Adults have more active, linked, and flexible brains than children It will become more difficult to learn the language if it is obtained after the ideal era Many parents have debated whether of the many distinct techniques of transmitting knowledge from instructor to student helps the youngster learn English successfully, improving pronunciation, and fluency at the ideal age

Teaching English in primary schools will have more benefits than drawbacks In terms of awareness, linguistic ability, time, and confidence, the advantages are as follows: They have self-confidence; in elementary schools, pupils have more time to master foreign language education

It is difficult to teach English in elementary schools Some students may speak English fluently, while others may not There are certain obstacles: young learners are energetic, self-centered, quickly bored, and have difficulty distinguishing between tangible and abstract concepts; instructional materials are unappealing; pedagogical competency dealing with the effective application of teaching tactics is lacking In language teaching and learning, several innovative learning methodologies are employed For a variety of reasons, however, teachers may find it difficult to implement such tactics In addition to local and national languages, English has become one of the foreign languages taught in Indonesian schools

Active learning methods promote student learning and develop teacher flexibility in a variety of learning situations, from basic approaches to get students interested in lectures to sophisticated assignments that combine critical thinking and problem solving

Active learning can be defined as “instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing” and covers any

activity or technique that motivates students to interact with the topic via meaningful activities (Bonwell and Eison, 1991) During instruction, such activities take place in the classroom and include all pupils

2 Aims of the study

The study’s goals are to:

Provide an overview of active learning methodologies within the context of

3 Research questions

The following questions are based on the previously described issue statement:

1 Do active learning activities work for elementary pupils?

2 What is the pupil’s attitude towards active learning activities?

4 Scope of the study

This research looked at the facts of teaching and learning English in elementary schools, as well as the efficacy of active learning methodologies and some ways for promoting active learning in the classroom Furthermore, the study’s findings are confined to pupils in elementary school, and these findings may have an influence on the generalization of these findings to the greater population of all students, as well as serve as references for anybody who want to actively teach or learn English

5 Research methodology

Survey method is critical for moving on and completing the entire research

measurement and scaling Questionnaire design, sample size and sampling technique, and data analysis plan

Second, instructors and students were interviewed To obtain information and data for the study, a survey questionnaire linked to active learning methodologies was done

Then, have students take midterm and final exams to collect the results of the experimental process In addition, the Internet is a huge source of information

on the subject of my graduate paper, which I will derive information from

In addition, a qualitative technique was used with two instruments: an informal interview and observation, to make the data acquired more credible and authentic All of the study’s comments, observations, suggestions, and conclusions were based on the study’s data analysis

Last but not least, a flexible mix of approaches is used to complete the thesis, which includes data collecting, classifying, and analysis, as well as result explanation

6 Structure of the study

The research is broken down into three parts:

PART I: INTRODUCTION

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1: Theoretical background

Chapter 2: Methodology

Chapter 3: Findings and discussion

PART III: CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1 Definition of Active learning

Active learning is gaining political, educational, and scholarly attention However, there are several definitions of active learning The learning outcomes have been mainly favorable, although the measuring methodologies have several flaws This review presents an overview of active learning, with a focus on primary education

Picture 1 Adapted from National Training Laboratories Bethel, Maine

Although there is no universally acknowledged definition of active learning, it relates to the student’s level of participation in the educational process Active learning involves students in the process of learning via activities like as reading, writing, conversation, and problem solving that enhance content analysis, synthesis, and assessment Moving from low to high levels of student involvement produces a very strong rise in performance, according to active learning

applications Surprisingly, rather than a shared definition, instructors’ usage of the phrase “active learning” is based on intuitive agreement

Dewey and Maria Montessori, who pushed for a child-centered approach, define active learning as “student-centered” or “learner-centered” learning, in which students take an active part in their own learning and the teacher serves as

a facilitator rather than an instructor Students are doing more than just listening and participating in activities (e.g., reading, discussing, writing) Students learn through asking and answering questions, examining evidence, linking information

to prior knowledge, forming conclusions, and reflecting on their discoveries

“Educational strategies in which pupils are involved in higher-order thinking,” according to Neal (2010) (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) Whether or whether the body (or the tongue) is physically active, the phrase mostly represents what is going on in a pupil’s head

Although the student appears to be in charge of their learning, it is molded

by the teacher’s directions The infrastructure is prepared by the instructor, who

is acting as a moderator in the implementation of this strategy To use active learning techniques, the physical circumstances of the classroom must be conducive to learning, the students’ level of preparedness for the topic must be high, adequate training must be provided for implementation, and the instructor must possess the requisite understanding of the techniques

1.2 Definition of Active learning activities

Active learning techniques (Passive is out, Active is in) are activities that are designed to activate the action verbs used in Active learning classes What the instructor performs (teaching activities) and what the student does are both examples of active learning practices (learning activities) Choosing teaching and learning activities in a learner-centered course should not be a random procedure The activities should be purposeful and relevant, aligning with our active learning goal and assisting students in achieving the desired learning objectives Teacher-led, peer-led, or self-led activities are all possible

Students’ attention and absorption decline dramatically after 10 to 15 minutes of lectures (Stuart, John, & Rutherford, 1978); retention also reduces significantly after the first 10 minutes (Hartley & Davies, 1978), although many lecturers overlook this When your lesson is an hour and fifteen minutes long, this can be an issue Active learning techniques can be beneficial The majority of individuals learn more effectively when they actively engage with content than passively listening to a speaker or reading from a textbook Students “do” things

in active learning strategies: analyze, create, role play, experience, reflect

Learners and teachers can use Active Learning Strategies to help them engage in activities based on their own beliefs about how they learn Engaging with the content and doing something with it is required for a learner to store new knowledge in long-term memory To make the knowledge part of their understanding, students must work with it Increasing the quantity of active learning in your class is one of the most obvious strategies to improve your classroom quality

In this setting, it is critical to support learning methodologies and tools in which students actively participate in producing things and commenting on what they are doing The use of these tactics in the classroom is critical for improving the quality of the students’ learning process and outcomes

In general, active learning is a new teaching method for children The definition of the activity just now is very broad and its outcome also depends a lot

on the student and the teacher Active learning involves students in the process of learning via activities like reading, writing, conversation, and problem-solving Students learn through asking and answering questions, examining evidence, linking information to prior knowledge, forming conclusions, and reflecting on their discoveries The majority of individuals learn more effectively when they actively engage with content than passively listening to a speaker

1.3 The basic elements of active learning

Picture 2 Four elements of Active learning

According to the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota, there are four core Active Learning Activities that are utilized in class:

Speaking and listening - When students ask or answer inquiries, remark, present, and explain, they actively process knowledge Active learning occurs when students go beyond passive listening to relate, evaluate, and apply what they are hearing Discussions and Interactive Lectures are effective teaching methods

Writing - By putting material into their own words, students may actively digest it; this can help students organize their ideas and reflections and prepare them for conversation

Reading - Teachers frequently expect children to learn via reading It is all too common for students to read passively in order to “get it done” Making it an active process by include questions, summary exercises, opportunity for posting

or reflection, and so on Active reading teaching can often help students

Reflection - Class sessions are frequently jam-packed with material Students may require additional time to comprehend new material and relate it to

previous knowledge Higher-order thinking abilities and Metacognition can be developed through reflecting on the applications and implications of new information

Picture 3 Four elements, languages course by Paul Nation 2001

Bases on these four elements, language courses should be designed with a balance of four strands (Paul Nation, 2001):

 Meaning-focused input (through listening and reading),

 Meaning-focused output (through speaking and writing),

 Language development (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation),

 Fluency development

1.4 Active learning design model

1.4.1 Active learning framework model

Picture 4 Castle top activity design

It is beneficial to employ a design framework when including active learning activities into your course The Castle Top model is introduced in this study (L Dee Fink, 2003) The model instructs teachers to place learning activities

in ways that allow for a smooth transition from one activity to the next while also supporting the targeted learning objectives of your course and unit Fink specifies the following activity sequence:

Pre-class - Present fresh facts and knowledge building Give students the information they need to participate in future active learning activities that promote deeper learning Pre-class exercises frequently assess knowledge or enable reflection in ways that shape subsequent instruction

In-class - Expand on the underlying information gained in pre-class exercises Active learning exercises may address previous misconceptions, queries, or thoughts

Post-Class - Provide student feedback; enable student reflection, application, assessment, and synthesis of prior learning Assess the activity’s efficacy

1.4.2 Active learning time model

Figure 1 Time model for class design

Begin with an activity that helps students connect to the subject for the day Then, utilize normal lectures for 10-15 minutes, supplemented by recaps for 3- 4 minutes

Continue teaching for another 10-15 minutes, followed by active learning activities to instruct pupils You repeat this cycle until the topic has been thoroughly presented or you are nearing the end of the lesson

Finally, you do a summary assignment in which you synthesize or condense all of the lessons and practice

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 Participants and purposes of the survey questionare

The participants were 30 pupils from grade 2 in primary school at Golden Key English Center These students have been studying English for 2 years and have the opportunity to experience the traditional form of English learning and they also have a sufficient amount of vocabulary without having to pay too much attention to the grammar part to prepare for the exam like other students larger grades to engage in learning with active learning activities The first steps of the stage will be quite difficult when students are not familiar with the new form of

learning and cannot use vocabulary and sentence patterns flexibly

In terms of time, students of grade 2 will have a longer study time than grade 3, 4, and 5, so they will have more time to improve teaching and learning methods Besides, teachers will have more time to motivate students and students

will also have time to correct mistakes and adapt to active learning activities

The survey questionnaire is designed for 2 main purposes:

- To see if active learning activities are effective

- To know the attitude of pupils for active learing activities

2.2.1 Teacher questionare

Question 1: How long have you been learning English?

Figure 1 The amount of time pupils had learned English

This table shows the duration of English learning of 30 students Looking

at the table, we can see that the column showing 3 years is the highest with the percentage of students 47%, and the number of students who have studied English for 2 years also has the 2nd highest percentage with 33% compared to two years the lowest columns 1 and 4 years with 7% and 13% respectively Through the above data, it can be seen that the time for students to learn English is mainly 2 to

3 years, which is enough to show that they still have a lot of time to learn and practice English

Question 2: Do you like learning English?

Figure 2: The amount of pupils like learning English

The purpose of this question is to let us know if students are interested in learning English English is a compulsory subject today, but depending on the ability and interests of each person, there are different attitudes towards English subject

From the above table, we can see that the result is that up to 68% of the students are interested in learning English and that is also the top result Next, 24 percent have the opinion that they both like and dislike learning English compared

to 8 percent of students who don’t like learning English

In short, the number of students interested in learning English still accounts for the majority of students in the class

Like Neither like or dislike Dislike

The amount of pupils like learning English

PUPILS

Question 3: Is learning English difficult?

Figure 3: Option of pupils on the difficult of learning English

Table 3 provides us with data on students’ views on the difficulty of learning English Looking at the table, we can see the amazing metric, seeing that the column is the most easily selected with 50% It shows that most students feel that learning English is an easy thing In the normal column, up to 27% of students chose, which shows that these students find that their English learning is not too difficult and not too easy for them to learn And surprisingly, 23% of students said that learning English is very difficult for them The above results show that learning English for primary school students is also facing difficulties when up to

a quarter of students English is a difficult subject

Easy Normal Difficult

Option of pupils on the difficult of learning English

Pupils