(Skkn 2023) some techniques to enhance the grade 10 students active participation in the project lessons

REASON FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC Through the process of teaching high school English, especially the English program for grade 10, we have been constantly learning, applying, and synthesiz

PART I: INTRODUCTION

I REASON FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC

Through the process of teaching high school English, especially the English program for grade 10, we have been constantly learning, applying, and synthesizing positive elements in the student-centered teaching method, which focuses on developing the comprehensive ability of knowledge and skills for students With the English program, the content of the lessons is built on the topics and knowledge in the previous and subsequent lessons in a unit of lessons with inheritance, development and synthesis This is a convenient point for teachers and students in the teaching process

However, we realize that there are still many issues that teachers need to think about in the classroom teaching process The first is that the amount of language knowledge in the lessons has increased a lot compared to the current English program Secondly, in addition to language knowledge, students are also equipped with cultural knowledge, raising awareness about urgent global issues such as gender discrimination, environmental issues, and environmental issues, information technology applications In addition, a point that teachers need to pay attention to is that the lessons in the new English program are mainly skills-integrated lessons, built in the direction of communication, so it requires teachers

to design and implement the teaching activities in the direction of communication, developing integrated skills for students

One of the lessons in the English program that is really practical for students that most teachers are confused or intend to ignore is the "project" lesson This is a practical lesson, an opportunity for students to learn, experience, create, find effective solutions to solve existing problems in the community, so it makes sense high education However, to implement a successful "project" lesson requires teachers to be well-prepared, have specific plans, research issues to discuss or assign and guide students carefully

From the lessons of my colleagues, from the seminars on method innovation or the knowledge gained from the refresher courses, to improve my professional knowledge and teaching methods, I myself have used some I tried the techniques and found that they were really effective for my teaching practice The “projects”

in the English 10 program are fully implemented, passionately and creatively by students

For the reasons above, from the beginning of the school year 2022- 2023, we

have carried out a study with the topic “Some techniques to enhance the grade 10

students' active participation in the Project lessons” to find out the solution for

improving students’ participation in Project lessons We hope to contribute to improve the effectiveness of English teaching in general and the "Project" practice sessions in particular

II AIMS, SCOPE AND RESEARCH METHOD

- Help students take the initiative, react promptly to all communication situations

- Experimental method: The teacher conducts experimental teaching of some specific lectures

- Control method: The teacher applies a variety of methods to organize activities in different pairs and groups, comparing the performance results with lessons that are performed only in one form

PART II: CONTENT

I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1 The definition of Project-based teaching and learning

Many definitions of project-based learning have been proposed by various authors Moss and Van Duzer define it as an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems to solve or products

to develop As is discussed in, project-based learning (PBL) is a model that organizes learning around projects which are complex tasks, based on challenging questions or problems, involving students in design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; giving students the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; and culminating in realistic products or presentations Project-based learning is a dynamic approach

to teaching in which students explore real-world problems, issues and challenges, are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying and more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning In addition, the students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work PBL shifts away from the instruction of teacher-centeredness

to that of student-centeredness The purpose of PBL is to foster students’ abilities for lifelong learning through contextualizing learning by presenting them with problems to solve and/or artifacts to create; in doing so, students’ motivation and enthusiasm, their problem-solving abilities, research skills, sense of collaborations, resource management skills, longing for communication and information sharing, and language use awareness are progressively evident, and more important, such a process of engaging in various levels of projects may turn their life experiences to advantage In language instruction, PBL is a flexible methodology allowing multiple skills to be developed in an integrated, meaningful, ongoing activity Beckett states that projects are generally thought of

as a long-term (several weeks) activity which are part of an instructional method which promotes the simultaneous acquisition of language, content, and skills A major goal of project-based instruction is comprehensible output which generally occurs both during the project and as the final product of the project The variety

of definitions has provided the features of PBL Thomas proposes the five criteria

of project-based learning: centrality, driving question, constructive investigations, autonomy, and realism

2 Procedure of teaching project lessons

PBL does not engage students in a project for an hour or a day, but it entails active participation for a longer period to build meaningful products or find an answer to a complex question However, it doesn’t imply that no schedule is followed in PBL, because it may stretch from a week to a whole semester

Project-based learning helps students to learn how to work in teams and encourages them to use their creative, problem solving and critical thinking skills

to come up with innovative solutions and products for real life audience

The steps of project-based learning are shown in the following chart:

2.1 Identification of a Problem or an Opportunity

This is the leading step in project-based learning Teachers or students identify a problem or an opportunity from their surroundings that requires meticulous work and demands a resolution This problem can be related to the curriculum and may be affecting the school, community, city or a country

This is an inquiry-based step that requires great attention to detail and group work because the learning goals of students will be based on the precise mapping

of the driving problem statement Brainstorming and bloom’s taxonomy will assist you in this step to formulate the driving question

Select the project path which corresponds to the syllabus or curriculum It is better to integrate multiple subjects for enhanced student engagement and dynamic learning Make sure that the learning resources and content are at the students’ disposal while they are working on the project A teacher should be prepared to provide deep content knowledge to the students because the project can move in any direction and students may require a deeper understanding of the concepts to reach a viable conclusion

2.3 Schedule

This is the third step of the PBL which involves setting a timeline and schedule for the project activities Students should be given a set date or time frame in which they had to present their final project work However, to realize the benefits of the whole process, be prepared to be flexible in your schedule Set the schedule by working collaboratively with students

2.4 Monitor the Progress

In PBL, a teacher is engaged in the process right from the beginning to the end Teachers should incessantly monitor student work and progress The role of the teacher in PBL is that of a facilitator who strives to make the learning experiences worthwhile for the students

2.5 Assessment

This is the fifth step of the PBL, and it involves assessing the learning outcomes and participation of students Teachers can use a rubric to record students’ progress and their learning outcomes

Rubrics allow teachers to grade student learning against certain standards and give effective feedback to the individual student at the end of the project The assessment helps students in enhancing their skills and thus increases their confidence Besides teachers, experts and the audience can also be consulted to give feedback

2.6 Evaluate the Experience

This is the last step in PBL which involves reflecting what worked and what didn’t during the whole process Reflection helps teachers to improve their instructional strategies in the future Teachers are also able to incorporate changes

in their teaching strategies

3 Some methods of assessing students’ projects

Most of our assessment focuses on content mastery Techniques we are all familiar with include the evaluation of the final product and having students complete quizzes or tests Other benchmarks for content mastery you can use include the number of citations a student references, amount and quality of

research, use of experts, validity and effectiveness of arguments, meeting the topic, and answering the essential question

Completing complex authentic projects that require collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and innovation helps prepare students for increasingly complex life and work environments Effective communication in the 21st-century requires that students can effectively express themselves in writing, verbally, and visually

Be sure to assess the quality of writing, including ideas, vocabulary, fluency, organization, and conventions, as well as the use of media and overall design Since a project is a collaborative effort that occurs over time, include evaluation components that consider teamwork, organization, planning, and behavior

3.2 Creating Rubrics

Because many performances cannot easily be quantified, we want to be as specific about our expectations as possible Creating a rubric for the final product and various components of project work can ensure a more accurate, specific, and useful assessment

3.3 Involving Students in Assessment

Involving students in project assessment boosts motivation, improves cognition, and promotes self-directed learning Students who are asked to reflect

meta-on their own performance learn to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and are able to pinpoint where to focus their efforts to see the greatest results

You might have students provide feedback and critiques by asking them to keep a project journal or work log, evaluate themselves using the project rubric, and answer additional self-assessment questions An open-ended self-assessment allows students to share learning that occurred during the process that was not included in the rubric As they reflect and evaluate, students should describe their learning and contemplate decisions they have made individually and as a team

You may also want to have students complete a peer evaluation for components of the project, such as the project presentation Students can also evaluate the writing, design, and effective communication during the creation and presentation of the final product Combining your assessment of the process and the end product with student reflections and evaluations will help you create a more accurate assessment of student performance

2.4 Audience Assessment

Authentic project work should reflect the questions, problems, and needs of the world beyond the classroom If the work is something that has real value, make sure there is a wider audience for the final product presentation Having students create web pages to display their ideas and findings enables their products to easily reach a wider audience If the project deliverable involves an oral presentation, invite peers, family, or community members to attend

You may also want to invite subject matter experts in the area of project work

to participate in the final product’s assessment Developing public-service announcements? Invite employees from a local advertising agency Designing a new school? One of your classroom parents may just be an architect

If students know that other people will be relying on and judging the information and ideas they propose, their motivation to work hard and take risks increases If you involve the audience in the assessment process, be sure to provide

a rubric or other guide to ensure the feedback they provide is pertinent to project goals

II SITUATION ANALYSIS

1 Situation of teaching Project lessons

The new English 10 program has only been accessed for a few years, so teachers are still confused in preparing and guiding students In addition, the language and cultural knowledge in this new set of English books are quite a lot, varied and new to teachers and students If the preparation is not careful enough they will be passive and the lessons will not be really effective

Project is done at the end of each unit, so the content of each Project is based

on the topic of each unit Through this, students will consolidate their language knowledge of the unit, and at the same time develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills In addition, soft skills such as teamwork skills, time management skills, presentation skills or information search skills are also developed

To implement a project teachers always give students time to prepare about people, topics, scenarios, media, information and technology, so in the first period

of each Unit, teachers usually introduce to the students about how to do a Project, choose a group and give a deadline to present the product Each project is carried out for at least 5 days and at most 2 weeks, and the presentation time for each project is 10-15 minutes Before preparing the presentation, the teachers proactively remind and re-confirm the time to report the product

To ensure the effectiveness of the project, students are made to work pairs or groups of 6-8 people Depending on the number of students in the class, the number of groups can range from 5-6 groups, each group has a group leader to take the main responsibility and urge the team members to work The selection of

group leaders is appointed by the students in the class (mainly students with real ability in English), then the teacher will assign the group number to the group leaders, the members who want to work with any group, go to the captain of that group

To present the product, each student, or each group can choose from a variety of presentation channels, such as using posters or power point to present, act out, talk show, make clips, interview, or recreate a contest, an event that delves into an aspect with specific content After each presentation, students will

be encouraged to give a message to express their understanding and awareness about the lesson topic and about the world around them

2 Situation of students’ participation in Project lessons at our school

To carry out a project lesson effectively we need not only a lot of preparation but also students’ active participation However, during the process of conducting a project lesson, we still have some certain difficulties Firstly, the number of students in the class is quite large (from 35 to 40 students per class), so

it is difficult to control students to work on their own Secondly, the English ability

of students in each class is not equal, so the design of teaching activities is not

favorable Thirdly, students’ participation in Project lessons are not really active

There are lazy or unconfident students who are not willing to take part in the project They often rely on hard-working students As a result, some active students usually do almost tasks in every project while the others hardly do anything That is why the less active students can not make any progress in learning and improving their skills

III SURVEY

1 Survey and the results

The study is conducted with the participation of 160 students at Do Luong 2 high school including K57B1 (40 students), K57B2 (39 students), K57B3 (41 students), K57B4 (40 students) They are supposed to be at the similar level of English language ability basing on the results of the entrance exam to Do Luong 2 high school

The questionnaire is done twice at the beginning of the first semester- before using the techniques and at the middle of the second semester – after using the techniques

A survey questionnaire including five statements with four options from which the students choose their answer is conducted to find out the experimental students’ attitudes towards the participation of students in project lessons The questionnaire focuses on finding out the students’ general comments on the importance of students’ participation in project lessons, how actively students’ participation is, the abilities students can gain through their participation, the frequency of teachers’ using techniques to enhance students’ participation

The following table shows the results of questionnaire:

1 Is the active participation of

each member in group activities

2 How important is the use of

techniques to promote your

3 How often are you involved in

product evaluations of other

4 How was your level of

participation in group activities

during the lesson?

participating in group activities

in the project lesson?

C Solving problem 23,5

2 Findings from the survey

From the data analysis of the survey results, we have found that more than 50%

of the students saw the importance of the active participation of each member in project lessons Despite not being given techniques to enhance students’ active participation, more than 54% of the students agreed that using techniques was important However, the fact was that they had less chance to get involved in product evaluation of other groups’ projects Because students in a group often

depended on good students to do the group tasks, only 27,3% of the students actively participated in group work of project Another finding from the survey is that students only saw that participating in group activities in project lessons only improved certain ability for students

IV SUGGESTED SOLLUTIONS

1 Contextualizing technique for introduction of project

1.1 Technique 1: Using pictures / Using videos

Pictures or videos are considered the most simple and effective way to lead

in the context of the topic So, it is a good idea for teachers to use pictures or videos for the introduction of project

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Teacher prepares some pictures or videos related to the topic of the presentation

 Teacher shows the pictures or videos and makes some questions about the pictures

 Students observe the pictures/ videos, discuss and answer the questions to discover the topic of the project

For example: If the topic is about international organizations, we have the

following questions:

Question 1: What are the pictures/videos about?

Question 2: What organizations can you see in the pictures/ videos?

Question 3: What do you know about these organizations?

1.2 Technique 2: Using information chart

Information chart is an effective teaching tool that helps students get to know about the topic

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Prepare an information chart which contains the necessary information of the topic with an example

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

Name Headquarters Foundation Number

of member countries

Aims Current

activities

What the UNICEF does to help Vietnam

d children all over the

Educatio nal support for children

-Ensure nutrion for children -Child protection

 Asks students to discuss and add more information

 Asks students about the topic they are working on

2 Techniques of dividing class into groups

2.1 Technique 1: Using multiple intelligence-theory

Multiple Intelligences is Howard Gardner’s psychological theory about people and their different types of intelligences (logical, visual, musical, etc.) There are seven Intelligences that each person has A person may have two or more dominant intelligences, and maybe there are some individuals who have a balance

of all seven intelligences

Howard Gardner initially formulated a list of seven intelligences His listing was provisional The first two have been typically valued in schools; the next three are usually associated with the arts; and the final two are what Howard Gardner called 'personal intelligences’

So, each student has their own competence or ability Whereas, in a project there are many tasks which require different skills We cannot choose students by random because there may not be the equality among the groups

- Teacher must ensure that each group contains students with different abilities, for example: a student who is good at writing, one is good at speaking, one is good at drawing (if the project is in the form of posters)

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Ask students to find out their abilities

 Classify students’ abilities and puts them into groups of the same ability

 Select one student in each group of ability to form a new group of project

2.2 Technique 2: Using lucky draw technique

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Teacher prepares the numbers corresponding to the number of groups to divide

 Students in turns take the numbers

 Those with the same number form their own group

2.3 Technique 3: Grouping by residential area

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Find the students’ residential area

 Estimate the number of students in each residential area to make an appropriate

division

 Classify the students at the same residential area or close to each other into the same group, make sure the numbers of each group is equal

2.4 Technique 4: Grouping by the students’ seats in the class

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Estimate the number of groups to divide

 Put students with seats close to each other into the same group

 Adjust the number of members to make sure that they are equal

3 Techniques of delivering tasks and controlling students’ fulfillment of the tasks

3.1 Technique 1: Using task delivery chart and timeline

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Guide students to set a timeline for their plan of doing the project It should include the deadlines and the ones who are responsible for each task in their preparation

 Let the groups discuss, deliver the tasks and make the timeline

 Ask the leader of each group to give the timeline for teacher to control

For example: Group 1 has a duty to design a project about the WHO The leader

of group 1 may use the task delivery chart and timeline below:

GROUP 1

design slides about the

headquarters of WHO

By Monday

design slides about the aims of the WHO

By Monday

…

3.2 Technique 2: Using pad lets to control students’ work

There are different apps and websites for teachers to control students’ fulfillment of the tasks In this study, we use the website padlet.com It is very simple and convenient It helps teachers to control and remind students to do their tasks

Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Register an account on the website padlet.com

 Create pad lets corresponding to the project preparation of the groups

 Send the links of the pad lets to students

 Ask students to follow the links and submit their work

4 Technique of attracting students’ attention to the presentation of the project

4.1 Technique 1: Observing technique

Students try their best to complete their own project but appear to ignore the other groups’ presentation To draw students’ attention to their classmates’ presentation of project teacher should use techniques to encourage observation

- Teacher may follow the guides below:

 Have students rearrange the desks in the classroom in U-shape diagram so that

they can see each other easily

 Ask students to sit towards the new class arrangement

 Ask students to observe the presentation and follow one another so that no one

can have chance to do private things

4.2 Technique 2: Recording and taking note technique

Students seem to be interested in learning with the assistance of smartphones

So, it would be a good idea for teachers to encourage students use their smartphones or other mobile devices to record their classmate’s presentation This helps students have chance to observe the project presentation Moreover, the recordings can be used for references later

 The leader of each groups deliver the tasks to the group members, in which one member takes the responsibility for recording the other group’s presentation and the other members take notes

 Students observe record and take notes while groups are presenting their projects

 The leader of each group collects the recording and taking notes of their group members

5 Technique of evaluating projects

5.1 Technique 1: Creating rubrics

A rubric is an authentic assessment tool that:

 Provides clear expectations for a project

 Examines the product as well as the entire project-building process

 Enumerates the performances on which students will be evaluated

 Explains what constitutes excellence during the project process

 Helps students understand what they need to do to excel

 Helps remove subjectivity and bias from the evaluation process