Hiệu quả của việc sử dụng viết tiếng Anh sáng tạo để tạo không khí học tập đầu buổi học cho môn thực hành tổng hợp của sinh viên năm thứ nhất chuyên ngành tiếng

***************** PHẠM THỊ THU TRANG THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING CREATIVE WRITING IN WARM-UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY

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PHẠM THỊ THU TRANG

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING CREATIVE WRITING IN WARM-UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS

UNIVERSITY IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS

MA MINOR THESIS

English Methodology

601410

Hanoi - 2010

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PHẠM THỊ THU TRANG

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING CREATIVE WRITING IN WARM-UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NATIONAL ECONOMICS

UNIVERSITY IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS

(Hiệu quả của việc sử dụng viết tiếng Anh sáng tạo để tạo không khí học tập đầu buổi học cho môn thực hành tổng hợp của sinh viên năm thứ nhất chuyên ngành

tiếng Anh thương mại - Đại học Kinh tế Quốc dân)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES vii

LIST OF FIGURES viii

ABBREVIATIONS ix

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims of the study 3

1.3 Research questions 4

1.4 Methods of the study 4

1.5 Scope of the study 4

1.6 Contribution of the study 5

1.7 Design of the study 5

Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 6

2.1 Warm-up activities 6

2.1.1 Definitions of warm-up activities 6

2.1.2 The importance of warm-up activities 6

2.2 Motivation 7

2.2.1 Definitions of motivation 7

2.2.2 Sources of motivation 8

2.3 Creative writing 8

2.3.1 Definitions of creative writing 8

2.3.2 Types of creative writing 9

2.3.3 Benefits of creative writing 10

2.3.3.1 For language learners 10

2.3.3.2 For language teachers 12

2.3.4 How to make creative writing work in the classroom 12

2.3.4.1 What to write in the classroom 12

2.3.4.2 Starting up 13

2.3.4.3 Writing 13

2.3.4.3 Presenting and feedback 13

Chapter 3: THE APPLICATION OF SOME CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES IN THE WARM-UP STAGE TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NEU IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS 14

3.1 Subjects 14

3.2 The Integrated Skills course 14

3.3 Procedures for applying creative writing activities 14

3.4 Schedule of applying creative writing activities 15

3.5 Descriptions of activities applied and students’ selected works 16

3.5.1 In another‟s shoes (Autobiography) 16

3.5.2 Love poems (Collaborative poem) 17

3.5.3 “Bosses never say …” 17

3.5.4 Truth telling cards 18

3.5.5 Pizza recipe 18

3.5.6 Messages in a bottle 19

3.5.7 Diamante poems 20

3.5.8 Mailbox 21

3.5.9 Round robin (Collaborative stories): An unforgettable weekend trip 22

Chapter 4: THE STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES IN THE WARM-UP STAGE TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT NEU IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS 23 4.1 The instruments 23

4.1.1 Questionnaire 23

4.1.2 Classroom observation 24

4.2 Procedures for the study 24

4.3 Data analysis and findings 25

4.3.1 Questionnaire 25

4.3.2 Classroom observation 35

4.4 Summary of the findings 35

Chapter 5: PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS 37

5.1 Available sources of creative writing activities 37

5.2 How to make creative writing activities fit in the warm-up stage 37

Chapter 6: CONCLUSION 39

6.1 Summary of the study 39

6.2 Limitations of the study 39

6.3 Suggestions for further research 39 REFERENCES I APPENDIX IV

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Summary of Sample Profile in the First Semester 26 Table 2 Students‟ Assessment of Creative Writing Activities 28 Table 3 Students‟ Opinions about the Influence of Creative Writing on Their Attitude

towards Writing 30 Table 4 Students‟ Difficulties in Participating in Creative Writing Activities 32 Table 5 Students‟ Suggestions to Better Creative Writing Activities 33

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Kinds of Warm-up Activities Used in Integrated Skills Lessons 26 Figure 2 Types of Warm-up Activities That Students Liked Best 27 Figure 3 Students‟ Assessment of Difficulty Level of Creative Writing Activities 29 Figure 4 Creative Writing Task Types That Students Liked Best 31 Figure 5 Students‟ Opinions on Whether Creative Writing Activities Should Be

Incorporated in the Warm-up Stage of Integrated Skills Lessons 34

ABBREVIATIONS ESL: English as a Second Language

NEU: National Economics University

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale

“Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.” (Brown, 1994)

Following this philosophy, Faculty of Foreign Languages at the National Economics University (NEU) conducted a survey on the effectiveness of all subjects in the first semester of academic year 2009-2010 in order to make necessary improvements The most interesting responses emerged in the subject called Integrated Skills Students thought that

it should have been removed from the curriculum because unlike what its name suggested, the content was similar to a speaking course with the domination of speaking activities Moreover, not surprisingly, writing was the most ignored skill It was viewed as difficult, boring and unrewarding for students and time-consuming, monotonous for teachers, both

to prepare and assess This fact posts the question of how to change the attitude of students and teachers towards writing to better Integrated Skills lessons

This imbalance derives from the great difficulties in mastering writing skills The writing process requires students to use many cognitive and linguistic strategies of which they may be uncertain Furthermore, the obsession of being blocked due to lack of ideas gradually drives the interest in writing out of students Without a genuine interest or enjoyment of writing, students begin to develop a negative attitude towards writing This attitude restricts their ability to improve themselves as a writer and can lead to students

“shutting down” when they come to writing In addition, the monotonous writing lessons contribute to constructing students‟ poor motivation in writing When writing is taught to

second language learners, as Stephen Davies (1998, pp.25-26) discusses in English Teaching Forum, it is generally restricted to “fill-in-the-blank exercises which focus on accuracy rather than the composing process." This type of accuracy, as Davies notes, is

certainly desirable in many instances, but an abuse of these writing tasks may make students stifle and find reluctant to lift a pen

These above facts indicate that the most common problem facing teachers of writing does not lie so much on what to ask students to write about; the difficulty is more on how to stimulate students to write eagerly and effectively

Creative writing seems to present a great solution to this problem as Brophy (2003)

suggests “Creative writing courses offer a passport to fun in language classrooms” It

puts the fun back into writing by giving students a break from formal essay writing Students who venture into creative writing classrooms learn that writing is a means of self-expression and by exploring ideas and experimenting with language, their confidence to communicate can grow They feel happy, relaxed, and more than a little fired up They have a real sense of owning their work and of seeing the target language as a personal asset The process is both enjoyable and satisfying

However, it is not surprising that Vietnamese teachers of English still question the feasibility of this idea As creative writing has no traditions in Vietnam‟s school curriculum, this skeptical attitude comes as no surprise In teachers‟ belief, creative writing, while not valueless, is hardly worth the effort in English language teaching It is often associated with works that require artistic merits such as poetry, fiction, playwriting, etc Thus, even many native speakers are not capable of creative writing regardless of ESL students who are unfamiliar with the myriads of idiomatic expressions and the idiosyncrasies of the English language Therefore, creative writing cannot function well in English language teaching In addition, even when creative writing is introduced into the syllabus, it is difficult to decide how it should be delivered Still, most teachers are unsure

of how they could apply this to language learning, which, especially in the early stages, can

be somewhat mechanical and precise There is a tendency to think students can only be creative with a language once they have full control with a wide vocabulary and a full understanding of the mechanics of a language‟s grammar

In fact, creative writing is worth an attempt Firstly, in language classrooms under teachers‟ proper management, creative writing works in the way that does not aim at turning students into writers or poets but it ignites their creativity and motivates them to write Secondly, even beginner learners can be creative in the way they use language although they only have a little to play with Using learnt language creatively is a tool to

reinforce it The creativity comes in making the most of the language that is known (Jenkins, 2001) Thus, students should, from the outset, be allowed and encouraged to use their language in an unrestricted way, so that it can become truly theirs Last but not least, creative writing offers a variety of genres to enable students to flex their creative muscles Therefore, it can serve students‟ different tastes and interests It challenges students to think, practice proper English mechanics and yet still keeps their interest Overall, creative writing activities help get the creative juices flowing and make the writing process more stimulating and effective

These issues suggest a need for more studies on creative writing in language teaching Among many attempts to make it part of the curriculum, efforts have focused on running a creative writing course separately Nonetheless, due to time constraints and the rigidly set curriculum of Vietnamese universities, this idea seems impractical In addition, little has been documented concerning how to include creative writing in a course syllabus to motivate students These facts raise the questions on the possibility of making creative writing fit in and work in the teaching of a given subject in the current university curriculum

It is obvious that creative writing is a useful refreshing approach to teaching writing Therefore, it can be incorporated in the warm-up stage of Integrated Skills lessons at NEU

to change students‟ attitude towards writing skills by offering them positive and creative experiences with writing Inspired by the thought that every positive idea has within its potential for success if it is managed properly and after doing a lot of literature review, the researcher tries her hand at this and the course has earned a significant success

1.2 Aims of the study

The study aims at

 Igniting students‟ creativity in learning writing

 Introducing a new way to refresh Integrated Skills course to teachers

 Assessing the effectiveness of creative writing activities in the warm-up stage of Integrated Skills lessons to increase students‟ motivation

 Investigating the influence of creative writing activities on students‟ attitude towards writing

 Identifying the creative writing task types that work best as warm-up activities of Integrated Skills lessons

 Offering some solutions to improve the teaching and learning of creative writing

1.3 Research questions

The research questions are addressed as follows:

1 How effective is creative writing in

 warming up first-year English major students at NEU in Integrated Skills

lessons?

 changing their attitude towards writing?

2 What creative writing task types work best as warm-up activities of Integrated Skills Lessons?

3 What should be done to better the teaching and learning of creative writing?

1.4 Methods of the study

This research is a case study on a fresh approach to introducing creative writing into Integrated Skills lessons A combination of quantitative and qualitative instruments is employed for data gathering purposes They consist of a questionnaire for students and classroom observation The analysis will be done both quantitatively and qualitatively

1.5 Scope of the study

The study was carried out on only the first-year English major students at NEU It focuses

on piloting different creative writing activities to find out whether they work in the

warm-up stage to motivate students Due to time constraints and the scope of a minor thesis, just nine activities are incorporated in the course

1.6 Contribution of the study

The study highlights the feasibility of integrating creative writing into the warm-up stage

of the subject namely Integrated Skills to make the lessons more fun and stimulating Thus,

it helps raise teachers‟ awareness of a new approach to improving language teaching More significantly, it offers the pedagogical implications for further applications of creative writing in the classroom

1.7 Design of the study

The thesis is composed of six chapters

Chapter 1 presents an overview of the study with the rationale for conducting the research, the aims and the research questions It also states the research methods, narrows the scope, stresses the contribution and outlines the content of the study

Chapter 2 provides a theoretical framework for the study, including literature review of warm-up activities, motivation and creative writing

Chapter 3 reveals the whole picture of the subjects in the study, the Integrated Skills course, the procedures based on which the study is carried out, the schedule of the teaching, and more importantly the descriptions of the activities applied with students‟ selected works respectively

Chapter 4 reports the methodology used in the research including instruments and the procedures for data collection and analysis The major findings are also discussed

Chapter 5 offers useful pedagogical implications for future creative writing courses

Chapter 6 summarizes the study, points out the limitations and provides some suggestions for further studies

Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Warm-up activities

2.1.1 Definitions of warm-up activities

According to Catherine Blundell (2002), “Warm-up activities are any types of activities which students engage in as preparation for a lesson.” The activities proposed may vary

greatly in their length and in the amount of student input needed to complete them They could require a low-level of student interaction (e.g showing a photograph or picture to aid understanding of the context), or they could involve using other skills and require more student input (e.g asking students to complete a class survey about a relevant topic) The type of a warm-up activity proposed will depend largely on the type of tasks to follow and the types of learners who are doing the task

2.1.2 The importance of warm-up activities

Warm ups often receive less attention than they deserve Teachers spend a lot of time preparing explanations and worksheets to introduce and practice the target language They

then enter the classroom unprepared for the first five or ten minutes "Let's do something fun" usually constitutes all the planning that goes into this stage of the lesson But a well-

planned, effective warm up offers more towards the lesson than just a bit of fun In fact, these activities are very important for the following reasons:

“The warm up sets the tone for the lessons.” (Cotter, 2005) An activity that students find

too difficult, or even confusing, results in a class of disinterested zombies This then translates into a quiet class session in which teachers have to prod and push students to volunteer examples or simple answers A fun warm up, on the other hand, raises energy levels and creates a positive atmosphere for students to practice and experiment with the language

As Penny Ur & Andrew Wright (1992) cited, the warm up gets students into "English mode." If English is taught as a second language, the lesson may represent the only chance for students to use the language They might not have spoken English since the last session, which can be two days, one week, or one month ago

According to Peter Watcyn-Jones (1995), warm ups provide a transition into the topic or

target language of the lesson An activity at the start of the lesson activates pre-existing

knowledge on a subject, and may even get students to use some of the ideas, vocabulary, or even grammar important to the lesson

Warm ups allow the teacher important opportunities to assess character and ability (Cotter, 2005) After all, some students work well together, and others do not Some students have good days, and others bad During the initial activity, the teacher can determine who will form the best groups for subsequent activities

2.2 Motivation

2.2.1 Definitions of motivation

The word “motivation” appears to be simple and easy, but it is so difficult to define It seems to have been impossible for theorists to reach a consensous on a single definition

Martin Convington (1981, p.1) states that “Motivation, like the concept of gravity, is easier

to describe – in terms of its outward, observable effects – than it is to define.” Thus, a few

definitions were found during the research process According to Keller (1983), motivation

is the degree of the choices people make and the degree of effort they will exert Motivation is also defined as the impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal seeking acts (Ames, C & Ames, O., 1989) A close examination of these definitions shows that motivation is defined in different ways by different researchers, but they tend to agree that motivation is responsible for determining human behavior by energizing it and giving it direction

Motivation is one of the most important factors in language learning To motivate means to provide the primary impetus to initiate foreign language learning and later the driving force to sustain the long and often tedious learning process Zoltán Dǒrnyei (1998, p.117) cited that

“Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the most remarkable abilities cannot accomplish long-term goals, and neither are appropriate curricula and good teaching enough

to ensure students’ achievement On the other hand, high motivation can make up for considerable deficiencies both in one’s language aptitude and learning conditions.”

2.2.2 Sources of motivation

One of the most general and well-known distinctions in motivation theories is that of

intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is defined as “motivation to engage in an activity because that activity

is enjoyable and satisfying to do” (Deci and Ryan, 1985, p 39) It deals with behavior

performed for its own sake, in order to experience pleasure and satisfaction such as the joy

of doing a particular activity or satisfying one‟s curiosity

Extrinsic motivation refers to “actions carried out to achieve some instrumental end such

as earning a reward or avoiding a punishment” (Zoltán Dǒrnyei, 1998, p 39) Several

studies have confirmed that students will lose their natural intrinsic interest in an activity if they have to do it to meet some extrinsic requirements However, research has shown that under certain circumstances - if they are sufficiently self-determined and internalized - extrinsic rewards can be combined with or can even lead to intrinsic motivation (Zoltán Dǒrnyei, 1998, p 121)

In foreign language learning, students need an experience in the classroom which will

promote favorable attitudes towards learning “It is this favorable attitude, combined with diligent effort that composes true motivation” (Megan Downs, 2001, p 30)

2.3 Creative writing

2.3.1 Definitions of creative writing

Creative writing is a very broad term As essentially all types of writing are creative, it is hard to define it

The biggest efforts have been made on distinguishing creative writing from other writing

genders As Brophy (2003) cited in Explorations in Creative Writing, “Creative writing is different from everyday-ordinary-commonplace writing.” It is considered to be any

writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature Sharing the same view, Hadfields

(1990) points out, “Creative writing is in contrast to analytic or pragmatic forms of

writing.” It is guided more by the writer's need to express feelings and ideas than by

restrictive demands of factual and logical progression of expository writing Creative writing is an “art piece” of mind in which meanings burst out of the words, and the meanings come as much from the heart as from the mind

To give an insight into the nature of creative writing, Rozakis (1997, p 6) writes “Creative writing is a kind of writing that uses language in imaginative and bold ways” It is a form

of artistic expressions which draw on the imagination to convey meaning through the use

of imagery, narrative, and drama In other words, creative writing is an expression of passion in one‟s heart Its purpose is not to inform, but to reveal the writer‟s feelings

2.3.2 Types of creative writing

According to Rozakis (1997, pp 7-8), there are ten common types of creative writing

a Article: An article is a short work of nonfiction You can find articles in magazines,

newspapers, and books

b Autobiography: An autobiography is a person‟s story of his or her own life An

autobiography is nonfiction and describes key events from the person‟s life

c Biography: A biography is a true story about a person‟s life written by another person

Biographies are often written about well-known people or important people

d Drama: Drama is a piece of literature written to be performed in front of an audience

The actors tell the story through their actions Drama can be read as well as acted

e Essays: An essay is a brief writing on a particular subject or idea

f Fantasy: Fantasy is a kind of writing that describes events that could not take place in real life Fantasy contains unrealistic characters, setting, and events Science fiction is

fantasy writing that tells about make-believe events that include science or technology Often, science fiction is set in the future, on distant planets, or among alien races

g Novels: A novel is a long work of fiction The elements of a novel-plot, characterization,

setting, and theme-are developed in detail Novels usually have one main plot and several less important subplots

h Poetry: Poetry is a type of writing in which words are selected for their beauty, sound,

and power to express feelings Traditionally, poems had a specific rhythm and rhyme, but

such modern poetry as free verse does not have a regular beat, rhyme, or line length Most poems are written in lines, which are arranged together in groups called stanzas

i Short stories: A short story is narrative prose fiction shorter than a novel that focuses on

a single character and a single event Most short stories can be read in one sitting and convey a single overall impression

j Song lyrics: Songs are poems set to music All songs have a strong beat, created largely

through the 3R‟s: rhythm, rhyme, and repetition

2.3.3 Benefits of creative writing

2.3.3.1 For language learners

a “Creative writing makes learning motivating and fun” (Viete, 2006) One of the chief

distinguishing characteristics of creative writing texts is a playful engagement with language, stretching and testing its rules to the limit in a guilt-free atmosphere, where risk

is encouraged Such writing combines cognitive with affective modes of thinking Thanks

to this feature, creative writing enables students to perform better in writing

b According to Jeff Fearnside (2003), “Creative writing provides a chance to do something perceived as “fun” while still requiring a lot of work from students.” The

playful element in creative writing should never be confused with a lax and unregulated use of language On the contrary, creative writing requires a willing submission on the part

of the writer to the „rules‟ of the sub-genre being undertaken Interestingly enough, the very constraints which the rules impose seem to foster rather than restrict the creativity of the writer This apparent paradox is explained partly by the deeper processing of thought and language which the rules require

c Creative writing invites more feedback about language use Viete (2006) explains when

students write creatively, they need to share it, not just to get a response, but to get a

response that focuses on the way they put the words together

d Powell (1973) stated that creative writing gives students a sense of ownership of the language Because people often associate creative writing with “good” writers and “good”

writers with the mythical “native-speaker” concept, they often believe that they will never fully belong in the language Writing creatively can help them believe in themselves as owners of the language, because they get feedback about their “good” writing Even beginners can achieve this

e “Critical thinking is built into creative writing.” Jeff Fearnside (2003) Creative writing

forces students to think in ways they are not accustomed to thinking There are no made answers Students must ponder the problem and search not only their mental warehouses of facts but also their imaginations to put words to paper

ready-f The dramatic increase in self-confidence and self-esteem which creative writing tends to develop among learners leads to a corresponding increase in motivation Dornyei (2001) among others has pointed to evidence which suggests that the key conditions for promoting motivation are:

 Creating a pleasant and supportive atmosphere

 Promoting the development of group cohesiveness

 Increasing the students‟ expectation of success in particular tasks and in learning in general

 Making learning more stimulating and enjoyable by breaking the monotony of classroom events

 Making learning stimulating and enjoyable by increasing the attractiveness of tasks

 Making learning stimulating and enjoyable for learners by enlisting them as active task participants

 Presenting and administer tasks in a motivating way

 Providing students with regular experiences of success

 Building your learners‟ confidence by providing regular encouragement

 Increasing students‟ motivation by promoting cooperation among them

 Increasing students‟ motivation by actively promoting their autonomy

 Increasing learners' satisfaction

 Offering rewards in a motivational manner

2.3.3.2 For language teachers

There are significant benefits to teachers if they participate in creative writing

Creative writing is a way of recharging their batteries, giving their imagination free rein and discovering abilities they do not know they have and would like to continue to explore Obviously, they feel good about themselves The reason is a teacher who has experienced success in an unexpected field or has found a possibility to exercise her/his mental faculties enjoyably will find renewed vigor

In addition, creative writing provides a very welcome and at times much needed counterbalance to teaching, which is often ruled by curricula and constraints on language use based on the syllabi and what the institution requires for students (academic writing)

Last but not least, it helps keep teachers‟ English fresh and vibrant because for much of the professional lives, teachers are in thrall to the controlled language of English textbook and the repeated low level error-laden English of their students

2.3.4 How to make creative writing work in the classroom

2.3.4.1 What to write in the classroom

In an article on creative-writing-language-practice, Franz Andres Morrissey writes there are no limits

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/write-in creative writhttp://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/write-ing as far as genre is concerned Students can try short stories, dialogues http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/write-in short dramatic scenes and poems The main constraint is time and space Most texts will have to be relatively short For this reason it may be useful to focus on poetry as perhaps the most condensed of all the possible genres It also has the double advantage that the brevity of poems allows students to write a first draft (or much of it) in class and to present

a text in class with discussion The problem with poetry is that many teachers are uneasy about it because they see it as the most sublime form of writing For students this is much less of a problem and their writing of poems can become rather impressive once they realize that formal constraints, especially rhyme, are not indispensable for a good poem

2.3.4.2 Starting up

Less confident students may feel under pressure to turn in a masterpiece, which may block them in their writing To prevent this it pays to do the first acts, either orally and/or in groups Students can first explore an idea together, possibly without committing themselves on paper If we want to explore a whole range of activities connected to a given field in class, for example, in characterization, it pays to produce the topic with a playful opening activity, ideally connected to the sort of language games students may play in their own language or in class, and to make use of the fact that most people find talking easier that writing This opens ways into the field that are easy and non-threatening

2.3.4.4 Presenting and feedback

A very important part of the creative writing process generally is presentation of texts or feedback to be incorporated in re-writes For language training, this opens up a range of possibility, from suggestions for improvements of the text to group discussions

Chapter 3: THE APPLICATION OF SOME CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES

IN THE WARM-UP STAGE TO MOTIVATE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR

STUDENTS AT NEU IN INTEGRATED SKILLS LESSONS

3.1 Subjects

The participants were 60 first-year students from Department of Business English - Faculty

of Foreign Languages They came from classes A1, A2, and A3 with 20 students per class

At high school, the traditional teaching method in English developed a passive learning style among them However, the first semester at NEU provided them with a lot of exciting English lessons They were now eager to learn and became more active in the lessons Furthermore, majoring in English, they longed for not only mastering English but also discovering the beauty of English language

3.2 The Integrated Skills course

The course was a 15-week course offered to first-year students of Department of Business English in the second semester There were two periods of a 90-minute Integrated Skills lesson a week In this course speaking, listening, reading and writing were taught in integration The course book was compiled by the teachers from different sources Students had received the syllabus one week before the course started All lessons were generally organized around a communicative task-cycle

Notably, in the first semester, the survey conducted by Faculty of Foreign Languages showed that students were not satisfied with the quality of Integrated Skills lessons Speaking activities dominated the class and writing skills were frequently ignored Students had no motivation in writing and teachers got stuck To solve this problem, creative writing was introduced into the warm-up stage of Integrated Skills lessons with the hope of freshening the course

3.3 Procedures for applying creative writing activities

At the very beginning of the study, permission was gained from the Head of Department of Business English who showed a willingness to collaborate in the study The course syllabus was examined to select the creative writing activities that would fit in the lesson contents A detailed schedule was set and followed strictly

In the course, students worked individually or cooperated with others depending on the

type of activity itself Nevertheless, most creative writing activities took pair or group

formats both to save time and to maximize students‟ working time The class was divided

into groups of four or five Clear, detailed instructions were supplied and the time limit

was set for each task During the writing process which took from seven to ten minutes, the

teacher moved around the class and offered help if necessary Each group then presented

their writing pieces orally The peer‟s and teacher‟s comments were provided right after

each presentation It should be noted that due to the small class size (20 learners per class),

creative writing activities functioned well in fifteen minutes intended for the warm-up

stage because there were just four or five short presentations Next, the teacher collected all

students‟ works and gave more comments at home In the following lesson, these pieces

would be stuck up on the notice board in the classroom to invite more feedback from

students

3.4 Schedule of applying creative writing activities

4 29th March 2010 Company Culture “Bosses never say …”

6 12th April 2010 Best friends Truth telling cards

7 19th April 2010 The Mother of

Invention

Pizza recipe

9 3rd May 2010 I Was Only

Dreaming

Messages in the bottle

10 24th May 2010 A Moment in Time Diamante poems

3.5 Descriptions of activities applied and students’ selected works

3.5.1 In another’s shoes (Autobiography)

Activity descriptions: Teachers hang ten pictures of people cut from newspapers on the

board Students work in groups of four to choose a picture, imagine and write a life story

of the person in the picture for ten minutes They must use the pronoun “I” in their story Then the group‟s representatives will read their story out loud Others will guess who is who

Students’ works:

I live in a small village My life is hard and full of physical labor I hardly have any spare time and I work almost seven days a week I have a lot of experience in handling a farm Farming is a good career and it requires hard work You will find that what you put into it, you will get it back Therefore, it

is worth the effort Another thing is that I am my own boss I go when I like and I come when I please

(By Thai Bao Son – Tran Thu Trang – Phi Van Long – Nguyen Ngoc Trinh)

My life has changed radically after only one night, like a dream I still remember the feeling I got when I was on stage and won The 2007 Miss World title Since then, I took more responsibility with society and did a lot of charity work in different countries and regions I had chance to travel to more than twenty countries so as to do voluntary work and carried out many tasks which each Miss World should get involved I hope that people will not only know me as the tallest Chinese beauty queen but also the most warm- hearted Miss World

(By Nguyen Nhat Minh – Vu Nhat Ha – Phan Thanh Dung – Thai Yen Ni)

3.5.2 Love poems (Collaborative poem)

Activity descriptions: Students work in groups of four and take turns to write one line of

the love poem in the format given below in ten minutes

WORD A (love theme)

2 adjectives (describing word A)

3 gerunds (describing word A)

1 short, complete sentence (about word A)

3 gerunds (describing word A)

2 adjectives (describing word A) WORD B (love theme)

Students’ works:

Love Sweet Bitter Smiling Missing Kissing

Love is a heaven, a hell or both

Confusing Sharing Waiting

Unforgettable Blue

Memory (By Le Thuy Chi – Ly Hai Linh –

Nguyen Tuan Nam – Le Ngoc Ha)

Love Sweet Romantic Flirting Dating Kissing Love is selfish, blind and greedy

Exhausting Arguing Breaking-up

Hopeless Hopeful Marriage (By Pham Van Bau – Mai Hoai –

Le Thu Hang – Le Giang)

3.5.3 “Bosses never say …”

Activity descriptions: The class is divided into groups of five to write down in a piece of

paper what they think that the bosses never say to their employees After ten minutes, they will read out loud their sentences to the whole class

Students’ works:

Bosses never say …

… “Salaries will be raised every month.”

… “Eat and sleep freely during working time.”

… “Use company phones freely.”

3.5.4 Truth telling cards

Activity descriptions: Students work individually to write a card to a classmate to show

their true feeling for him or her The time limit is ten minutes

Students’ works:

Dear Honey,

You are one of my very first friends at

university I didn’t like you at the first sight

because I thought you were so reserved But

later it is so comfortable and exciting to be with

you though I do not know exactly why

One more little thing is that I love your sporty

style Are you surprised? However, I still want

you to change something in your fashion sense

and I volunteer to be your stylist!!! I love you

and hope we can be friends forever

P/s: Don’t let your sore eyes infect me! :D

Hanh Nguyen

Dear Diem Hang,

Firstly, I hope you understand that I never feel angry with my friends – sometimes I just do not feel pleased enough and I will try to replace that with the comfort you have offered me

So when you read this letter, you should know that you mean a lot to me Your strengths, weaknesses, sense of humor or the moody you all make me miss you when you are not by my side Your saving habit also has an effect on me I miss you most when I plan to buy something

Linh Trang :D

3.5.5 Pizza recipes

Activity descriptions: Students work in groups of five and take turns to write one line to

invent an imaginary recipe for a pizza as a present to their dearest person When each hands the paper to the next partner, they must fold over the paper so that the next person just sees one previous line The last person will open the paper and read the poem out loud

Students’ works:

Recipe for a Marriage Pizza

Some sincere powder

With some sharing cheese

Stir and bake a while

We have a charming crust

(By Phan Le Van – Tran Long – Le Thi Ngoc

– Nguyen Lan Chi – Pham Thi Lan)

Recipe for a Life Pizza

Activity descriptions: Students work individually to write a message for their offspring

telling about the most valuable experience they have had in life

Students’ works:

There was a time when I was young like you, sweetie That time I had a really negative outlook

on life I thought that people always gave in for something more in return However, one person made me change my point of view One time I got really sick and fainted right on the street One beggar took me to the hospital and left quietly without asking for anything He did not steal any money from me, even though he had a chance Since then, I have learnt that kind people are all around us and we should believe in good things

With love,

Le Thi Thanh Huyen