APPLYNG SOME GAMES TO MOTIVATE THE 12TH FORM STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL

THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING DEPARTMENTLE LOI HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVES STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL Teacher’s full name: Trịnh Thị Hoan Job title : Te

THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING DEPARTMENT

LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVES

STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH

SCHOOL

Teacher’s full name: Trịnh Thị Hoan

Job title : Teacher

The field of the experience initiative: Foreign language

THANH HOA, YEAR 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

5 Important things to consider when using games in the

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the leaders ofThanh Hoa Education and Training Department for organizing this seminar and forgiving me the precious chance to do it

Second, I am indebted to all the colleagues at Le Loi high school forproviding me a lot of useful advice and ideas which are the most needed for thisresearch

I also offer my regards and blessings to all of my family members who havesupported me during the completion of the research

Last but not least, I would like to thank you very much for your presence andobservation Your comments and advice would be highly appreciated

Because of its importance, recent years, English has been taught in almostschools in Vietnam Since 2006 new English textbooks for students at grade 10,

11, 12 have been officially used in Vietnam Speaking skill is one of the fourlanguage skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) which the new Englishtextbooks require students to master As Ur states of all the four skills, speakingseems intuitively the most important In practice, however, many learners feelfrustrated as they find that speaking in a foreign language is a complex matter It isbecause speaking involves many factors The ability to speak fluently presupposesnot only knowledge of language features, but also the ability to process informationand language “on the spot” (Harmer, 2001) In learning speaking skill, thestudents often find some problems The common problem is that their nativelanguage causes them difficult to use the foreign language Other reason is because

of motivation lack to practice the second language in daily conversation Theyare also too shy and afraid to take part in the conversation

Many techniques including games can be applied because this technique iseffective to use in teaching speaking Games, which are task-based and have apurpose beyond the production of correct speech, serve as excellent communicativeactivities (Saricoban & Metin 2000) Games offer students a fun-filled and relaxinglearning atmosphere After learning and practicing new vocabulary, students havethe opportunity to use language in a non-stressful way (Uberman 1998) Whileplaying games, the learners' attention is on the message, not on the language.Rather than pay attention to the correctness of linguistic forms, most participantswill do all they can to win In a game-oriented context, anxiety is reduced andspeech fluency is generated, thus communicative competence is achieved

With many years of experience in teaching English at high school, I haverealized that motivation is one of the key factors that determine students’ success orfailure in language learning For teaching and learning speaking skill, the greatimpact of motivation is not an exception It is undeniable that if the students aremotivated, especially from the warm- up stage, their speaking will be completedmore successful and their difficulties in speaking will no longer exist

All the above-mentioned reasons have inspired me to choose the theme

“APPLYNG SOME GAMES TO MOTIVATE THE 12TH FORM STUDENTS INSPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL”

2 Basis of practice

2.1 For teachers

Motivation is essential to success in most fields of learning The importance ofmotivation in speaking has been drawing attention of many researchers andeducators Learners often complain that they cannot think of anything to say andthey have no motivation to express themselves The learners have nothing toexpress maybe because the teacher had chosen a topic which is not suitable for him

or about which he knows very little

Many teachers haven’t given students any chances to practice vocabulary,grammar , if there, they just check one or two students before the lessonmechanically, which makes students bored and passive On the other hand, whenteaching, teachers haven’t made full use of the students’ activities and creativeness

so the lessons are usually boring

In conclusion, from about discussion it can be learnt that among the factors affecting student’s motivation, teacher’ teaching method, especially the games used in their teaching, should be put into consideration

2.2 For students

Since education reform, students have loved learning English but mainlyadvanced students And weak students who understand the lesson slowly learnpassively They wait for the teacher’s or other students’ answers Many of themhave no opportunities or they don’t dare to practice speaking English in class Theyare afraid they speak incorrectly Many can not speak, even they ignore payingattention to the lessons or taking any notes or doing any homework In fact, we cansee these students have no love for English…Therefore, the teaching qualities ofEnglish do not live up to our expectations

II Objectives of the study

The objectives of this research is to simplify the tasks and to present someabilities of using games for some grade 12 English speaking lessons in Englishtextbook 12 to have effective lectures and develop student’s speaking skill

III Scope of the study

This study mainly focuses on the effects of using games to increase motivation in speaking periods in the textbook for the 12th form students at Le Loihigh school during the school year 2015- 2016

IV Methods of the research

- Using the text-book to apply to each lesson and section

- Using references to improve

- Pictures and other materials

- Discussing with other teachers,

- Observing and drawing out experiences

B CONTENTS AND RESULTS

I Contents

1 About games

"A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun There aretwo kinds of games: Competitive games, in which players or teams race to be thefirst to reach the goal, and co-operative games, in which players or teams worktogether towards a common goal The emphasis in the games is on successfulcommunication rather than on correctness of language." (Toth, 1995)

Games can be used at any stage of the lesson once the target language hasbeen introduced and explained They serve both as a memory aid and repetitiondrill, and as a chance to use language freely They can also serve as a diagnostictool for the teacher, who can note areas of difficulty and take appropriate remedialaction

2 Why use games in class ?

Games are used as methods or techniques to involve students in learning.Well-chosen and designed games are invaluable as they give students a break and

at the same time allow learners to practise language skills The benefits of gamesrange from cognitive aspect of language learning to more co-operative groupdynamics and as a result games are highly motivating since they are amusing and atthe same time challenging Ersoz (2000) states that games can be used to givepractice in all language skills and they can be used to practice many types ofcommunication

Huyen (2003) identifies the advantages of using games to learn vocabulary

in the classroom: a) Games add relaxation and fun, so the learners retain wordsmore easily b) Games involve friendly competition, so it keeps learners interestedand motivated c) Vocabulary games bring real world context to the classroom Mei(2000) emphasizes similar points by saying that it encourages active learning, aswell as collaboration and interactivity Interactive learning techniques also holdmemory, performance and social benefits Kim (1995) states more generaladvantages of using games in the classroom and they include:

1 Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class

2 They are motivating and challenging

3 Learning a language requires a great deal of effort Games help students

to make and sustain the effort of learning

4 Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing,listening and reading

5 They encourage students to interact and communicate

6 They create a meaningful context for language use.

3 When to use games?

- Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left

at the end of a lesson A game should not be regarded as a marginal activity filling

in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do Games ought

to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages I suggest that games be used at allstages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen

- Games also lend themselves well to revision exercises helping learners recall

material in a pleasant, entertaining way All authors agree that even if gamesresulted only in noise and entertained students, they are still worth paying attention

to and implementing in the classroom since they motivate learners, promotecommunicative competence, and generate fluency

4 How to choose games?

- A game must be more than just fun.

- A game should involve "friendly" competition.

- A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.

- A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on

the language itself

- A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific

language material

5 Important things to consider when using games in the classroom.

- Choose suitable games (depending on the number of students, proficiency level,cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings)

- The way students perceive a game depends on the actual design andimplementation of the game

- Give clear instructions, give clear rules and give clear time limits. When giving

instructions to beginners, a few words in the mother tongue would be the quickestway to make everything clear More English exposure is needed at a later stage

- Rather demonstrate than explain

- There must be a clear purpose and achievable goals

- Clear objectives and goals must match the difficulty level of the game and abilitylevel of the students

- Ensure that shy or quiet students are not alienated and have an opportunity to takepart

- When using games, teachers should be good at controlling the class and carefulwith chaos and noise

- Teacher should prepare the materials in sufficient quantities

- Debriefing, or the evaluation of results/ events in the game, is crucial to thegame’s success

- It must still be fun, but still help the students to learn

6 Suggested games to teach speaking in the new textbook for grade 12.

Within the scope of this study, I do not have the attempt to cover all thespeaking lessons in the new textbook for the 12th form I just only suggest heresome typical speaking games which can be used in the process of teaching speakingskill with a view to helping teachers of English at this level apply them in theirspeaking classes I hope that through these games, students can understand thelesson better as well as finish the tasks with more effective results

Unit 1 Home Life – B Speaking ( page 15 )

Game: Miss you most

▪ Aims: To lead students to the new lesson to talk about family

▪ Time allowed: 4 minutes

▪ Organization: group works

▪ Steps:

1 I divide the class into 2 teams: Team A and team B

2 I write on the blackboard the question: When you leave your home for university

next year, what or who will you miss most?

3 One student in each team takes turn to answer the question using the words thatstart with the letter in the alphabet A, B, C …Each student should give one answerand other students in group may help if necessary Then I correct the answers

4 After 5 seconds, this group having no answer will have loose their turn and thatgroup will have chance to answer One point for a correct answer

5 I sum up: The group having more points will win the game

For example:

Student from team A: When I leave my home, I’ll miss my aunt most.

Student from team B: When I leave my home, I’ll miss my bed most.

Student from team A: When I leave my home, I’ll miss my cat most.

Student from team B: When I leave my home, I’ll miss my dog most.

Unit 2 Cultural Diversity – B Speaking ( page 22, 23, 24 )

Game: HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?

▪ Aims: To practise speaking about features of culture at the end of the lesson

▪ Time allowed: 5 minutes

▪ Material preparation: 8 pictures

▪ Steps:

1 I divide the class into 8 groups, and ask each team to choose a representative

2 I ask groups to take 8 pictures Each picture gives a suggestion about a feature

of culture which is mentioned in Task 1 and Task 2

3 Groups’ duty is to observe and then express their understanding about thecustom and the culture in that picture

4 After the limited time, I invite the representative of each group to present thediscussion in front of the class and other groups may ask some questions

Keys : The features of culture in the pictures

1 People go shopping once a week

2 Lovers hold hand and kiss in public.

3 Children sleep in their own bedrooms.

4 Three generations live under the same roof.

5 People ask questions about age.

6 People celebrate their birthdays.

7 Christmas is a national holiday

8 Marriage is based on love.

Unit 3: Ways of Socializing – B Speaking (page 32 , 33, 34 )

Game: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?

▪ Aims: To lead students to the new lesson

▪ Time allowed: 4 minutes

▪ Material preparation: red and yellow chalks

▪ Organization: group works

4 After 3 minutes, I sum up and present the adjectives in positive meanings and theadjectives in positive meanings

5 I lead students to the new lesson: We use the adjectives in positive meanings togive compliments

The adjectives written on the blackboard and keys:

Positive: beautiful, pretty, interesting, terrific, wonderful, good, decent,

lovely, fashionable, tidy, slim, perfect.

Negative: terrible, ugly, noisy, tiring, boring, unhappy, wrong, unreliable,

messy, mean, skinny, exhausted.

Unit 4: School Education System – B Speaking (page 47 )

Game : EDUCATION DICTATION

▪ Aims: To check or practice vocabulary about school education system at the end

of the lesson

▪ Time allowed: 5 minutes

▪ Material preparation: 8 sentences, each sentence has a missing word

3 Then I collect the papers which have the answers in them and summarize.

4 The team having more correct answers will be the winner

8 sentences:

1 When I was five years old, I was sent to education by my parents.

2 In our country, it is education for children between the ages of six and fourteen

to go to school.

3 Many children below the age of four go to education school.

4 Children between the ages of education and 17 go to Upper – Secondary school.

5 A young child studies education 1 to 5 in a primary school.

6 Before entering Upper – Secondary school, children have to spend education years at a Lower Secondary School.

7 The highest grade in our general education system is the education

8 When finishing Upper – Secondary school, students have to take a national examination for the education.

Keys

1 kindergarten 2 compulsory 3 nursery 4 15

Unit 5: Higher Education – B Speaking (page 55 ,56)

Game : BUSY TIME

▪ Aims: To consolidate the application process to tertiary study in Viet Nam incertain months in post-speaking stage

▪ Time allowed: 5minutes

▪ Material preparation: a circle consists of 12 numbers which show 12 months

▪ Organization: group works

▪ Steps:

1 I divide the class into 2 groups and the circle is placed in front of the class

2 I ask the first group to dial the circle If the hand points at any month, this groupwill talk about the works that they will do in that month to go to university