USING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS TO DEVELOP THE LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS

Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm trung học phổ thông này quý thầy cô sẽ có nguồn tài liệu tham khảo hay, củng cố xây dựng phương pháp dạy hiệu quả, qua đó giúp các em học sinh tiếp thu bài tốt, nắm vững kiến thức phát triển tư duy trí tuệ. Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm tiểu học tập hợp các đề tài đa dạng mang tính ứng dụng cao như ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin trong trường học

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA

TRƯỜNG THPT QUAN SƠN 2

USING English- LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS

To develop listening and speaking skills for

the students of class 11A1 atQuan Son 2 high school in Quan Son, Thanh

Hoa

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TABLE OF CONTENT PART

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA

TRƯỜNG THPT QUAN SƠN 2

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

USING ENGLISH- LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS

TO DEVELOP THE LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS FOR THE STUDENTS OF CLASS 11A1 AT QUAN SON 2

HIGH SCHOOL IN QUAN SON, THANH HOA

Người thực hiện: Lª ThÞ Hµ Chức vụ: Giáo viên

SKKN thuộc lĩnh vực: Ngoại Ngữ

THANH HÓA NĂM 2018

I INTRODUCTION……… 1

1.1 Rational……… 1

1.2 Aims of the study……… 2

1.3 Subjects of the study……… 2

1.4 Methods of the study……… …… 2

PART II: CONTENT… ……….….3

2.1 Literature review………3

2.1.1 Short films in the development of listening and speaking skills in the language learning classroom ……… ……… 3

2.1.1.1 Benefits of using films in the development of listening and speaking skills……… 3

2.1.1.2 Reasons to choose short films in the language learning classroom…… 3

2.1.2 Some pedagogical approaches to teach language using short films 4

2.1.2.1 Basic Teaching Techniques 4

2.1.2.2 Cs and Ss 5

2.1.2.3 Tell Me 5

2.1.3 Assessment using films 6

2.1.3.1 Learning objectives 6

2.1.3.2 Checking for learning 6

2.1.3.3 Possible outcomes 6

2.2 The reality of listening and speaking English of the students of class 11A1 at Quan Son 2 High School……… ………… … 7

2.3 The procedure of using short films to develop listening and speaking skills for the students of class 11A1 at Quan Son 2 High School ……… ….7

2.3.1 Time and Measurement……… ………7

2.3.2 Method……… ……….8

2.3.2.1 Techniques used in Stage 1 of the study……… 8

2.3.2.1 Techniques used in Stage 2 of the study……… 9

2.3.3 Suggested topics in choosing short films and detailed plan……… 10

2.3.4 Some illustrating examples for a film study lesson……….……… 11

2.3.4.1 The example on Stage 1……… …… 11

2.3.4.2 The example on Stage 2……….14

2.4 Results and Findings………17

PART III: CONCLUSION 3.1 Conclusion……….……… 18

3.2 Suggestions……….… 19

REFERENCES DANH MỤC CÁC SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐƯỢC XẾP LOẠI CẤP SỞ GD& ĐT THANH HOÁ

An attached CD with the short films used in the study and some recorded speeches

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Listening and speaking are necessary skills for effective communication

in any language throughout the world While English language is widely usedfor communication, the competence in English is considered as an addedpotential The ability to speak in English fluently internationalizes the outlook ofthe people in comparison to other languages used for communication English isthe language of the international business, technology, science and travel and theability to communicate in English can be kind of a linguistic power

It can be said that learner of a new language face exciting challenges indeveloping their abilities to speak, listen, read and write and in learning aboutother cultures Nowadays, with the develpoment of science and technologypeople in general and students in particular are surrounded by information fromseveral sourses and reaching information becomes more important everyday.Besides, in order to cope with the challenges of the intensity of informationfaced by students, especially high school students, they need to develop differentand more useful methods than those previously used

In Vietnam, English is a compulsory subject in cirriculum and also a coresubject in the National Examination It is taught at school when students are ingrade 3 However, there is a fact that a lot of high school students who havebeen learning English for years can not recognize the sounds they hear andspeak the language

Generally speaking, students often feel nervous or shy when they try tospeak English They even struggle to understand what someone is saying tothem despite years of study They are embarrassed about their pronunciation orworried that they speak too slowly Despite the fact that they have vocabularyand grammar, it is difficult for them to actually to use their English to speak

There are more and more innotivate approaches helping students instudyding English and developing speaking and listening skills Film is bothengaging and authentic; it offers experiences close to real life and real use ofliving language Through short film, teachers can bring new worlds into theclassroom and bring language learning alive

For these above reasons, I would like to choose the topic

“ USING English- LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS To develop the

listening and speaking skills for the students of class 11A1 at Quan Son 2 high school in Quan Son, Thanh Hoa” in the hope of helping students, especially the students of class 11A1 atQuan Son 2 high school develop their listening and speaking skills thoughwatching short films in regular basis I also expect that English short films asauthentic materials are possible to use to boot the confidence of the students toenhance the communication skills

It is hoped that both students and other teachers will find some usefulreference for their learning and teaching

1.2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed to help the students:

- Become familiar with the different accents of native speakers, listen to correctpronunciation and intonation patterns as well as recognize the sounds they hear,imitate them and then develop their listening skill.

- Learn English phrases used in real life situations, improve vocabulary andcatch authentic languages

- Create more opportunities to learn English usage in real life and enhance theirspeaking skills

1.3 Subjects of the study

The study is carried out with 39 students of the class 11A1 who have beenlearning English for 6 years( 4 years at lower secondary school with English6,7, 8, 9 and 2 years at upper secondary school with English 10, 11) Thesestudents are from Quan Son 2 High School in Quan Son, Thanh Hoa They aremainly from ethnic minority, Thai people

Among 39 students who take part in the study, most of them have basicknowledge in English and modern mobile phones which can be connected bywifi or 3G everyday Although they have vocabulary as well as structure, they

do not recognize the sounds and are quite shy when they speak out, even they donot know how to speak

1.4 Methods of the study

In order to achieve the above aims, the teacher uses English- languageshort films as authentic materials in the development of listening and speakingskills Students will have time to watch short films with subtitles or withoutsubtitles After listening in a period of time, they will gradually improvelistening skills, copy or imitate the pronunciation, then know spoken Englishand speak more natuarally

In this study, theory study, observation, data collection and analysis,discussion as well as evaluation are mainly used to achieve the aims of thestudy

PART 2: CONTENT 2.1 Literature review

2.1.1 Short films in the development of listening and speaking skills in language learning classroom.

Many researches have shown that films have much to offer languageteachers in helping learners develop their knowledge of language and culturalawareness Through films, teachers can bring new world into the classroom andbring language learning alive

2.1.1.1 Benifits of using films in the development of listening and speaking skills

* Learning from films is motivating and enjoyable

Motivation is one of the most important factors in determining successfulsecond- language acquisition Films and TV shows are an intergral part ofstudents’lives so it make perfect sense to bring them into the languageclassroom Films, as motivators, also make the language process moreentertaining and enjoyable.[3]

* Films provide authentic and varied language

Films provide students with examples of English used in “real” situationsoutside the classroom, particularly interactive language- the language of real-lifeconversation Films exposes students to natural expressions and natural flow ofspeech, especially for the students who are not living in an English- speakingenviroment.[3]

* Films give visual contexts

The “visuality” of film makes it an invaluable language teaching tool,enabling learners to understand more by interpreting the language in a full visualcontext Films assist the learners’comprehension by enabling them to listen tolanguage exchanges and see such visual supports as facial expressions andguestures simutaneously These visual clues support the verbal message andprovide a focus of attention.[3]

* Variety and flexibility

Films can bring variety and flexibily to the language classroom byextending the range of teaching techniques and resources, helping studentsdevelop their communicative skills For example, films can be used to practicelistening and reading, and as modals for speaking and writing Films can also actfollow-up tasks such as discussions, role play, reconstructing dialoge orsummerising It is also possible to bring further variety to the language learningclassroom by screening different types of film: length films, short films, adverts,ect.[3]

2.1.1.2 Reasons to choose short films in the language learning classroom

Short films are valued in the classroom because of many reasons Firstly,they are more manageble in a classroom, and in lesson time, than a feature film,and because very often short films have something a little special- a quirkystory, an unusual setting, a distinctive visual style Secondly, most short filmsare under 10 minutes long, they can be shown several times in a class andstudents are able to acquire detailed familiarity with the film which is important

in enabling students to critically engage with the material on a meaningful level

As most short films can be watched several times, a different focus or activity

can be used for each viewing which may help to develop intergrated skills.Another reason why short films are particularly useful to exploit in a singlelesson is that they offer a complete narrative in a short space of time, whichcaptures and holds students’ attention quickly Besides, many modern shortfilms which can be exploited in language teaching are silent or quasi silent.These short films with little or no dialogue give students the opportunities tosupply the language by creativing their own spoken dialogues Therefore, shortfilms are the perfect vehicle for using moving images in the language learningclassroom and for promoting listening and oral communication.[5]

2.1.2 Some pedagogical approaches to teach language using short films.

In film education, a number of techniques and approaches have been

devised, tested, and shared over the years According to Guide Short Film in

Language Teaching of BFI( British Film Institute) 2018(http://www.bfi.org.uk/),

there are some useful ways of approaching the study of films in both literacy andlanguage lessons, particularly in the development of speaking and listeningskills Those approaches are as follow:

- Basic Teaching Techniques

- Cs and Ss

- Tell me

2.1.2.1 Basic Teaching Techniques

The first set of apporoaches call Basic Teaching Techniques, come from aresource published many years ago call” Moving Images in the Classroom” Inthis booklet, a group of teachers and advisers came up with eight” BasicTeaching Techniques” ( BTTs), designed to help teachers who hadn’t used film,video or TV before in their teaching to make the most out of these media

Eight Basic Teaching Techniques:

Technique 1: Freeze Frame- concentrates on the visual language of moving

images

Technique 2: Sound and Image- highlights the important sound in the

interpretation of moving image texts

Technique 3: Spot the Shots- draws attention to the editing process

Technique 4: Top and Tail- show how moving image text are produced and

circulated to audiences

Technique 5: Attracting Audiences- show how moving image texts are

produced and circulated to audiences

Technique 6: Generic Translations- ways of making changes to moving image

texts and relating them to other media

Technique 7: Cross- media Comparisons- changing moving image texts and

relating them to other media

Technique 8: Stimulation- changing moving image texts and relation them on

other media

The eight basic techniques are designed to help teachers unravel the codesand conventions of the moving image, and enable them to use a wider range of

film and video texts in the classroom when teaching languages The techniquesare not age- specific

2.1.2.2 Cs and Ss

Cs and Ss are a way of categorising and analysing techniques in films thateither share features with other modes of storytelling, or which are distinctive tofilm The “Cs and Ss” approach offers possiblities for vocabulary work in avariety of languages for example in identifying colours, places, character typesand adjectival descriptions of mood The original’ family’ of Cs and Sscomprised:

- Character, Story, and Setting( categories that could be applied across film,print, and other fiction media)

- Camera, Colour, and Sound( categories specific to film)

Some approaches to the films in the pack using these categories as well as somenew ones:

* Symbol can be applied to films, books, oral stories and pictures

* Sequencing: the order of events and ideas in the text- is the subject

of “Story”

* Composition: refers to the ways in which objects, people, light arearranged in a single shot or frame

* Cutting refers to one aspect of” editing”

* Categogy refers to the genre or format in which we might position afilm

The” Cs and Ss” approach offers possibilities for vocabulary work, forexample in identifying colours, places, character types, and adjectivaldescriptions of mood

2.1.2.3 Tell Me

The “Tell Me” approach is based on a questioning framework developed

by a group of teachers, authors and advisors for eliciting children’s responses tothe books they were reading This questioning framework was worked on andrefined over a long period, with teachers and children, in an attempt to ensurethat the questions were generative- i.e that they created spaces for children totalk and extensively- and that they did not threaten, or imply a right answer Theeffect is something like a conversation, rather than a lesson

Basic’ Tell Me' question examples:

- Were there anything you liked?

- What caught your attention?

- Was there anything you disliked?

- Was there anything that puzzuled you?

- That you’d never seen in the film before?

- That surprised you?

- Were there any pattern?

The original’ Tell Me” question framework was developed further into a set

of ‘grid’, that placed four categories( like Colour, Sound, Character and Story)

2.1.3 Assessment using films

Using short films as a context for learning can offen be seen by students

as a novel or “ fun” approach to language learning because film study may benew to them or outside of their standard language learning context This shouldnot mean,however, that learning language through films is not a meaningful oruseful way to acquire new language skills and structures As such, teachersshould ensure that they make the most opportunities to move students’ learningforward during film study lessons

To ensure that assessment is effective, the following three questions fromthe planning stage when deciding to teach a series of lessons using a short film

1 What do teachers want students to learn during the sequence of film studylessons?

2 How can teachers check that students are making progress during lessons?3.What types of outcomes might teachers look for?

In addition, teachers may want to identify specific points of grammarlanguage learning skills which they want to teach students as they work with afilm Therefore, assessment using films can be devided into:

2.1.3.2 Cheking for learning

Teachers will probably have a number of techniques for checking forlearning( or assessment for learning) These approaches can apply equally well

to film contexts as any other language learning contexts Checking students’progress towards the learning objectives will help the students feel more secureand motivated in their learning.[2]

2.1.3.3 Possible outcomes

In reference to assessment, it might help to think of outcomes as asummative test which will prove to the the teacher and the students that theyhave made substantial progress during the sequence of lesson based on a shortfilm In other words, has students’s learning progressed sufficiently in reference

to the teacher’s original learning objectives to ensure that they can confidentlyproduce a final piece of work which bring together the stands of learning

Outcomes will depend on starting points, prior learning and the maturity

of the students.[2]

2.2 The reality of listening and speaking English of the students of class 11A1 at Quan Sơn 2 High School

Quan Son is one of the mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa province Theliving condition and studying condition are poor and restrict Although studentswho are in grade 11 have been learning English for 6 years, they still feel thatEnglish is a very difficult subject, especially the listening and speaking skills.Most of them do not receive sufficient exposure at home They have manydifficulties in recognizing sounds, understanding English sentences as well asusing English to communicate with others because of the lack of knowledge onsentence pattern, grammar knowledge, poor vocabulary and even wrongpronunciation

Moreover, in English conversations or communicative situations, words,phrases and expressions used are quite different from what they have seen andlearnt in reading passages or other written documents because these expressionsare spoken language

Additionally, the students who study at Quan Son 2 High School in QuanSon, Thanh Hoa are mainly from ethnic minority, Thai people Their mothertongue is Thai language and they do not have opportunities to study Englishextra or use it outside classrooms Thus, they find it difficult to rememberEnglish words, the pronunciation as well as the usages Those are the reasonswhy their English listening and speaking skills are not good

Besides, Quan Sơn has the boder with Laos and a lot of foreigners comehere every year They mainly use English to communicate with local people However, most of the students can not communicate in English, even they cannot hear and understand what the foreigners are saying as well as how to reply.Therefore, developing English listening and speaking skills is reallynecessary and important for students here in their English learning and in theirdaily lives as well

2.3 The produre of using short films to develop listening and speaking skills for the students of class 11A1 at Quan Son 2 High School

2.3.1.Time and Measurement

2.3.1.1.Time

The study is carried out on extra lessons every Wednesday afternoon Eachlesson last 45 minutes once a week at class and students are watched gaineveryday at home( films are up on the group of the class on Facebook)

The study lasts 3 months ( from January 31st 2018 to April 25th 2018) with

2 stages:

Stage 1: the first 2 months ( from January 31st 2018 to March 28th 2018)Stage 2: the last month ( from April 4th 2018 to April 25th 2018)

2.3.1.2 Measurement

Assessment of oral language must focus on a student’s ability to interpret

a conveying meaning for authentic purpose in interactive context Givingstudents a mark for speaking is challenging job Evaluating speaking is difficult

as there are many things to pay attention at the same time One possible solutionfor this is to pay attention on one or two aspects at a time For an example aparticular speaking activity or task the teacher can focus on marking the contentand the word stress For next, the teacher can pay attention on intonation andlinking sounds

In this study,I myself evaluate the students’ listening and speaking skills

by results of trial tests( taken on the first week and last week of the study),speeches I record at class, their recorded ones they send on the group of the class

on Facebook as well as my observation about their improvement compared totheir level at the beginning to see whether the students are able to listen andrecognize sounds better, minimize errors, use new words and phrases that theylearnt when they speak, speak confidently, speak clearly or organize ideas

Table 1: Measurement scale

Level Competencies

Level 1 Student listened or spoke one or two words from speech

sentences, the sentence is meaninglessLevel 2 Student listened or spoke approximately 1/2 of the words from

the sentence, the sentence does not provide the full meaningLevel 3 Student listened or spoke more than ½ of the words from the

sentence, the meaning of the sentence is almost thereLevel 4 Student has completed ¾ of the sentence, with some mistake in

pronunciation The meaning of the sentence is apprehended

Level 5 Student listened or spoke the sentence complete and full

Moreover, I also have discussion with my students and my colleageworking with me at Quan Son 2 High School on using short English languagefilms in the development of listening and speaking skills and evaluate it

2.3.2.Method

The teacher have students watch short films on Projector and gets thestudents to emitate or copy the characters’ pronunciation and then do some moretasks related to the films Students have these films on their computers or mobilephones at home so that they can watch again and again everyday Fromwatching many times, they may develop their listening and speaking skills

2.3.2.1 Techniques used in Stage 1 of the study.

The teacher asked the students to make a trial test in order to check their

listening as well as speaking (the first survey) Moreover, the teacher directlytalked with the students about the difficulty that they were facing with Theresult showed that they find it difficult to hear the sounds Therefore, in this

stage, the teacher provided short simple cartoon films with simple words orshort phrases which are often used in daily lives.

Duration: 2 months

Learning objectives: focusing on developing listening skills and their

pronunciation

Sources: short cartoon films or simple short films with subtitles

Length of the short films: 3-5 minutes

Possible outcomes: listening, recognize the sounds in the films and copy the

pronunciation.

 Teaching techniques

- Step 1: Let students listen to the sounds of the short film and check which

words and how many correct words they listened

- Step 2: Have students watch the short film with English subtitle Do it 2-3

times again

- Step 3: Ask them watch the film without subtitles 2-3 times

- Step 4: Show the film again, pause after each sentence, and get students to

repeat after the characters Copy or imitate their pronunciation

- Step 5: Play the film again and in this time students speak with the characters

at the same time, no pausing Copy their pronunciation, emotions andmovements of the characters Use English subtitles if needed

- Step 6: Record voice of two students by using mobile phone and compare the

voices recoded to the characters’ pronunciation

* After that, the films are up on the group of the class on Facebook so that thestudents can watch again at home everyday They are informed to send therecorded speech before Tuesday

3.2.2.2 Techniques used in Stage 2 of the study

Duration: one month

Learning objectives: focusing mainly on speaking skills

Sources: simple short films without subtitles

Length of the short films: 2-10 minutes

Possible outcomes: listening, understanding the film and being able to do some

tasks related to the films

In this stage, teacher focuses on short film with particular content forstudents to watch and plan activites related to these film in order to improve oralskill

Teaching techniques:

-Pre- viewing: ( before watching the short film) to give more language expose

to enhance the describing abitities of the students to build up the confidence tocommunicate effectively

+ pre- teaching of key vocabulary

+ predicting the story

+ guessing the plot of the film using the title of the film

+ brainstorming words related to the themes of the film

- While- viewing: ( while watching the short film) with the intention of helping

students to maintain the attention

+ answering questions

+ choosing the best answer for multiple choice questions

+ having discussion

-Post- viewing: ( after watching the short film) with the aim of improving

speaking skills using more interactive actitivies

+ selecting a scence or character that students like very much and describe + acting out a scene that they like very much as a group activities using samedialogues

+ role play

+ talking about the character they like

2.3.3 Suggested topics in choosing short films and detailed plan

2.3.3.1 Suggested topics in choosing short films

Basing on the content of units in English 11 textbookand the requirementabout the communicative English I recommand some topics such as:

- People: Introduce yourself, the family,the hobby, the person they like, the

person they admire, the closest friend, the idol…

- Education: the school, the subject they like, the teacher they admire, the

education system they wish, describe their school day…

- Sport: the popular sport in theyr country or in the world, the kind of sport

they often play in their free time…

- Hobbies:the students’ hobbies …

2.3.2.2.Detailed plan

January 31st 2018 Trial test( the first time)

February 7th 2018 Short cartoon film with subtitle 1

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOBNj4cS094)February 21st 2018 Short cartoon film with subtitle 2

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq2Zh_YFLQI)February 28th 2018 Short cartoon film with subtitle 3

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4d6qbmBTGo)March 7th 2018 Short film with subtitle 1: Amber with her mother

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IKtW5aBOEk)March 14th 2018 Short film with subtitle 2: Problems of Mandy at school

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNCgeYrdq38&t=66s)March 21th 2018 Short films with subtitle 1+2

March 28th 2018 Revision

April 4th 2018 Short film without subtitle 1: The notebook

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83x2 jZ8Nc)Apil 11th 2018 Short film without subtitle 2: Fear of flying

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TArotgRqhH4)