USING BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH TO ENHANCE 9TH GRADE STUDENTS, SPEAKING SKILLS AT THI TRAN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Blended learning is very useful for students in learning English because thatenables them to practice language inside and outside the class room, which enhancestheir ability in the langu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 2

1.2 Aim and objectives 2

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Methodology 3

1.5 Significance 3

2 PART II: THE CONTENT3 2.1 Theory background 4

2.1.1 Speaking skills

2.1.1.1 The definition of speaking skills 4

2.1.1.2 The speaking competences 5

2.1.1.3 Elements of speaking ability 5

2.1.2 Blended-learning approach 5

2.1.2.1 The definition of Blended-learning 5

2.1.2.2 The benefits of applying Blended-learning approach 5

in teaching speaking 2.1.2.3 Forms of Blended Learning in teaching speaking

2.1.2.4 Materials for implementing blended learning

2.1.2.5 Source of materials in applying blended learning

2.2 The current situation of teaching and learning speaking

comprehension at Thi Tran secondary school

2.2.1 The school

2.2.2 The students

2.2.3.The problems of teaching and learning speaking skills at the school

2.3 The application

2.4 The results

2.4.1 Data from the questionnaire

2.4.2 The data from the semi-structured interviews

2.5 The effectiveness of in teaching and learning English

3 Conclusion 18

3.1 Summary

3.2 Pedagogical suggestions

3.3 Limitation 9

4 Suggestions for further studies20 REFERENCES 20

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire for students (English version) I

APPENDIX 2: Questionnaire for students (Vietnamese version) II

1 PART I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

In Vietnam, English has been taught as an important foreign language for a long time but due to grammar-translation method of teaching, Vietnamese students seem to be better at grammar than communicative competence Therefore, according to a large project to investigate the English teaching reform

in northern parts of Vietnam, only 5% of students are able to communicate in English after graduation (Hoang et all, 2005) This fact gives rises to the need for nationwide innovation in the teaching methodology in the light of communicative approach

Blended learning is one of the recent ways which combines a face-to-face classroom component with an appropriate use of technology The term technologycovers a wide range of recent aspects, such as the internet, CD–Roms and interactivewhite broad It also includes the use of computers as a means of communication,such as chat and email, and a number of environments which enable teachers toenrich their courses Blended learning is very useful for students in learning English because thatenables them to practice language inside and outside the class room, which enhancestheir ability in the language skills, particularly speaking skills, (Pete and Barney2009, p40)

Interactive materials on web and CD–Roms offer opportunities to developlanguage skills, such as reading, writing, speaking and pronunciation.All the aforementioned conditions drive the author to carry out the research “Using Blended-learning approach to enhance 9th grade students’ speaking skills at Thi Tran secondary school” Hopefully, this study will make a small contribution to improving speaking skills for grade 9th students at Thi Tran secondary school

1 2 Aim and objectives

The aim of this study is to explore the exploitation of using Blended-learning approach to enhance students’ speaking skill In order to achieve the aim, the writer focuses on finding out the effectiveness of applying Blended-learning approach in guiding students how to improve their speakingcapability and proposing strategies to teach speaking skills using Blended-learning approach

1 3 Scope of the study

Acquiring speaking skill is a vast issue in language learning However, due to the limit of time, experiences and knowledge, this study touches upon only some applications of Blended-learning approaches which are used in teaching speaking skill and cannot cover all the speaking techniques in teaching and learning

1.4 Methodology

The major method which was used in study is qualitative All comments, remarks, assumptions and conclusions of the study were based on the data and analysis Data collections for analysis in the study were gained through the

following resources: survey questionnaire, observations, as well as reference books After the data were collected, they were categorized and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to obtain the realistic results.To end with, based

on analysis of survey results and references, some pedagogical implications and suggestions in order to improve teaching and learning English speakingskill using Blended-learning approach will be proposed

1 5 Significance

This study points out the effectiveness in applying Blended-learning approach in speaking lessons andIncrease the students’ achievement in English language as well as improve theirspeaking skills.More importantly, it offers some suggestions for teachers to enhance students’ English speaking competence through the use of Blended-learning approach Hopefully, the findings and recommendations of this study will be of some help to the improvement of the teaching and learning speaking skill for Thi Tran secondary students

2 PART II: DEVELOPMENT

2 1 Theory background

2.1.1 Speaking skills

2.1.1.1 The definition of speaking skills

The teacher has found several definitions of speaking as follows: Channey(1998, p.13) stated that " speaking is the process of building and sharing meaningthrough the use of verbal and non- verbal symbols in a variety

of contexts" In the other words, speaking is a skill which need the speaker to interact with others deeply to be perceived and understood, then constructing the meaning, pronouncing, and being fluent and accurate in using grammar and vocabulary

From the above display, the teacher notice the ability to speak aforeign language involves several components that speaker need to acquire in order tocommunicate effectively She also added communicative competence must includenot only the linguistic form of a language but also knowledge of when, how and towhom it is appropriate to use this form However, in Vietnam, as the exam-oriented ways of teaching in secondary schools and no speaking part is included in high school entrance examination, English learning generally emphasizes more on the reading and writing skills than listening and speaking skills

2.1.1.2 The speaking competences

To carry out a successful speaking task, the following competences should be acquired:

Initiating a conversation: Knowing how and when to open a conversation

is akey speaking competence that learners must be taught A study by Mc Cathy and O'keeffe (2004, p 5) has shown that much classroom conversation involves the teacher taking the role of an initiator

Turn-taking: This is the interaction management skill that learners would

do well to acquire what.Bygate (1998: p.65) and Flucher (2003, p 24) illustrate

that turntaking and adjacent–pair practice will provide learners within dispensable knowledge of when it is appropriate to listen and talk, for how long, and the preferred response pattern to adopt

Verbal and non–verbal symbols: It is the ability to convey meaning by

encompassing appropriate expressions verbal and non–verbal in the proper context Channey (1998, p 13) assures that speaking through the use of verbal and non- verbal symbols in a variety of contexts

Participation, interaction and engagement: To create English Language

Classroom that is full of fun and a dynamic place to be, right activities should be taught in the right way Speaking in the class can be a lot fun, raising general motivation Consequently, Sari (2011, p 2) adheres to the idea that if the students do not learn how to speak in the language classroom, they may soon get bored and lose interest in learning the foreign language

It has become increasingly clear that success in school is a product of learning the language Interacting through talking at home and in school is essential in bringing about oral language fluency and ultimately literacy

2.1.1.3 Elements of speaking ability

Heaton(1988) divided the elements of speaking ability into three parts: Accuracy: Pronunciation maybe heavily influenced by native language but

should be generally intelligible No confusing errors of grammar or vocabulary Accuracy in speaking means someone can produce correct sentences in pronunciation, grammar and word choice so can be understood There are three components accuracy: pronunciation, Vocabulary, and grammar.According to Webster Dictionary (2003)pronunciation is the way in which a word is pronounced, the spelling of words in accordance with their usual pronunciation Pronunciation teaching deals with recognition or understanding the flow of speech and production of words

Fluency: The speaker may often have to search for a way to say Contribution

maybe limited to one or two simple utterance According to Brown1 (2001) states that fluency is the ability to use a language spontaneously and confidently and without undue pauses a hesitation Fluency is an aspect that influences very much the students’ ability in speaking English The teachers have to guide the students to develop to master it to be fluent in speaking In this case, the students can speak spontaneously by using a right language or the students do not use too many unnatural pauses but succeed in conveying the general meaning and fair range of expression

Comprehensibility: Comprehensibility is the process of understanding of

the utterances sent by the speaker done by listener Clark states that comprehensibility has two common senses In its narrow sense, it denotes the building of meaning from sounds Comprehensibility in broader sense denotes the interpretation the meaning and utilizes the speech act conveyed.2In other 1

words, if there are two people want to make communication to each other, they have to be speaking because they have different information The activity of speaking or communication should be understood by the speaker and listener For example, a question, listener extracts the importation then tries to search the answer for it

2.1.2 Blended-learning approach

2.1.2.1 The definition of Blended-learning

Blended learning has been defined as a mixture of traditional learning and onlinelearning (Williams, 2002; Osguthrope& Graham, 2003) It is also defined

as the integrationof e-learning tools such as virtual learning environment with face-to-face learning (Welker&Berardino, 2006) Thus, we could say that the term 'blended learning' refersto everytime teachers mix different media (e.g print,audio, and video) with classroom interaction

In the current study the blended learning refers to a combination of online andface-to-face methods in response to the learners’ needs and for the achievement ofinstructional objectives This means that multiple approaches, methods and resources toteaching or to educational processes are combined and utilized by the teacher who nowexpects the students to learn not only from the assigned web pages and communicationtools (e.g email, discussion board and chat rooms) but also from face to face lectures,tutorials, person to person discussions and seminars

Figure 1: Blended- learning 2.1.2.2 The benefits of applying Blended-learning approach in teaching speaking

Research suggests that when online and face-to-faceelements are combined, learners often place a greater valueor emphasis on the face-to-face aspects of the experience (Graham, 2004) But teacher–learner communication does not stop when learners leave the classroom; it continues outside the classroom environment And with the right blend, the classroom time can be used to maximum effect

Firstly, Blended learning makes education more accessible With traditional teaching methods, educational materials were only available during classroom hours Students may have been able to take their textbooks home with

them, but they didn’t have a way to actually interact with or engage the material With new learning apps and other technological advances, they have more flexibility to access and engage academia from home This accessibility could translate to a much greater interest in learning and more successful outcomes

Secondly, Students can pace themselves Blended learning that uses apps, games, or measurable programs to teach concepts allows students to engage the material at their own pace This helps to balance a classroom that contains both quick and slow learners Every student can practice and tackle new material with timing that is perfect just for them It can promote deeper learning, reduce stress, and increase student satisfaction

Last but not least, Teachers can become more engaged with their students Blended learning presents an increased opportunity for students to connect with their professors and teachers They can connect via email, through progress reports on the program, or on message boards This learning style promotes a number of effective means for teachers and students to become more engaged with one another In the end, both parties can benefit from this shift in the relationship Teachers can stay in touch with student progress, while students can ask more questions and gain deeper knowledge

2.1.2.3 Forms of Blended learning in teaching speaking

Rotation Model: In this model, students rotate between learning paths or

“modalities”-one of which online learning-either on a fixed schedule or at the teacher’s discretion There are several popular sub-classes of the rotation model Station Rotation: In this model, students rotate between various stations within theclassroom, and at least one of these stations includes an online learning component

Lab Rotation: Students rotate between the classroom environment and the

learning lab, all whilestaying on the school campus

Flipped Classroom: In the flipped classroom, students rotate on a fixed schedulebetween classroom instruction during the school day and online outside

of schoolhours

Individual Rotation: In this rotation model, students customize how they

rotatebetween modalities Either theteacher-of-record or an algorithm can set individual student rotation schedules, butonce set, these schedules usually stay fixed

Flex Model:Similar to the individual rotation model, the flex model

features students working on a customized schedule that rotates between modalities, one of which is online learning Although the teacher-of-record is on-site and interacts with students face toface, this support is flexible and adaptive to individual student needs This blended learningapproach also allows for creative classroom/school configurations, for example bycombining study space, breakout rooms, learning labs, small group work rooms, and socialareas

“A La Carte” Model:The A la carte model-also known as the

“self-blend”model-allows students to design their educational experience by selecting

specific online courses to supplement their traditional in-school coursework For the online coursework component, the teacher-of-record is virtual and learning occurs either in theschool or off-site

Enriched-Virtual Model:In this model, students learn primarily online,

butsplit their time between the brick-and-mortar school campus and an off-site environment It is a “whole school experience,” which means that it is a comprehensiveapproach to schooling The teachers-of-record are primarily virtual, although teachers or paraprofessionalsprovide supplemental support in the brick-and-mortar environment as well

2.1.2.4 Materials for implementing blended learning

Worksheets and other materials: Worksheets and other materials are

available for classroom use, homework orself-study You can find specific materials for young learners, and special purposes,exam preparation, skills work

Exercises and Tests: Many exercises available online and on CD-ROM focus on grammar andvocabulary Such exercises are an ideal way to practise discrete items such as contrasting two structures (e.g since and for) or confusable words Among the most common activity types are multiple choice

Vocabulary Reference: Vocabulary input for learners includes specialist

vocabulary for ESP areas thatare well served on the Web Learners can access functional language for situationssuch as making telephone calls or giving presentations

Language Games: Games are another electronic alternative to books and

paper based exercises.They are principally aimed at younger learners although there are also games whichcan be used by adults They focus on topics such as vocabulary, spelling and grammar

Speaking and pronunciationinteractive materials on the Web and on CD-ROM:offer opportunities todevelop language skills like speaking and

pronunciation Fluency practice is usually organized by the teacher, and is an area which Learners can read and record alternate lines in a dialogue,and then play back the complete dialogue CD-ROMs can also be helpful in the areaof pronunciation On some disks, the learner can click on a version of the phonemicchart and listen to the individual phonemes Some disks display the intonation patternthe learner uses in visual format

2.1.2.5 Source of materials in applying blended learning

Downloadable Materials: In the case of downloadable materials, once you

have saved the files on your computer, your link to the internet can be disconnected Material intended to be printed, such as worksheet, or materials which can be stored and distributed by email, such as (MP3) files, are normally delivered by this method

Online Materials: In contrast to downloadable materials, these rely on the

learners having access to a computer connected to the Internet Online exercises,

test, games and listening activities often require little programs that integrate with your browser

Material on Disk: Finally, some materials are available in disk format.

ACD-ROM is essentially a stronger device It can store digital data in formats such as text, pictures, photographs, animations, video clips and audio clips CD-ROMs offer language learners the exciting possibilities of a multimedia environment, allowing them to move between the various media at will There are also DVDs, the main difference being that these offer a lot more storage space

2.2.The current situation of teaching and learning speakingskill at Thi Tran secondary school

2.2.1 The school

This study was conducted at Thi Tran secondary school in ThuongXuan district, ThanhHoa province In the school year 2017-2018, the school had 13 classes with more than 400 students, among which there were 112 ninth grade students divided into four classes, so there were about nearly 30 students in each class One thing worth to note here is that the level of students at Thi Tran secondary school is not very high They mostly come from rural areas where English teaching and learning has not been paid much attention to Besides, the school shares common features with classrooms elsewhere in Vietnam: large size, students sitting in rows of four each and irremovable furniture

2.2.2 The students

Students under this investigation are 30 students of class 9A of Thi Tran secondary school within the second semester from the 1st February to the April

29, 2018 There were 18 girls and 12 boys They were the same age and had the same total years of learning English with the same curriculum from primary school to secondary school Most of them could do grammar very well but they have difficulties in speaking skills, especially in one - way speaking situations where they did not have opportunities to see or interact with speakers of English

Difficulties are created by the students’ limited knowledge of the language system and their lack of experience hearing fluent natural speechin target language and English speaking environment This is due to the inappropriate learning strategies in speaking, and the time limitation for teachers

of English in class Each week, they had three forty - five minute English lessons and one more selective lesson Of four skills: reading, writing, speaking and speaking, they found speaking is the most challenging skill

2.2.3.The problems of teaching and learning speaking skills at the school

In secondary schools in Vietnam, the textbooks are designed for all students of different grades Among them, this study stresses that using the same textbooks for all students in different regions is problematic Especially in the research school, a remote and mountainous one, English proficiency of most

students cannot be as high as those from cities or towns using the same textbooks

In the other hand, the failure of students in speaking may also be originated from the fact that the teaching and learning process of speaking is not conducted effectively and the inappropriate teaching method is applied by the teacher In other words, the students may find the strategies which the teachers use not interesting and effective enough to develop their speakingskill

2.3 Application

In planning, the teacher prepared syllabus, lesson plan, source of online learning, blended learning strategy based on the English 9 curriculum of the Vietnamese ministry of education and training To reach the stated goal, the action plan is executed during the second semester The project comprises two phases (12 weeks, second semester 2017-2018)

The former, In-class activity which consists of selected awareness-raising activities and essential speaking-strategies training activities, is to raise students’ awareness of the problem as well as equip them with necessary skills to make use of online materials and acquire more confidence in speaking skill and then designed in-class activities for target language of each unit

The latter toughens such awareness and strategies in learners by involving them in the speaking practice This stage is of great importance since only raising student’s awareness cannot ensure the raise in the autonomy level Once they are armed with necessary skills and appropriate knowledge, they are asked to choose from various types of autonomy-fostering activities and commit

to do the activities regularly The activities require the students to prepare at home and report their results in the next lesson

Teachers ought to provide thenecessary resources to adjust these instructions to fit students’learning needs and see how students make use of this toolto learn Therefore, the creation and adaptation of materials are expected to aid the learners’self-investment and different speaking strategies such us: representing sounds in memory,recalling vocabulary, discussing your feelings with someone else and developing culturalunderstanding, within the classroom

Phase 1

In the first step, teacher embraces on-lesson-basis information-sharing and reporting tasks to encourage reflection of the use of coping strategies These activities help them to enrich the essential vocabulary, widen their knowledge and especially create more chances to practice speaking skill In an effort to keep students from putting off all work to the last moment, it is beneficial to stipulate that some product must be handed in and report in class

In-class activity: At the beginning of each lesson, students have 15

minutes’ information exchanging Now that they are at an advantage of being prepared for class, they have to hand in their assignment during the information-sharing task Students exchange pairs to share the information that they have achieved without reference to the article but the summary The assignments will

be given back to students the following lesson During their activity, one student tells the news, and the other must take notes They are encouraged to ask questions and use any appropriate techniques to maintain the conversation and comprehend the information given to take notes These notes must be hand posterior This note taking is to certify that they try to perceive the information from their partners, acquire equal participation, and set room for the use of compensatory techniques Furthermore, the use of these techniques is fostered

by applying no-Vietnamese rule

Phase 2

In this step students make use of online materials to practice after school

Out-class activity: students take at least thirty minutes a day to revise the

knowledge they have learnt in the classroom with the implementing online tool

on two websites : sachmem.com and tienganh123.com In the next lesson at school, they spend about ten minutes for pair work activity, the next five minutes is reserved for some pair presentations in front of the class In the consecutive three meetings, they use ten minutes for pair work activity and the next five minutes for individual report in front of the class One or two students make presentations in front of the class, reporting the news that they have just received In doing so, students will feel more secured, and gradually become accustomed to public presentations Holding the rehearsal, they will be more willing to speak up The final product is a record of all assignments and notes attained during the project Besides, the assessment is also based on students’ active participation in class, especially while doing the activities

By this students do great efforts in using all the materials and the speaking techniques to communicate with their partners in the target language The gradual individual presentation merging helps them to gain fearlessness in speaking Hereby, they can implant not only self-directed leaning attitudes but also take appropriate psychology in the learning process Concurrently, their speaking skill is upgraded However, depend on different activities, teacher should give appropriate tasks for students in face to face lesson as well as online lesson The following are examples that I have used:

Example :UNIT 7- GETTING STARTED (page 7-8) SGK English 9

Phase 1: In-class activity

- After asking students about their favourite dishes Elicit answers from students and quickly write them on the board Teacher introduce the new words

on the board by different techniques