How to motivate grade 11 students at le loi upper secondary school in speaking lessons

Speaking is a crucial part of second language learning and teaching.. However, most of those learners are actually not motivated.Without motivation, they are less interested in learning

CONTENTS Page

5 De-motivating Factors in English Language Learning 4

II WAYS OF MOTIVATING STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS 4

1 Ways of motivating students in speaking lessons. 4

2 Demonstration of activities usually used in teaching English 11 at

III APPLYING THE RESEARCH IN TEACHING ENGLISH 10 13

IV RESULT AFTER APPLYING THE RESEARCH IN TEACHING 22

A INTRODUCTION

Speaking is "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use

of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts" (Chaney, 1998, p.13) Speaking is a crucial part of second language learning and teaching Despiteits importance, for many years, teaching speaking has been undervalued andEnglish language teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition

of drills or memorization of dialogues However, today's world requires that thegoal of teaching speaking should improve students' communicative skills,because, only in that way, students can express themselves and learn how tofollow the social and cultural rules appropriate in each communicativecircumstance In order to teach second language learners how to speak in thebest way possible, some speaking activities are provided below, that can beapplied to ESL and EFL classroom settings, together with suggestions for

I REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE RESEARCH

Many learners have found difficulties in learning English There aremultiple reasons that hinder their learning process Students may not be aware ofthe significance of English itself; others may learn English just to achieve goodgrades in the exams However, most of those learners are actually not motivated.Without motivation, they are less interested in learning English as subjectthough this category of students knows how English is important in the modernworld Therefore, motivation has an effect on learning English Consequently,this study is about the role that motivation has while learning EFL

The current stuudy aims to make students and teachers aware of the rolethat motivation plays in acquiring a foreign language Moreover, learners need

to know the factors that lead them to be motivated to speak during classes andthe other ones that hinder them from improving themselves The study iswidely going to deal with the significance of teachers in motivating the learners

in EFL classrooms Importantly, teaching strategies are what the teachers need

to know to help their students to sustain their self-confidence All mentionedabove, I have decided to suggest activities I have ever taught my grade 10students at my school

II AIMS OF THE RESEARCH

- To introduce how to teach speaking skills

- To show ways of motivating students to speaking in English

- To show how activities can be designed to arouse students’ speakingEnglish in grade 10 at Le Loi upper-secondary school

- To build up students’ confidence

III SCOPE, OBJECT AND RESEARCHING METHOD

- Scope : Researching in the process of teaching English 11 at Le Loi upper-secondary school

- Object: This subject is concerned with ways of designing activities inthe class

- Researching method: Teaching speaking reference books , discussingwith other teachers, applying in teaching, observing and drawing outexperiences.

be engaged and to be able to continue a behaviour (Ushioda, 2011, p 3).Actually, it is often used to describe certain sorts of behaviour A student whostudies hard and tries for top grades may be described as being "highlymotivated", while his/her friend may say that he is "finding it hard to getmotivated" Such statements imply that motivation has a major influence on ourbehaviour

Motivation can be defined as a concept used to describe the factors within

an individual which arouse, maintain and channel behaviour towards a goal.Another way to say this is that motivation is goal-directed behaviour

2 Motivation and Language Learning

Second language refers to a language an individual learns that is nothis/her mother tongue, but is of use in the area of the individual It is not thesame as a foreign language, which is a language learned that is not generallyspoken in the individual’s area In research on motivation, it is considered to be

an internal process that gives behavior energy, direction and persistence inresearch (in other words, it gives behavior strength, purpose, andsustainability) Learning a new language takes time and dedication Once you

do, being fluent in a second language offers numerous benefits andopportunities Learning a second language is exciting and beneficial at all ages

It offers practical, intellectual and many aspirational benefits In learning alanguage, there can be one or more goals – such as mastery of the language orcommunicative competence – that vary person to person There are a number

of language learner motivation models that were developed and postulated infields such as linguistics and sociolinguistics, with relations to second-languageacquisition in a classroom setting The different perspectives on secondlanguage motivation can be divided into three distinct phases: the socialpsychological period, the cognitive-situated period and the process-orientedperiod

3 Motivation in the ESL/EFL Classroom

Motivation has long been a major problem for most teachers of English as

a Second Language (ESL) or as a foreign language not only in the Arab Worldbut also elsewhere

Motivation in the ESL/EFL classroom is easily one of the most important factors

as I'm sure most teachers would agree with me The main reason I'm coming tothis point of view is that most of our students have low motivation to learnEnglish In addition to that, while most of them have a vague sense that whether

"English will be useful for my future" or not, they don't have a clear idea ofwhat that means, nor is that a very strong motivator; it's too vague and too faroff

4 Types of Motivation

Many scholars acknowledge the importance of motivation in learning as “it caninfluence what, when, and how we learn” (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002, p 6).Whereas motivated students tend to engage in activities that they believe willhelp them learn, unmotivated students are not able to be systematic in making

an effort in learning, as are motivated students The importance of motivation isoften emphasised in the field of language and linguistics According to Cook(2000), three main factors explain the speed of learners’ learning in secondlanguage acquisition (SLA): age, personality, and motivation He also statedthat motivation is the most important among these three elements Masgoretand Gardener (2003) supported this point and claimed that motivation isresponsible for achievement in a second language In addition, manyreserachers have noted that 99% of language learners who show strongmotivation were able to achieve a reasonable working knowledge regardless oftheir language aptitude

Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is a motivation to learn that comes from an internal force such as interest in language learning or the desire for further personal

development in general It compares with extrinsic motivation, which is

motivation from external pressures such as the need to speak English for work

or because a parent has sent a learner to class

Example:

Often high level learners show a high degree of intrinsic motivation as they continue to study a language beyond any practical need

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation is a motivation to learn caused by external pressures such

as work, because a parent has sent a learner to class, or the need to gain aqualification in the language It contrasts with intrinsic motivation, which is aninternal force such as interest in learning a language to communicate with otherpeople or for further personal development in general

Example:

Exams preparation classes often have a high degree of extrinsic motivation aslearners are attending class to pass an exam, often for work purposes

5 De-motivating Factors in English Language Learning

Problem statement: Demotivation is a relatively new issue in the field of

second/foreign Language learning motivation Recognizing and removingbarriers can have a marked effect on motivation and attention to learning ingeneral and ESL/EFL learning in particular Demotivating factors are essentialfactors which negatively influence the learner’s attitudes and behaviors andhence lead to undesired learning outcomes The purpose of the present studywas to analyze the effective factors on demotivation for English languagelearning among a group of Iranian university students

De-motivating Factors in English Language Learning

5.1 Lack of perceived individual competence

5.2 Lack of intrinsic motivation

5.3 Inappropriate characteristics of teachers’ teaching methods and coursecontents

5.5 Inadequate university facilities

5.6 Focus on difficult grammar

II WAYS OF MOTIVATING STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS

1 Ways of motivating students in speaking lessons.

While they excel in the other skills, they find it difficult to speak, notbecause they do not know how to, but because they are afraid to do so This iseven more problematic when it comes to older learners and adults as there is thecommon fear of making a fool of themselves in front of their peers There are, ofcourse those more unique learners who will try to dominate the ESL classroomwhen it comes to speaking, however, more often than not this is not the case andwhen it does happen it also limits the less confident learners What they needmore than instruction is confidence and the motivation to speak out in class andnot be afraid to do so

As ESL teachers it not only our duty to teach, but it is also our duty to motivateour learners to speak out and participate We need to help reduce their fears andprovide a comfortable environment for them to learn and to make them feelmore at ease Speaking is by far the most important skill needed when it comes

to ESL learning Speaking is everywhere in real life and even though thelearners may be able to avoid skills such as reading and writing English in reallife, it is not the case with speaking So how can we motivate our learners toreally love speaking English? What can we do to help reduce fear and give themthe confidence they really need? Those students who have more of a positiveattitude when it comes to language learning will be less likely to suffer fromperformance and learning anxiety thus making them participate more Here are acouple of useful tips and techniques that you as an ESL teacher could implement

in the classroom to help those more reluctant to speak out

1.1) - “Pair work” or “Group work”

One of the successful ways, if the teacher is resourceful and skilfulenough, to motivate his/her students to participate in speaking lessons is to use

“pair work” or “Group work” appropriately.Language is best learned throughthe close collaboration and communication among students This type ofcollaboration results in benefits for all or both learners In fact, learners can helpeach other while working on different types of tasks such as using dialoguespeaking, interviews, drawing pictures and making comments about them, playroles, etc…

Researches on Second Language Acquisition have shown that learnershave differences in mastering skills While one student is good in drawing,another can be good in expressing ideas verbally; a third other student can begood at role play and imitation Besides, some students find it less stressful, ifnot much comfortable to learn certain rules or usages of language from theirpears and comrades than from their teacher.Finally, communicative languageteaching requires a sense of community and anenvironment of trust and mutualconfidence which “pair work” or “Group work” can provide

1.2) The seating of the students

The way the students are seated in the classroom will often determine thedynamics of the lesson Indeed, a simple change in the seating pattern can make

an incredible difference to group coherence and student satisfaction, and I’veseen many other cases where seating has been a crucial element in the success orfailure of the lesson.The seating pattern you use may, in some cases, not be fullyunder your control – if for example the desks are fixed to the ground or theschool has strict rules about not moving the furniture Student numbers are alsogoing to be an issue

I’ll talk about average size classes – anything from 35 to 40 Teachers havedifferent preferences for seating arrangements – groups seated round smalltables is often one choice This is probably the best option for the larger classes

in this range, but for smaller numbers and with adult or teenage students I thinkthe horseshoe shape, which I find has all of the advantages of groups, and none

of the disadvantages A horseshoe may be desks in a U-shape with a hollowcentre, students in a semicircle on chairs with arm-rests and no desks, orstudents seated around three sides of a large table, with the teacher at one end Inany case, whatever seating pattern you choose or is imposed on you, the class islikely to be more successful if you keep the following principles in mind:

a) Try and maximise eye contact

Both teacher to student and student to student In full class phases of the lesson,

if the person who is speaking does not have eye contact with the others, thenattention is likely to drop This is the main reason I personally think thehorseshoe shape to groups is better

b) Make sure students are seated at a comfortable distance from each other.Make sure you don’t have one student sitting alone or outside the groups.Besides, try to leave a fair empty, but not so much a space because large

distances between the students will tend to lead to a “muted” atmosphere, lowpace, and less active student participation in the lesson.

c) Think in advance about how you will organise changing partners or changinggroups

This is a stage of the lesson which can potentially descend into chaos if it’s nottightly controlled, with students wandering aimlessly around not knowing where

to go or confidently moving to the wrong place

1.3) The Error Correction

It is always asked whether we should correct all students’ errors, whenever theyoccur The reasonable answer is that if we stop at every single error and treat itwith no room for errors to take place, this will lead to a gap of communicationand students will be too much afraid of making mistakes Hence, due to beingtoo much obsessed with making errors, students will be too much reluctant toparticipate.Thus, Teachers should be aware of when to correct errors and how to

do that without any hurt and humiliation In a learner- centered classroom, itshould be better to correct errors, which students make unconsciously, wheneverthere is a gap of communication or when not treating the error will result in amisunderstanding of the idea expressed

Concerning the ways of how to correct errors, there are several techniqueswhich the teacher, who is seen as the monitor, should choose from themaccording to the type of the error and task where the incorrect form of languageoccurs Among these ways of correction we can state: self correction, peercorrection and teacher correction

1.4) Role play

This is another technique to vary the pace the lesson and to respond to thefundamental notion of variety in teaching Teachers are advised to use the role-play activity in order to motivate their students and to help the less motivatedlearners take part in the lesson Besides, certain tasks in the student’s book arefollowed by a role- play activity where it becomes a necessity to undergo such

an activity As good examples of that we can state: the hide (item) and guessinggame, dramatizing an interview of customer and shop assistant, doctor andpatient conversation, etc…

1.5) Using realia, flash cards, Stories and songs in teaching

Realia and flash cards are considered as important tools in teaching especially aforeign language, since they play the role of a facilitator in teaching newvocabularies such as fruits, vegetables, clothes items, etc…Besides, they arevery helpful in drawing especially beginners’ attention to follow and match newwords to items In addition, realia is an authentic material that helps the teacher

to overcome classroom artificiality.Creating stories with the students is anotherway of developing speaking and writing skills Actually, creating stories isgrounded in the students’ ability to create a story from their personal experience

In creating stories some issues are revealed such as: a) fluency, b) whether thestudents have enough language to create the story, and c) accuracy

Teachers are able to demonstrate techniques of using songs in different ways toteach grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and community building because thestudents like songs and they motivate the students to learn the English language

in an interesting way Teachers can elicit students’ ideas about the song throughactivities such as prediction, mind maps, word splashes, etc Students discussquestions such as the feelings in the song, what will happen next, etc and writetheir responses in an interesting manner Students may write and present howthe song makes them feel and then draw a picture of their feelings whilelistening to the song Teachers respond to this presentation and ask questions.Then, feedback is provided from the group

1.6) Using audio visual material: cassette player, video, computer…

Since our schools are equipped with various audio visual materials such ascassette recorders, videos, computers, projectors, magic boards and many others,teachers should use these materials when teaching Indeed, they should includethe appropriate material to use while planning their lessons For instance, weshould include a cassette player in a lesson based on listening, while we need toinclude a computer in any e-lesson or a lesson about designing a website or aninternet page about your school Whereas, we can use an overhead projector inpresenting writing drafts for classroom correction or to read

1.7) Using the first language (or native language) in the EFL/ ESL classroom

Should we or shouldn’t we use the students’ first language (L1) in theclassroom? This is one of the questions which most divides EFL/ESL teachers,whether they are for it or against it.The main argument against the use of the L1

in language teaching is that students will become dependent on it, and not eventry to understand meaning from context and explanation, or express what theywant to say within their limited command of the target language (L2).But thereare other, historical reasons why the use of the students’ mother tongue went out

of favour Initially it was part of a reaction against the Grammar-Translationmethod, which had dominated late 19th and early 20th century teaching, andwhich saw language learning as a means towards intellectual development ratherthan as being for utilitarian, communicative purposes

But, we can say that there are a few cases when we can resort to the student’smother tongue such as- When there is a gap of communication or totalmisunderstanding, since it can prevent time being wasted on fruitlessexplanations and instructions, when it could be better spent on languagepractice.- It can be used contrastively to point out problem areas of grammar.For example, various course books, like Headway, now encourage students totranslate model sentences into their own language in order to compare andcontrast the grammar

It can be used with beginners, when students are trying to say something buthaving difficulty, they can say it in their own language and the teacher canreformulate it for them.- When students need to combine the two languages, for

example in those lessons whose focus evolve around translation andinterpreting.

2 Demonstration of ways of motivating grade students at Le Loi secondary school in speaking lessons.

upper-2.1 Pair work:

Examples : Unit 1 – Friendship - Part B: Speaking

Task 1(controlled practice): Look at the people below and describe their

Student 1: Can you describe the man/ woman / girl/ boy in the picture?

Student 2: The man/ woman/ girl/ boy is He/ She has got

Task 2 (controlled practice): Work in pair Ask your partner how he/she feels

about each type of the competitions/ contests given in Task 1 (on page 69

Textbook Tieng Anh 11)

Competitions/ contests:

General Knowledge Quiz

English Competition

Art Competition (Painting, drawing, Sculpture,…)

Poetry reading/ Reciting Competition

Student 2: Yes, I do./ No, I don’t

Student 1: Why/ Why not?

Student 2: Because I can have a good chance to test my general knowledge

Better students:

- Ask and answer about the Competitions/ contests using different expressions

of how people feel about something

Example:

Student 1: What do you think of General Knowledge Quiz ?

Student 2: Oh, it’s great It’s an opportunity to test my general knowledge

2.2 Group work

Unit 6 – Competition – part B: Speaking

Task 3 (production): Work in groups Talk about a competition or contest you

have recently joined using the suggestions below

- Where and when did you see or take part in it?

- What type of competition or contest was it?

- Who organized it?

- Who participated in it?

- Who won the competition/ contest?

- Did you enjoy it? Why/ Why not?

Teacher: - Ask students to work in groups of 6 (one advanced student, two good students, 3 low students) to talk about a competition or contest

Students: - Use the structures of puposes to talk talk about a competition or contest they have recently enjoyed or seen

Low students: talk about the name, the place and the time of the competition or

contest

2.3 The seating of the students

Here are som suggestions:

Unit 11 – Sources of energy – Part B : Speaking

Task 3: work in group Express your belief on the increasing use of alternative

sources in the future

Teacher: - Aks students to work in groups of 6 with different levels

- Aks students to change their seat as the following chart

Students: - Prepare questions about the increasing use of alternative sources in the future

+ What source of energy is it?

+ What advantges does it have over the other?

+ How can people set up to generate power?

……

2.4 The Error Correction

Here are the ways I usually use while correcting my students not oly in speakingbut also other skills

That isn’t correct / That’s incorrect

That’s not quite right / This word is wrong

Something is missing / Add another word

Use another verb / Don’t add another word

There’s an extra word here

What does this mean? / Do you mean “like” or “liked”?

Remember we are talking about past

This sentence is incomplete

Don’t forget to follow the order in the example

What is missing? / There’s a word missing?

What is wrong with this sentence?

Does this verb look right? / Does this word sound right?

Try adding another word

Try using another tense

Please look at this sentence again “like” and “likes”

Look at the difference between “like” and “likes”/ compare

This sentence is off topic

Pay attention to the verbs

Remember the irregular form / Don’t forget…

Compare your work to the example

Check spelling

Please revise this sentence You need to review the example

You need to pay attention to the model

2.5 Using realia, flash cards, stories and songs in teaching

In language teaching, realia are actual objects, which have a purpose outside the classroom and can be used in the classroom This speaking lesson is

based around the use of realia.

Materials: A collection of everyday objects from around the house and a large

bag to put the objects in Here is a sample list of the kind of objects that workwell for this activity:

A coat hanger, some diskettes, a bread knife, a can opener, a hammer, some lipstick, a comb, a paintbrush, some string

Warmer

Tell the students that to imagine the following situation: they were all on acruise ship when there was a terrible storm The boat sank, but they havemanaged to reach a small tropical island There is abundant fruit on the islandand lots of fish too However, the only things they have with them are theseobjects, which have washed ashore

Stage One

Bring out the objects and make sure the students know what they are in English

While doing this, ask, “What is it used for?” making sure that they use thegerund Divide the students into groups of three or four Each group has to come

up with alternative uses for the objects in their situation Write an example onthe board

The coat hanger is used for hanging clothes It could be used for fishing.

They have to discuss this as a group and at the end present their solution to theclass

Stage Two

Circulate and monitor the groups while they are doing the speaking activity Set

a time limit (10 minutes is usually enough, but let it go on longer if they get intoit!) The activity works better if each group has some or all of the objects so thatthey can touch and handle them If you have a big class, or don’t have enoughobjects, try one of the variations below

Stage Three

Stop the activity when students have decided how they can use the objects Askeach group to present their ideas to another group At the end, ask which grouphad the most imaginative uses for the objects To follow this up, ask students towork in their groups again and make a list of the ten objects they would mostlike to have in their situation

Variations

If you can get a copy of the film Cast Away starring Tom Hanks, you could use

it as part of the warmer or study some scenes after the activity

You could also ask the students to bring in the objects without telling them whatthey are for Tell them to each bring in four household objects that they don’t know the word for in English Do stage one with them in groups

Unit 13 – Hobbies – Part B: Speaking

Flash cards: swimming, fishing, playing computer games, watching Tv…

Realia: stamps, books, …

2.6 Role play

Unit 1 – Friendship – Part B: Speaking

Task 3 (production): Talk about a famous friend

Designed task: Role play Imagine one of you a journalist and the other will be

interviewee Ask and answer questions with a partner, using the suggestions (on

page 17 of the Textbook Tieng Anh 11).

Teacher: - Ask students to role play: a journalist and an interviewee

Students: - Prepare questions and answers using the cues on page 17 of the

Textbook Tieng Anh 11.

Low students: + What is his/ her name?

+ Where is he/ she from?

+ What does he/ she look like?

+ What is his/ her hobby?

Good students: + What is his/ her name?

+ What is his/ her nationality?