Developing students’ speaking skill through project based learning

ABSTRACT In an attempt to develop English speaking skill for tenth-grade students at An Lao High School by using Project Based Learning, this research addressed two issues: 1 students’ a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

*****************

PHẠM THỊ THU HÀ

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL THROUGH

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO HỌC SINH

QUA VIỆC HỌC THEO DỰ ÁN

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

HANOI - 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

*****************

PHẠM THỊ THU HÀ

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL THROUGH

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO HỌC SINH

QUA VIỆC HỌC THEO DỰ ÁN

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Ph.D TÔ THỊ THU HƯƠNG

HANOI - 2014

DECLARATION

I hereby, certify the thesis named “Developing students’ speaking through Project-Based Learning is the result of my own work for the Minor Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi The research has not been submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions I agree that the origin of my thesis deposited in the library can be accessible for the purposes of study and research

Hanoi-2014

Phạm Thị Thu Hà

ABSTRACT

In an attempt to develop English speaking skill for tenth-grade students at An Lao High School by using Project Based Learning, this research addressed two issues: (1) students’ attitudes toward the use of Project Based Learning in their English lessons; (2) the impacts of using PBL on students’ English speaking The instruments employed for data collection and analysis of the study included two tests and two questionnaires for the students, an interview with two teachers and the teacher’s journals Research findings showed that the students had positive attitudes towards the use of PBL in their English lessons It was also revealed that PBL was beneficial to help students improve their performance in speaking lessons Based on the findings, some implications would be given for both the teacher and the students With all these information, this study is expected to

be useful to both teachers and students in teaching and learning English speaking skill

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to Dr Tô Thị Thu Hương,

my supervisor, for her invaluable support, guidance, and constructive comments Without her assistance and encouragement, this study would not have been accomplished

I am also indebted to all of my lecturers at Post-Graduate Department for their valuable lectures on the aspects of my concern

Finally, I would like to show my sincere thanks to all the authors listed in the references for their ideas in this field They have developed my thinking on doing this paper

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

Project- Based Learning Students

Teacher

LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES

Chart 1: Using PBL has helped develop your English speaking skill

Table 1: Table 1: How is the grade calculated? ………

Table 2: The results of the pre-test………

Table 3: The results of the questionnaire concerning causes of the

students’ low English proficiency ………

Table 4: The results of the post-test ………

Table 5: Students’ opinion of the optional lessons using Project-

Based Learning ………

Table 6: The criteria of speaking skill have been improved by the

students………

Table 7: Ss’ changes after taking part in the lessons using PBL……

Table 8: The difficulties students encountered when carrying out

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration i

Abstract ii

Acknowledgements iii

List of abbreviations and symbols iv

List of charts, figures and tables iv

Table of contents v

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the research 1

2 Aims of the research 2

3 Scope of the research 2

4 Research questions 2

5 Methodology 2

5.1 Definition 2

5.2 Reason for the use of action research 3

5.3 Action research design 3

5.4 Participants 4

5.5 Procedures 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 6

CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 6

1.1 Speaking skill 6

1.1.1 Definition of speaking 6

1.1.2 Functions of speaking 6

1.1.3 The importance of teaching speaking skill 7

1.2 Communicative Language Teaching 7

1.3 Project – Based Learning 9

1.3.1 Definitions of Project-Based Learning 9

1.3.2 Key features of Project- Based Learning 10

1.3.3 Teacher’s role in Project- Based Learning 11

1.3.4 Stages in project work 11

1.3.4.1 Stage 1: Speculation 11

1.3.4.2 Stage 2: Designing the project activities 11

1.3.4.3 Stage 3: Conducting the project activities 12

1.3.4 4 Stage 4: Evaluation 12

CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 13

2.1 Research questions and design 13

2.2 Planning stage 13

2.2.1 The problem 13

2.2.2 Evaluation of the students' speaking skill through a pre-test 13

2.2.3 Conducting a questionnaire to get information from students 15

2.2.4 Drawing a plan of action to solve the problems 16

2.3 Acting stage 17

2.3.1 Theme 1: Conservation 17

2.3.2 Theme 2: Music 18

2.3.3.Theme 3: Cities 20

2.3 4 Theme 4: Historical Places 21

2.4 Observing stage 22

2.4.1 Brief description of the first lesson with theme “Conservation” 22

2.4.2 Brief description of the first lesson with theme “Music” 25

2.4.3 Brief description of the first lesson with theme “Cities” 27

2.4.4 Brief description of the first lesson with theme “Historical Places” 29

2.5 Evaluation stage 31

2.5.1 Evaluation of the students' speaking skill through a post-test 31

2.5.2 Evaluation of the students' speaking skill through the results of the interview with two teachers 33

2.5.3 Evaluation of the students' speaking skill through the results of the questionnaire with students 34

PART C: CONCLUSION 39

1 Recapitulation 39

2.Conclusions 39

3 Limitations and suggestions for further research 40

4 Implications for developing speaking skill through Project Based Learning 41

REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES I

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rational of the research

Realizing that foreign language proficiency is really essential for students in

an increasingly connected world, in Vietnam, Ministry of Education and Training has put more emphasis on teaching and learning foreign languages, especially English than ever before It is the Vietnam’s National Foreign Language 2020 Project that is a milestone in improving teaching and learning foreign languages

With the recognition of the importance of developing language skills for students, AnLao High School has implemented the seven year system course books

- English 10, 11, 12 to help students to master four English language skills Experiencing seven years teaching these course books, the researcher encountered quite a few problems in terms of the low English proficiency of the students in speaking skill Students got into a lot of difficulties in speaking English, and the most serious problem was the lack of confidence Consequently, students had limited success in developing English speaking skill Problems relating to the contents of a speech like ideas and grammar were the second and third most common Students usually had little idea about what to say and they might be even unsure how to use the correct grammar Besides, pronunciation was another major obstacle This fact confirms the following opinion, “The acquisition of good pronunciation…is commonly held to be the most difficult of all tasks in second language learning” (Carrasquillo, 1994, p.136)

The researcher considered the use of Project-Based Learning as an appropriate strategy to help the students overcome all the difficulties in developing speaking English because PBL goes on over a period of time, resulting in products and presentations in which some aspects of speaking as confidence, ideas, grammar, and pronunciation can be enhanced by students Moreover, students can foster the development of other skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving through each project

Considering the positive contributions of PBL, the researcher conducted a

study on the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) to develop the English speaking skill for the tenth- grade students at An Lao High School

2 Aims of the research

The research aims to:

- find out the tenth- grade students’ attitudes towards the use of Project-Based

Learning in their optional English lessons

- discover how the use of Project-Based Learning in teaching English helps develop students’ English speaking skill

3 Scope of the research

The research focused on using Project-Based Learning in teaching English in optional English lessons to the tenth-grade students at AnLao High School in the second term of the school-year of 2013-2014

4 Research questions

1 How can the use of Project-Based Learning in teaching English help

develop AnLao tenth-grade students’ English speaking skill?

2 What are the attitudes of AnLao tenth-grade students towards the use of

Project- Based Learning in their optional English lessons?

5 Methods of the research

It was action research with mixed methods for data collection that became the methodology of the research The tools for data capture involved two questionnaires for students, an interview with teachers, a pre-test, a post-test, class observation and teachers’ journals

5.1 Definition

Action research, according to Parsons and Brown (2002) is a form of investigation designed for use by teachers to attempt to solve problems and improve professional practices in their own classrooms It involves systematic observations and data collection which can be then used by the practitioner-researcher in reflection, decision-making and the development of more effective classroom strategies

5.2 Reason for the use of action research

It is necessary to do research into what is actually happening in classrooms to improve teaching and learning practices Knowing what exactly is happening in classes can help teachers focus on aspects of teaching which are beneficial to their students

This research addressed my own problems in my teaching English speaking skill, and therefore it provided my students with better opportunities to develop their English speaking skill

5.3 Action research design

There are four key stages in the action research including Planning, Acting, Observing and Evaluation

Stage 1: Planning:

- Problems and causes of the students’ low English proficiency in speaking skill were explored through a pre-test and a questionnaire The students at AnLao High School were faced with some problems when speaking English including bad pronunciation, lack of vocabulary, fear of mistakes and fear of speaking in public These problems were mostly due to ineffective methods and techniques employed

by the teachers of English of AnLao High School

- Strategies for improvement were mapped out through lesson plans applied PBL in English teaching to develop the students' English speaking skill

Stage 2: Acting

- PBL was adopted to improve their English speaking skill in 16 optional lessons of

an English intensive class 10C9 in the second term of the school-year of 2013-2014

with 4 themes based on English 10

Stage 3: Observing

- Two volunteer teachers were asked to observe those lessons and evaluate the changes in AnLao tenth-grade students’ English speaking skill

- Class observations were made carefully by the teacher and the success of the action research on using PBL to develop student's English speaking skill lay in the outcomes of the class observations

- From the results of the post-test, the interview and the questionnaire, some conclusions were made

5.4 Participants

The research was conducted with the participation of 40 tenth - grade students

of the English intensive class and 2 teachers of AnLao High School during the second term of the academic year 2013-2014 at AnLao High School

5.5 Procedures

- At the end of the first term of the academic year 2013-2014, an evaluation of the students’ English speaking ability, a pre-test was administered The criteria for evaluating each student’s speaking ability in the pre-test include fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation, and interactive communication

- The researcher planned 4 lessons with 4 themes applied the use of PBL in English teaching to motivate the students to learn English and to develop their speaking skill

- PBL was carried out in accordance with the lesson plans within 16 weeks and what happened in the class with 40 students was recorded in the teacher’s journals

- Two teachers were asked to observe those lessons and evaluate the changes in the students’ English speaking skill

- The results of class observation were used to evaluate the success of the action research on using PBL to develop student's English speaking skill

- A speaking post-test was conducted to find out the efficiency of the use of PBL in developing English speaking for the students

- An interview and a questionnaire were carried out to get information from teachers and students on the efficiency of the use of PBL in developing tenth graders’ English speaking skill

- Based on data from student questionnaires, teacher interview, class observations, teacher journals, and the results of a pre-test and post-test, the researcher made an in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis towards the two themes stated in the two research questions

- Then the research was put down in writing

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE

RESEARCH

This chapter briefly presents the literature on speaking skill, Communicative

Language Teaching Approach and Project-Based Learning Besides, it also

describes how Project-Based Learning helps develop students’ speaking skill in classroom

1.1 Speaking skill

1.1.1 Definition of speaking

“Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves

producing, receiving and processing information Its form and meaning are depending on the context in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their experiences, the physical environment, and the purposes for speaking It is often spontaneous, open-ended, and evolving However, speech is not always unpredictable Speaking requires that learners not only know how to produce specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary ("linguistic competence"), but also that they understand when, why, and in what ways to produce language ("sociolinguistic competence").” (Nunan, 1999:216)

1.1.2 Functions of speaking

According to Jack C Richards (2008:21), in order to achieve a communicative goal through speaking, there are three functions of speaking to be

considered – talk as interaction, talk as transaction, and talk as performance Each

of these speech activities is quite distinct in terms of form and function and requires different teaching approaches

• “Talk as interaction refers to what we normally mean by “conversation” and describes interaction that serves a primarily social function.”

• “Talk as transaction refers to situations where the focus is on what is said or done The message and making oneself understood clearly and accurately is the central focus, rather than the participants and how they interact socially with each other.”

• “Talk as performance refers to public talk, that is, talk that transmits information before an audience, such as class room presentations, public announcement, and speeches.”

Three core issues need to be addressed in planning speaking activities for an English class, and the researcher found that PBL was really an opportunity for students to acquire all kinds of talk

1.1.3 The importance of teaching speaking skill

Teaching speaking is a very important part of second language learning The ability to communicate in a second language clearly and efficiently contributes to the success of students in school and success later in every phase of life Therefore,

it is essential that language teachers pay great attention to teaching speaking Rather than leading students to pure memorization, providing a rich environment where meaningful communication takes place is desired With this aim, PBL can contribute a great deal to students in terms of acquiring the three functions of speaking Besides, PBL helps develop basic skills necessary for life Those activities at PBL make students more active in the learning process and at the same time make their learning more meaningful and fun

1.2 Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT)

The history of language learning and teaching methods has experienced many changes with many approaches such as Grammar - Translation Method, Audio lingual Method, the Total Physical Response, the Natural Approach, and, etc CLT is the latest influence on teaching methodology which has been put forth around the world as an innovative approach to teach English as a second or foreign language

* Nunan' s definition of CLT:

“CLT views language as a system for the expression of meaning Activities involve oral communication, carrying out meaningful tasks and using language that is meaningful to learners Objectives reflect the need of the learners: they include functional skills as well as linguistic objectives The learners’ role is as a negotiator and integrator The teachers’ role is as a facilitator of the communication process Materials promote communicative language use; they are task – based and authentic.” (Nunan, D, 1989:194)

* Characteristics of CLT:

Nunan, D (1991:279) offered five characteristic features of CLT:

• The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

• An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

• The provision of opportunities for learners to focus not only on language but also on the learning process itself

• An enhancement of the learners‟ own experience as important contributing elements to classroom learning

• An attempt to link classroom language with language activation outside the classroom

The English text book for grade 10 follows this dominating approach It was designed with a view to developing students’ communicative skills at basic level: speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as providing students with appropriate, systematic and basic knowledge of English With this approach, the need for communicative proficiency is focused on rather than mere mastery of structures However, those activities in English 10 did not meet the demand of communicative proficiency Then, the researcher used PBL, and found that it was really a good teaching practice to help students develop their communicative competence

1.3 Project-Based Learning

1.3.1 Definitions of Project-Based Learning

Haines (1989:1) defines PBL in the following quote:

“… [Projects are] multi-skill activities focusing on topics or themes rather than on specific language targets Of crucial importance is the part which the students themselves play in the initial choice of subject matter and in the decisions related to appropriate working methods, the project timetable and the eventual “end product” Because specific language aims are not prescribed, and because students concentrate their efforts and attention on reaching an agreed goal, project work provides students with opportunities to recycle known language and skills in a relatively natural context Projects can be intensive activities which take place over a short period of time, or extended studies which may take up one or two hours a week for several weeks”

Skehan (1998:273) characterizes PBL in the following quote:

“Project work enables the gradual development of autonomy with progressively greater responsibility being taken by the learners… [Project work] is an excellent structure for preparing learners to approach learning in their own way, suitable to their own abilities, styles and preferences”

Another quote that summarizes PBL is from Fried-Booth (2002:6),

“Project work is student-centered and driven by the need to create an product However, it is the route to achieving this end-product that makes project work so worthwhile The route to the end-product brings opportunities for students to develop their confidence and independence and

end-to work end-together in a real-world environment by collaborating on a task”

A clearer picture of PBL from the above definitions is that Project-Based Learning

is engaging learning experiences that involve students in complex, real-world projects through which they develop and apply skills and knowledge The outcomes

can be identified up front but sometimes are only experiences to allocate resources such as time or materials

1.3.2 Key features of Project-Based Learning

There are 6 key features of Project-Based Learning offered by Stoller’s (2007:4-5)

These are as follows:

1 Project work focuses on content learning rather than on specific language targets Real-world subject matter and topics of interest to students can become central to projects

2 Project work is student-centered, though the teacher plays a major role in offering support and guidance throughout the process

3 Project work is cooperative rather than competitive Students can work on their own, in small groups, or as a class to complete a project, sharing resources, ideas, and expertise along the way

4 Project work leads to the authentic integration of skills and processing of information from varied sources, mirroring real-life tasks

5 Project work culminates in an end product (e.g., an oral presentation, a poster session, a bulletin board display, a report, or a stage performance) that can be shared with others, giving the project a real purpose The value

of the project, however, lies not just in the final product but in the process of working towards the end point Thus, project work has both a process and product orientation, and provides students with opportunities to focus on fluency and accuracy at different project-work stages

6 Project work is potentially motivating, stimulating, empowering, and challenging It usually results in building student confidence, self-esteem, and autonomy as well as improving students’ language skills, content learning, and cognitive abilities

From the features of PBL, a wide range of benefits to both students and teachers are further clarified A growing body of academic research supports the use of project-based learning in school to engage students, cut absenteeism, boost cooperative

learning skills, and improve academic performance (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2001)

For many students, the appeal of this learning style comes from the authenticity of the experience Students take on the role and behavior of those working in a particular discipline Whether they are making a documentary video about an environmental concern, designing a travel brochure to highlight sites of historical significance in their community, or developing a multimedia presentation about their interests, students are engaged in real-world activities that have significance beyond the classroom

For teachers, additional benefits include enhanced professionalism and collaboration among colleagues, and opportunities to build relationships with students (Thomas, 2000) Additionally, many teachers are pleased to find a model that accommodates diverse learners by introducing a wider range of learning opportunities into the classroom

1.3.3 Teacher's role in Project-Based learning

Effective Project-Based Learning requires the teacher to assume a different role (Levy,1997) The teacher’s role is not dominant, but he/she acts as a guide, advisor, coordinator (Papandreou, 1994), and facilitator In other words, in implementing the project method, the focal point of the learning process moves from the teacher to the learners, from working alone to working in groups

1.3.4 Stages in project work

1.3.4.1 Stage 1: Speculation

This stage includes choice of project topic and sensitisation about it, aiming

at arousing interest and developing a climate conducive to speculation and investigation that will lead smoothly to the research process Topic is chosen after a

dialogue among all members of the group, and the teacher (Brinia, 2006)

1.3.4.2 Stage 2: Designing the project activities

This stage includes formation of groups and assigning of roles, decisions concerning methodology, sources of information, activities that will take place, and

places outside the classroom that students will visit The better organised and more analytical the structuring of the activities, the easier and faster the research will be conducted (Fragoulis, 2008)

1.3.4.3 Stage 3: Conducting the project activities

At this stage the groups implement the activities designed in the previous

stage Students gather information, process and categorize it If deemed necessary, there may be intervals of information and feedback, in which students discuss issues related with cooperation among group members, problems of personal relations, and possible changes in group composition

The next phase is synthesis and processing of information gathered The final products are displayed in the class and become a stimulus for thought and action for other students (Fragoulis, 2008)

1.3.4.4 Stage 4: Evaluation

Evaluation refers to the assessment of the activities from participants and discussion about whether the initial aims and goals have been achieved, implementation of the process, and final products (Brinia, 2006) Evaluation also entails assessment of errors and problems in the presentations of the final products

Although there are many studies focusing on theories for Project-Based Learning in foreign language teaching, there are relatively few empirical studies linking theory with practice, evaluating the impact of project work in the context of foreign language instruction In this context, the purpose of my research is to study the practical aspects of implementing project work in High School settings, reporting difficulties encountered, benefits from project work, and pedagogical implications

CHAPTER II - THE STUDY 2.1 Research questions and design

The research was conducted to find answers to the two following questions:

1 What are the attitudes of AnLao tenth-grade students towards the use of

Project Based Learning in their optional English lessons?

2 How can the use of Project Based Learning in teaching English help

develop AnLao tenth-grade students’ English speaking skill?

The action research went through four stages which are described in detail as follows

2.2.2 Evaluation of the students' speaking skill through a pre-test

According to Vietnam’s National Foreign Language 2020 Project, grade students are supposed to achieve CEFR level A2, so a pre-test was conducted

tenth-to evaluate the students’ speaking skill The pre-test tenth-took place in pairs among students and met the CEFR's demands at A2 level

The pre-test (WBT) consists of three parts:

Part 1: Getting to know each other

- Can you tell me something about yourself? (name, age, languages, hobbies, )

- The teacher will ask you one or two more questions about yourself

Part 2: Exchanging information

- Talk to your partner about two or three of the following topics Ask questions

* Your favorite food

* Your home

* Your pet

* Your last holiday

* Your plans next weekend

Part 3: Consensus finding

You and your partner want to spend next Saturday together

- What would you like to do?

- Suggest something!

- Give reasons!

- Agree on one activity When do you want to do them?

(go to the country, go to the zoo, go shopping, go to a concert, go jogging )

The speaking test is also marked out of 10 according to the following criteria:

* Fluency and coherence (2 points)

* Lexical resource (2 points)

* Grammatical range and accuracy (2 points)

* Pronunciation (2 points)

* Interactive communication (2 points)

Table 1: How is the grade calculated?

9-10 points Very good 8-8.9 points Good 6-7.9 points Satisfactory 5- 5.9 Pass

The author observed and graded, but these criteria do not meet expectations The following table below will show the results of 40 students

Table 2: The results of the pre-test

Grade Very good Good Satisfactory Pass Not pass Number of

The table shows the students' English speaking ability No students achieved grade "very good" or "good" There were only 4 students (made up 10%) who achieved grade "satisfactory", 30% achieved grade "pass" and 60% do not meet expectations

It can be seen from the results of the pre-test that the students' English speaking ability was not good Almost these criteria did not meet expectations Therefore, in the next step, the author conducted a questionnaire to find out the causes of the students’ low speaking ability

STEP 2: IDENTIFYING CAUSES OF THE PROBLEMS

2.2.3 Conducting a questionnaire to get information from students

40 students were asked to give their answers to 5 questions in English prepared by the researcher and then handed their papers to the researcher for

analysis (see APPENDIX 1)

Table 3: The results of the questionnaire concerning causes of the students’ low English proficiency

Questions Responses Number of

students (%)

a Are you afraid of speaking

English in front of the class?

b What are the reasons why you

are afraid of speaking English in

front of the class?

bad pronunciation 31 (77.5%) lack of vocabulary 27 (67.5%) fear of mistakes 29 (72.5%) fear of other people's opinions 17 (42.5%) fear of speaking in public 36 (90%)

c What do you think of the

speaking activities in English

speaking lessons?

boring 27 (67.5%)

interesting 13 (32.5%)

d Do you work in groups actively

in the English speaking lessons?

e How often do you practice

speaking English in front of the

class?

usually 12 (30%) sometimes 23 (57.5%) rarely 5 (12.5%)

It can have four conclusions drawn from the results of the questionnaire

1 Almost students are afraid of speaking English in front of the class because of bad pronunciation, for fear of lack of vocabulary, mistakes and speaking in public

2 The speaking activities in the English speaking lessons are not really interesting

to motivate students to practice speaking English

3 Students do not work in groups actively in the English speaking lessons

4 Students do not have many chances to practice English in front of the class

Most of the problems leading to the low English proficiency of the students

in speaking skill belong to the teacher’s responsibilities Thus, it is necessary that the teacher design strategies for the students’ improvement in speaking skill

STEP 3: MAPPING OUT STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

2.2.4 Drawing a plan of action to solve the problems

To solve the problems, I worked out several alternative ways which could be applied in this context to improve the students’ speaking skill and gave them opportunity to work independently and responsibly They were role-play activity, discussion activity, information-gap activities, project-based learning Finally, I decided to choose Project-Based Learning as an appropriate learning activity to help

me solve all the problems

I designed the following strategies to improve the problems:

1 Students chose the group members at the end of the first term

2 The teacher provided a list of topics based on the themes of English 10 from Unit

8 to Unit 16 (The Story Of My Village, Undersea World, Conservation, National Parks, Music, Film And Cinema, The World Cup, Cities, Historical Places)

3 Students chose four most interesting themes to conduct projects including Conservation, Music, Cities and Historical Places which were carried out in 16

optional periods (four weeks for one theme)

3 Forty students were divided into 8 groups Every four weeks, each group carried out their project with four stages of Project-Based Learning

4 Each group made a presentation on their project in about 15 minutes There were

2 groups presenting each week and 15 minutes rest of each period were spent on asking and answering questions and discussion Students were also given a chance

to make comments on their friends’ projects and presentations During the presentations, they acted as audience, observers and assessors Finally, teacher’s constructive feedback on the presentations and the projects played a very important role so that students could improve their speaking skill

2.3 Acting stage

STEP 4: IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES AND TEACHER’S JOURNALS

ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CLASS

The strategies were adopted in sixteen optional periods All of the improvements after each lesson were noted down by the teacher in the journal

2.3.1 Theme 1: Conservation

* AIMS: By the end of the four lessons, the students will be able to obtain:

- General knowledge: some information about environmental issues

- Vocabulary: words related to environmental issues

- Skills: speaking skill - presenting on one environmental issue that needs to be

Wildlife, Soil, Habitat, Forest, Marine Creatures, and Air Each group will choose

an issue among these to carry out a project The project consists of four stages:

a Speculation

- Choose the project topic

b Designing the project activities

- List some problems of each environmental issue

- Find consequences of those problems

- Suggest some solutions to those problems

- Make a documentary video about an environmental concern Make sure to include the problems, consequences and some solutions

c Conducting the project activities

- Gather and process information then display the final product in front of the class with presentation in PowerPoint

as the teacher's evaluations of them

2.3.2 Theme 2: Music

* AIMS: By the end of the four lessons, the students will be able to obtain:

- General knowledge: some information about different kinds of music

- Vocabulary: words related to different kinds of music

- Skills: speaking skill - presenting on one kind of music

* MATERIALS: projector, laptop, poster, pictures

* ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: the students may have difficulty in designing a

poster

* STAGES:

T introduces eight types of music: Pop Music, Rock Music, Classical Music, Country Music, Jazz Music, Rap Music, Folk Music, Blues Music Each group will choose a type of music among these to carry out a project The project consists of four stages:

a Speculation

- Choose the project topic

b Designing the project activities

- List types of the music

- Describe its history and definition

- List 3 famous artists of each type

- Play a piece of music

- Make a poster about that type of music Make sure to include its definition, history,

3 famous artists and their most popular songs

c Conducting the project activities

- Gather and process information then display the final product in front of the class with presentation in PowerPoint