Using partners talks as a kind of homework to perform communicative tasks for 10 graders

Definition of homework + According to Wikipedia: “Homework, or a homework assignment, is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the class.. They co

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

TITLE:

USING PARTNER'S TALK AS A KIND OF HOMEWORK

TO PERFORM COMMUNICATIVE TASKS

FOR 10 GRADERS

SUBJECT: ENGLISH

March, 2021

NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

TAN KY 3 HIGH SCHOOL

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE

TITLE:

USING PARTNER'S TALK AS A KIND OF HOMEWORK

TO PERFORM COMMUNICATIVE TASKS

FOR 10 GRADERS

Teacher : Nguyễn Thị Huệ Group : English

School year: 2020 - 2021 Tel : 0915042700 Email : huenguyen.tk3@gmail.com

March, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

PART I: INTRODUCTION 2

1 Reasons for the study 2

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Methods of the study 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Significance of the study 2

PART II: CONTENT 3 1 Theoretical and practical background 3

1.1 Theoretical background 3

1.1.1 Definition of homework 3

1.1.2 The role of homework in teaching and learning 3

1.1.3 Characteristics of communicative activities 3

1.1.4 Benefits of partner talk 4

2 Solution 5

2.1 Some ways to choose parners for students .6

2.2 Guided activities 7

2.2.1 Picture discription …… 7

2.2.2 Interview method .7

2.2.3 Role play method 12

2.2.4 Discussion method 18

2.2.5 Partner talk for writing and grammar skills: Writing reports .23

2.3 Free activities 25

3 Findings and evaluation 25

PART C: CONCLUSION 27 1 Conclusion 27

2 Suggestions for teachers 27

STUDENTS' OPINION SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE 29

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Reasons for the study

In the modern world today, English plays an important part in every field ofour life Having good English may bring us good opportunities not only in beingchosen in good high schools and universities, studying in abroad career but also ingetting a high - paid job after graduation Therefore, every family uses a lot ofways to encourage their children to study English at the early age: using freeEnglish programmes on Internet, English apps , going to English centers, or evenbuying expensive courses for children to study after school

In all levels of education in the recent years, teachers all over the countryhave made efforts to find out and apply a lot of new methods in teaching, hoping tocontribute to students’ success In teaching English subject, realizing thatcommunication is really vital, teachers create a lot of communicative activities inclass lessons to promote students’ activeness, language using skills incommunication and this brings certain results However, they hardly take notice ofdesigning outside activities such as homework for students

10 graders are new comers at high schools Most of them come fromdifferent parts and find strange with new teachers and new friends in a new school

It takes them a lot of time to get used to everything new in here.Therefore, creatingstudy invironment in which students can not only study, make new friends but alsounderstand a new place of study is essential

For the reasons above, I would like to conduct the Teaching Experience for

10th graders namely: “ Using partner's talks as a kind of homework to perform communicative tasks for 10 graders ”

2 Aims of the study

To discuss and work out the communicative activities to performcommunicative tasks

3 Methods of the study

Reading reference books, doing a survey, discussing with other teachers,applying in teaching and getting experience from my own teaching

4 Scope of the study

The study was going to be investigated at Tan Ky 3 High School for 10grader students

5 Significance of the study

This study is carried out to aim at contributing to improving students’

attitude toward homework, helping develop communication skills and their mutualunderstanding.

PART II: CONTENT

1 Theoretical and practical background

1.1 Theoretical background

1.1.1 Definition of homework

+ According to Wikipedia: “Homework, or a homework assignment, is a set

of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the class

Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or

typing project, mathematical exercises to be completed, information to be reviewedbefore a test, or other skills to be practiced.”

+ “Homework is what teacher assigned and teacher monitored learningexperiences that take place outside the classroom Homework is a planned part ofthe education process designed to enhance students’ learning”

1.1.2 The role of homework in teaching and learning.

In some newspapers, a few people concentrate on negative sides of givinghomework and say that homework has no academic benefits as it stops studentsfrom joining useful activities and makes children hate school This may be truewith small children at primary schools but untrue with high school students With alittle time in the class, students can not cover every aspect of the lessons Thefore,completing assignments helps students understand their subjects deeper It puts theresponsibility for learning on them and teaches basic organizational skills that theywill carry and refine throughout their life

Doing homework has a lot of advantages such as:

+ Help build responsibility

+ Help them get more knowledge and prepare them for higher education + Improve time management

+ Build students confidence

+ Enhance self-esteem

+ Improve study habit

+ Offer valuable feedback

+ Get parents more involved in a child’s education

+ Get the link between homework and standardized test achievement

+ Equip students for their lifelong learning

1.1.3 Characteristics of communicative activities

Communication is the foremost skill that causes students a lot of difficulties.The problems are lack of participation, inablility to express opinion, lowmotivation to speak

Harmer (2007) said that high school students are teenagers who are inphysical and mental transition from children to adults, so they have great capacityfor thinking and studying Creating a language communicating environment forthem in this period may do they good

One of the main characteristics of communicative language teaching is thefocus on communicative tasks that enhance language learning These activities usereal life situations to trigger communication They stimulate and require a learner

to speak with and listen to other learners Communicative activities have realpurposes such as finding and exchanging information, breaking down barriers,talking about oneself, and learning about culture

- The role of the teachers is to give clear and to the point instructions andprovide the appropriate environment for learners to interact and exchange information

- Communicative activities are motivating Learners should be at ease andhave fun while doing the communicative tasks

- Communicative tasks are realistic Real communication situations should

be the focus instead of isolated structures with no real-life reference

- Communicative activities are meaningful: they are carried out to fulfilspecific purposes such as booking a plane, hotel ticket, inviting somebody to aparty, answering an invitation letter, shopping…

- Performance in communicative tests reflects an underlying competencethat is linguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic, strategic… Communicative activitiesshould consider this multi-dimensional nature of language

1.1.4 Benefits of partner talk

As we know, the primary purpose of teaching and learning English is that

students can communicate English with others sucessfully There are many

effective techniques that can be used to encourage and promote students to engage

in and one of them is partner talk

The benefits of the partner talk:

+ Children are encouraged to discuss their learning and become moreactively involved

+ It gives children time to formulate their opinions and find an answer theyare confident with

+ Children are more comfortable discussing their ideas with a partner thanwith a teacher

When discussing about homework with my students, I realise that moststudents do not like being given homework They complained that when theystudied at lower secondary school, in English subject, their homework was aboutwriting new words or phrases or learning by heart related grammar or vocabulary,and then in the next lesson, they were called to go to the board to write down whatthey had practised and remembered Doing the same things day by day made thembored and unmotivated Sometimes, they were required to do homework in books

or exercise books with too many tasks with the similar things They did themreluctantly and boredly, sometimes, many students completed them by using keybooks or coppied other friends’ results to please their teachers, which did notbring in expected results

On being asked about communicative tasks as homework, they said that theyhad never been given when they studied at secondary school Most of homeworkwas written ones They also added that they were really scared of speaking English

in front of people due to little practice

There are 6 teachers of English in my school, who are young andenthusiatic They are making their efforts to adapt teaching methods, apply newtechniques in the class However, they have faced a lot of difficulties in designinginteresting activities for homework

- Role play method

- Discussion method

- Partner talk for improving writing skills and grammar usage: Writing reports

- Free activities.

2.1 Some ways to choose parners for students.

In order to choose a partner interestingly and unpredictably and students canhave opportunities to work with different partners in different topics, teachershould not always let students choose their partners by themselves because somestudents tend to choose partners from their closest friends and some others feel sadbecause noone wants to choose them Therefore, teacher should be creative so thatstudents can have a lot of fun and it makes them feel surprised by creating anumber of interesting ways to assign partners as the following:

+ Make different kinds of lottery:

- Teacher prepares a box and pieces of paper

- Teacher divides class in two groups with equal number of students

- A group will write their names on piece of papers, put them in a box Thestudents from the other group will take turn to pull out the name to know who he /she will work with

Students in class 10 A2 are choosing a piece of paper to find out their partners

- An other way is that half of the class will have a piece of paper containingEnglish words, meanwhile the other half will have equivalent Vietnamese words

Students will go around to choose their partners.

The happiness and surprise that students have when having found out their partners.

2.2 Guided activities:

2.2.1 Picture discription

Teacher can use picture discription in design activities for homeworkbecause it can help increase students’ imagination and improve theircommunicative skills

Procedure:

Step 1: Teacher prepares pictures relating the topics of the lessons

Step 2: Class members are divided into pairs

Step 3: Teacher explains carefully about the task

Step 4: Teacher sends pictures via messenger or Zalo

Step 5: Teacher provides students with the time to complete and hand in theoutcomes

Step 6: Teacher collects the videos

Step 7: Teacher spends time watching and giving comments

Example: Unit 9: Undersea world

After lesson B Speaking

Aims: Raise students’ awareness of students’ undersea world protection.

Suggested activity: Students take turn to describe their own pictures and

then discuss about the reasons for the problems of partner A and then talk aboutsolutions

Partner A:

Partner B:

2.2.2 Interview method.

As we know, interview skills play a crucial role in both study and real life.Through interview, participants can get a lot of things such as: developingrelationship, increasing knowledge about the topic, mutual understanding, knowingmore about the interview skill that may help them in the future career,… In myteaching, interview is widely used both in the class and homework to motivatestudents to partcipate in circumstances like real life

Procedure:

Step 1: Class members are required to choose a partner in the same class or

in the different class to work with

Step 2: Teacher gives students the task

Step 3: Teacher explains carefully about the task

Step 4: Teacher provides students with the time to complete and hand in theoutcomes

Step 5: Teacher collects the videos

Step 6: After having their outcomes, teacher spends time watching and

giving feedbacks If they are good, teacher writes notes to consider giving bettermarks to them on the following tests.

Example 1: Unit 1: A day in the life of…

Communicative homework after lesson A Reading.

Aim: Help students have chance to improve communicative skills and

understand more about a typical day in the life of a partner’s parents

Preparation: Teacher prepares a list of questions for the students to carry

out an interview

Procedure:

- Teacher decides pairs for students

- Teacher assigns the task and explains the way to do it

- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the products

- Teacher evaluates their product and gives feedbacks

The list of questions for the interview:

1 What do your parents do?

2 Do they usually get up early?

3 What do they often do in the morning?

4 What do they often do in the afternoon?

5 How do they work?

6 What do they usually do in the everning?

7 Are they satisfied with their lives or not? Why? Why not?

Model: An interview between Bao Cuong and Ngoc Tu class 10A1:

The image taken from the clip Ngoc Tu: Hi! Cuong.

Bao Cuong: Hi! Ngoc Tu.

Ngoc Tu: Our homework today is finding out something about our family more I’d like to know about a typical day of your parents Are you ready for it?

Bao Cuong: Yes.

Ngoc Tu: Can you tell me about their jobs?

Bao Cuong: My dad is a carpenter and my mom is a worker.

Ngoc Tu: Do they have to get up early?

Bao Cuong: My mom does She has to prepare our breakfast so that we can

go to school on time And then she goes to work in the factory.

Ngoc Tu: Yeah What do they often do in the morning?

Bao Cuong: In the afternoon, she continues her work in the factory until 4 p.m

Ngoc Tu: How about their afternoon?

Bao Cuong: My dad still works there and my mom continues to work on the factory After that she comes back home and plays volleyball with neighbours She cooks dinner.

Ngoc Tu: What do they do in the everning?

Bao Cuong: In the everning, we have dinner, watch TV, chat with their neighbours until 10 p.m We go to bed then.

And my dad, he always goes to work every day except Sunday.

Ngoc Tu: Do you think they are happy with their lives?

Bao Cuong: Yes, of course Although they work very hard on the day, they feel very happy because of so many things around them.

Ngoc Tu: That sounds interesting I believe that your parents will be the good foundation for your future Thanks very much for your share today.

Bao Cuong: You’re welcome.

Example 2: Unit 2: SCHOOL TALK

Homework for lesson A Reading

Aims: Help students have chance to speak English outside class with a

partner

Preparation: Teacher prepares some suggested information for students to

do the task easily

Suggested topic: Interview a partner to get about the following information Suggested information:

- His (her) feelings about his (her) school, teachers and new friends.

- Favourite subjects

- What he (she) likes/ dislikes doing at school

- What he (she) worries about at school

Procedures:

- Teacher asks students to choose a parner themselves They can choosepartners from new friends at their schools or their old friends, who are studying atother schools

- Teacher gives and explains the task clearly

- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the products

- Teacher evaluates their products and gives feedbacks

Model: a pair between Duyen (10 A2) and her friend, Quynh Anh, her uppersecondary classmate (studying at Tan Ky 1 School)

The image taken from the clip Duyen: Hey, Quynh Anh.

Quynh Anh: Hi, An

Duyen: Long time no see I feel good to see you here.

Quynh Anh: I’m very happy, too How have you been recently?

Duyen: I’m fine And you?

Quynh Anh: Pretty well Thanks.

Duyen: How do you feel about your new school?

Quynh Anh: My school is great.

Duyen: Can you tell me about it?

Quynh Anh: Of course My school is big The classrooms are beautiful and clean In addition to the regular class, it also organize extra-activities, sport.

Duyen: What about teachers and friends?

Quynh Anh: They are very sociable.

Duyen: It’s fun that you have chosen a school like that.

Quynh Anh: I’m so happy about that How is your school?

Duyen: The school has also changed a lot School is filled with many beautiful trees and flowers Facilities are renovated.

Quynh Anh: Awesome! I will have rearrange time to visit your school one day Duyen: I look forward to it.

Quynh Anh: Oh my mom is calling I’ve got to go home now See you later Duyen: See you soon.

Example 3: Unit 3: PEOPLE’S BACKGROUND

Homework for lesson B Speaking.

Aim: Provide students with an opportunity to improve communicative skills

and understand more the way to interview a partner to have information about thebackground of her/ his parents

Activity: Interview: interview a partner, get information about his / her

mother/ father’s background

- Teacher assigns the task and explains how to do it

- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the products

- Teacher evaluates their products and gives feedbacks

The list of questions for the interview:

1 What’s your mother (father)’s name?

2 When and where was she /he born?

3 What primary school did she/he go to?

4 What secondary school did she/he go to?

5 What upper secondary school did she/he go to?

6 What were her /his favourite subjects then?

7 Did she/he love her/his schooldays?

Model: An interview between Quynh Chi and Nhan class 10A1:

The image taken from the clip Quynh Chi: Hi! How’s everything?

Nhan : Good And you?

Quynh Chi: Not bad Nhan I must to complete the task that teacher gave me this morning I would be grateful if you can help me do it Are you free now?

Nhan : Of course Let’s do it.

Quynh Chi: I’m really curious about the time when your mom was a

student As I heard, she studied well and looked active.

Nhan : Definitely Moreover, she can play volleyball very well.

Quynh Chi: What’s your mother’s name?

Nhan : She is Thanh

Quynh Chi: When and where was she born?

Nhan : She was born in 1979 in Anh Son – Nghe An.

Quynh Chi: It’s quite far from where we’re living, right?

Nhan : Yes.

Quynh Chi: What school did she go to?

Nhan : She went to Tan An Primary and Secondary School, Tan Ky I High School Quynh Chi: What was her favorite subject then?

Nhan : Let me see I guess Literature I accidentally saw my mother’s

notebook and she virtually got good marks That’s the reason why she has become

a literature teacher.

Quynh Chi: Awesome! Did she say that she loved her schooldays?

Nhan : Certainly She oftens tells me about her schooldays with her much pride She said that her schooldays were the best days of her life and she always

remembered the memories after graduation Although she and her friends don’t have much time to study like us now, spending every morning at school and having afternoons to help family with a lot of work, most of them felt very lucky when they can go to school everyday, even studying well and despite more than 20 years, they still keep in touch together.

Quynh Chi: That’s fun Without you I don’t know how I would manage it Thank you for being here.

Nhan: You’re welcome.

2.2.3 Role play method.

Role plays are good ways of having students practise their English It is also

a wonderful opportunity for students to simulate real stuations that they may have

in real life

Objectives: After doing this activity, students will be able to:

- Apply the knowledge that they have learnt in the class in a new circumstance

- Work effectively with other students

- Create good English speaking environment outside class

- Develop communication skills

- Enhance problem-solving skills

Procedure:

Step 1: Teacher divides the pairs for all the members

Step 2: Teacher gives introduction and explains how to do

Step 3: Teacher checks the understanding and gets feedback from the students.Step 4: Teacher provides students the time to complete and hand in theproducts

Step 5: Teacher and students choose an optional period to feedback

Step 6: After having their outcomes, teacher spends time watching andgiving feedbacks If they are good, teacher writes notes to consider giving bettermarks to them on the following tests

Example 1: Unit 2: SCHOOL TALKS

Homework for lesson B Speaking

Aim: Help students have chance to carry out a stuation through a role play

and communicate each other in English

Suggested roleplay: Situation: Two students, Lan and Nam, meets each

other at the school gate Nam invites Lan to go to a shop to buy a birthday present

for his mother One will be Lan and one will be Nam, acting the role It mustinclude starting and closing a conversation.

Preparation: Teacher prepares some small situations about daily life on

small handouts

Procedure:

- After the lesson, teacher divides the class into pairs

- Teacher lets students choose handouts containing the topics

- Teacher instructs students how to do the task

- Teacher sets the deadline for the whole class

Model: An roleplay between Dat and Mai Anh class 10A1:

( At the school gate)

Dat: Hey, Mai Anh!

Mai Anh: Hi!

Dat: Where are you going now?

Mai Anh: I’m going home

Dat: Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday I want to buy a present for her but Idon’t know what I should choose Can you help me with this?

Mai Anh: Yeah, what present do you want to give to her?

Dat: Uhmm She really likes hand bags

Mai Anh: Ah, I know a shop which has just been opened It has many kinds

of new hand bags

Dat: Wonderful! Let’s go!

Example 2: Unit 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION

Homework for lesson A READING

Aim: Help students have chance to improve their imaginary skills and

communicate each other in English

Suggested roleplay: Talk show: Two students, one will be Ms Phuong, an

MC of talk show programe and one will be Ms Thuy, a teacher of special class,who will share a lot of things about herself and her job

Preparation: Teacher prepares questions about teacher Thuy (students have

just studied in lesson A)

1 Where she is from

2 When she started teaching her special class