SKKN Helping students raise the sense of initiative in using the target language during english speaking lessons

TABLE OF CONTENTS 	 Page 
1. INTRODUCTION. 	2 
1.1. Reasons for the study	2
1.2. Aims of the study	2
1.3. Object of the study	3
1.4. Study method	 	 3	
1.5. The new points of the initiative	3
2. STUDY CONTENT
Theoretical rationale of the study	4	
Status of the study problem	4	
Measures for implementation	5
2.3.1. Brainstormming.	5
2.3.2. Interrupting stories	7
2.3.3. Interview/ Role play 	7
2.3.4. Find someone who.... 	8
2.3.5. Given dialogue frame 	8
2.3.6. Asing questions	 	 9
2.3.7. Discussions and reporting presentation 	10
2.3.8. Questionaire	11
2.3.9. Games	12
2.3.10. Using teaching aids 	14
2.3.11. Outdoor activities 	15
2.4. Study effects	17
3. CONCLUSION, PROPOSALS 	 
3.1. Conclusion	 	18
3.2. Propossals	 	18	
REFERENCES 	19
1. INTRODUCTION 
1.1. Reasons for the study	
The innovation of teaching foreign languages in general and teaching English in particular has been emphasized since 1980s, together with the trends in educational innovation of the country; in which people not only pay attention to the writing skill practising, but the other skills are also interested in: listening, reading and speaking, especially listening and speaking. However, in fact, in the last few years the listening and speaking skills of the students and even of the teachers of English were also limited. Therefore, in the renewal of the current reform programs, to meet the practising requirements of the skills, we have to overcome many difficulties, which require the efforts of teachers and students in a long time. 
	It is a fact for students at Thach Thanh I High School that most of the students have limited English language skills. They feel uninterested in learning English and are not confident in their ability to learn English. They are very cautious in using English to communicate with teachers and friends during English lessons, especially speaking lessons. Because of this, many students feel bored and passive, making the class atmosphere very tense and boring. They seem to be timid and scared at every mistake and lack of positive proactive in speaking English.
	As a teacher assigned by the school to teach English to students in grades 10, 11, and 12 over the years, I have always wondered about how to stimulate students' speaking English in the classroom, how to make students more active, especially during speaking lesson in practicing communication skills in English between students and teachers and other class members.
After many years of experience and successful application, I boldly write the initiative with the topic: “Helping Students Raise The Sense Of Initiative In Using The Target Language During English Speaking Lessons”
1.2. Aims of the study
The subject defines the theoretical foundation and offers some methods of designing speaking activities in the English upper secondary program aimed at:
+ Improve the quality of teaching and learning English in the school.
+ Increases the student's speaking time during class time and exams for the students.
+ Students find the practical meaning of communication, can remember and talk about these issues logically.
+ Improve students' communication skills.
+ Promote the learner-centered role.
+ Develop students' language skills not only in learning English but also in learning activities and other activities of life.
1.3. Object of the study	
+ Teaching methods help to promote the positiveness and the ability to use the spoken language of students in the high school English program.
+ English speaking and communication activities.
+ Students in grades 10, 11, 12 of Thach Thanh I High School.
1.4. Study method	
+ Observation Method.
+ Research and Practice Method.
+ Synthesis method.
1.5. The new points of the initiative
	In this information technology era, in addition to the activities and types of textbook exercises, reference books, wed sites, I have designed and implemented activities which are not in the textbook so that they are suitable with my students to promote the students’positiveness, creation, to develop thinking and ability to use English in communication but still meet the need of the entrance examination.
2. STUDY CONTENT
Theoretical Rationale of the study
	The ultimate goal of language learning is communication. Grammar and other skills are also very important, but the aim is to support this goal. The over-emphasis on grammar, comprehension and writing in general is an obstacle to teaching and learning skills, leading to teaching and learning passively.
Teachers organize classes in speaking class for the following basic reasons:
- Ask the students to practice the skills and apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom.
- Help students to deepen their knowledge.
- Get students familiar with big work, pair-work, teamwork, highly interactive personal ideas, time-consuming activities and the need to search for external sources of information (such as information on the library, on the Internet, or information from students themselves).
	Communication is an important part of everyday life. Communicating is the new language that develops thinking. It can improve memory and understanding. It also engages directly in activities that improve students’ learning skills and students’ attitudes toward the subject, and show students that learning can take place anywhere, not just in the classroom (when Assign similar tasks for students to continue to practice at home but at a higher level.)
Status of the study problem
	According to what I observe, the way of teaching the speeches of most teachers now has some limitations:
	Firstly, most teachers often cling to the textbook's tasks. With these types of requests, students do passively, have not developed linguistic thinking, are good at textbook abuse, or are using older, answerable books, even teachers do those tasks for their students.
	Secondly, sometimes the teacher organizes some supportive activities but does not check, not score, or test but has not attracted all the students.
	Thirdly, teachers do not fully apply the method of communication when teaching, teachers also talk a lot, control the classroom (many teachers), less promote the sense of iniative of the students. Teachers organize pairwork, groupwork ineffectively so their students cannot support one another. We are afraid that the weak children will be passive and do nothing and students will use their mother tongue when practicing. This can be remedied by calling the weak student up to the team and scoring points for the group, so they will have to help each other accomplish the tasks the teacher presents.
	Depending on the content of the topics and exercises designed in the textbook or the appropriate tasks designed by the teacher, the teacher must develop some of the competencies in each lesson. It is necessary to develop the students in the system of nine competencies set by the Ministry of Education and Training, namely:
1- Self-learning ability
2- Ability to learn how to learn
3- Personal competence
4- Creative ability
5- Cooperative capacity
6- Capacity of communication
7- Capacity of thinking
8- Capacity to solve problems
9- Capacity of using information technology and mass media.
Finally, one of the contents of the entrance exams that make students anxious is communication. To do well in this type of exercise, they need to have broad knowledge, but the most important thing is through the specific situations they have been experiencing. A communication situation is not easy to memorize but when communicating many times, it is self-absorbed in the subconscious mind.
Measures for implementation
	Below I would like to give some experience on the design and organization of some teaching activities to promote the positiveness in using the English by students in speaking Classes:
2.3.1. Brainstorming (Development Ideas):
	Brainstorming is a technique that uses the support of the thinking diagram to find solutions to a problem, and it is really effective when working in teams. Group work has been a new form of activities for innovating a method in which teachers play a central role in orientation, organization, and counseling, while students are actively involved actively seeking direction,resolved and solved the problem. Brainstorming will promote teamwork and groupwork in English lesson. This cooperation is indispensable if you want to achieve the purpose of communication in the process of teaching - learning English in particular and foreign languages ​​in general. Brainstorming can be applied in many stages of the warm-up process, to the process of addressing the main requirements of the task. It can be used in Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing or Language Focus. At each stage, each section, Brainstorming brings about certain effects and stimulates, involving all students.
Brainstorming can be conducted in the classroom as follows:
Step 1: Teachers divide students into groups. In the process of grouping, attention should be paid to distribute students equally to the same group for mutual support. Avoid the too big differences between this group and the other in English learning capacity. Because if that happens there will be a group of students who can not carry out the desired Brainstorming activity. Teams select their leader and secretary.
Step 2: Deliver Brainstorming to groups. At this stage, the teacher needs to make the students understand the requirements and tasks they have to accomplish. It is possible to assign a topic to all groups in order to finally have a general synthesis and to compare the performance of each group or group of issues that need to be solved independently.
Step 3: Carry out Brainstorming. The leader will direct the members of the Brainstorming team, which requires all members to have ideas or opinions on the issue and the secretary is responsible for recording all (except for duplicate ideas). ).
	In the case where the teacher holds two roles at the same time: both the facilitator and the secretary may call the student to raise their opinion, the teacher randomly writes the student's answer on the board. Arrange in a specific order, or ask the students to write their ideas on paper and then put them on the board. To attract and impress can use the sticker paper and colorful pens.
Step 4: Analyze the answers and find a solution to the problem. In this step, all members of the group review the answers, do not comment or criticize any of them, simply decide on the most appropriate answer.
Example: English Textbook 10: Unit 8: The story of my villge, Speaking.
Students work in groups to discuss and develop ideas for improving their village
 build a medical centre
grow cash crops	 build a football ground
Plans to improve 
	life of the village
	 build a football ground
build a new school 
	widen the roads
2.3.2. Interrupting stories:
 This is a fun activity for students to practice speaking, listening and other skills. In this way, the teacher (possibly the student) will tell a story that the student knows clearly containing some false information. While hearing the story, if the students hear the wrong information, they will stop the story and correct that information.
Example: English Textbook 10, Unit 1: Speaking.
Step 1: Students work in groups, looking at the pictures and depicting the activities of Quân. .
Step 2: Choose a good / good student to stand up and repeat the sentences in front of the class. Ask students to deliberately give false information under the teacher's secret instruction. Ask other students to hear and interrupt the student if the information is wrong, while correcting and giving the right information.
Example: 
Quan often gets up at 2 p.m. At 2.15 p.m., he watches T.V ( wrong ) à correct. At 5 p.m., Quan goes to the stadium by bus ( wrong ) à correct. After that he plays football with his friends. At 6.30 p.m., he goes home....
2.3.3. Interviews, Role play: 
	Students work in pairs where one of the students who plays the interviewer will ask questions and answers based on the specific content stated in the request and under the guidance of the teacher.
Example: English textbook 10, Unit 1: A day in the life of ...- Speaking
The teacher invites a student to the board and other students ask questions about what the student usually does every day. Some suggested questions are as follows:
 - What time do you have a physics lesson on Monday ?
What lesson do you have at  on  ?
What do you often do at 8 p.m every night ?
What time do you often watch T.V ?
How often do you go swimming ?
2.3.4. Find someone who  
	Students will give information or ask information from friends and then report to the class. Then the teacher (probably the student) will ask "Who?" And the other students will answer who he/ she is. This activity is interesting because it helps students to develop reflexes and improve their skills.
Example : English textbook 10, Unit 1: A day in the life of ...- Speaking
Step 1: Students prepare the following table:
Nam
Hoa
Mai
likes English
x
has a history lesson on Friday
x
x
watches T.V every night
x
x
helps mother with housework
x
x
Step 2: Students go around the class, ask and collect information about their friends and fill out the form
Step 3: The teacher calls some students to present to the class.
Example: 
- Nam likes English.
- Hoa often has a history lesson on Friday.
- Nam often watches T.V every night.
- Hoa often has a history lesson on Friday.
- He often helps his mother with the housework.
 Step 4: The teacher asks students: 
 T : Find someone who likes English. 
 S : Nam likes English.
T : Find someone who has a history lesson on Friday. 
S : Hoa and Mai often have a history lesson on Friday.
T : Find someone who often watches T.V every night. 
S : Nam and Hoa watch T.V every night.
T : Find someone who helps mother with the housework. 
S : Nam and Mai often help mother with the housework.
2.3.5. Given dialogue frame 
	Thanks to the teacher's guidance, students can create their own dialogues and then practice and practice. This activity is easy and familiar so students will be interested in learning.
Example : It’s a hot day. Plan the day with your friend, follow the frame below.
 You 	Your friend
Say goodbye
Comment on the weather
Express agreement with the comment
Suggest something to do
Disagree. Make another suggestion
Agree. Suggest a time and place to meet
Agree. Say goodbye
	Example: 	A: Today’s really hot. 
 	B: Yes. It’s much hotter than yesterday. 
	 	A: Shall we have some beer after work? 
	.............
2.3.6. Asking questions:
  This activity is usually conducted in the Warm-up section
For example, English Textbooks 10, Unit 15: Cities- Speaking
-Step 1: Teacher selects a famous city name and a featured image of the city.
NEW YORK
- Step 2: In groups, students will in turn ask Yes/No questions to find out the name of the city
Suggested questions:
Is the city big?	YES
Is it located in Asia?	NO
Is its population big?	MAYBE
Is it famous for high buildings ?	YES
2.3.7. Discussions and Reporting a presentation 
Example: 
English Textbooks 11, Unit 11: Sources of Energy-Speaking: Task 3
The teacher asked the students to discuss the group, then to report on the types of energy, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to utilize and develop alternative sources of energy.
- Dicussion: Students discuss in groups, brainstorm about the four aspects of the topic.
- Reporting a presentation (Báo cáo, thuyết trình): 
Teachers ask students in each group to take turns giving lectures on the topic.	Example: 	
	Student 1: As we know, human race has the greatest influence on the environment. They change the environment by building cities and villages... They affect water supply by using it for industry and argriculture... 
	Student 2: These things lead to many serious consequences. The habitat of plants and animals is seriously destroyed. ....
2.3.8. Questionaire:
- The teacher will prepare the student a poll. Students read information, mark, complete content as required and report.
Example 1: English textbook 10, Unit 7: The Mass Media-Speaking         
- The teacher sends students a questionnaire and asks students to complete.
 QUESTIONNAIRE
Name : 	Sex :  Class : 	Age : 
How are the mass media important to our life ?
very important	b. not very	c. not at all
The mass media are widely used for 
entertaining	b. getting knowledge	c. Other purposes
What kinds of media do you like best?
Television	b. Newspaper	c. the Internet
How often do you use the Internet ?
once a week	b. twice a week	c. more than twice
What kind of newspaper do you like to read ?
Nhan Dan	b. Tuoi Tre	c. The Thao
Your opinions / suggestions ?
- The teacher collects the answers of student A's assignment to student B and asks student B to revise the content that student A answered. After the presentation of B, the teacher may ask a number of related questions to check the level of attention, comprehension and reaction of other students.
Example: Nam is a boy of 16 years old from class 10A3. He thinks that the mass media is very important to our lives and he also thinks that the mass media are widely used for entertaining and getting knowledge. He often watches television more than two hours a day. He also uses the Internet service quite often. ....
	Questions: 1. What does Nam think about the mass media?
	 2. How often does Nam use the Internet? 	...........
2.3.9. Games:
	Games are popular activities that teachers often use. Any activity is considered a game when we want students to make and want to find the winner. Obviously Games are very active and highly motivated. Teachers can design games that are tailored to specific classes and specific subjects in order to involve more students.
	a- Lucky number
Example: English Language School 10, Unit 11: National Parks- Speaking
Task 2 and Task 3 can be considered as a difficult part because students are unacquainted and do not have much knowledge of the conditional type 3. The teacher designed this game to create a cheerful practice atmosphere in the classroom.
- In this section, the teacher will give the students a few cards with the numbers attached to them, which may be a note of a gift, a request or a sentence in the task to complete.
1. You are lucky. Your present is a pen.
Complete the sentences:
If they hadn’t gone by coach, 
If , they wouldn’t have got lost.
Smile and laugh.
You are lucky if you are a girl.
Complete the sentence.
 If / bring / food / drinks / not / spend / money / expensive restaurant.
Sing an English song with the word “Love”. .....
b- Describe and draw 
Student A has a drawing, student B does not see. Student B must draw the same picture in “content" by listening to his / her friend depicting the drawing and requesting further explanation as needed. Then A, B can interchange.
c- Who am I/ What am I ?
Example: English Literature 10, Unit 14: The World Cup-Speaking
In the "Free-practice" section, teachers can help students play the game.
Some suggested questions:
Which World Cup is it?
This World Cup was held in Europe.
There were 32 teams taking part in this World Cup.
France was the champion then.
€ The 1998 World Cup.
Who is he ?
He is a French football player.
He used to play for Juventus football club.
He was the best player of the 2006 World Cup.
	€ Z. Zidane.
2.3.10. Using teaching aids 
There are a lot of teaching materials that we can use in English teaching lessons and we can temporarily split into groups of teaching materials:
• Allocated group of photos
• Tape, disc, casstte
• Group of illustrations, rods
• Group of modern technical means: Projector, Computer and Projector multipurpose projector
• Self-made teaching equipment.
Allocated group of photos
When teaching classes 11 and 12 I often