Using extracurricular activities to motivate the students’s English learning passion in classes 11A1, 11A2, 12A1 at Quan Son high school

PART I. THE INTRODUCTION
I. The reasons for choosing this theme.
English has always become an effective media of communication in the world. In Vietnam, it has gradually played an important role in the process of recruitment and enrolling. The importance of English is once again acknowledged when the Ministry of Education and Training issues a new policy in which Literature, Mathematics and English are compulsory subjects in the national examination for high school students. Furthermore, all officials, managers or the leaders of the organizations who want to get promotion have to achieve an English cirtificate. Besides communicating well in English, students also have to master English grammar so as to perform perfectly in their exams. Moreover, English is a requisite criterion when applying for a job. Each occupation requires a certain level of English. Perhaps, that’s why the English centers training learners of different levels are mushrooming. The question is how to inspire student’s interest in English.
Working as a teacher of English for a long time, and working in a mountainous area, I understand who my students are and what difficulties they have to face when learning a language. Also, I have found out the disadvanges we have to encounter when working with students coming from ethnic minorities. Therefore I always try to look for the most effective way of teaching so that my students can understand the lesson easily and love learning English. I together with my collegues have applied a variety of different ways of teaching related using teaching aids and other technologies. However, the most effective method is allowing students to participate in extracurricular activities. Because students relax and learn in the same time, they have no pressure of studying, and they learn with very comfortable mind. Based on my long working time and real activities I and my students have done in the last nine months, I have made a decision to choose the theme: “Using extracurricular activities to motivate the students’s English learning passion in classes 11A1, 11A2, 12A1 at Quan Son high school.” to research in my experienced initiative.
I. The purpose of this theme
When selecting this theme, I want to provide some useful tips which help teaching English in mountainous schools less hardship.I will explain the theorical base and real evidence of using extracurricular activities in schools and that what we have applied to teaching in our school really brings great effect. Taking part in extracurricular not only helps students master academic knowledge quickly but also trains their living skills and other social skills. I would like to prove that learning English does not mean simply to learn by heart new words or grammartical structures but students learn English in a real atmosphere and have chances to experience real situations in their life. I also want to persuade my students that English is not a very difficult language as they assume, the more we learn it, the wider our mind becomes. Learing English will give them a good opportunity to discover new things in a creative way.
III. The researched subjects
	Generally speaking, teaching English is a rather arduous task in our country, especially in the remote and mountainous areas where students hardly have interests in English. Even, their parents never pay attention to children’s study. Foreign language is something which is luxurious for them. Most of the students in my school find English difficult and hate learning it. They told me that it was not only difficult but also boring because they had to learn by heart endless vocabulary, and so strange structures. Whenever doing an English test they usually did it unconciously without clear basis. It’s due to their lack of English basic knowledge and their shortage of interest to this subject. When English becomes a compulsory subject in the national exam for high school students, it becomes a big barier for students in the same time. A long-term method is how to inspire student’s learning passion from the beginning of the education process. I have conducted a survey on students in class 11A1, 11A2 and 12A1 in Quan Son high school during the school year 2017-2018 and I personally admit that students are really interested in outdoor activities related to the subjects in the class. This is one of my main encouragements which lead me to do the research.
IV. The method to study.
	As I said above, when doing the research, I have done a survey among 124 students at class 11A1, 11A2, 12A1 in my school. I gave out the handout to identify the way of learning and teaching students want to take part in. The result of the survey is shown clearly in the table below
Way of learning
Like very much
like
dislike
Being taught and guided to do exercise in the class
24
20
80
Learning and sometimes playing games in the class
30
44
50
Attend extracurricular activities outside the class
50
50
24
Attend extracurricular activities outside the school
80
34
10
I also have found the information from other sources such as my collegues’ advice, other schools’ ideas and variety of valuable one from the internet. All the evidence proves that extracurricular activities really attract to students in general.
V. The new points in my initiative.
In the last experienced initiative, we set up an English club in my school and enabled my students to attend its activities. This contributed to increase the learning spirit of my students to the subject. In this research, I continue to widen by organizing outdoor activities outside my school. This is much more difficult and complicated but much more interesting to my students. And the result of our trial is rather positive to myself as well as my students.
PART II. THE CONTENT
I.The theorical foundation of this theme
Traditional learning activities are rather popular and familiar to school. And new ways of learning surely gives them curiosity and excitement. Factually, almost schools have extracurricular activities such as sport activities, intelectual contests, fashion competition or cooking abilityAll these contribute to educate students fully and give them a lot of fun, and especiall explore their unknown ability. Generally, elementary and middle school is a crucial time for student’s development and even top-performing academic students may not be meeting their full potential without the opportunity to contribute or diversify their interests and skills in an extracurricular activity or club. By allowing and encouraging students to participate in activities outside of the classroom, you’re giving them a route to make new friends, develop new interests, and deepen their social and intellectual growth.  For learning a language, this plays an important role in communicative process between the teacher and students, students and students, and students with others. Taking part in extracurricular activities is simimar to living in a real English enviroment with true situation and factual characters. Students do not have to imagine how they should behave, how they should react and which expression they should use..ect
II. The current situation of the issue
	Nowadays, it’s essential to have a good command of English and fluently communicate with English speakers in over the world. Being able to speak English becomes the first and foremost criterion of all occupations and jobs especially in foreign companies. Moreover, the Vietnamese government has set a new requirement which forces Vietnamese officers, teachers, doctorsall must have a certain level of English so that they can understand books, materials and instructions in English. Therefore, all the people especially young ones should know English and use it in the daily life, which helps them meet the requirements easily. So, teachers need to guide students the most effective ways to learn English, communicate in English and pass any English examinations. Materials about English Grammar are available for students nowadays English centres are mushrooming everywhere. However, it is not easy for learners coming from mountainous areas like Quan Son high school students to approach these sources of material because of the lack of necessary facilities, poor living conditions and the too far distance from the centre. So, one of the most effective way to enable them to attend extracurricular activities in which they will have opportunities to experience real situations and react in a natural way. This is very important to form a good habit, think and answer in English. Because of contemporary situation, I always try to find out the best mode to help my students overcome their difficulty and contribute to decreasing the current troubles. With my limited experience I presume to give some solutions to guide students. I hope that I can share meaningful information with the teachers of 
English to teach this subject effectively.
III. The methods to solve the matter 
The extracurricular activity plays an important role in educating students in all levels of education system. However, because of the limited scale of an experienced initiative, I only focus on having outdoor activities outside school to increase English learning passion of students in my school. First of all I will give some information about the categories of extracurricular activities should be used in high school and their benefits to students. Then I will illustrate some activities my students have attended during the school year 2017-2018 and its positive result.
The Definition of Extracurricular Activities
Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s take a deeper look at the definition of extracurricular activities.
The word extracurricular is a combination of the prefix extra, which translates to “on the outside” and curriculum, which translates to “a running course /career”. Generally, extracurricular activities are activities that fall outside the scope of your regular curriculum and related to ourdoor activities in which students have chances to look at real things, people, landscape or environment.
Completing extracurricular activities means you are going above and beyond your school requirements and living in a real context.
However, simply playing soccer with your friends on the weekends for fun isn’t actually an extracurricular activity, even though it has nothing to do with school.
Extracurricular activities require a regular time commitment and initiative such as being on a sports team, forming a student newspaper, playing the violin in the local orchestra, taking an online course on robotics, or visiting some historical sites in the country.
Kinds of extracurricular activities for students
An extracurricular activity can be almost anything that isn’t required for high school credit or paid employment. These activities will become very important later, such as when you are applying to colleges, because they help you develop your talents, interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time management. With so many options out there, all students should be able to find an extracurricular that they are interested in and can develop a passion for! Remember that extracurricular activities do not have to be sponsored by your school, so you should also consider things that you do with your family or within your community as viable options.
Below I've listed many popular activities that you may not have thought of as extracurricular activities. 
Sports
Being a varsity athlete requires a great deal of time and dedication. If you are serious about a sport, trying out for varsity athletics is a wonderful way to make friends, improve your athletic skills and experience team camaraderie. It may even lead to scholarships and/or professional athletic opportunities in the future. If participating in a varsity sport is not for you, most schools offer students the opportunity to participate in intramural athletics. Though there are typically no tryouts for these teams, they are often fairly competitive. Participating in an intramural sport can have many of the same benefits as varsity athletics.
If you are more comfortable on the sidelines than on the field, you can still be involved in athletics. Spirit organizations like cheerleading and pep band are available on many campuses. These groups are also a great opportunity to form friendships, be part of a team and improve your social skills.
2.2. Academic and professional organizations
Look for on-campus academic or professional organizations that are relevant to your major or intended field of study. Depending on your college, campus organizations may focus on any number of fields, from acting to applied mathematics. As a member of such organizations, you will meet with other like-minded students, professors and professionals. In such meetings, you will discuss issues of importance and also learn field-related job skills that can help you be better prepared for your future career.
2.3. Volunteer and service-related activities
Volunteering your time or partaking in service-learning activities can benefit both you and the world around you. Most campuses offer “alternative spring break” programs, in which students can participate in community service projects during their spring break. Other service groups and organizations function year-round.
Another option is service learning, which allows students to take what they learn in the classroom and combine it with community service. Though volunteering in general will help you make friends, grow as a person, and most importantly help others, service learning also emphasizes self-reflection.
2.4. Multicultural activities
Becoming involved in campus multicultural activities can help you increase your awareness and understanding of the world’s cultures and its different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Such activities can include concerts, festivals, lectures and other events that encourage multicultural awareness on campus. Participating in such activities can broaden your cultural consciousness, as well as help you develop or better understand your own cultural identity.
2.5. Arts
Whether you have a love of painting or a love of playing the trumpet, there are many ways to become involved in your college’s art scene. Students interested in fine arts can choose from theater troupes, musical groups and art fields like sculpture or drawing. Participating in the arts can help introduce you to new friends and professional contacts, all while improving your artistic abilities.
2.6. Real trips
Making real trips to enable to visit culatural and historical sites is one of the ideal actitivites which are attracted by the students. However, a successful trip need a careful preparation from school, family and students themselves. 
3. The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities
3.1. Improving Academic Performance
Some students worry that participating in extracurriculars may take away too much time from their schoolwork, thus hurting their grades; however, extracurricular activities can actually improve your grades and your outlook on school in general! Participating in activities you are passionate about can increase your brain function, help you concentrate and manage your time better, all of which contribute to higher grades. High endurance sports, for example, will train you to focus and build stamina in the face of intense difficulty. This gives you an advantage when it comes to studying and taking exams. Actually, it is estimated that students who participate in outdoor activities have higher grades, more positive attitudes toward school and higher academic aspirations.
While students usually have the opportunity to pursue a wide range of study areas through core subjects and electives, extracurricular activities allow students to explore an interest in more depth than what is covered in class — or maybe even find a completely new interest that they wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. They can also provide a great chance for students to broaden their perspective of the world, particularly those involved in volunteering and community service programs.
3.2. Explore Interests and Create Broader Perspectives
When students participate in multiple different activities, they will get the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock passions they never knew they had! Plus, diversifying their interests subsequently broadens their knowledge and world view. Let’s take English club as an example, if you join an English club, they will have more opportunities to communicate in English, read English materials and understand Western countries’cultures. In the same way, if students attend a philosophy club they will begin to look at the world through the eyes of a budding philosopher. They will begin to question everything and anything they see or hear, which may annoy their friends a bit but will also help them think more critically and not take everything at face value – both valuable skills in today’s “fake news” world.
3.3. Higher Self-esteem
The more they achieve success through activities you’re passionate about, the more their self confidence will improve. For example, when students are good at English and the teacher encourages them to get involved in competitions. They join the school’s English club and starts training for singing and presenting in English at the competition among high schools in the region. During the process they will realise how fun English can be and how talented they actually are, which gives their confidence a massive boost. Besides, they also have good chance to work with the students who have the same interest coming from other schools. It is a good time for them to show their abilities. And they will be more and more self-confident.Working hard and mastering new skills in a fun, relaxed and sometimes competitive setting allows them to be successful without the pressure of getting a good grade.Plus, once their confidence improves, they will be more open to taking risks in all aspects of the life, not just in English competion in scale of their school.
3.4. Social Opportunities
As being said above, when students participate in social activities they
certainly meet a lot of new people and make new friends. Especially, the friends have the same hobbies and interests. Each extracurricular they engage in provides them with another opportunity to expand the social network, which will also come in handy when they finish school and look for a job in the future. Plus, if pupils make friends in extracurricular activities, they will be more likely to get more deeply involved. For example, if they make a few friends doing community service at school they might decide start a volunteer club together and really make an impact in their community. In addition to building skills within a specific discipline, extracurricular activities are great for developing general academic and soft skills. Think debating for public speaking, academic competitions for exam strategies and sport for teamwork. Balancing a number of commitments can help to improve your child’s time management skills, while finding an area they enjoy or excel at can boost self-confidence.
3.5. Productive Breaks
Studying will become stressful and a little dull if all students do is going to school, doing homework and sleeping. Luckily, extracurricular activities give learners something fun (and parent approved) to do aside from school. Instead of sitting in the classroom, students join in activities out side their school in other environment, learning and relaxing in the same time. Therefore, the lesson will become more interesting, attractive and memorable. An image, a picture or a real site often gives a deeper impression on students than a number or a statement. Weekly activities can offer a welcome break from studies and homework particularly for senior stud