Using some positive teaching techniques to teach life skills effectively through some integrated reading topics for the students at Thach Thanh 4 High School

 I. INTRODUCTION 
1. Reason for the research
With the aim of improving the quality of full education for the young, to meet the human resources for the industrialization and modernization of the country, to meet the needs of learner, general education has been strongly reformed according to century’s goals. They are learning to know, learning to do, learning to assert themselves, learning to live together. So the goal of general education has shifted from equipping the knowledge to the necessary capability for the students.
In addition, the popular education method has also been innovated in order to raise the sense of initiative and creativeness of the students, which is suitable with the characteristics of each class , students’ psychology and the age; strengthen the students’ groupwork and train the skill of applying the knowledge to the life to integrate the life skills for themselves. The content of life skills education has been integrated in many subjects and other educational activities. With the advantages of the subject, we find that the education of life skills through English is practical in the stage of the globalization.
During the teaching process at Thach Thanh 4 High School, when applying some positive techniques in teaching English and integrating the life skills education for students, I realised that it is suitable with my students and the characteristics of the school. So, I bravely choose the topic " Using some positive teaching techniques to teach life skills effectively through some integrated reading topics for the students at Thach Thanh 4 High School ".
2. Purposes
We have known that intergrating knowledge in solving a problem of lesson is essential, which make learners not only study and improve the knowledge from other subjects but also help them understand and solve the matter fast and perfectly. Intergrated knowledge of subjects such as: Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics, knowledge from culture, Civic education and life in reading skill provide the students useful information about nature, social problems, state of using energ, etc. Morever, with the images and real situations which express social phenomena honestly, bad weather phenomena, environment pollution, the damage of historical place etc, the students are aware of the responsibility for protecting the environment and using energy more economically. Consequently, students learn life experiences and adjust their behavior. In order to do this, teachers must have appropriate teaching methods and techniques to stimulate students' creative thinking and making their lectures more attractive. 
3. Subjects 
On the subject, I study and apply some positive teaching techniques to teach some integrated reading topics for the class 11C3 and 12B2. Applied these techniques, I helped students participate actively in the lectures and limit the students’ laziness in groupworks . Students actively explore the knowledge of the topics through pictures, newspapers and the internet, and so on. From that, they will be more interested in learning and comprehending more knowlegde which is not mentioned in the pasage.
4. Methods
To make my solutions effectively, I have used some following methods.
Firstly, I always get advices from colleagues through co-working.
Secondly, I usually study, create and use new method in teaching English, such as using images, pictures, posters, real objects to give cues and motivate students’ creative thoughts.
Next, I often give students the tasks that they must prepare at home. Students have to finish their tasks by looking for the information, pictures, films or document in individual or groups.
Finally, when I teach integrated topics, I often give them questions and use some positve teaching techniques, such as mind map, table-cloth or piece technique, etc. Students have to finish the tasks in a short time and present their ideas before others.
 II. CONTENT
1. Theoretical background 
Normaly, the teacher is considered to suceed in teaching reading skill when she/he helped students understand and get much information about the topic and do all the tasks that follow. Teaching units related to culture, historical, geographical knowlegde, etc is a hard work because it requires the teacher has both tecnique knowledge and understanding about the places, people, events or social problems from the lesson. However, the teacher must not explain so much that the lesson excursive, he/she only uses the apropriate teaching technique to guide and encourage students’ learning activities. It promote learning and creativity of students. Besides, the learning activities are organized, guided by teachers, the learners will not be in passive. The learners have to self-help, actively participate in the process of searching and discovering the knowledge. The learners must use knowledge to solve problems in realities. So they themselves will absorb learning content and develop the creative capacity.
The positive method of teaching and learning gives the students an excitement, joy in learning which is suitable with the students’ active characteristics. 
2. Realities before applying the research
Thach Thanh 4 High School is a newly established school, located in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province. We have many dificulties when we carry out the renovation of teaching method. Most students are the Muong ethnicity minority. Their awareness and thought are not as quick as the students of the same age in other areas. Morever, English is a specific subject which is uneasy for students in mountainous areas, so our teaching and learning English have many difficulties. They participate in the lesson passively. For example, when I taught the reading topic "Sources of energy", "Life in the future", I noticed that most of my students engaged in lectures passively. Through learning, I found that they were interested in these topics but their background knowledge on these topics was very limited. Besides, the information about these topics are limited, and the given exercises are familiar, such as "true or false", "answer the questions". Therefore, they do not attract the student's thought very much. Realised that, I myself always make many questions such as “ how to stimulate students' thought,” how to attract the students in learning”, “ how to make students gain the most knowledge about the topic and take out life experiences for themselves”, I have studied and applied some positive techniques to teaching some intergrated reading topics.
 3. Solutions:
There are many positive teaching techniques such as: questioning techniques, mind map, piecework and KWL techniques ... To apply these techniques effectively, the teacher must not only follow the specific processes of each technique but also it requires creative flexibility and pedagogic method. In the research, I will present the steps to implement some positive teaching techniques and give some illustrative examples.
3.1 Questioning technique:
In teaching, the teacher’s question system plays an important role, which is one of the determinants to the quality of the students’ knowledge. Instead of presenting a lecture by reading and copying, the teacher have to prepare a question system. It motivates students think, discover knowledge, develop lesson contents, and encourage them to brainstorm and discuss the content of the lesson logically. Furthermore, the question system is used to orient and guide students discover the essence of things, the rules of phenomena, stimulate the exploration, the curiosity, etc. During the conversation, the teacher is an organizer, students are person exploring, and creating new discoveries actively. Besides, students gain the joy, excitement of explorers and confidence when they find that they have contributed their opinions in the teacher’s conclusions. As a result, students both gain new knowledge and learn the way to get it.
There are two types of questions: closed and opened question . 
Closed question is a form that has right / wrong or yes / no answer. This type of question is often used primarily in assessing knowledge or the level of memorization information in the conclussion or at the end of the lead-in to examine students' understanding of tasks and directions.
Opened question is a question that can have multiple answers. Using opened questions, the teachers will not only stimulate students’ thought, provide students many opportunities to share personal ideas but also help students memorize and test their knowledge.
 Example 1: Unit 8: Life in the future. (English 12 textbook)
When teaching the lead-in, if the teacher uses the closed-question in the textbook "Do you think the life will be better in the future?" , students only give answer "Yes, I do " or " No, I don’t". With this closed -question form, teachers neither develop the students’ thought nor orient the knowledge they need to acquire in the unit. Instead, I use the opened form: "What do you think about life in the future?" and ask them to discuss in groups. Students’ discussion was very exciting. They gave many differrent answers, such as “Many people will be unemployed in the future”, “The people are better looked after”, “Robots help people do the hard work/ Robots will do most of the work in home”, “The environment is more polluted”, etc.
3.2. Table-cloth technique
Table-cloth technique is a collaborative learning organization that combines personal and group works. The goal of this technique is to stimulate, promote students’ engagement actively, enhance individual independence and responsibility, and develop interaction between students.
For students, they will learn how to approach with different strategies and solutions through this technique . Students will be trained in thinking, deciding, and solving problems. Furthermore,it helps to raise the relationship between students, enhance collaboration, communication, share experiences and respect each other.
To apply this technique effectively, the teacher must follow its sequence of steps.
First, the teacher gives students a question or task , and divides the students into small groups. Each group will be delivered an A0 paper divided into smaller parts: the middle and the surrounding parts corresponding to the number of members of the group as shown:
Each member of the group sits in a position corresponding parts.
Next, the teacher asks students work in individual to work for a few minutes, concentrate their thoughts on answering questions or tasks and write their own opinions on suitable part of the A0 paper.
After, the students have to discuss in groups to give mutual agreement and write them in the center of the A0-cloth-table. With disagreements, individuals have the right to reserve and keep in the surronding of the table-cloth.
Finally, the teacher calls the representatives of the groups to show their ideas in front of the class. Other groups can give comments and feedbacks, the teacher concludes.
Example 2: Unit 8: Life in the future. (English textbook 12).
I applied the clothe-table technique to teaching lead-in when I taught this topic for the students in class 12B2. 
Firstly, I divided the students into four groups and gave each group an A0 paper with the opened- question: “ What do you think about the life in the future?” 
Secondly, I asked all the members of the groups work independently in eight minutes. They have to give the answers and write them down on personal part on A0 paper.
After, I asked them to discuss and give mutual agreement and write them in the middle of the paper.
Finally, I asked the representative of each group to show their answers. Other groups can give comments and feedbacks.
As a result, my students worked actively and give many answers such as "people are better taken care of", "robots will do most of work", " the air is worse polluted”,etc. With these answers, they have partly oriented the contents of the reading passage that they are about to explore. Below is the picture of the table-clothe of the group 1.
In conclusion, table-cloth technique is a simple teaching one that is easy to implement. It can be organized in all subjects, lessons, or grades like group learning. However, it can overcome the limitations of group learning such as: some passive members do not participate in group’s activities. It requires all members to work individually, think and write their own opinions before group’s discussion. Since then, all members can participate in discussing and have opportunity to share personal ideas and experiences, self-assess, and adjust their own perceptions.
3.3. Grafting technique:
Grafting technique is a technique that organizes jointly learning activities between individuals and groups . It is used to solve a complex tasks. It not only stimulates the students’ active participation in groupwork but also enhances the role of the individuals in the collaboration.
To use this technique effectively, teachers and students must follow two stages illustrated in the following diagram:
Stage 1: Intensive group.
Students are divided into small groups of 3 to 6 students. Each group is assigned a task to in-depth study a different content of learning. The groups have to research and discussion. Each member must master the content of the assignment and be able to present the content to other groups. Each student becomes an in- depth field investigator in the stage 2.
Stage 2: Pieces group
After completing the task at the stage 1, students from different intensive groups join together into new groups called group of pieces. At this time, each of the students in “intensive group” became "pieces" in the "pieces group". Students must assemble the array of knowledge into a "master picture". Then the teacher asks the students from the "intensive groups" in the "pieces group" represent their content.
Finally, the teacher gives groups of pieces a new task. This task has synthesized, generalized the whole content that was learned from the intensive group. 
 Example 3: Unit 10: Sources of energy. (English 11 textbook).
During the 2015-2016 school year, I applied the piece technique to teach the integrated topic "Sources of energy" for the students in class 11C3. This topic is very interesting, linked to reality of using sources of energy now. However, the amount of information on these sources of energy is limited. Students are only drawn to these sources of energy without understanding how to make the electricity from these sources as well as their advantages and disadvantages. So, they have not been aware of their role and responsibility in protecting and using energy sources economically. To help them do this, I applied the grafting technique to help students study more about them after reading the text.
 Steps are done:
Step 1: I divide the students into 6 groups and give each group a task. Students have to prepare this task at home: 
 Group 1: Study and find out the information, pictures about the form of the fossil fuel, its advantage(s) and disadvantage(s), and how to make the electricity from this energy. 
 Group 2: Study about nuclear energy.
 Group 3: Study about solar energy.
 Group 4: Study about wind energy.
 Group 5: Study about water energy.
 Group 6: Study about geothermal heat.
Step 2: 	 After reading the passage, I ask students to form the “intensive group”. All the members have to study, discuss to get so much information about the task that each of them can show it influently before other groups.
Next, I ask the students to perform the "pieces group" stage. Groups must acquire information, documents, and pictures of sources of energy to demonstrate what content will be presented in the "pieces group".
Then I formed a new group: "piece group". Each group must have a full set of members of the 6 assigned "intensive teams". Members of the "piece groups" presented their content in turn about each sources of energy in front of the other members.
Finally, I assign new tasks to groups: 
“ Briefly describe the sources of energy mentioned in the paragraph? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each energy source?. 
Each “piece group” apoints a member to represent their ideas by using pictures, films, etc to illustrate.
After applying this technique I realized that my students were more excite about the topic. They also made me surprise at the ability to gather information and materials, design slides to represent their task. As a result, students have a full look on the sources of energy. Here is the product of each group.
 Group 1: Study and find out the information, pictures about the form of the fossil fuel, its advantage(s) and disadvantage(s), how to make the electricity from this energy.
Group 2: Study about nuclear energy.
Group 3: Study about solar enery
Group 4: Study about wind energy.
Group 5: Study about water energy.
Group 6: Study about geothermal heat. 
3.4. Mindmap tecnique
Mindmap is a thinking organization tool, the easiest way to transmit information into the brain and then send them out. At the same time, it is a very creative and effective means of recording the information.
Mindmap technique is a form of note that can use colors and images to expand, deepen the ideas.
Teachers who use the mind map in teaching will bring high efficiency, develop logical thought, and analytical capability. Students will understand the lesson more, remember longer rather than memorize or learn by heart. 
When applying the mind map technique to teaching, the teacher do these following steps:
Firstly, the teacher gives a picture or a keyword presented an idea, a definition or a main content in the centre of the map.
Secondly, the picture or a keyword in the centre will be developed and linked to pictures or keyword called the sub-topic level 1 by major branches.
After, the main branches will be continued to branch out to images, sub-topics level 2 related to the main branch.
Finally, branching will be continued. The related definitions, content and problem are interconnected to create a "master picture" describing the theme in the centre clearly and completely.
There are many ways to organize the topic in the form of mind maps: hierarchical diagrams, network diagrams, sequence diagrams, relational diagrams. The students can choose a suitable way to make the mindmap with personal point of view and experience.
 Example 4: Unit 7: World population. (English textbook 11) 
After teaching the intergrated topic: “ World population”, to help students consolidate and expand the knowledge about theworld's population, I asked students to draw a mindmap.
 Step 1: I divided the students into 4 groups and gave the question:
 “What word is used to describe the current of world population?
The students gave the answer: “ Overpopulation”. It is the keyword in the centre of the diagram.
 Step 2: I gave student a task: 
 “ Draw a map to indicate the causes, concequences of the overpopulation and the measures to limit the population growth.”
The word : “causes, consequences, measure” are the keyword level 1:
Students worked in groups. They must remind the knowledge they’ ve learnt to complete the mindmap. 
 3.5. “ KWL” technique (K: know; W: want to know; L: learned ) “ KWL” tecnique is a kind of diagram which presents the link of the knowlegde they’ve known to the knowledge they want to know and the knowledge they’ve learnt in the lesson.
When teachers apply this technique to teaching, it will help students identify learning motivation and tasks, self-assess learning outcomes by determing existing fully understand, experiences and knowledge related to the lesson, the need for new knowledge and assessment their own result after the lesson. So, the teacher can assess the result of the lecture through the students’ self-essessment. Therefore, The teacher can adjust his/her teaching appropriately.
This technique i