PART I: INTRODUCTION

1. The reason for choosing the topic

The ability to communicate in English is one of the basic skills that need to be established for the young generation in Vietnam. Therefore, English language teaching and learning in general, high school in particular, should focus on developing communication skills in English for students. Teaching and learning English at the high level, helps students expand their vision, enrich their life experiences. Thus, to help students develop their ability to communicate, we need to train our students to be brave and self-confident in learning English; At the same time, we have to provide life skills for them as well as create good conditions for them to develop comprehensively. They need more opportunities, more time, and need to have an environment to practice English, to meet with teachers and friends more. It is the interaction with friends that will give them the confidence, encouragement in communication and these opportunities that can only be activities outside class time.

However, the quality of English at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School has so far not been much improved. The results of the English subject in the exams are not high. In fact, my school’s students come from mountainous areas where their learning condition and capacity are remarkably limited and they lack English basic knowledge from lower grades. Many students do not grasp the basic grammar knowledge. The students’ skills such as listening, speaking and writing are still very poor. They are afraid to speak because they are shy and afraid of making mistakes. The quality of students’ English learning is still so low, partly because the students do not have environment to promote language ability and a playground suitable to the specifics of the subject. Therefore, improving the quality of English learning in schools is very necessary and extremely urgent. There are many documents, software, forums, video lectures… on the Internet to help students learn English well but most of them do not have the sense of self-study. In particular, online learning materials and forms are very diverse, depending on the author’s style. Therefore, they do not know where to start learning, what knowledge to learn and how to learn effectively?

With the desire to help students improve their knowledge, practice English skills and create a learning environment, we proposed to the school leaders to establish the school’s English Club. It quickly attracted more and more students to join, which has a positive effect on teaching English. The club has helped students develop communication skills, trained them to be bold and confident in learning English; while helping them practice life skills, creating conditions for them to develop comprehensively. Through the operation of the English club at the school in one year, I have learned some experiences as well as have many concerns and thoughts in trying to find better, practical and more effective solutions to maintain and promote the effectiveness of the English club, and how to improve students’ speaking skills, facilitating the teaching and learning of English in the school.

From the above reasons, we boldly presented the initiative: “Developing students’ communication skill through English club model at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School“.

• The new point of the topic

The establishment of an English club model in schools has existed for a long time. Almost all school have English Clubs, so students can join and promote their talents and passions. But how to make student clubs work effectively and attract a large number of members to participate and English club really an environment for students to develop their ability and skills? it is necessary to have new, creative solutions to develop and improve the activities of the Club.

The solutions to develop and improve the English club at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School have focused on important factors that determines the effectiveness of the English club, which is promoting students’ skills in clubs: from management, organization, content development, activities, and the school assigns autonomy to the head and members of the club.

• The aim of the study

3.1. For the students

• Recognize the important of English and the benefits that they can get when joining the club.
• Provide members with an overview of how to establish, organize and maintain the English club.
• Know how to improve their communication skills.

3.2. For the teachers

• Know how to establish, organize and maintain effectively the English club.
• Know how to stimulate students to improve their communication skills when joining the club,

• The tasks of the study

1. 1. • Find out the reason why most English clubs at high schools work ineffectively.
      • Apply my research to establish, organize and maintain the clubs , then compare, contrast the implementation of the topic.
      • Evaluate and conclude the effectiveness of topic.

• The methods of the study

In this study, we use the following methods: theoretical research, observation, data collection and analysis, and experiment to achieve the research objectives.

• The scope of the study

The initiative was conducted at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School.

The content of club activities is built in association with the content of the high school English program

PART 2. CONTENT

1. Actual situation of English club model in Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High

School.

Nghe An Ethnic boarding high school is the home of more than six hundred students who are ethnic minorities . Although there is a lot of difficulties in life, many of English teachers at my school have put great efforts in innovating old teaching methods to improve the quality in teaching English. However, the quality of English language learning of the majority of students at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School is still poor. Although innovating teaching methods in English is the development of communication skills for students, especially the method of teaching listening and speaking skills, due to objective and subjective conditions, my students are limited in English speaking classes.

At the beginning of the school year 2020-2021, I have carried out the survey for more than 600 students from all three grades 10, 11 and 12. According to the survey, the percentage of students achieving the English average score or higher in competitions at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School is just about 30 % in the 10th grade enrollment, 55 % in the midterm test and the final term test, 32% the 2020 national High School graduation exam, … In particular, students’ English communication skills with friends and teachers are still weak. Students at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School are mainly ethnic minorities. They are shy, not aggressive, afraid of wrong and passive in the practice. Probably because the time is not enough to help them have more opportunities to practice, the results of these classes often do not meet the expectations. Half of the students do not know how to write and speak an English word, or do not know the difference between different types of words: nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Even the good students are also very reluctant as well as lack of confidence. Although they have real talent, passive environment is hard to excite the interest of the students. Therefore, their passion is not satisfied, their strengths have little chance to show.

From the above figure and reasons, it is more urgent to use the club form to practice communication skills and develop English ability for students. After the annoucement of enrolling the club membership, there were 112 application form from all three grades 10, 11 and 12 students. To evaluate students’ knowledge before joining the club, with the help of teachers in the English group, I conducted a survey test in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Along with the information via survey questionnaires and information gained through some small talks , observations were added to these main parts to assist the results. And the results are as follows:

Table 1: Results of the English quality survey of students at the beginning of the school year 2020 – 2021 (112 members)

Through the above table, we see that average, rather good and good students

account for a low percentage (from 8 % to 26 %) in all 4 skills. Weak students also account for a very high rate from about 35% to 63% in all 4 skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

• Rationale

2.1. The development of the idea of setting up the English Club:

History has shown and proven to us that human beings have been known to organize community activities in groups, according to their tribes, for a long time. That has brought about many effects and promotion until today. On the mass media or through local reality, nowhere do we see the appearance of clubs such as club farmer, gardeners club, club youth, women, clubs who do not have a third child … etc. This means that the form of club activities has long been and has many practical effects in human life and development.

In some schools there are organized clubs such as the lovers of mathematics clubs, literary clubs, English clubs, chess clubs …. This club has promoted the learning movement among students.

Through the actual time to attend the music, art is very easy to notice that students are very passionate, interested. Seeing the students drunk singing, drawing I asked myself “Why are students so passionate? Why do students get tired of studying English? Why do not we stimulate the spirit of passion, do not create the pleasure in the study of the students? “.

2.2. The role of the Club in the school

Club activities are one of the activities that contribute to innovate teaching methods in schools. The club is a school-based activity that is organized and managed by teachers, under the direction of the Board of Education, giving students the right to rest and positive education, encouraging students to improve their knowledge, creating an environment for them to develop, moral training, developing life skills. This is an important orientation contributing to the improvement of