SKKN Experiences in using some techniques to teach reading skill lessons in English 9

                          PART 1:       INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale

Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW of  November  04, 2013, on “fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education, serving industrialization and modernization in a socialist-oriented market economy during international integration” ratified in the 8th session. 

Party and State identify the targets of innovation is to create chages fundamentally, strongly in quality and efficency of education and training. Vietnamese people are educated comprehensive development and promote each individual’s potential and creativity. To improve comprehension education, to focus on ideal, traditional, ethnic education. To educate lifestyle, foreign languages, informatic technology, abitity and skills. To develop creativity, self-learning, encourage lifelong learning.

Thus, the content of this innovation, the Party and the State has focused on teaching – learning a foreign language in general education programs, especially the English-language professional English has become the common language of the world. It plays a very important role in the formation and construction of new people to meet the requirements of industrialization – modernization in conditions of market economy socialist orientation and international integration. Learning English can help students communicate with friends in the world, master of knowledge of mankind. [1]  

In Vietnam, English has been taught as an important foreign language for a long time but due to grammar-translation method of teaching, Vietnamese students seem to be better at grammar than communicative competence. Therefore, according to a large project to investigate the English teaching reform in northern parts of Vietnam, only 5% of students are able to communicate in English after graduation [2]. This fact gives rises to the need for nationwide innovation in the teaching methodology in the light of communicative approach. 

Among various learning strategies, Reading is the most important skill in English language from other language skills in acquiring language. If students are good in reading, they will be good in other language skills (writing, speaking, and listening). For this reason teachers of English language should focus on this skill.

All the aforementioned conditions drive the author to carry out the research “Experiences in using some techniques to teach reading skill lessons in  English 9 at Quang Phong secondary school”. Hopefully, this study will make a small contribution to improving reading skills for grade 9th students at Quang Phong secondary school.    

2. Aim and objectives 

The aim of this study is to explore the exploitation of using techniques to enhance students’ reading skill. In order to achieve the aim, the writer focuses on finding out the benefits of applying techniques in reading lessons for grade 9th students.

3. Scope of the study

Acquiring reading  skill is a vast issue in language learning. However, due to the limit of time, experiences and knowledge, this study touches upon only some techniques which are used in teaching reading skill and cannot cover all the eading techniques in teaching and learning.

4. Methodology 

The major method which was used in study is qualitative. All comments, remarks, assumptions and conclusions of the study were based on the data and analysis. Data collections for analysis in the study were gained through the following resources: survey questionnaire, observations, tests for students, as well as reference books. After the data were collected, they were categorized and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to obtain the realistic results.

To end with, based on analysis of survey results and references, some pedagogical implications and suggestions in order to improve teaching and learning English reading using some techniques will be proposed. 

PART 2:      CONTENTS

1. Theory background.

It is widely accepted argument that reading and listening go hand-in-hand in any language learning, because reading provides a wide span of vocabulary and listening helps to form exact utterance of words. This can be helpful for foreign language learners who encounter hurdles in finding suitable words to describe the situation. This problem is more a cute with the infrequent readers. According to Bright and  Mc Gregor (1970, p52), ‘where there is a little reading, there will be little language learning. The students, who want to learn English, will have to read unless they move onto speaking track’ [3]. Thus, it is clear that reading  not only develops writing skill but also helps in improving speaking with speech fluency and sentence  accuracy. It creates a sound understanding of semantic and grammatical structure of the language. It is also believed that the students who read a lot are likely to speak well. This is because ‘A text is usually regarded as authentic  if it is not written for teaching purposes but for a real-life communicative purpose, where the writer has a certain message to pass on to thereader. ‘An authentic text is one that possesses an intrinsically communicative quality’ (Lee, 1995:324). With such advantages of reading in improving  and developing language skills, particularly speaking skills, this paper  investigates the relationship between reading habit and improving speaking proficiency as reading enriches much needed vocabulary in EFL context and also offers practical language in use with interesting examples from various genres.

By raising students’ awareness of reading as a skill that requires active engagement, and by explicitly teaching reading strategies, Teachers help their students develop both the ability and the  confidence to handle communication situations they may encounter beyond the classroom. In this way they give their students the foundation for communicative competence in the new language.

Therefore, teachers have very important role to improve reading skills to their students to improve other language skills . They can follow some stages and strategies when teaching reading text. Reading strategies are defined as the mental operations involved  when  readers approach a text effectively and make sense of what they read

2. 2. The current situation of teaching and learning reading comprehension at Quang Phong secondary school

2.1. The problems of teaching and learning reading skills at the school
        Some teachers complain that most students are not able to understand what they read. Students hate to read, they only read the required textbook in order to be able to set for the achievement routine exams. They lacked motivation to read, even if they read, they show negative attitudes. For most of the learners, reading is an extremely difficult task that requires integrated body of skills, which also does not get easier with the passage of time and the accumulation of experience.

In the first place, materials have been considered an important tool for teaching and learning English. In secondary schools in Vietnam, the textbooks are designed for all students of different grades. Among them, this study stresses that using the same textbooks for all students in different regions is problematic. In the other hand, the failure of students in reading may also originated from the fact that the teaching and learning process of  reading is not conducted effectively and the inappropriate teaching method is applied by the teacher. In other words, the students may find the strategies which the teachers use not interesting and effective enough to develop their reading comprehension. 

2.2. The school

This study was conducted at Quang Phong secondary school in Quang Xuong  district, Thanh Hoa province. In the school year ………., the school had 8 classes with more than 300 students, among which there were 81 ninth grade students divided into two classes, so there were  about  40 students in each class. One thing worth to note here is that the level of students at Quang Phong secondary school is not very high. They mostly come from rural areas where