SKKN Some suggested activities to hold English -Speaking clubs for the 10th and 11th Grade students at high school

PART I: INTRODUCTION

. Reasons for Choosing the topic

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English is one of the most difficult subjects for the majority of students. In recent

years, English text books have changed the contents of teaching with new methods

which focus on four skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. However, due

to the limited time per period, teachers and students spend only forty – five minutes

teaching and learning Speaking skill. This clearly shows that the time for learning

such an important skill is not long enough for students. As a result, they lack chances

to communicate with others in English. Therefore, being a teacher of English, the

author has chosen the topic Some suggested activities to hold English -Speaking

clubs for the 10th and 11th Grade students at Quynh Luu 1 high school for the

following reasons:

Firstly, Speaking skill is very important. It partly decides the quality of learning

other skills of students. If students cannot speak the language fluently, they will not

be able to communicate when necessary because using a foreign language well will

give students many opportunities to achieve their wish and ambition. Therefore,

improving their ability of speaking English is raising more chances for them to have

a better future.

Secondly, a large number of students are unable to speak English fluently

although they can remember a lot of new words and they are also very good at

English grammar. This is partly because they are not given many chances to speak

English.

Last but not least, if teachers can motivate their students to practise speaking

English as much as possible, it will help them overcome their shyness and become

more enthusiastic language learners. Obviously, English – Speaking clubs are one of

the most exciting and effective activities that students should be encouraged to take

part in. They offer students more opportunities not only to speak English but also to

develop their teamwork and interpersonal skills as well.

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. Aims of the topic

The topic is carried out in order to:

State the real situation of teaching and learning English speaking skill at Quynh

Luu 1 high school.

–

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Conduct a survey about how students improve their English – speaking skill.

–

Instruct teachers and students how to carry out some exciting activities for

English clubs.

–

Report the results after this teaching experience has been applied at Quynh Luu

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high school.

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PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

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. Factors that Cause Speaking difficulties to Language Learners

It can not be denied that speaking is a highly complex and dynamic skill that

involves the use of several simultaneous processes – cognitive, physical and socio-

cultural – and a speaker’s knowledge and skills have to be activated rapidly in real-

time. In practice, a large number of students find it difficult to communicate with

others especially native speakers. This results from many factors, one of which is

the lack of chances to use what they have learnt in reality. Undoubtedly, speaking

remains the most difficult skill to master for the majority of English learners, and

they are still incompetent in communicating orally in English.

Theoretically, According to Ur (1996), there are many factors that cause

difficulty in speaking, and they area as follows:

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. Inhibition: Students are worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism,

or simply shy.

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. Nothing to say: Students have no motive to express themselves.

. Low or uneven participation: Only one participant can talk at a time because

of large classes and the tendency of some learners to dominate, while others speak

very little or not at all.

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. Mother-tongue use: Learners who share the same mother tongue tend to use

it because it is easier and because learners feel less exposed if they are speaking

their mother tongue

(Samira Al Hosni -TEFL Supervisor and Instructor Ministry of Education)

In practice, it is very important to understand what others are saying because

when we are having a conversation, we are only talking about 50% of the time – the

other 50% is spent listening to the other person speak. If we don’t understand what

the other person is saying, it is difficult to reply. However, many English leaners

have difficulty in listening so they can not have a successful conversation as

expected.

Furthermore, when we’re speaking English, we have a sentence in mind, but we

are missing two or three important vocabulary words – and then it becomes difficult

to say what we’re thinking. This is very popular among students because they often

forget the words they have learnt even the easy ones. Therefore, when they take part

in a talk, they have to spend a lot of time remembering the words or asking for

teachers and friends’ help. Besides, a large number of English words can be difficult

to pronounce – and when speaking English, we have to consider not only the

pronunciation of the individual words, but also the connection between the words in

the sentence. There’s also the “rhythm” and intonation of the sentence to consider –

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and sometimes our mouth gets confused! If we do not practice speaking very often,

we will not be able to speak fluently. Additionally, if we feel nervous and are afraid

of making a mistake while speaking English, then our problem is confidence. This

is because we often worry too much about grammar. We are afraid of using a wrong

grammar structure so we have to think very carefully before speaking something.

Last but not least, a large number of Vietnamese students can not succeed in using

this skill because they do not pay much attention to it. Instead, they focus on

grammar and vocabulary to prepare for their tests and exams. This leads to a

consequence that they can not use the language in daily communication when

necessary.

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. Theoretical Solutions to the Problems

It is said that “ Rome was not built in a day”. This means no achievements can

be gained easily without our efforts. To be able to speak English as fluently as

possible, we have to try to practise it regularly and properly. It is true that the way

we learn to master this skill is almost similar to the way we used to learn how to

speak our mother tongue when we were small. We had to learn every word,

remember every simple sentence so that we can speak our native language today. In

other words, English is quite the same, which means that we have to learn as many

new words as possible and try to use it often so as not to forget them. We should

practice with simple sentences at the beginning. Moreover, it is necessary for

learners to listen to the native speakers talking so that we can immitate their

pronunciation and intonation. We also take advantage of all chances to talk to a

native speaker. Regular practice will help us become more confident.

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. Definition of English Clubs

It is common knowledge that an English Club is a place for language learners to

use English in a casual setting. Practising your skills in the classroom is important,

but it is not like real life. To be more specific, in the classroom, you often focus on

one skill and one item (for example: grammar – future tense). After learning the rules

your teacher gives you time to practise using the item. You have your papers in front

of you and the rules are fresh in your mind. However, in an English Club, you get a

chance to practise many different skills in a setting that is more like real life. Though

your English teacher understands your English, your English Club friends will

require you to speak more clearly and listen more carefully. In terms of scientific

terminology, according to Kathleen F.Malu and Bryce Smedley, they are informal

gatherings of individuals who meet regularly and often voluntarily and who come

from different parts of a community, town, or village for the express purpose of

practicing English. Members may be professionals or students at secondary and

university levels. Members commit to speaking in English during meetings as they

engage in activities that support and encourage them to use the language.