How to Improve middle-school student's English spoken language ability WeiNan Branch of Shaanxi Radio and TV University Investigator: Wang Peiqin Submitted on June 2nd, 2006 In fulfillment of the course “Practical Project Design” 1 Acknowledgements I am mostly grateful to my supervisor Professor Zhang Caihong and Ren Guiling without whose support and patience this project would not even have got off the ground. I am grateful to Professor Gu Yueguo for editing us such a good course. No amount of thanks will be adequate for my students without whose willing participation in the project implementation it would have remained on paper. Last but not the least big thanks to my colleagues and classmates for their time spent on brainstorm as well as their support and help. [Abstract] This study presents a detailed report of the project implemented to improve the student’s spoken language ability in English learning, through speaking instruction. Based on the assumption that speaking can help the student understand teaching materials quickly and easily and thus motivate the students to learn English happily a three –week program was adopted. We analysis and discussion of shows that speaking English really contributes to student’s motivation in language learning. However, the program seems to be powerless to a certain number students. Further research is needed for her measures to motivate the learners. It about me in the middle of the teaching discovered the student does not dare to open the mouth to speak English, likes fearing makes a mistake this kind of phenomenon influence normal teaching, for enhances several suggestions which student's spoken language proficiency raises. [Key words:] improve spoken language 2 1.Introduction: Displays negatively in view of the student in English classroom, is not willing to open the mouth to speak English, the fear makes a mistake, like this has affected the normal classroom instruction activity. I embark from the reality; help the student to overcome do not dare to speak English, the timid psychology that the fear makes a mistake put forward the proposal. Must carry on the diverse spoken language training, teaches students in accordance with their aptitude, trains the student to speak English the good custom. 2.Problem identification: Teaching which appeals to learners’ needs can facilitate learning. It is necessary to investigate why the students were showing less and less interested, and devoting less and less effort. First I identify a problem based on my teaching experience. I am at the school is a general-studies middle school, many students are not good affects the academic record. If we do not change this kind of present situation, English classroom became teacher a person to say, the students all listened aridly to be tasteless, directly affected the teaching quality. It is found that: a. Those poor learners report that, due to their lack of vocabulary, cannot follow the teacher in class, and many times can’t complete the tasks. b. Some good students report that vocabulary instruction tends to be so mechanical. And it is this mechanical practice, in which the students were asked to read and re-read, write and re-write the new words and expressions that deprived the students of their motivation. c. Quite a number of students report that they are afraid of being criticized and thus withdraw from classroom activities. d. The teacher’s methods lack variety. Second, I used several methods of problem analysis to analyze the problem. They are Socratic dialogue, Cause analysis, Observation and Brainstorming. After a length problem analysis, I have drowned this conclusion: The problems that how enhance the student’s English spoken language because of lacking the essential language environment and so on. I have decided to do my best to solve the problem. 3. Project objective: How to Improve middle-school student's English spoken language ability 3 4.Project hypothesis: It is hypothesized that the student’s English spoken language can be enhanced by better teaching design and organization. Considering the age factors of the students, speaking can help students understand teaching materials quickly and easily and thus motivate the students to learn English happily. 5.Project possible solutions: Taking the above factors into consideration, the following solutions were proposed: a. Attend class teach English with English b. Encourage the students to open the mouth to speak English c. Raise spoken language expression interest d. Teach students in accordance with their aptitude e. Correct when the students spoken language expression mistake stage The student sharpens English spoken language ability six big methods: The classroom instruction is teaches with study "both sides" the activity. Must enhance the classroom instruction the benefit, must fully display teacher's leading role and student's main body function, takes the effective action to stimulate student's study interest, arouses student's study enthusiasm, lets the student on own initiative, carries out the study on own initiative. Therefore, we cannot neglect student's main body status, must create the effective method to help the student to rise sharpens its spoken language ability. 1. Model-based Method The Model-based Method is refers according to English model carries on creatively simulates May simulate a sentence, section of articles, a dialogue, also may simulate a short written work or the article The model has provided the standard English which the student must study, take the model basic structure as the foundation, slightly revises to the model content, if own viewpoint, were allowed the creative use language 2. Theme-based Method Enable the training take the subject as the foundation training method which mediates writes more to have the foreword, the goal more is clear about For instance, you whether can the sufficient fluent English carry on oral and the written introduction? Introduces oneself is a subject Introduces oneself after the study the model, must achieve introduces oneself goal Must choose with own lives the related subject to carry on the practice These subjects may include: Describes the person the semblance, the disposition, the emotion, discusses between 4 the person and person's relations, the education, the thing and so on 3. Recitation Method Recites is the process which English language and the knowledge accumulates, also is trains English pronunciation, the rhythm, coherent, stops as well as takes a breath effectively sends the law May choose the material which the student likes to read aloud recites The choice material best has the sound recording, also the pronunciation intonation is pure 4. Question&Answer Method Can effective use English inquiry is and the person human relations basic skills The inquiry may be oral also may be written May own practice, also may practice together with the schoolmates In the training process, the nature and the quantity are extremely important, must achieve as far as possible accurately. 5. Step-by-step Method English studies must proceed in an orderly way. the student to be possible to act according to own English proficiency training initiative skill, from simply arrives complex, from the character words and phrases to the dialogue and the chapter, gradually trains 6. Quality Method Trainings certainly must have the quantification goal. To request the student to formulate daily front, each week plan. Each late sleeps according to the plan implementation inspects oneself whether completes the same day training plan. Like not to complete, the search reason, the adjustment plan. Plan content could be replied every day certain questions, practiced a dialogue, recited a short written work and so on. So long as a proceeds in an orderly way, perseveres, fully displays teacher’s leadership and student's main body status, the student English spoken language expression ability enhancement is just round the corner. 6. Project Rationale According to Williams and Robert Burden, motivation refers to “a state of longitude and emotional arousal which leads to a conscious decision to act, and which gives rise to a period of sustained intellectual and physical effort in order to attain a previously set goal.” Motivation is one of the most important factors in learning a foreign language. As Darwin said “Just as eating without liking does harm to one’s health, learning without liking harms memory and retains nothing it takes in.” Former experiments show that among the factors contributing to success of learners, motivation accounts for about 35%.Psychological studies indicated that human 5 beings mainly depend on eyes and ears to obtain information. Experiments indicate that the information received by ear will remain 60% in memory after 3 hours and only 40% after 3 days, while the information obtained both by ear and eye will remain 90% in memory after 3 hours and still 75% after 3 days. Another study indicated that the development of human’s ideation is a process from thinking in images to abstraction. The teenagers in middle school have developed thinking more in images than abstraction. Application of spoken language in English teaching will create language circumstances for students and mobilize their enthusiasm in thinking in images, for the abstract language materials to turn into concrete images. Hence spoken language ability suitable for the psychological development of teenagers. It is not only a better way to motivate the students but also helpful to their memory. 7.Design spoken language activity 1.Subjects For this research, I chose the two classes of my students as subjects, one as the Experimental Group, the other as the Control Group. The experimental and control groups were randomly selected by spoken langue. Throughout the project, the Experimental Group will receive special designed speaking instruction, while the control group goes on with its routine instruction. Before the experimental group tests does not like opening the mouth to speak English, the control group tests likes opening the mouth to speak English. Before the experimental group tests English test result general before, the control group tests takes a test the result to be outstanding. Before the experimental group tests studying English enthusiasm general before, the control group tests studying English enthusiasm to be very strong. 2.Procedure Step1: Let the students listen to the tape twice carefully, and how to inquire and make the reply Step 2: Let the students look the material object to inquire and answer. Step3: Let them two individual group mutually inquire. Step4: After performance, I asked all of the students to elect good students to act in front of the classroom Homework: use” pen, coat, pencil, marker, blackboard” inquire and reply Week2 Objectives: To introduce our family Teaching methods: Model-based Method 6 Procedure: Step1: Teacher introduce her family Step2: Read the book; know about Jenny’s Family Step3: Make up groups and introduce their families each other Step4: Let the students who want to introduce her or his family Homework: Talk about your family and write a short passage. Week3 Objectives: To know about Canada Teaching methods: Theme-based Method Procedure: Step1: Give them some geography knowledge of the world Step2: Told them how to talk about a country. Step3: Prepare a map of Canada, Canada’s flag, Niagara Falls, the capital city, language, near countryseat. Step4: Contrast China and Canada Step5: Complete introduce Canada 3.Principles to follow a. Accord the students’ interest and practicability with the contents of the teaching materials and the age of the students. b. Adapt speaking to student’s range of knowledge. c. Create good teacher-student relationship, motivate and encourage them without forcing. d. Provide a‘stress-free’ and ‘learner-centered’ 4.Techniques for Data Collection During this research four techniques were adopted, namely Socratic dialogue, Cause analysis Observation and Brainstorming. The methods of problem analysis I used four methods of problem analysis to analyze the problem. They are Socratic dialogue, Cause analysis, Observation and Brainstorming. A: Socratic dialogue: ----Why do we lack speak English the environment? Because the students often speak Chinese. ----Why do the students often speak Chinese? Because Chinese is their mother tongue. They speak it everywhere. 7 ----Why do not the students speak English everywhere? Because the students very little have the opportunity to speak with English. ---Are the students afraid to speak English incorrectly? Yes. They nearly did not speak English. The students are not willing to open the mouth to speak English, affect the teacher to carry on the normal teaching activity. If we do not try to find solution to change this kind of present situation, English classroom instruction has become "the practice of what I say goes", arid is tasteless, can directly affect the teaching effect. B. Cause analysis 1.The teacher spoken language proficiency is somewhat low 2.Lacks the essential language environment 3.The class and grade student population excessively are many 4.Listen to English the opportunity too to be few 5.Psychological barrier influence C: Observation As an English teacher, I can witness all these with own eyes in the teaching first line in the teaching D: Brainstorming The teacher from trains the students to embark with English conversation ability, my each class uses several minutes time to carry on English conversation from the teachers and students to start. I gradually to train the student alone to use English to deliver section of speeches, for example, between heard every day, discussed is familiar with person, hobby, scenery and so on. 8. Project Implementation The students always feel dull and difficult when they first learn the phonetic symbols. This time, I gave students some example of antithesis, and let them realize the characteristic of the pronunciations. Example 1: Teacher (T): Ask me what is this. Student (S): What is this? T: Tell me—It is a pen. T: Tell me—It is a pen. 8 Teacher (T): Ask me what is this. Student (S): What is this? T: Tell me—It is a coat. T: Tell me—It is a coat. Teacher (T): Ask me what is this. Student (S): What is this? T: Tell me—It is a pencil. T: Tell me—It is a pencil. Teacher (T): Ask me what is this. Student (S): What is this? T: Tell me—It is a marker. T: Tell me—It is a marker. Teacher (T): Ask me what is this. Student (S): What is this? T: Tell me—It is a blackboard. T: Tell me—It is a blackboard. In this example, ‘ Ask me’ means that the student must say a question sentence while ‘Tell me ’ shows that the student must say a declarative sentence. But before doing this, the teacher must explain something about the exchange of interrogative sentence and declarative sentence. The two –way communication can lengthen the dialogue limit less. This is it advantage. At the same time, if the student wants to give the correct response, he has to think it hard. The sentence is not easily forgotten which is erected by themselves through thinking, something with the teacher’s hint. You can talk freely. You can express yourself as well as you can. Talk about your family. Example 2: T: Ask me how many people there are in my family. S: How many people are there in your family? T: Tell me there are three S: There are three. T: Ask me what my parents do. S: What do your parents do? 9 T: Tell me –your father is a teacher and your mother is a doctor. S: My father is a teacher and my mother is a doctor. T: Ask me if my father like his job. S: Does your father like his job? T: Tell me – sure, he likes teaching very much. All these responses form a complete dialogue. A: How many people are there in your family? B: There are three. A: What do your parents do? B: My father is a teacher and my mother is a doctor. A: Does your father like his job? B: Sure, he likes teaching very much. After listening for several times, the students were invited to speak aloud themselves according .All the students could concentrate their attention in class and everyone spoke boldly. Within only several minutes, all the students were able to utter these sentence partners, including the worst students. If you want to ask more about father or mother family members, the dialogue can go on as far as possible. Speaking refers to the speaker’s full control of the grammar and pronunciation in communication. Spoken language can be defined as the ability to express oneself clearly, reasonably and without too much hesitation. After all, the aim of the language learning is to communicate. The two-way communication is more effective and direct, but it is also fit for the beginning stage. Is maintaining the high enthusiasm in the active process middle-school student to the beginning to the end and displays the strong interest, the whole staff participation, the atmosphere is warm. After listening for several times, the students were invited to speak aloud themselves .All the students could concentrate their attention in class and everyone spoke boldly. Within only several minutes, all the students were able to utter these sentence partners, including the worst students. Example3: I give the students some geography knowledge of the world. I ask them do you know which continent is Canada in? I ask them what is the different be famous as and be famous for? 10 How to know a country, How to talk about directions, How to study and look the map. 9. Project analysis The junior middle school student's language ability is if the thought level developments close correlation. As the junior middle school English teacher, must be as far as possible many to the student proposed some open style questions, namely can cause the student tousle one's brains the ponder, may carry on the reply from the differ entangle the question. When the teacher tells the story, only speaks the opening, does not speak the middle developing process, or only speaks the process but not to speak the opening and the ending and so on, lets student fill the blank. Our school student carries on the imagination, the association thought training, simultaneously carries on the spoken language the development training, uses the stationery case design which the student uses to carry on the reasonable imagination, then with the spoken language expression, obtains the good teaching effect. The teacher tries to give the students as much speaking practice as possible. I use the dialogues in the textbooks to teach the communicative function, and then after the students have listened to the dialogues on tape, we examine the stress and intonation of the dialogue and they practice reading it aloud in pairs. Then I give them more exercises based on the dialogue and finally get them to make up their own dialogues in pairs. Then I sometimes do role-plays based on the situation in the dialogue, but I encourage them to add their own ideas to it .I also do a lot of group discussions and role-plays based on their reading texts. The students enjoy speaking very much. The teacher give them the instructions for what they have to do –usually in English, but sometimes I use to Chinese to check they have understood me –and then it is up to them. I try not to interrupt them when they are speaking, as I want them to become fluent and not to depend on me for corrections all the time. Having talked so much about the nature of oral communication and its implication for teaching speaking skills, you may become impatient of not having an answer to the question “what exactly should I teach my students in oral classes?” Language teachers, as well as students, need to become aware of what native speakers do in oral communication if we aim to achieve speaking competence in English. Such awareness can be acquired though observation and exploration. Below is a list of considerations that we may have in speaking activities. Which questions are you aware of asking yourself when you speak in English? Tick 11 one of the columns: Always, Sometimes, Rarely or Never. When you have completed for yourself, you could carry out a mini-re-search project by asking your colleagues and students to complete the questionnaire. 1. Is my pronunciation correct? 2. Is my grammar correct? 3. Did I choose the right words? 4. What is the appropriate collocation of this verb/noun? 5. What should I do to encourage the conversation to go on? 6. Should I show support and understanding to other speakers now and then? 7. How do I start the conversation? 8. What should I say to end the conversation? 9. Where should I put my hands and how should I stand? 10. Should I ask other speakers to join in? 11. Is the topic I chose appropriate to everyone? 12. How should I make my request sound polite? Does your result fit this conclusion? In speaking activities, we tend to focus more on linguistic aspects rather than on communication techniques. That is, you have more ticks under always and sometimes for the first few questions in your questionnaire and more ticks Understand the rarely and sometimes for the later questions. I worry more about using correct language than about how I are managing or organizing the communication, but as we shall see, communication techniques are also important a speaker and a listener. Misunderstand or poor Understanding in listening may lead to break down in communication. Speaker and listener are constantly changing roles in conversations. Speaking involves responding to what has been heard. Our ability to understand is more extensive than our ability to speak. All the statements are true in natural oral communication. As teacher, I should not ignore the role listening plays in speaking. Present English teaching attention training human relations ability, therefore in the classroom has the massive English information transmission and the exchange, the student heard the activity greatly strengthens In the activity, the teacher often is each words and phrases which highly vigilantly the listener student uses, once discovered the student in the pronunciation, the intonation, in the grammar has any mistake, immediately breaks the correction, this kind sees wrong investigates, even breaks student's dialogue way, not only has interrupted student's mentality, has affected student's integrity expression, 12 moreover continuously for a long time hence, whether there is will the student consideration and the worry be own sentence grammatical error, excessively many attentions language form accuracy, but also some students always thought own English foundation is bad, the pronunciation intonation is nonstandard, fears the aperture, deficient self-confidence, Gradually can lose the spoken language expression the desire Therefore In teacher's to student human relations language wrong, should pay attention to the strategy, to does not cause the student to have the fear of difficulties, does not dampen its enthusiasm is the principle, neglects student's mistake as far as possible, adopts the encouragement, firmly the manner corrects its mistake, the psychology which the elimination study for fear that mistake but does not feel opens the mouth is anxious, is the student frequently unceasingly obtains the successful happy experience, the enhancement spoken language expression self-confidence and the desire The teaching practice indicated that, sometimes jams "in student”, namely occurs when expresses the barrier, if immediately rescues, since frequently could be the student has the psychology, causes the attention not to be completely expresses with difficulty centralized, independently The teacher must raise the student self- integrity expression, first should understand the student, the familiar student’s state-of-art, easily do not have to open the mouth to rescue May inspect, the inquiry, guides them to focus the attention as necessary, gradually fosters the independent integrity expression the custom In the education teaching, must consider student's individuality difference, the teacher wants fully to understand the student, the teaching and the training while faces majority student's, achieves on “not to place an upper limit on, gets down must guarantee a minimum. “Hangs acts according to student's different disposition, the characteristic, adopts different method, achieves carries on the teaching with a clear goal, separately raises and sharpens their hungry spoken language expression ability If the disposition extroversion student, lively is bold, responds rapidly, regarding this a kind of student should adopt nitpicks law." Deceives; enthusiastic at the same time, to them severely from high request Let them say to, said, said good; Disposition introversion student, movement slow, the reaction rate is slow, should adopt the drive law, “emphatically accompanies the good custom which aunt can they dare to mediate is willing to say, encourages them to dare to speak the inquiry. Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, this solves in spoken language expression question most important method. 10.Conclusion 13 This paper is the result of the action I conducted, which aimed at motivating the students through spoken language., which was assumed to be capable of cultivating motivation in middle school learners. In order to solve the identified problem, several solutions were implemented during the action research. The students’ spoken language ability are improved. I should encourage our students to be good listeners and good speakers to ensure a successful communication. The spoken language teaching took English teaching the organic constituent, English teacher should have the goal, have the plan to have in teaching practice takes and strengthens, this talks regarding the student overall English result enhancement and the thought ability raise as well as the student, begins, to move the brain ability and the quality development all has the positive instruction and the promoter action. I pay great attention to the students spoken language through the teaching practice in to improve student’s spoken language .The student’s spoken language ability have the enhancement. The students are interest in studying English. Of course there are some problems with it. Still one student in my class thinks they don’t like speaking English. I shall help her to analyze the problem further using the scientific methods and design some new tasks to solve the problem. Reference books: 1. 扶忠汉<<双向式英语>>,北京三环出版社.1990 2. 周流溪<<中国中学英语教育百科全书>>. 东北大学出版社.1995 3. English Language Teaching Methodology 14 Appendix A The timetable of the project Stage Week Calendar Tasks dates I 1 April, Select the proper title of the project How to 22__April28 improve middle-school student’s English spoken language II 2 April, Analyze the problem using scientific 29__May, 12 methods of Investigation. 1. Analyzing the teaching objectives /teacher’roles/students’roles, etc 2. Analyzing the possible causes of the identified problem.. III 3 May, Design a problem-solving project 13__May, 26 1. Formulating the project objectives and hypothesis 2. Making a lesson plan 3. Preparing materials 4. Proposing dates collection method: auditaping/interviews/teaching surveyed. IV 4,5,6 May, Carry out the project 27__June, 16 1. Report of the classroom implementation of the lesson plan. 2. Report of the data collection V 7 June, Evaluate the project 17__June, 23 1. Critical comment on my own teaching by checking my subjective comments against the collected data. 2. Suggestions for future teaching. VI 8,9,10 June, Write the project report 24__July, 14 15 Appendix B: The methods of problem analysis I used four methods of problem analysis to analyze the problem. They are Socratic dialogue, Cause analysis, Observation and Brainstorming. A: Socratic dialogue: ----Why do we lack speak English the environment? Because the students often speak Chinese. ----Why do the students often speak Chinese? Because Chinese is their mother tongue. They speak it everywhere. ----Why do not the students speak English everywhere? Because the students very little have the opportunity to speak with English. ---Are the students afraid to speak English incorrectly? Yes. They nearly did not speak English. The students are not willing to open the mouth to speak English, affect the teacher to carry on the normal teaching activity. If we do not try to find solution to change this kind of present situation, English classroom instruction has become "the practice of what I say goes", arid is tasteless, can directly affect the teaching effect. B. Cause analysis 1.The teacher spoken language proficiency is some what low 2.Lacks the essential language environment 3.The class and grade student population excessively are many 4.Listen to English the opportunity too to be few 5. Psychological barrier influence C: Observation As an English teacher, I can witness all these with own eyes in the teaching first line in the teaching D: Brainstorming The teacher from trains the students to embark with English conversation ability, my each class uses several minutes time to carry on English conversation from the teachers and students to start. I gradually to train the student alone to use English to deliver section of speeches, for example, between heard every day, discussed is familiar with person, hobby, scenery and so on. Appendix C: Teaching notes 16 Week 1: Objectives: to grasp the special question sentence and its reply “What is this?’ ‘It is.” Teaching methods: Question Answer Method Procedure Step1: Let the students listen to the tape twice carefully, and how to inquire and make the reply Step 2: Let the students look the material object to inquire and answer. Step3: Let them two individual group mutually inquire. Step4: After performance, I asked all of the students to elect good students to act in front of the classroom Homework: use” pen, coat, pencil, marker, blackboard” inquire and reply Week2 Objectives: To introduce our family Teaching methods: Model-based Method Procedure: Step1: Teacher introduce her family Step2: Read the book; know about Jenny’s Family Step3: Make up groups and introduce their families each other Step4: Let the student who wants to introduce her or his family Homework: Talk about your family and write a short passage. Week3 Objectives: To know about Canada Teaching methods: Theme-based Method Procedure: Step1: Give them some geography knowledge of the world Step2: Told them how to talk about a country. Step3: Prepare a map of Canada, Canada’s flag, Niagara Falls, the capital city, language, near countryseat. Step4: Contrast China and Canada Step5: Complete introduce Canada 17 Homework: write a short passage to introduce Canada Appendix D: Project rationale 1) The role of speaking in class and its purpose-I would like to give the purpose of communication, making it as close to real-life as possible. Classroom speech is not to be judged as performance, but has the role of speaking for real-life communication. This means that the students should feel relaxed and free about speaking to each other in English class. 2) The role of the students- I want to let the student feel spoke English on likely to speak Chinese. They should come to realize that they can speak English each other, and help each other, especially in speaking as it is not skill they can practice on their own. 3) The role of the teacher-students should realize that the teacher has many roles. 4) In the classroom, not just that of evaluator .I would like to demonstrate these different roles so that the students realize when the teacher a major instructional role in class and when I take only a major in helping role. I would like students to get used to being responsible for their own learning and not depend on the teacher all the time. 5) The type of spoken class task used –I think all of the above can be deal with by designing and better management in spoken class. If I use different teaching methods, such as pair work, group work, supply more practicing chance, then I am sure that the students can take part in their actors, and their participation must be improved a lot. 6. Appendix E: Diaries Date: A pril10, 2006,Monday In the classroom, my duty is the help the suggestion and the instruction but the students are the study main body there the students must participate in the classroom activity and through make these to move studies .Let the students the familiar thing say several achieved extra politest. Date: April17, Monday In the teaching design, I should fully realize studies enthusiastic and the participation degree importance to the students are good at transferring each student to participate in the study the positive initiative. Date Apri25, Tuesday Acts this kind of role I should provide significant, the interesting duty for the students do, let the students positively participate in the classroom each link, encourage them mutually to exchange, and mutually cooperates. Jordan also further pointed out the teaching also should 18 be the dissemination typical language location, through the classroom activity, like the role acting and the imitation and so on moves organizes the classroom instruction, vividly causes the classroom instruction atmosphere, to be interesting. 19 20