VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST- GRADUATE DEPARTMENT ****** Tr nh Lan H ng MA Minor Thesis USING COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT GRAMMAR TEACHING FOR LARGE MULTILEVEL CLASSES AT ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY S D NG CÁC HO T GI NG D Y NG TRÌNH NG GIAO TI P H TR CHO VI C PHÁP TRONG CÁC L P H C BAO G M NHI U TR NG I H C I N L C Field: Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Nguy n Thu L H ng, MA Hanoi, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete this thesis I want to thank the Post Graduate Department, College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for giving me permission to commence this thesis in the first instance and to use departmental data I am deeply indebted to my supervisor Nguyen Thu Le Hang, MA whose help, stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in all the time of research for and writing of this thesis I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all my lecturers at the Post Graduate Department at College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, whose lectures and support have laid foundation for my thesis My colleagues from the Faculty of Fundamental Sciences and students Electric Power University supported me in my research work I want to thank them for all their help, support, interest and valuable hints Especially, I would like to give my special thanks to my husband, my family and my friends whose patient love and continual encouragement enabled me to complete this work The minor thesis is concerned about ‘Using communicative activities to support grammar teaching for large multilevel classes at Electric Power University” It is aimed at finding out how grammar has been taught to multilevel classes at Electric Power University, what students of these classes like and dislike about learning grammar through communicative activities and the difficulties they meet when learning grammar through communicative activities Hence, communicative activities are designed or adapted to improve the effectiveness of teaching grammar through communicative activities to these classes The minor thesis consists of three chapters Chapter I provides some theoretical background for the thesis Chapter II aims to describe background information about the current teaching and learning of grammar at EPU and present data analysis and discussions Chapter III proposes some suggestions on ways of using communicative activities to support grammar teaching for large multilevel classes The study should be regarded as an attempted to find a more appropriate way to enhance grammar teaching in the light of CLT in large multilevel classes at EPU ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF TABLES, GRAPHS AND FIGURES TABLES OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT PART A: INTRODUCTION .1 RATIONALE AIMS OF THE STUDY SCOPE OF THE STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS .2 METHODS OF THE STUDY .3 DESIGN OF THE STUDY .3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW .4 I.1.Roles of grammar in language teaching: I.1.1 Definition of grammar I.1.2 Different views on grammar teaching in second language classroom .5 I.1.2.1 Anti-grammar views .5 I.1.2.2 Pro-grammar views I Teaching grammar in the light of CLT I.3 Multilevel classes I.3.1 Definition of large multilevel classes .9 I.3.2 Challenges of teaching large multilevel classes 10 I.3.3 CLT in large multilevel classes 10 CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 12 II.1.The setting of the study .12 II.1.1 Background information about the current teaching and learning of grammar at EPU 12 II.1.1.1 The current situation 12 II.1.1.2 Experimental application .13 II.2 The study on the effectiveness of using communicative activities to teach grammar in large multilevel classes at EPU ……………….14 II.2.1 Description of data collection instruments and procedures 14 II.2.1.1 Subjects of the study 14 II.2.1.2 Instruments 15 II.2.1.3 Data analysis procedure ….16 II.2.2 Data analysis and discussions .16 II.2.2.1 Questionnaire .16 II.2.2.2 Interviews …………………………………………………… ……………………30 II.2.2.3 Classroom Observation 32 CHAPTER III: THE USAGE OF COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT GRAMMAR TEACHING FOR LARGE MULTILEVEL CLASSES AND IMPLICATION FOR CLASSROOM TEACHING 35 III.1.Using songs and verses 37 III.2.Using games and problem solving activities 40 III.3 Role play 42 III.4 Story telling 43 III.5 Picture description 44 III.6 Dialog performance 45 ! " PART C: CONCLUSION 47 REFERENCES APPENDICES ! # EPU: Electric Power University CA: Communicative activity CLT: Communicative Language Teaching ESP: English for Specific Purposes Table 1: Students’ profile 18 Table 2: Teachers’ profile 19 Table 3: Students’ attitude towards the position of grammar ………………………….…… 19 Table 4: Reasons for learning grammar 20 Table 5: Frequency of teaching grammar in large multilevel classes .20 Table 6: Frequency of learning grammar through communicative activities in a large multilevel class 21 Table 7: Frequency of communicative activity application in grammar teaching 21 Table 8: Challenges of teaching large multilevel classes 22 Table 9: Students’ opinions about learning grammar through communicative activities… 23 Table 10: Students’ interests in learning grammar through communicative activities…… … 23 Table 11: Students’ agreement to grammar teaching through communicative activities 24 Table 12: Obstacles when participating in communicative activities in large multi level classes ………………………………………………………………………… 25 Table 13: Evaluation of the effectiveness of communicative activities in large multilevel classes by students………………………………………………………………………… 27 Table 14: Evaluation of the effectiveness of communicative activities to large multilevel classes by teachers……………………………………………………………………………29 Rationale Nowadays English is becoming one of the most popular languages worldwide In different countries, different people at different ages learn English for their own purposes Learning to use a language freely and fully is a lengthy and effortful process In Vietnam, learning English language is interested by young people, especially students at universities for a plenty of reasons such as getting jobs in foreign companies, studying abroad and so on However, teaching English is said to be not effective at universities in Vietnam because as a matter of fact, multilevel classes are currently popular in many universities in general and at Electric Power University (EPU) in particular, which causes many difficulties to teachers and students in language teaching Grammar teaching plays an important role at EPU as it supplies students basic knowledge to prepare for the final exams and ESP course in the second year Many students at my university think grammar, of course, is very important Why? Very simply, words have grammar Grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to talk about language Grammar names the types of words and word groups that make up sentences not only in English but in any language As human beings, we can put sentences together even as children we can all grammar But to be able to talk about how sentences are built, about the types of words and word groups that make up sentences that is knowing about grammar People associate grammar with errors and correctness But knowing about grammar also helps us understand what makes sentences and paragraphs clear and interesting and precise Grammar can be part of literature discussions, when we and our students closely read the sentences in poetry and stories And knowing about grammar means finding out that all languages and all dialects follow grammatical patterns However, the fact that how grammar should be taught in multilevel classes in Vietnam is questioned and discussed by many experts and teachers from many countries and at the moment it is really a big challenge The traditional method of grammar teaching is currently not appropriate in multilevel classes in EPU because it makes students become passive recipients Therefore, teaching grammar in the light of CLT is becoming a new approach and designing suitable communicative activities to teach grammar for a multilevel class is very necessary In most classes at EPU, using communicative activities to support grammar teaching is often conducted but according to all teachers there, for a multilevel class it is not satisfactory The fact has urged me to find out the answers to this question In this paper, hopefully, some communicative activities suggested to support grammar teaching in multilevel classes will help teachers cope with difficulties in a multilevel language class Aims of the study • To investigate students’ evaluation of learning grammar through communicative activities at Electric Power University • To identify characteristics of large multilevel classes at EPU • To suggest some communicative activities for large multilevel classes at EPU to help students acquire grammatical knowledge in a communicative way The scope of the study • Focus on evaluation of the effectiveness of using communicative activities for large multilevel classes to first-year students at Electric Power University Research questions • How has grammar been taught to large multi-level classes of first year students at the EPU? • What students of these classes like and dislike about learning grammar through communicative activities? • What difficulties students of these classes meet when learning grammar through communicative activities? • What should be done to improve the effectiveness of teaching grammar through communicative activities to these classes? Methods of the study To realize the aims, the study used a combination of different methods in order to ensure the accuracy and practicality First, the data was collected from survey questionnaires done by students and teachers at Electric Power University The writer, then, worked with the data by combining different methods like analyzing, synthesizing, comparing, etc in order to draw out important findings In addition, the writer collected some information based on her informal observation and interviews to make sure that the data is more accurate and reliable Design of the study This study is divided into parts Part A, INTRODUCTION, deals with the reasons for the research, the aims, the scope, methodology and research questions Part B, DEVELOPMENT, consists of three chapters Chapter I provides some theoretical background for the thesis with the focus on the main points: definitions of grammar, different views on grammar teaching, teaching grammar in the light of CLT, multilevel classes and CLT in multilevel classes Chapter II aims to describe background information about the current teaching and learning of grammar at EPU and present the methodology underlying the research including data collection instruments, procedures A detailed data analysis and discussions are also given Chapter III proposes some suggestions on ways of using communicative activities to support grammar teaching for large multilevel classes Part C, CONCLUSION gives a summary and a recommendation for further study APPENDIX PHI U KH O SÁT (Dành cho giáo viên) Các câu h i i u tra d ho t ng giao ti p i ây c thi t k d a tài nghiên c u c a v ‘S d ng h tr vi c d y ng pháp cho m t l p h c bao g m nhi u trình th c hi n t t cho tài nghiên c u , r t mong tr ng i h c i n l c’ giúp c a anh/ch+ cho b n câu h i i u tra Xin anh/ch+ vui lòng tr l i câu h i d c s h p tác, i ây Ph n 1: Thông tin cá nhân c a anh/ch+ Tu!i: ……………………………………………………… Gi i tính: Nam Anh/Ch+ d y ti ng Anh N c bao lâu? ………………………… Ph n 2: Thông tin v gi ng d y ng pháp Anh/ch+ ánh d u tích (V) vào nh ng ô mà anh/ch+ th y phù h p Câu 1: Anh/ch+ ã bao gi tham gia vào gi ng d y ti ng Anh sinh) bao g m nhi u trình R t th ng xuyên Hi m ch a? Th Th&nh tho ng Ch a bao gi Câu 2: Anh/ch+ có áp d ng ho t R t th ng xuyên Hi m ng giao ti p Th ng xuyên Ch a bao gi Câu 3: Nh ng khó kh n anh/ch+ th g m nhi u trình ng xuyên m t l p h c l n (trên 40 h c d y ng pháp ch a? Th&nh tho ng ng g)p ph i d y ng pháp cho m t l p h c l n, bao Th ng xun khơng ki m sốt qu n lý cl ph c C m th y m t m i m t l ng l n t(p s a l i c a h c sinh Th(t khó kh n áp d ng lo i ho t t o ng giao ti p c h ng thú cho h c sinh cu n hút d y ng pháp ti ng Anh vi không c h c sinh vào gi ng Khó khuy n khích nh ng h c sinh ho)c nói (quiet students) tham gia vào trình h c Các khó kh n khác (Xin vui lịng li t kê) … …………………………………………………………………………………………… Ph n 3: ánh giá óng góp ý ki n Câu 3: : Anh/ch+ ánh giá hi u qu c a ho t cho m t l p h c l n, bao g m nhi u trình ng d i ây vi c d y ng pháp Anh/ch S T Các ho t ng giao ti p T + ã th c hi n ánh giá ho t ng iv il ph cl n (h n 40 h c sinh) v i nhi u trình R t khơng hi u qu Khơng hi u qu l#m Bình th ng Hi u R t hi u qu qu Using songs and verse (S d ng hát th ca) Games and Problem-solving activities (Trò ch i ho t ng gi i quy t v n ) Role play ( óng vai) Picture description (Miêu t tranh) Information gap activity (Trao !i thơng tin cịn thi u) Discussion (Th o lu(n) Cued story (Chuy n x lý tình hu ng) Story telling (K chuy n) Oral report (Thuy t trình) Dialog Performance (Trình bày h i tho i) Others: (Các ho t ng khác): …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… Câu 4: T' kinh nghi m th c t , anh/ch+ th y nên có nh ng gi i pháp hi u qu gi d y ng pháp l p h c l n bao g m nhi u trình t ng ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… Xin chân thành c m n s h p tác c a anh/ch ! Appendix Questions for the interview Questions for Teacher Interview Q1:Do you think that the teachers of English should know how to deal with their unsuccessful learners and their disabilities? Q2: How can you take into account the needs of every learner in the class then? Q3: How can you characterize unsuccessful learners in the class? Q4: What are the key features of unsuccessful learners? Questions for both unsuccessful learner & successful learner interview Q: Do you assess yourselves as ‘readers’ or ‘listeners’, ‘writers’ or ‘speakers’, in English classes? APPENDIX OBSERVATION SHEET Name: ……………………………………… Date: ……………………………………… Subject: …………………………………… Tick the things you observe during the lesson Classroom activities • • • • • • • • • • Students ask the teacher and ask each other There is the interaction pattern and turn-taking is managed? Participants talk to one another (active listening, interupting, building on what another says) Participants talk about (lesson activities, personal experiences) Silences are handled Multiple perspectives are handled There are some disagreements The instructors handle disagreements Students work in pairs Students role-play practice Students have group activities Teacher talk • • • • • • Teacher greets students Teacher ask different kinds of questions (Yes/No questions, questions with one right answer, open-ended probing question) Teacher directs questions to his/her students Teacher gives feedback to questions Teacher show how s/he is listening Teacher encourages the discussion Learner talk • • • • Students ask different kinds of questions Students give different kinds of answer and their answers are long enough Students often initiate new topics/offer opinions and make connections Students response to teacher feedback Learner engagement • • • • • • Students interact with each other There is much movement in the classroom Students are always busy Students receive equal amounts of contact with the teacher Learners know how to elicit help Learners help make decisions about the class activities and lesson topic Effectiveness of the activity • • • • • The activity encourages and requires learners to speak with and listen to others Keep the teacher talk minimum Literacy and beginning-level learners, as well as those at intermediate and advanced levels, are highly competent individuals Communicative activity is designed to be lively, interactive, and fun The activity has real purposes: to find information, break down barriers, talk about self and learn about the culture • • • Class atmosphere is exciting, relaxing, supportive, and friendly Learners’partipation is active Learners’ talking time is long enough APPENDIX Don’t cry Joni Put the following verbs in the past tense form and then fill in the blanks be (twice) have to (three times) fall (twice) say run write Listen and check your answer get (twice) hear pack read live tell go leave marry catch Jimmy, please say you’ll wait for me Soon I (10) …… our little home town I’ll grow up someday you’ll see (11) … me a job and tried to settle down Saving all my kisses just for you But these words kept on my memory Shine with love forever true (*) The words that Joni (12) …… to me Repeat (*) Joni (1)…… a girl who (2)… next door I (13) …my clothes and I (14)… a plane I’ve known her, I guess ten years or more I had to see Joni, I had to explain Joni (3)…… a note one day How my heart was filled with her memory And this is what she (4)……… say And ask my Joni if she’d marry me Repeat * Slowly I (5) …… her note once more I (15)… all the way to the house next door Then I (6) ……… over to the house next door But things weren’t like they (16) … before Her teardrops (7)…… like rain that day My teardrops (17) … like rain that day When I (8)…… Joni what I (9) …… say When I (18)… what Joni (19)…… say Joni, Joni, please don’t cry Jimmy, Jimmy, please don’t cry You’ll forget me by and by You’ll forget me by and by You’re just fifteen and I’m twenty-two It’s been five years since you’ve been gone And Joni I just can’t wait for you Jimmy, I (20) …… your best friend John APPENDIX Yoga, yoga, I can yoga Can you yoga, too? I can’t yoga, but I can karate Can you karate, too? I can’t karate, but I can play baseball Can you play baseball, too? I can’t play baseball, but I can ice-skate Can you ice-skate, too? I can’t ice-skate, but I can ski Can you ski, too? I can’t ski, but I can play volleyball Can you play volleyball, too? APPENDIX What am I doing? APPENDIX Which man should she marry? Vocabulary counseling brusque flirter advice unfriendly a person who tries to attract Read and Consider Approximately 2.5 million couples get married in the United States every year Some couples get married quickly; other couples take a long time to decide You work for Rocky Mountain Marriage Counselors, Inc., located in Denver, Colorado Everyday people come to you for marriage counseling You try to help them choose a husband or wife Today, Susan Carson has come to you for advice Read Susan’s biography carefully Help her to decide whom to marry Susan Carson Age: 29 years old, Job: Policewoman ($24,000/yr) Height: 5’10’’, Weight: 150 lbs Hobbies: Hunting, weightlifting, playing the piano Personalities: Quiet and shy Decide and Write Susan believes that it is time for her to get married She knows five men All of the men would like to marry her Before talking with your group, write down your individual preferences and reasons Mike Smith Age: 25, Job: Athletic Club Director ($22,000/yr) Height: 6’3’’, Weight: 220 lbs Hobbies: Weightlifting Personalities: Loud and social Susan says, “I met Mike at the athletic club We have a good time weightlifting together He’s tall and very handsome, but he is younger than me and his salary is not so great I like his personality I think he loves me a lot, but sometimes he still looks at other women What you think?” Order: Reason: _ Harry Walters Age: 32, Job: Bank Manager ($47,000/yr) Height: 6’, Weight: 170 lbs Hobbies: Opera, Coin collecting Personalities: Kind and gentle Susan says, “I have known Harry since we were children We grew up next door to each other Harry is not very good-looking, but he would anything for me He’s been asking me to marry him for ten years He has a good job, but he wants me to quit my job because he thinks it is too dangerous I like my job and want to keep working What you think?” Order: _ Reason: _ Parviz Ghorbani Age: 29, Job: Graduate student ($?/yr) Height: 5’11”, Weight: 165 lbs Hobbies: Chess, cars Personalities: Romantic and talkative Susan says, “I met Parviz when I gave him a speeding ticket three months ago It was love at first sight-his eyes are so beautiful-and when I asked him why he was driving so fast, he began speaking Persian poetry I really don’t know much about him He says he is going to be a doctor in his country after he finishes studying here He says his family is rich What you think?” Order: _ Reason: _ Paul Nelson Age: 47, Job: Policeman ($42,000/yr) Height: 6’4”, Weight: 195 lbs Hobbies: Mountain climbing, boating Personalities: Strong and quiet Susan says, “Paul is my boss in the police department I know he’s a lot older than me, but he’s so exciting to with He’s married before and divorced I like him a lot; a married life with him would never be boring! He also has a very nice family, and we have a lot of the same friends What you think?” Order: Reason: Adrian Tinsley Age: 34, Job: Professor ($52,000/yr) Height: 5’17”, Weight: 145 lbs Hobbies: Reading and writing Personalities: Quiet and brusque Susan says, “Of all the men I know, Adrian is the smartest I met him when I took a criminology class at University of Colorado He’s very difficult to get to know so he doesn’t have any friends I think he likes me because I understand him He’s handsome and dresses very well What you think?” Order: _ Reason: _ APPENDIX Role cards for ‘How are you going to spend $10,000’ The father The mother You want to buy a car and perhaps Here’s the chance to travel around the some new garden tools, because you world with the whole family! And like gardening You can’t stand perhaps, to buy some new clothes too traveling but the house could be You are not against gardening The old renovated, too family car is in perfect condition- why waste money on a new one The 19-year-old daughter The 17-year-old son If you build an addition to the house, You’ve been waiting a drum equipment you can have a separate part of it for for years You also like traveling, and yourself, and perhaps for your would like to get hands on the old boyfriend, too family card, too Unfortunately, you hate gardening- your father always makes you help him The 14-year-old daughter The father’s brother Clothes, clothes, clothes! And if you Clearly, they should buy a new printer had an addition to the house, you could for their computer-then you could print have a room at last your things on it They surely must not build anything-they will have no money left for the printer The neighbor You like borrowing your neighbor’s garden tools- but you hate noise APPENDIX 10 APPENDIX 11 APPENDIX 12 ... about learning grammar through communicative activities Do you learning like Strongly Like Neutral Dislike grammar like Strongly dislike through CA? Number of students Percentage 25 41 31 25% 41%... communicative activities I have more ideas to discuss thanks to communicative Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree agree Strongly disagree 33% 47% 18% 2% 0% 12% 52% 28% 5% 3% 27% 51% 20% 1% 1% 26% 46%... Number