LAO CAI EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT Lao Cai High school No INNOVATION Project based learning – Custom of wedding in English 12 Name: Nguyen Thi Thanh Hien Teacher of English Lao Cai High school No.1 Lao Cai, March 19th 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS No Items Pages Table of contents I INTRODUCTION The aim Rationale 3 Real situation II THE CONTENT Theory of project-based learning 1.1 What project-based learning is 1.2 Advantages and disadvantages of project-based learning 1.3 Project-based learning images 1.4 The subject Application III CONCLUSION Results Closing remarks 10 References 11 Appendix I INTRODUCTION The aim Nowadays, English has become more and more important It is an official language of business, commerce, aviation and communication In Vietnam, English is a compulsory subject in secondary schools It is now the period of the world’s integration Therefore, Teaching English at secondary school should focus on language skills Project about customs of wedding will help my students in grade 12D improve their language skills especially communicative skills Rationale I am now in charge of teaching English for grade 10, and 12 During my teaching, I have found out that my students only focus on the exams, which leads them to try to master only vocabulary and grammar Therefore, they cannot use English as a language That means they cannot use it to communicate in real life Moreover, in our province my students depend much on the teachers at school They not have many opportunities to practise what they have learnt in the society In the terms of teaching and learning English, we have only or lessons a week The more difficult thing is that there are 30 to 40 students in one class, so during 45 minutes rarely does every student have chance to speak out their ideas To solve this problem I would like to apply project based learning (Customs of wedding - Unit 3: Cultural diversity) in my class 12D, in the hope of enhancing my students’ language skills Real situation Lao Cai No.1 High School was established in 1961 It is located in the centre of the province which is a mountainous area in the North of Vietnam Our school is equipped with enough facilities for teaching and learning such as wireless Internet, English multi-media room More than ten classrooms have computers and projectors There are Departments with a total of 80 teachers Each department room has one computer with Internet and one laptop There are teachers of English in our school All of them are well-educated, hardworking and enthusiastic in teaching There are 30 classes (10 classes for each grade) in my school with a student population of more than 1000 The students are obedient and quite hardworking Every year the percentage of grade 12 students passing the national final exam is about 98% However, very few students can use English to communicate with other people as well as foreigners In high schools in Vietnam, especially in mountainous areas, there are only or English lessons a week There is no English environment outside classrooms Thus, students’ English skills depend much on what they learn in these lessons At present, teachers of English in our school teach students following the text book designed by the Ministry of Education and Training We not know well how to improve their language skills After studying about project based learning, I have decided to apply this method with my students in class 12D to improve my students’ language skills II THE CONTENT Theory 1.1 What is project based learning? Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, with this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subject they are studying Project based learning benefits students a lot When engaged, students learn not only the knowledge and the concept involved, but also learn how to organize and present their thoughts, how to manage a complex project in a limited amount of time, and how to collaborate with members of a group 1.2 Advantages and disadvantages of project- based learning “One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life” – Sylvia Clard, University of Albrata Project-based learning requires students to undertake their own fact findings and analysis, either from library, internet research, by interviewing the local people or foreigners or from gathering data empirically, through which students can master the knowledge as well as improve their skills, especially their language skills Project-based learning challenges students to not only learn but also to apply their new knowledge, which is the goal of our education nowadays However, project-based learning has some disadvantages such as time consuming and the facilities for doing the project followed In the curriculum, there are not any periods for project based learning, while the teacher needs some lessons for instructing the tasks to the students, dividing them into groups, feedback after each stage of the project; students need time to present their result in front of the class 1.3 Project based learning images 1.4 The subject Class 12D with 35 students (33 girls and boys), there is one girl having difficulty in speaking This class is studying advanced English, so their level is quite good Moreover, they are eager to learning and love English Application 2.1 Teaching plan Time: 45 minutes Topic: WEDDING CUSTOMS BY COUNTRY 2.1.1 Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to classify the different types of wedding customs by country in terms of Wedding preparation, wedding steps, wedding ceremonies, wedding gifts and wedding colours Improving students’ writing skill and presentations a) Knowledge: - Customs of Wedding in some specific ethnic minority groups in the Northwest of Vietnam and in some parts of the world The similarities and the diferences relating to the wedding procedures and wedding stuff - Combination of knowledge of many different subjects on English, Literarure, Cilvic Education, Geography and Information Technology b) Skills: - Working in groups - Searching and sellecting information and pictures on the internet and other sources - Taking photographs - Making videos - Interviewing foreigners: Face to face - Writing skill and presentations - Writing participants’, teachers’ and classmates’ Feedback c) Attitude: - Providing more knowledge of wedding in different countries as well as taking great cares of protecting and preserving one’s own wedding tradition as it has been changing day by day with the fluence of other cultures 2.1 Preparations: a) Teachers: Laptops, overhead projecter, audio recorders, cameras, textbook (English 12) b) Students: Computers, cameras, papers, pens, books 2.1.3 Procedure Teacher’s activities Time Students’ activities Teaching aids I Introduction 5’ Teacher gives background note of Projector to the wedding show the Step 1: Show a picture of the wedding, Ask the students if See the picture, group 10’ discussion, listen and they talk about the image Get take notes them to talk in groups of five Go to the board and about what they know about the write down the ideas wedding they have just 10’ slices discussed to each other Step Work in groups, brainstorm the Wedding customs Then representative of each group Choosing topic for the goes to the board and writes team them down - Group 1: Wedding customs in the North of Vietnam Step 3: Correct and give comments 15’ - Group 2: Wedding and the focus of the project - Wedding customs in the North ceremonies of Vietnam Books, pens, papers, laptops - Wedding ceremonies - Group 3: - Preparation for the wedding Preparation for the - Wedding gifts wedding - Group 4: Wedding - Wedding colours - Wedding party customs - Places of the Wedding Step 4: devide the work to each 5’ group and guide students how to - Group 5: Wedding Gifts with the project a Vote groups leader - Groups dicussion b Devide the work to each - Planing the schedule individual in details c Where to get the materials? (eg - Choosing tasks and Internet, books newspapers, ) volunteer to bring d How to work with the materials/ project stuff For sources? instance, recorders, e Plan the time to the project latops, camaras, f Who will be invited for the - Contacting with interview? foreigners g Writing reports h Delivering presentations i Interviewing (suggestions: foreigners at Laocai train and bus stations, David – a British teacher in Laocai High school for gifted Listen and take note students and Amanda – an Ask questions American volunteer teacher in Laocai Teacher training College) Step 5: Analyze data collections Use powerPoint for product presentations Note references I ONE WEEK LATER CARRY OUT AND COMPLETE THE PROJECT (2 hours) Teacher’s activities Students’ Activities Instruct students how to deal - Meet again and the task together with data collected - Analyze in information - Asking for help if neccessary support some skills in using - Discuss how to present the products computers such as how to use - Come to an agreement and complete the mindmap, Powerpoint forms, audieo recordings and other work Observe them to the work and give advice II TWO WEEKS LATER PRESENTATION Teacher’s activities Students’ Activities Giving instruction and expectations Listen to each presentation Put up questions - Group 1: Wedding customs in the North of Vietnam - Group 2: Wedding ceremonies - Group 3: Preparation for the wedding Fill in the the comment form - Group 4: Wedding customs - Group 5: Wedding Gift III CONCLUSION Result Before applying this method, only some of students could know a little about custom of wedding In addition, none of them feel confident enough to talk to foreigner or to stand in front of the class to present in English When I have applied this method, I find out that my student have improved many skills such as: searching, interviewing, gathering and analyzing information, writing an essay as well as presenting in English in the public All students in my class got the knowledge about customs of wedding in all over the world Closing remarks With the using project-based learning to engage my students and to help them have overview about the customs of wedding, my students can make progress in learning English I hope that this teaching method will help my students have improvement in language skills and inspire them to learn English I will use projectbased learning to teach my students knowledge about other topics After having the result of the using this method, I hope the English teachers of our province can use this method to teach the other classes in their schools 10 REFERENCES Sylvia Clard, University of Albrata https://www.google.com.vn/search http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article http://www.pmi.org/pmief/learningzone/ProjectLearning.asp http://metawriting.deamnamascle.com/why-project-basedlearning/#sthash.7PokiaDi.dpuf http://metawriting.deannamascle.com/why-project-based-learning/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project 11 ... Items Pages Table of contents I INTRODUCTION The aim Rationale 3 Real situation II THE CONTENT Theory of project-based learning 1.1 What project-based learning is 1.2 Advantages and disadvantages... this method with my students in class 12D to improve my students’ language skills II THE CONTENT Theory 1.1 What is project based learning? Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching