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A study on the techniques for the improvement to the teaching of oral skills in light of communicative english language teaching for junior high school teachers in quang ngai province
1 PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the Study For the past few years, with the introduction of the new Tieng Anh 6-9 textbook series based on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in junior high schools, language teaching in Quang Ngai has experienced the shift from grammatical form to communicative function In order to prepare for this shift, short training courses (usually from - days in length) have been organized for junior high school (JHS) teachers in Quang Ngai province on how to use these textbooks However, these short courses cannot satisfy teachers' needs in communicative language teaching because these courses largely deal with the introduction of the textbooks with little methodology component Besides, teachers in Quang Ngai province, most of whom graduated from 1979 to 1999, had to learn English under difficult conditions without any opportunity to meet native English speakers, and did not have access to up to date materials As a result, they have met a lot of difficulties in English language teaching, especially techniques for teaching oral skills Being teachers at Quang Ngai Teachers' Training College, we have met many junior high school teachers, observed junior high school lessons and have been involved in the training courses on how to use the new Tieng Anh textbook series for JHS teachers Through this process, we have begun to identify the particular problems that many teachers of English deal with in Quang Ngai province With this in mind, I decided to conduct the research named "A Study on Techniques for the Improvement to the Teaching of Oral Skills in Light of Communicative English Language Teaching for Junior High School Teachers in Quang Ngai Province" The aim of the study is to give teachers a greater understanding of the communicative approach and to introduce practical techniques for the teaching of oral skills that can be used with the new Tieng Anh textbooks Many of these techniques are a change from what teachers normally We know that teachers in Quang Ngai province deal with such particular problems as large classes, limited resources which make their language teaching difficult However, by making some small changes and trying out new techniques, teachers can help the English language come alive for the students and slowly move away from the teacher-centered approach I hope the study will encourage the process of change in language teaching 2 Aims of the Study The purpose of this study is to examine the areas of difficulties in language teaching that junior high school teachers deal with in Quang Ngai province so that techniques can be given to help them improve their teaching of oral skills The specific aims are: - To investigate the current performance of English teaching and learning in JHSs in Quang Ngai province - To find out the difficulties that JHS teachers deal with in Quang Ngai province - To suggest techniques to help JHS teachers improve their teaching of oral skills Methods of the Study To achieve the above - mentioned aims, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used and the following tasks are involved: - Collecting data for the analysis from 100 junior high school teachers of English and 25 hours of class observations in junior high schools in Quang Ngai province - Assessing particular problems - Evaluating which oral techniques are applicable Scope of the Study The study is intended to focus on practical techniques After having investigated the current performance of English teaching and learning in JHSs in Quang Ngai province by means of a survey questionnaire and class observations, we suggest techniques to help JHS teachers improve their teaching of oral skills Design of the Study The study is divided into three parts: Part (Introduction) describes the impetus from which we decided to conduct this study as well as the boundary within which the study is realized This part presents feasible methods for the fulfillment of research objective Part (Development) consists of three chapters: Chapter presents various linguistics concepts relevant to the research topic such as definition of techniques, methods and approaches, communicative language teaching and practical techniques for language teaching Chapter deals with the analysis on the current performance of English teaching and learning in junior high schools in Quang Ngai province, teaching requirements, teachers and teaching methods, materials as well as material assessment This chapter also focuses on data collections, findings and discussion Chapter emphasizes the implication of the study in which practical techniques for improving the teaching of oral skills for junior high school teachers in Quang Ngai province are suggested Part (Conclusion) summarizes what is addressed in the study, points out the limitations and provides some suggestions for further study PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Introduction To provide a theoretical background to the study, this chapter is devoted to the reexamination of the concepts most relevant to the thesis’s topic They are definitions of techniques, methods, approaches and a brief history of methods/approaches In addition, the definition, principles and techniques of the communicative approach will also be discussed 1.2 An Overview on Techniques, Methods and Approaches 1.2.1 Definitions According to Hubbard, P et al (1983) when we use the word technique, we mean a procedure used in the classroom When we talk about method, we mean a set of procedures or a number of techniques arranged in a specific order which will result in efficient learning The word approach has the implication that whatever method or techniques the teacher uses, he does not feel bound by these, but only by the theory in which he believes According to Anthony, E (1963) a technique is a particular trick, stratagem, or contrivance used to accomplish an immediate objective in a classroom A method is an overall plan for the orderly presentation of language material An approach is a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of language teaching and learning 1.2.2 A Brief History of Language Teaching • The Grammar -Translation Method It is the oldest method and many teachers still use this method today It took grammar the starting point for instruction Grammar-Translation courses followed a grammar syllabus and lessons typically began with an explicit statement of the rule, followed by exercises involving translation into and out of the mother tongue Oral fluency is generally ignored and pronunciation is sometimes taught through reading aloud • The Audio-Lingual Method The Audio-Lingual Method was a largely American invention in the 1960s It was based on the idea of Behaviorism, which considered language as simply as a form of behavior, to be learned through the formation of correct habits Habit formation was a process in which the application of rules played no part The audio-lingual syllabus consisted of a graded list of sentence patterns which formed the basis of pattern-practice drills, the distinguished feature of Audio-lingual classroom practice Often these drills were on audio cassette tapes and it was because of this method that the language laboratory became so popular • The Functional-Notional Approach In the 1970s teachers of the Functional-Notional Approach stopped teaching grammar and started teaching more practical phrases and vocabulary for everyday life and social situations Students learnt spoken functions such as asking the way, talking about themselves, making future plans, etc or written functions such as writing a letter, filling out a form etc A lot of role play was used in this type of teaching to make the classroom like the outside world • The Communicative Approach The Communicative Approach became popular in the 1970s The features of the Communicative Approach are as follows: - Language learning should be meaningful and realistic - Students should learn English to communicate something - All four skills should be practiced as well as grammar, functions and vocabulary - Learning is more important than teaching The Communicative Approach uses many different techniques such as pair work, group work, gap fill, role play, etc 1.3 Communicative Language Teaching 1.3.1 Definition According to American and British proponents, Communicative Language Teaching is an approach that aims to (a) make communicative competence the goal of language teaching and (b) develop procedures for the teaching of the four language skills that acknowledge the interdependence of language and communication 1.3.2 Principles According to Richard, J C and Rodgers, T S., Communicative Language Teaching follows these principles: - Learners learn a language through using it to communicate - Authentic and meaningful communication should be the goal of classroom activities - Fluency is an important dimension of communication - Learning is a process of creative construction and involves trial and error 1.3.3 Techniques for Communicative Language Teaching There are plenty of techniques for CLT Here are some of them: • Pair-work Independent work by pairs of students working simultaneously on a task or practice activity Often an extension of ordinary controlled practice or drilling, with more opportunity for students to talk, hence higher student talking time • Group-work Independent work carried out simultaneously by groups of three or more students on a task or tasks • Information gap The principle that two or more students engaged in a practice activity not share exactly the same information If the task is correctly set, the students must pool their information and are thus forced to communicate through English The information gap is therefore an important element in many communicative practice tasks • Role-play A communicative activity in which students talk to each other in different character roles 1.4 Summary In short, this chapter focuses on the concepts useful for the accomplishment of the study First are the definitions of techniques, methods and approaches Then, a brief history of methods/approaches is presented Actually, each method/approach has its own strong points and drawbacks, so what should be done is to combine these methods/approaches to make full use of the advantages offered and to minimize the shortcomings revealed Also in the first chapter are the definition and principles of the communicative approach Last in the first chapter are the techniques of the communicative approach CHAPTER TWO: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CURRENT PERFORMANCEOF ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUANG NGAI PRONVINCE 2.1 Introduction To realize the objectives of this study, this chapter first starts with an overview of junior high schools in Quang Ngai province Then for a better understanding about junior high schools in Quang Ngai province, some information about the students and learning requirements are addressed In addition, an analysis on teachers, teaching methods, materials, and materials assessments is very important for the realization of the study, for without it the researcher will find it impossible to sort out practical techniques to improve the teaching of oral skills for JHS teachers 2.2 The Junior High School Community in Quang Ngai Province Quang Ngai province has a city and 13 districts A commune/ ward has at least a junior high school In the 2006-2007 academic year there are 146 junior high schools and 2.832 JHS classes of 114.068 JHS students JHS students are required to study 11 subjects and English is one of them There are 594 JHS teachers Quang Ngai is a poor province in central Viet Nam Farming or a state salary is the main source of income for families in the JHS community The average monthly income of the majority of those families is estimated at less than $70 2.3 Students and Learning Requirements The JHS student population ranges from 11 to 15 years old In the 2006-2007 academic year there are 114.068 students, of which 58.008 are girl students JHS students are required to learn English in 35 weeks with periods a week for grades 6, and and periods a week for grade The aims and objectives are not defined for each grade but for the whole JHS level as follows: After finishing JHS students are able to: - understand detail and gist at an elementary level in listening - respond to questions and interact in familiar situations in speaking - understand gist, detail and text structure in reading - write non-specialized text types such as letters, reports and compositions for a given purpose in writing 2.4 Teachers and Teaching Methods There are totally 594 JHS teachers of English aged from 23 to 57 in Quang Ngai province About two-thirds of them have a TJC BA degree (CDSP) and one-third have a TSC BA degree (DHSP) Slightly more than one quarter of them are teachers of Russian who have been retrained to teach English since 1991 In recent years, with the introduction of new TIENG ANH textbook series to junior high schools in Quang Ngai province the Communicative Approach has been introduced to JHS teachers of English However, a lot of teachers still attach themselves to the traditional teaching method and they usually concentrate on only two of the skills, reading and writing This is mainly because the other two are not tested in examinations In addition, teachers find it difficult to apply the communicative approach to their teaching because of large classes and poor school equipment As a result, teachers take the key role in classroom activities and students remain passive learners 2.5 Materials and Assessments The TIENG ANH textbook series by Loi, N V et al (2002) for JHS students consists of textbooks for grades: 6, 7, and Each textbook has 16 units with the exception of TIENG ANH of 10 units Each unit is based around a theme and contains lessons with the length of periods: Lesson 1: Getting started Lesson 2: Listen and read Lesson 3: Listen and speak Lesson 4: Write Lesson 5: Language focus The TIENG ANH textbook series is accompanied by the teacher’s guide, the student’s book and the cassette-tapes Most of the JHS teachers believe that The TIENG ANH textbook series is better than the ENGLISH textbook series They like the clear layout, the variety of exercise types and the logical sequencing of the TIENG ANH textbook series However, they want to reduce the number of lessons in a textbook to 14 They still not feel like technological topics and they would like to have more language summaries 2.6 Data Collection, Findings and Discussion 2.6.1 Data Collection 2.6.1.1 The Subjects The study is carried out with the participation of 25 junior high school teachers of English who represent urban, rural and remote areas A quarter of the teachers are men The students under observation are in grades 6, 7, and in junior high schools in Quang Ngai province 2.6.1.2 Instruments for Data Collection The data was collected by means of: • Lesson observations in junior high schools (25 lesson observations) • Survey questionnaire (answered by 100 junior high school teachers) 2.6.2 Findings and discussion 2.6.2.1 Teachers' Personal Information The following graph shows the age of teachers: 50 40 30 20 10 12% below 29 years 46% 30-39 years 41% 40-49 years 1% 50+ years Figure 2.6.2.1.1 Age of teachers Teaching experience and training More than two- thirds of teachers have been teaching for 10 years or less and one- third of teachers have been teaching for five years or less 35 30 25 20 15 10 3%2-years 16% 2-5 years18% 6-10 years 27% 11-15years 33% 16-20 years Figure 2.6.2.1.2 No years of ELT experience 3% 20+ years 10 Approximately one third (31%) have received some form of in-service training, mostly in the form of short summer workshops (usually from to days in length) which largely deal with the introduction of the new TIENG ANH series with little methodology component Two-thirds (69%) have received no in-service training Qualifications Approximately two-thirds of teachers have a TJC (CDSP BA) degree and slightly more than one-third have a TSC (DHSP BA) degree 36% TSC 64% TJC Figure 2.6.2.1.3 Qualifications 2.6.2.2 Information about Schools Access to resources at school Approximately teachers out of 10 have access to a teacher’s book and a curriculum document and attend regular subject group meetings Approximately half the teachers surveyed have access to a cassette player at school, one quarter to a DVD/CD player and one-fifth to a computer Access to materials for preparing visual aids (cards, papers, etc.) is reported by one in five teachers 60 50 40 30 20 10 45% reference books 53% cassette player 26% DVD/CD player 19% computer 19% card, paper,etc Figure 2.6.2.1.4 Access to resources at school Conditions that facilitate teaching The teachers surveyed listed the following favorable conditions for teaching: Access to DVD/CD players and cassette players Access to course books and cassette players Access to computers Conditions that impede teaching 12% 11% 8% 34 Teacher: O.K Nearly What should be? I (Pause and give a hand movement showing this is where the mistake is.) Trang : I get up at half past six Teacher: That’s right Good 3.3.2.2 Peer Correction The teacher asks students to correct each other Example: Practicing daily routines using the present simple Teacher: Hung, what you in the morning? Hung : I am get up at half past six Teacher: Well, nearly Anybody else? What you in the morning? Yes, Thuy? Thuy : I get up at seven o’clock Teacher: Yes, that’s right I get up Now, Hung, try again Hung : I get up at half past six Teacher: Yes Well done 3.3.2.3 Finger Correction The teacher marks out each word on his/her fingers, indicating with his/her fingers the part of the phrase or sentence that needs correction Finger correction is often used for the following mistakes: [a] missing contraction e.g “I have got a book.” Show the first word (e.g “I“) with one finger and the word it is contracted to (e.g “have“) with the next finger Squeeze the two fingers together to show the contraction (e.g “I’ve“) [b] missing word e.g “I’ve got a bike.” Point to the finger which represents the missing word in the sentence [c] too many words e.g “I’m agree with you.” Point to each finger which represents the unnecessary word in the sentence 3.3.2.4 Teacher Correction (Teacher as a Model) If the teacher has no success with the above-mentioned techniques, repeat a good model for the student to copy Example: Back chaining for pronunciation mistakes Student: I li cup o tea Teacher: tea Repeat 35 Student: tea Teacher: a cup of tea Student: a cup of tea Teacher: like a cup of tea Student: like a cup of tea Teacher: I’d like a cup of tea Student: I’d like a cup of tea 3.3.2.5 Indirect Correction Over period of teaching, note down common mistakes that students repeatedly make Every few weeks, as a way of viewing and testing, the teacher can prepare a flipchart on the board and gets students to work in pairs and correct the mistakes Example: Common spoken mistakes Yesterday she go swimming with her friends He love her very much There are three book on the table Yesterday I am very ill She asked me where I’m going Would you like go to cinema? This one is gooder than that one They maked a cake for there mother 3.3.3 Summary To sum up, students need correction to their production This suggests that teachers should deal with at least some of the errors that arise The choice of correction strategy will depend on such factors as: • The type of errors: Does it have a major effect on communication? Is it one that the student could possibly self-repair? • The type of activity: Is the focus of the activity more on form or on meaning? If the latter, it is probably best to correct without interfering too much with the flow of communication • The type of student: Will the student be discouraged or humiliated by correction Alternatively, will the student feel short-changed if there is no correction? 36 PART THREE: CONCLUSION Recapitulation With the objective to analyze the current situation of teaching and learning English in JHSs in Quang Ngai province then to suggest certain techniques to improve teaching oral skills for JHS teachers, the research is done in three main chapters: Chapter one briefly presents an overview of the definitions of techniques, methods, approaches and a history of methods/approaches, and also introduces the definition, principles and techniques of the communicative approach Chapter two elaborates the analysis of the current performance of English teaching and learning in JHSs in Quang Ngai province Time and efforts have been spent on accumulating information about teachers and teaching methods applied in JHSs, viewing teaching and learning materials and assessing the utility of these materials Also in this 37 chapter a survey is conducted and lessons are observed to know more about teachers, schools, students, teaching, methods and techniques applied in JHSs Chapter three focuses on the techniques which should be applied to improve the teaching of oral skills for JHS teachers These techniques are realized in three sections: how to improve their teaching of speaking; how to improve their teaching of listening; how to improve correcting students’ errors The suggested techniques are as follows: Techniques to Improve the Teaching of Speaking • Controlled Speaking Activities: - Repetition Drill - Substitution Drill - Drilling a Complete Dialogue • Less Controlled Speaking Activities - Chain Game - Dialogue Frame - Role Play - Interview - Discussion - Story-Telling Techniques to Improve the Teaching of Listening • Pre-Listening Techniques - Guiding Questions - Ordering - True-False Statements - Brainstorm around a Topic • While-Listening Techniques - Comprehension Questions - Grids - Identify the Exact Topic - Gap Fill • Post-Listening Techniques - Role Play - Write a Brief Report - Write a Similar Text - Retell the Story 38 Techniques to Improve the Correction Students’ Errors - Self -Correction - Peer Correction - Finger Correction - Teacher Correction - Indirect Correction These techniques, to be frank, are not the all-time resorts; however, they are obviously efficient escorts of the teachers who expect to improve their teaching of oral skills Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study As in any research papers, limitations are unavoidable The study presented in this minor thesis is of no exception Firstly, due to time constraints lesson observations were only limited to 25 teachers in urban, rural and remote areas Secondly, although most of the techniques suggested in this study are found interesting by JHS teachers, other techniques not presented in this study are also necessary for the teaching of oral skills in JHSs This calls for further research on all the techniques for the teaching of listening and speaking at JHSs Also, there are differences in the perceptions of how to deal with large classes and reluctant speakers but within the scope of the study it is impossible to cover them all This study is just prepared for JHS teachers, techniques to improve the teaching of oral skills for senior high school (SHS) teachers, therefore, may be a good subject for further study REFERENCES Brumfit, C J & Johnson, K (1974) The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Brumfit, C J (1984) Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Byrne, D (1978) Teaching Oral English London: Longman Group Ltd Davies, P & Pearse, E (2000) Success in English Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Doff, A (1988) Teach English: A Training Course for Teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 39 Dubbin, F & Olshtain, E (1986) Course Design: Developing Programs & Materials for Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Edwards, C &Willis, J (2005) Teachers Exploring Tasks in Language Teaching Palgrave Macmillan Harmer, J (1991) The Practice for English Language Teaching London: Longman Hubbard, P (1983) A Training Course for TEFL Oxford: Oxford University Press 10 Johnson, K (1982) Communicative Syllabus Design & Methodology Oxford: Pergamon Press 11 Johnson, K (2003) Designing Language Teaching Tasks New York: Palgrave Macmillan 12 Jones, K (1982) Simulation in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 13 La Dousse, G P (1994) Role Play: Resource Books for Teachers Oxford: Oxford University Press 14 Lewis, M & Hill, J (1992) Practical Techniques for Language Teaching London: Language Teaching Publications 15 Lightbown, P M & Spada, N (1999) How Languages Are Learned Oxford: Oxford University Press 16 Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 17 Livingstone, C (1983) Role Play in Language Teaching Essex: Longman Group Ltd 18 Loi, N V et al (2002) TIENG ANH 6, 7, 8, Hanoi: NXB Giao Duc 19 Munby, J (1978) Communicative Syllabus Design: A Sociolinguistic Model for Defining the Content of Purpose Specific Language Programs Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 20 Nolasco, R & Arthur, L (1988) Large Classes New York: Palgrave Macmillan 21 Nunan, D (1988) Syllabus Design Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 22 Nunan, D (2002) Research Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 23 Richards, J.C & Rodgers, T.S (2001) Approaches & Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 24 Richards, J.C (1974) Error Analysis London: Longman 40 25 Rivers, W M & Temperley, M.S (1978) A Practical Guide to the Teaching of English as a Second or Foreign Language Oxford: Oxford University Press 26 Sesnan, B (2001) How to Teach English Oxford: Oxford University Press 27 Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 28 Woodward, T (2001) Planning Lessons & Courses: Designing Sequences of Work for the Language Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 29 Yaiden, J (1987) Principles of Course Design for Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press APPENDIX I SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JHS TEACHERS A Teacher's Personal Information Please put a tick next to the appropriate answers and give the details in the blank provided Name (optional): Age: Below 25 years 35-39 years 50-54 years 25-29 years 40-44 years 55-59 years 41 30-34 years 45-49 years Years of teaching: School: Tick which qualification you have: CDSP/CQ in English CDSP BA in Russian + CDSP/TC in English CDSP/TC in English DHSP BA in Russian + CDSP/TC in English DHSP/CQ in English DHSP/TC in English Other (specify): Have you ever attended a training course (e.g short courses, summer workshops, etc.)? Yes No If yes, give details below: In the following table, please give the information of your teaching: Column 1: the grade (grade 6, grade etc.) Column 2: the number of classes you teach Column 3: the number of lessons a week with each class Column 4: the coursebook you use for each grade Grade # classes # lessons/wk coursebook Which other English levels have you taught previously? Grade Grade Grade Do you teach any other subjects? Yes Grade No If yes, which subjects? 10 Do you have any part-time job? Yes No If yes, which jobs? 11 What have you done to improve your level of English? 12 Which of the following can you use daily to improve your English? Radio Cassette-player Video Television Computer 42 B Information about your school The number of students studying English in your school: Grade Grade Grade Grade The number of English teachers: The average size of your classes: What percentage of English students passed the final exam? % Which of the following can you have access in your teaching performance? Cassette player DVD Photocopier Computer Card, paper, colored pencils, etc for making materials ELT reference books If yes, name some books: .6 Does your school provide? Teacher's Books accompany Student's books Subject group meetings Once a week A curriculum document If yes, how often? once a month once a semester once a year Please list the favorable conditions for teaching English: Please list the unfavorable conditions for teaching English: C Students' Attitude Answer the following questions about your students using the scale below: NONE SOME ABOUT HALF They enjoy studying English They find it difficult to speak English They find it difficult to listen to English They find it difficult to read English They find it difficult to write English MOST 0 0 1 1 ALL 2 2 3 3 4 4 43 D Teacher's Performance and Perception What you like about being a teacher? What you dislike about it? Who you get professional support from? ELT Specialist Other colleagues Group leader No-one How much time you spend preparing your lessons each day? 1/2 hour or less/day about an hour/day Where you prepare your lessons? at home more than an hour/day at school Why? What you like and dislike about the new textbook your use? I like I dislike Do you use other materials in addition to the text book? Yes No If yes, what kind of materials you use? Where they come from? Please give the following information about the tests you give your students Column 1: write the kind of tests that you give, e.g classroom tests, school tests, etc Column 2: write how often you give the test, e.g weekly, monthly, once a semester, annually, etc Column 3: write the areas that you test your students in, e.g grammar and vocabulary, reading, listening, speaking, writing Column 4: write the person responsible for writing the tests, e.g classroom teacher, subject group leader, etc TYPE OF TEST HOW OFTEN? WHICH AREAS WHO WRITES ARE TESTED? THE TEST? 44 Use the following scale to evaluate your own ability in the following areas: 1= You have a strong working knowledge in this topic and you use it in your teaching already 2= You know something about this topic but not use it very much in your teaching now 3= You would like to find out more about this topic so that you can use it in your teaching 4= You not think this topic is relevant for teaching junior high school students Topic Presenting new grammar Presenting new vocabulary Grammar practice activities Practicing new vocabulary Using dialogues for practice Eliciting Checking understanding Using drills Getting students to speak freely Teaching listening Teaching writing Teaching reading Teaching speaking Using dictation Using songs Correcting students’ errors Giving instructions for classroom activities Classroom management Organizing pair and group work Planning lessons Testing grammar Testing vocabulary 45 Testing spoken English Testing comprehension APPENDIX II OBSERVING TEACHERS (used as a checklist) Good OK Bad 1) Teaching procedure Is the aim of the lesson clear? Are the stages of the lesson clears? Does the teacher a variety of activities? Does the teacher encourage real use of language? Does the T use a warmer to begin the lesson with? 2) Use of teaching aids Does the teacher write clearly on the board? Does the T use any pictures to elicit vocabulary? Does the T use prompts to encourage speaking? 3) Management of the class Do the students participate actively in the lesson? Does the teacher have good discipline? Does the T encourage weaker Ss to answer questions? 4) Teacher’s personality Does the teacher smile often? Does the teacher seem interested in the lesson? Does the T praise the Ss when they work well? 5) Command of English Does the teacher have clear pronunciation? Does the teacher use English to organize the class? (adapted from Adrian Doff Teach English: A Training Course for Teachers, Oxford,1988) 46 APPENDIX III TEACHER OBSERVATION AND FEEDBACK Teacher: Observer: Date: School: Book: Unit: Warm-up and introducing the topic: Which warm-up does the teacher use? Is it successful? Presenting vocabulary: What procedure does the teacher follow? Does the teacher elicit vocabulary by using pictures, mime and gestures? Does the teacher give useful clear examples and ask the students questions with the new words? Preparation for Practice: What does the teacher in order to focus the students' attention for the next activity? Further practice: What other activities does the teacher to give the students a deeper understanding of the text, dialogue or structure? Pair work: Does the teacher use prompts on the board to help during pairwork? Does the teacher give a specific task and enough time for them to complete it? (1-2 minutes)? Does the teacher check some of the students afterwards? 47 Pronunciation focus: Are there any words which the teacher or students commonly mispronounce? Methodology: What kind of methodology is mostly used? Classroom management and teacher/student relationships: Does the teacher smile often and seem interested in the students? Does the teacher praise students when they work well and encourage weaker students to participate in the lesson? Comments and useful suggestions: How can the teacher improve his/ her teaching? ... communicative language teaching and practical techniques for language teaching 3 Chapter deals with the analysis on the current performance of English teaching and learning in junior high schools in Quang. .. Functional-Notional Approach In the 19 70s teachers of the Functional-Notional Approach stopped teaching grammar and started teaching more practical phrases and vocabulary for everyday life and social situations... emphasizes the implication of the study in which practical techniques for improving the teaching of oral skills for junior high school teachers in Quang Ngai province are suggested Part (Conclusion)