Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm THPT: Innovating group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’speaking skill and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school

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The main purpose of this experience idea is to examine and research the factors that affect teachers’ speaking skill, the current situation of group meetings at most of the schools. Also, it is intended to suggest some solutions to innovate group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skill and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school.

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NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING ------ EXPERIENCE IDEA TOPIC: INNOVATING GROUP MEETING PROCEDURE AND CONTENTS TO ENHANCE TEACHERS’ SPEAKING SKILL AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN HOANG MAI 2 HIGH SCHOOL Hoang Mai, April 2023
NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HOANG MAI 2 HIGH SCHOOL ------ EXPERIENCE IDEA TOPIC: INNOVATING GROUP MEETING PROCEDURE AND CONTENTS TO ENHANCE TEACHERS’ SPEAKING SKILL AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN HOANG MAI 2 HIGH SCHOOL Author : Pham Thi Oanh School : Hoang Mai 2 high school Specialized team : English Phone number : 0967772364 Hoang Mai, April 2023
CONTENTS PART 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................... 1 1. Rationale................................................................................................................ 1 2. Aims of the study .................................................................................................. 1 3. Research subjects .................................................................................................. 2 4. Scope of the research............................................................................................. 2 5. Research methodology .......................................................................................... 2 6. Research and experimental time ........................................................................... 2 7. Contributions of the topic...................................................................................... 2 8. Organization of the study ...................................................................................... 3 PART II: CONTENT .............................................................................................. 4 CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS OF THE TOPIC 4 1. An overview of group meeting ............................................................................... 4 1.1 What is the purpose of a group meeting?................................................................. 4 1.2 The importance of group meetings.......................................................................... 5 1.3. When do we need a group meeting? ...................................................................... 5 1. 4. How to run an effective group meeting. .......................................................... 6 2. An overview of spoken language ........................................................................ 8 2.1. The definition of spoken language ..................................................................... 8 2.2 The characteristics of spoken language .............................................................. 9 2.3 The significance of speaking skills ................................................................... 10 2.4 The functions of speaking skills ........................................................................ 11 2.5 The reality of teachers’ speaking skills. ............................................................ 11 3. Factors that affect teachers’ speaking skill..................................................... 12 3.1 Lack of environment ......................................................................................... 12 3.2 Pressure from examinations .............................................................................. 12 3.3 Lack of time for self-study and enrich their knowledge ................................... 12 4. Some current situation about group meeting of English groups at most schools. .................................................................................................................... 12 4.1 Use Vietnamese in group meeting .................................................................... 12 4.2 Mostly do paperwork at group meeting ............................................................ 13 CHAPTER 2: SOME SOLUTIONS TO INNOVATE GROUP MEETING TO CREATE AN ENGLISH SPEAKING ENVIRONMENT FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS ........................................................................................................... 13 1. Use English in group meeting ............................................................................. 13 2. Use English in group chatting ............................................................................. 14 3. Innovate group meeting contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skills.............. 14 4. Use the board in the group meeting room as a tool to exchange knowledge and learn together. .......................................................................................................... 15 5. Change place of group meeting........................................................................... 16
6. Co-operate with other schools to exchange ideas, knowledge and learn from each other. ............................................................................................................... 16 7. Hold annual English speaking contests for teachers. .......................................... 17 8. Make friend with native speakers and invite them to attend our group meeting or English club so that we will have chances to practice our English and they can give valuable ideas to contribute to our group. ............................................................... 17 CHAPTER 3: FACTORS TO BRING ABOUT A PRODUCTIVE GROUP MEETING IN ENGLISH. .................................................................................... 19 1. The preparation. .................................................................................................. 19 2. The role of group leader. ..................................................................................... 20 3. The role of group members ................................................................................. 20 4. Stages to run a group meeting in English effectively ......................................... 20 CHAPTER 4: THE EFFECTIVENESS WHEN CARRYING OUT THIS EXPERIENCE IDEA IN HOANG MAI 2 SCHOOL ....................................... 22 1. The effectiveness when carrying out this experience idea in Hoang Mai 2 school....................................................................................................................... 22 2. Teachers’ opinions about the innovation of group meeting contents and procedure. ................................................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER 5. SURVEY ON THE URGENCY AND FEASIBILITY OF THE EXPERIENCE IDEA............................................................................................ 24 1. The aim of the survey ........................................................................................ 24 2. Content and method of survey ......................................................................... 24 2.1. Survey content. ................................................................................................. 24 2.2. Survey method and Grading scale. .................................................................. 25 3. Survey scope....................................................................................................... 26 4. Survey result on the urgency and feasibility of suggested solutions in the experience idea....................................................................................................... 26 4.1. The urgency of the research. ............................................................................ 26 4.2. The feasibility of the research. ......................................................................... 28 PART 3: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................ 31 I. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 31 II. Recommendations .............................................................................................. 31 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………….……… APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………………….
PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale When young teachers have just graduated from universities and gone out to work, they usually have the habit of speaking English. Their voices are beautiful and sweet. But at most schools English teachers are judged by the scores of their students’ entrance exam. So they spend most of their time teaching students grammar, reading and do multiple choice exercises. They mostly use Vietnamese in class so day after day they gradually lose their speaking habit. But as we know, only when the teachers have the habit of speaking English can they teach their students to speak English well. So there is an urgent need to enhance teachers’ overall competences especially speaking skill to meet the requirement of teaching English in this modern society. In most of group meetings, English teachers usually speak Vietnamese and do paperwork with very low effect and waste a lot of time. Many groups hold group meeting just because principals require them to do so not because they have demand to do so. Group meeting are excellent opportunities for English teachers to enhance their overall competences especially speaking skill to meet the new demand in this modern society. That is the main reason why I decided to choose the topic: “Innovating group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’speaking skill and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school”. In this experience idea I address some reasons that affect teachers speaking abilities and suggest some solutions to make full use of group meetings to enhance teachers’ speaking skill. 2. Aims of the study The main purpose of this experience idea is to examine and research the factors that affect teachers’ speaking skill, the current situation of group meetings at most of the schools. Also, it is intended to suggest some solutions to innovate group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skill and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school. The study is aimed at answering 3 questions: 1, What factors affect teachers’ speaking abilities? 2, What factors affect the quality of a group meeting? 3, Which possible recommendations can be taken to innovate group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skill and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school. 1
3. Research subjects The subject of this experience idea is the teachers of Hoang Mai 2 high school as well as teachers from nearby schools and focuses mainly on some factors that affect teachers’ speaking skills, the current situation of group meetings in most schools and offer some effective solutions to innovate group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skill and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school. 4. Scope of the research Due to the time limitation, resources and knowledge as well as other conditions, the study focuses on finding out some factor that affect teachers’ speaking skills, the current situation of group meetings in most schools and offer some effective solutions to innovate group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skills and its effectiveness in Hoang Mai 2 high school. Thus, the study is valuable for English teachers in Hoang Mai 2 high school in general and all English teachers in particular. 5. Research methodology In order to reach the achievement of this study, the researcher carried out some following methods: survey method, quantitative method and methods of data analysis and synthesis. To be more specific, 7 English teachers in Hoang Mai 2 high school involved in the research. From the result of the survey, the researcher has conducted the analysis by statistics, selection and calculation to produce the most accurate and objective results. Then I will summarize and describe the data through charts and tables to show the problems that affect teachers’ speaking skills, the current situations of group meeting at most of the schools and the results after innovating group meeting procedure and contents to enhance teachers speaking skills. 6. Research and experimental time The topic was studied and conducted extensive pedagogical experiments at schools from the 2021-2022 school year. The process of completing data and the project is in the school year 2022 - 2023. 7. Contributions of the topic This experience idea will offer possible solutions for group leaders to create an English speaking environment for all members in the group to help them enhance their speaking skill and improve their overall competences as well. 2
8. Organization of the study Besides opening part including Rationale, Tables of contents, List of figures and tables and closing part including Conclusion, References, Appendix; the research consists of three main parts: Part 1: Introduction This chapter presents the overview of the study including rationale, aims of the study, research subjects and research methodology as well as organization of the study. Part 2: Content This part includes the theoretical background, it focuses on the concept of group meeting, the importance of group meeting, when do we need a group meeting, factors to run a group meeting effectively as well as the concept of English speaking skills. It also consists of the reality of teachers using spoken language at school and the teachers’ English requirements nowadays. This part also include some solutions to innovate group meeting to create an English speaking environment for English teachers in Vietnam and the effectiveness when carrying out this innovation in Hoang Mai 2 school. Part 3: Conclusion and petitions This part includes the summary of the study, possible suggestions, discussions and conclusions before ending with recommendations for further study. 3
PART II: CONTENT CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS OF THE TOPIC 1. An overview of group meeting When organized efficiently, a group meeting can be one of the most powerful tools in your workplace arsenal; it can enable closer collaboration, help with brainstorming, and facilitate communication with the whole group. When a group meeting is used incorrectly, though, a group leader might end up looking out at a sea of disengaged faces on their screen or in the conference room. The trick, then, is to establish the purpose of our group meeting and the subsequent action items even before hitting send on our invite. Knowing how to run our meeting ahead of time can make all the difference and avoids the dreaded meeting fatigue. 1.1 What is the purpose of a group meeting? The name says it all: a group meeting is one that allows all the members of a unit or organization to convene, communicate, and collaborate on shared objectives. There are different types of group gatherings, though, and each serves a different purpose. To run an effective group meeting, take the time to evaluate your needs and plan accordingly. In any organization we’ll find the following types of group meetings: - Daily status updates. These quick check-ins help employees update their colleagues on what they’re working on and are a great place to ask for support on upcoming projects in real-time. The daily cadence isn’t necessary for all groups, but it can be very useful for development groups working on time-sensitive sprints, for example. - Weekly gruop meetings. If scheduled on a Monday, a weekly group meeting can be helpful for aligning priorities and addressing issues or roadblocks. They’re also a great moment for managers to reflect on the previous week’s work and give recognition for strong group efforts. - Town hall meetings. Large-scale meetings like town halls gather the entire group and are a great opportunity to have an open discussion on high-level topics like strategies and company roadmaps. These are helpful for aligning people across teams or departments. One-time meetings. This is the type of meeting that managers schedule as needed and as important things come up that need to be addressed in a timely fashion. For example, if there’s a major change that will impact the group, like a departure, strategy shift, or restructuring. 4
Retrospectives. Post-mortem, debrief, wrap-up; regardless of your preferred moniker, a retrospective meeting is one that takes place at the end of a project or campaign and gives us the chance to look back on our work. In retrospective team meetings, units take the time to review results and understand what went well, and take note of what can be improved on for future projects. Retrospective meetings help a team improve its methods and grow stronger as a group. 1.2 The importance of group meetings Like their one-on-one counterparts, group meetings have a lot of benefits, contribute to group cohesion, and encourage participation. Let’s dive into the benefits of effective group meetings and how they boost collaboration. Key benefits of group meetings - Getting everyone on the same page. Regular group meetings are a great way to develop group alignment. When people connect frequently, they’re more in sync with what they’re working toward together and each of their roles in that mission. Group meetings are also an effective way to help your group understand its objectives, goals, and responsibilities. This also helps individual employees understand how they fit into the bigger picture. - Building trust and rapport. High-performing groups are happy and comfortable groups that know, trust, and understand each other. Getting everyone together creates genuine connections between colleagues, regardless of whether they’re in person or virtual. - Improving communication. Effective group meetings allow for information sharing and for the flow of new ideas. Without body language and vocal inflection cues, some things can get lost in translation via email or over a Slack message. If you’re trying to share a major announcement like a staff restructuring, a group meeting can create a channel of open communication and leaves space for questions or comments. - Creating space for feedback. As a group leader, encouraging employee feedback is essential for future success. Make efficient use of our meeting time and open the floor for comments and problem-solving at the end of your session. Team meetings are also a great opportunity for imparting feedback on past or current projects. 1.3. When do we need a group meeting? To make the most of our group’s time, there are a few key considerations before scheduling our meeting. Purpose 5
It goes without saying that we should have the purpose of our group meeting established before inviting our group . Visualizing our end game can help us stay on topic and help establish clearer next steps. Timing An important part of our group meeting preparation boils down to when we schedule it. Flex our leadership skills and make sure we set time aside before the launch of a new campaign or project to discuss ideas and review details that will impact our colleagues’ tasks. While scheduling a group meeting at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday is sometimes a necessary evil, avoiding inconvenient time slots can go a long way toward keeping our team engaged. Frequency Determine whether this session will necessitate future meetings. If we’re tackling an ongoing project with different components, scheduling several touchpoints over the course of our campaign can be helpful for keeping our group members in the loop. Format While many companies now offer the option to work remotely, consider it might be beneficial to gather on-site for our meeting. Sometimes our colleagues need only be surrounded by like-minded creative people to get their creativity flowing. 1. 4. How to run an effective group meeting. Holding an effective meeting is a vital skill for group leaders. A well-run and productive meeting can help a group get more done in less time, while an ineffective meeting wastes everyone's time and energy. Here are some advices on what to do before, during, and after the meeting. * Before the meeting. Running an effective meeting begins long before the actual meeting takes place. Below is some preparation work to consider before the meeting to ensure fruitful results. - Set a clear objective and agenda First of all, we should make it clear why we are holding this meeting and what’s the intended outcome. Then we can start working on a meeting agenda based on the goal. The agenda covers topics to discuss, timeframes for each subject, and an action item section. When the agenda is crafted, distribute it before the meeting so everyone knows what to expect and can come prepared to contribute meaningfully. - Allow asynchronous brainstorming 6
Asynchronous brainstorming is a powerful tool for collaboration. While sending a meeting invitation, attach the meeting agenda and necessary pre- reading materials. Therefore the attendees can brainstorm asynchronously and save time in the meeting. This approach allows team members to organize their thoughts at their own pace without the pressure of a formal meeting. It also enables team members to think deeply about the problem and even develop creative and out-of-the-box solutions. Moreover, we can use the team's brainstorming notes as a kickoff point for the discussion. - Define roles and responsibility Finally, assign meeting roles and responsibilities before the meeting. Clearly define who will lead the discussion, who will take notes, who will be responsible for follow-up tasks, and who will present information. Therefore everyone knows what is expected of them and will contribute effectively to the meeting. * During the meeting - Set ground rules for communication Every group meeting needs to have ground rules for communication .These guidelines may comprise various aspects, such as respecting each other's opinions, avoiding interruptions, and keeping the discussion focused on the topic at hand. Additionally, promoting a "no blame" culture where mistakes and misunderstandings are but opportunities for learning and growth can also enhance communication and collaboration. - Encourage participation from everyone Group meetings are all about teamwork, so make sure that everyone has an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions. Encouraging participation from everyone is essential to ensuring that the meeting is productive. Here are some tips for doing this: At the start of the meeting, set clear expectations for everyone to participate. Let them know their input is valued and essential to the meeting's success. - Use visual aids for collaboration Visual aids can be a powerful tool for collaboration as they help clarify ideas, facilitate understanding, and ensure everyone focuses on the same goals. Common visual aids include whiteboards, stickers, and flip charts to capture ideas and concepts during the meeting. 7
Visual aids also effectively track team members' ideas and take notes. They allow everyone to view the entire discussion, making building on ideas and generating new ones more manageable. - Take breaks as needed Collaborative meetings can be intense and exhausting. Take breaks as needed to help everyone recharge and refocus. Consider scheduling regular break intervals to allow everyone to stretch, grab a snack, or use the restroom. * After the meeting - Recap the meeting After the meeting, send a summary to all attendees detailing the key points discussed, action items, and deadlines. You want everyone to be on the same page and can act accordingly to their roles. - Evaluate the meeting Take some time to evaluate how the meeting went. Consider what went well and what you can improve for next time. Continual improvement is the right step toward making your collaborative meetings effective. - Provide feedback Give feedback to the team members participating in the meeting. It can be positive feedback for things that went well or constructive feedback for areas they could improve. Feedback will help team members grow and develop their collaboration skills. - Schedule follow-up meetings If necessary, schedule follow-up meetings to discuss progress on action items and address any new issues. Keeping the lines of communication open ensures that everyone is working towards the same goal and that the collaboration continues beyond the initial meeting. 2. An overview of spoken language 2.1. The definition of spoken language A spoken language is a language produced by articulate sounds, as opposed to a written language. Many languages have no written form and so are only spoken. An oral language or vocal language is a language produced with the vocal tract, as opposed to a sign language, which is produced with the hands and face. The term "spoken language" is sometimes used to mean only vocal languages, especially by linguists, making all three terms synonyms by excluding sign languages. Others refer to sign language as "spoken", especially in contrast to written transcriptions of signs. 8
Speaking also is one of the basic four skills in learning foreign language besides, listening, reading, and writing. It has been though since the students entered elementary school, however it is not easy for the students to communicate in English. They have to think more often when using English spoken language. According to Brown and Yule (1999:14) stated that speaking is depending on the complexity of the information to be communicated. However, the students sometimes find it difficult to clarify what they want to say. 2.2 The characteristics of spoken language Spoken language has the following characteristics (Halliday, 1989, p. 31): Variation in speed - but it is generally faster than writing. Loudness or quietness. Gestures - body language. Intonation. Stress. Rhythm. Pitch range. Pausing and phrasing. As well as this, there are differences in the actual language used (Biber, 1988; Biber, Johansson, Leech, Conrad & Finegan, 1999; Chafe, 1982; Cook, 1997; Halliday,1989). Less Complex Spoken language is less complex than written language. Spoken language is grammatically less complicated than written language. It has fewer subordinate clauses, fewer "that/to" complement clauses, fewer sequences of prepositional phrases, fewer attributive adjectives and more active verbs than written language. Spoken texts are longer. This means that there is more repetition. According to Ure (1971), the percentage of different words in a text is generally below 40% for spoken texts and above 40% for written texts. Spoken texts also have shorter, less complex words and phrases. They have fewer nominalisations, more verb- based phrases, and a more limited vocabulary. Spoken texts are lexically less dense than written language - they have proportionately more grammatical words than lexical words. Spoken language has more words that refer to the speaker, more quantifiers and hedges, and less abstractness. Spoken language has: 9
More verb- based phrases. (e.g. having treatment (W), being treated (S), hospital care (W), go to the hospital (S)). More predicative adjectives. (misleading statistics (W), statistics are misleading (S)). More pronouns (it, they, you, we). More lexical repetition. More first-person reference (I). More active verbs than written language. Fewer complex words and phrases. Spoken texts are: More fragmented - more simple sentences and more use of coordination and, but, so, because rather than subordination (embedding). Lexically less dense. Longer. 2.3 The significance of speaking skills Language is a tool for communication. We communicate with others, to express our ideas, to deliver thought, and feeling, and to know others’ ideas as well. Communication takes place, where there is speech. Without speech, we cannot communicate with one another. The importance of 3/10 speaking skills, hence is immense for the learners of any languages. Without speech, a language is reduced to a mere script. The use of language is an activity that takes place within the confines of our community. We use language in a variety of situations. People at their workplaces, i.e. researchers working either in a medical laboratory or in a language laboratory, are supposed to speak correctly and effectively in order to communicate well with one another. Any gap in commutation results in misunderstandings and problems. For a smooth running of any system, the speakers of a language need to be especially and purposefully trained in the skill of speaking. In order to become a well-rounded, one communicator needs to be competent in each of the four language skills: listening , speaking, reading and writing, but the ability to speak skillfully, provides the speaker with several distinct advantages. The capacity to express one’s thoughts, opinions, and feelings, in the form of putting words together in a meaningful way, provides the speaker with these advantages. The joy of sharing one’s ideas with others is endless. When we speak to others we come to have a better understanding of our selves, as Robert 10
Frost once said: ‘‘I am a writer of books in retrospect, I talk in order to understand, I teach in order to learn.’’ Undoubtedly, the clarity in speech reflects clear thinking. 2.4 The functions of speaking skills According to Brown and Yule, there are three functions of speaking, “…three part version of Brown and Yule’s framework (after Jones 1996 and Burns 1998): talk as interaction, talk as transaction, talk as performance. Each of these speech activities is quite distinct in terms of form and function and requires different teaching approaches. Talk as interaction Our daily communication remains interactional with other people. This refers to what we said as conversations used in daily activities in social interaction; When people meet, they exchange greetings, engage in small talk, recount the experiences, and soon. Talk as transaction In talk as the transaction is more focused on message that conveyed and making other people understand what we want to convey, by clearly and accurately. While talking as transaction is about the situation focusing on the meaning delivered or the message for instance, like teachers teach students, etc. Talk as performance In this case, speaking activities is more focus on monolog better than dialog. The function of speaking as performance refers to public talk which transmits information to an audience, such as classroom presentations, public announcements, and speeches. 2.5 The reality of teachers’ speaking skills. When young teachers have just graduated from universities and gone out to work, they usually have the habit of speaking English. Their voices are beautiful and sweet. But at most schools, English teachers are judged by the scores of their students’ exams. So they spend most of their time teaching students grammar, reading and do multiple choice. They mostly use Vietnamese in class so day after day, they gradually lose their speaking habit. But as we know, only when the teachers have the habit of speaking English can they teach their students to speak English well. So there is an urgent need to enhance teachers teachers’ overall competences especially speaking skills to meet the requirement of teaching English in this modern society. In most of group meetings, English teacher usually speak Vietnamese and do paperwork with very low effect and waste a lot of time. Many groups hold group 11
meeting just because principals require them to do so not because they have demand to do so. Group meeting are excellent opportunities for English teachers to enhance their overall competences especially speaking skills to meet the new demand in this modern society. 3. Factors that affect teachers’ speaking skill. 3.1 Lack of environment At universities English students always speak English with their friends, their teachers and as universities are usually situated in big cities so English students have many chances to meet native speakers to practice their English. When they graduate and go out to work, they don’t have many chances to speak English at workplaces and their speaking skill get worse and worse. In the class because of pressure from exams, teachers mostly focus on reading and grammar and not pay much attention to speaking and listening. In group meeting and everyday contact with their colleagues they rarely speak English. As a result, teachers gradually lose their speaking habit and speaking skill get worse and worse. 3.2 Pressure from examinations As we know teachers are judged by the scores of their students at important examinations such as entrance examination to grade 10 or the national high school exam. These examinations are carried out in written form, mostly in form of multiple choice. In order to get high result teachers spend most of time in class to teach student grammar and reading and not paying much attention to speaking and listening. That is why teachers gradually lose their speaking habits and their speaking abilities get worse and worse. 3.3 Lack of time for self-study and enrich their knowledge After going out to work, especially after getting married English teachers are so busy with the workload at school. Because the salary of a teacher is so small that they hardly make end meet. As a result after teaching main lessons at school, English teachers have a lot of extra classes to earn more money to support their families. Teachers are so busy with teaching at school and at extra lesson they do not have time for self study and enrich their knowledge. 4. Some current situation about group meeting of English groups at most schools. 4.1 Use Vietnamese in group meeting Although most of English teacher have a good command of English and can speak English fluently, in most group meeting people use Vietnamese because it is easy and fast for them to exchange ideas and they do not have to think a lot, to prepare a lot as when they speak English and they are not afraid of making 12
mistakes. When using Vietnamese they can freely chat and joke with each other without any difficulties which is very hard if they speak English. 4.2 Mostly do paperwork at group meeting Many groups just have group meeting because their principals require them not because they have demand to do so. And at group meeting they mostly do paper work with low effectiveness and waste alot of time. There is a need to change meeting contents and procedure to create an English speaking environment for all English teacher to enhance their speaking skill and overall competences. CHAPTER 2: SOME SOLUTIONS TO INNOVATE GROUP MEETING TO CREATE AN ENGLISH SPEAKING ENVIRONMENT FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS 1. Use English in group meeting As we know only when teachers have habit of speaking English can they teach their students to speak English well. There is an urgent need to create an English speaking environment for all English teachers so each teacher will have chances to practise speaking English with their colleagues. This not only help the teachers develop their speaking skill but also improve their overall skills. Use English in group meeting will help to create a sustainable English speaking environment for all members in the group. Practicing English everyday will help the teachers form the habit of speaking English and improve their English little by little. By using English in group meeting all members in the group have to learn day after day. All teachers will have the habit of expressing what they want to say in English and search for the words they want to say and share them with other teachers in the group. This will help all members in the group enrich their vocabulary as well as new structures. Teachers in Hoang Mai 2 school are having a group meeting in English. 13
2. Use English in group chatting Group meeting is usually held twice a month but group chatting may take place almost every day because we have a lot of things to discuss, to ask our colleagues’ opinions or just to joke with them. So use English in group chatting will help all teachers in the group form a habit of using English every day, try to express every thing in English. When they want to talk about something that they do not know they will have to search for the words, phrases or structures on the internet and this will help them enrich their vocabulary and new structure little by little. When one member shares a new vocabulary or structure in group chatting other members can learn as well. In general, use English in group chatting will form a sustainable English speaking environment for all teachers in the group and help all teachers have an environment to learn together. Some messages in English in the chatbox of Hoang Mai 2 English group . 3. Innovate group meeting contents to enhance teachers’ speaking skills. In most of group meeting teachers usually do paperwork with low effectiveness and waste a lot of time. There is a need to change meeting contents and procedure to create an English speaking environment for all English teacher to enhance their speaking skill and overall competences. Below are some ways to change the contents of group meeting. 14
- Spend group meeting time to do a test for example provincial test for gifted students or national secondary education test together and discuss difficult points of the test, find out the sources of the test and how to guide students to do the test well. This will not only bring a lot of benefit to all teachers and but English teaching at the schools as well. - Spend group meeting time to have a seminar about a subject that they are concerned or interested in. All group members can choose a theme that they want to improve in their teaching and have a seminar about it. For example having a seminar about new English textbook, what are its advantages, disadvantages and how to teach it effectively. Or the group can even have a seminar on how to attract students’ attention to the lesson. Other themes such as “How can parents raise a good child?’’ or “How to have a happy marriage? ”… are attractive themes that all members in the group can discuss freely and learn a lot from each other. The important point here is find out a subject, a theme to provoke speaking English among the group members. 4. Use the board in the group meeting room as a tool to exchange knowledge and learn together. We can use the board in group meeting room as a tool to exchange knowledge and learn together. By writing all timetable and schedule in English we can learn a lot day by day. Beside timetable and schedule, we can write difficult exercises, interesting phrases, structures, idioms …. on the board to share with each other. The board will become an effective tool for all members in the group to share knowledge and learn together. The board of English group at Hoang Mai 2 school which is not only used to write timetable, schedules but it is also used as a tool for all group members to share knowledge and learn together. 15
5. Change place of group meeting Group meetings usually take place at the room of the group and deal with paperwork only. Besides changing the contents and procedure of the meeting we can change the places of the meeting to have better effectiveness. We can have group meeting at a cafeteria where we can enjoy our favourite drinks and food and use English to discuss about the group’s work or talk about the subjects we are concerned. Or we can go to house of some of group members to visit them, have a cosy meal and discuss about the group’s work and chat freely in English with our colleagues. Change place of group meeting will make the group meeting appealing and create a friendly environment for all teachers. This can reduce the tension that a meeting usually have and make all teachers feel comfortable to speak English. Members of English group are having a meeting at a cafeteria and at the house of a group member. 6. Co-operate with other schools to exchange ideas, knowledge and learn from each other. Every year, schools in a region usually gather one or more times together. It will be the best occasion for teachers to use English to exchange ideas, knowledge and learn from each other. Regional workshop is an ideal place to create an English speaking environment for all teachers in the region and foster English speaking at schools in the region as well. At the regional workshop, teachers can use English to discuss about the problems they are concerned and make friends with each other. If we can make full use of regional workshop, it will create an ideal English speaking environment and encourage speaking English among teachers in the region. 16