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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND APPENDICES …………………………….
Part A: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………
1. Rationales for the study………………………………………………………… …
2. Aims of the study………………………………………………… ………………
3. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………………
4. Methods of the study………………………………………………………… …….
5. Research questions…………………………………………………………… …
6. Significance of the study……………………………………………………………
7. Design of the study…………………………………………………………… …
Part B: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………….…………
Chapter 1. Literature review…………………………………………………………
1. Current trends in teaching English as a second language…………………………
2. Communicative approach……………… ………………………………………….
3. Instructional strategies………………………………………………… ………….
3.1. History………………………………………… ……………………………
3.2. Categories……………………………………………… …………………
3.2.1. Direct Instruction……………………………………………… ………
3.2.2. Indirect Instruction……………………………………………… ……
3.2.3. Interactive Instruction………………………………… ………………
3.2.4. Experiential learning……………………… ………………………….
3.2.5. Independent study………… ……………
Chapter 2. The study…………………………………………………………………

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1.1. Syllabus and textbook ………………………………………………………
1.2. Learning and teaching condition …………………………… ……………….
1.3. Learners……………………………………………………………………….
1.4. Teachers……………………………………………………………………….
2. The study……………………………………… …………………………………
2.1. Informants……………………………………………………… ……………
2.2. Data collection instruments……………………………………………………
2.2.1. Questionnaires………………… ……………………………………….
2.2.2. Class observation ………………………………………………………
2.2.3. Interview………………………………………………………………
2.3. Data analysis and discussion of the findings…………… ……………………
2.3.1. Data analysis…………………………………………………………….
2.3.2. Discussion of the findings………………………………………………
2.3.2.1. The advantages of applying instructional strategies in teaching
speaking English …………………………………………………………………
2.3.2.2. The difficulties of applying instructional strategies in teaching
speaking English …………………………………………………………………
Chapter 3. Suggested solutions
1. Learning condition improvement …………………………………………………
2. Discipline maintenance……………………………………………… …
3. Engaged learning time increasing………………………………………………….
4. Provision for individual differences……………………………………… ……….
5. Evaluation of learning…………………………………… ……………………….
6. Some suggested speaking activities for large classes……………………………….
6.1. Topic brainstorming……………………………… ………
6.2. Tell a long story……………………………………………………… ……
6.3. Make presentation on certain topics…………………………………………
Part C: CONCLUSION ……………….……………………………………………
1. Summary of the study……………………………………………………………

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3. Suggestions for further research
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………
40 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 1. CUWC:
College of Urban Works Construction
2. ESL:
English as a second language

3. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………………
4. Methods of the study………………………………………………………… …….
5. Research questions…………………………………………………………… …
6. Significance of the study……………………………………………………………
7. Design of the study…………………………………………………………… …
Part B: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………….…………
Chapter 1. Literature review…………………………………………………………
1. Current trends in teaching English as a second language…………………………
2. Communicative approach……………… ………………………………………….
3. Instructional strategies………………………………………………… ………….
3.1. History………………………………………… ……………………………
3.2. Categories……………………………………………… …………………
3.2.1. Direct Instruction……………………………………………… ………
3.2.2. Indirect Instruction……………………………………………… ……
3.2.3. Interactive Instruction………………………………… ………………
3.2.4. Experiential learning……………………… ………………………….
3.2.5. Independent study………… ……………
Chapter 2. The study…………………………………………………………………
1. An overview of the current situation of teaching and learning speaking at CUWC
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2.3.1. Data analysis…………………………………………………………….
2.3.2. Discussion of the findings………………………………………………
2.3.2.1. The advantages of applying instructional strategies in teaching
speaking English …………………………………………………………………
2.3.2.2. The difficulties of applying instructional strategies in teaching
speaking English …………………………………………………………………
Chapter 3. Suggested solutions
1. Learning condition improvement …………………………………………………
2. Discipline maintenance……………………………………………… …
3. Engaged learning time increasing………………………………………………….
4. Provision for individual differences……………………………………… ……….
5. Evaluation of learning…………………………………… ……………………….
6. Some suggested speaking activities for large classes……………………………….
6.1. Topic brainstorming……………………………… ………
6.2. Tell a long story……………………………………………………… ……
6.3. Make presentation on certain topics…………………………………………
Part C: CONCLUSION ……………….……………………………………………
1. Summary of the study……………………………………………………………
2. Limitations of the study……………………………………………………………
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College of Urban Works Construction
2. ESL:
English as a second language

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PART A. INTRODUCTION

1. Rationales
Teaching English is never an easy job, especially when we have to work with non-
major learners. There are a lot of reasons for this fact. One of them is that learners

- Suggesting some solutions to help improve the application of instructional
strategies in teaching speaking skill.

3. Scope of the study
Because of limited time and experience, the study cannot investigate deeply all
problems and solutions while applying strategies in speaking skill in CUWC. It only
stops at describing some significant problems and suggesting some appropriate ways
to improve the application of these strategies in teaching speaking for students in the
college.
Owing to the reason mentioned above, the study does not cover all solutions to other
skills and levels as well as to exploit textbook of all kinds. It only focuses on New-
headway elementary textbook and ways to exploit it in teaching speaking skill.

4. Methods of the study
The study is designed to use both quantitative and qualitative methods. Besides,
various resources such as books, magazines, articles, newspapers and some
sources on the Internet have been chosen.
In order to gain the most successful results, the quantitative data will be collected
through two survey questionnaires. One survey questionnaire is for 85 non- major
first – year students of elementary level at CUWC and the other is for 6 teachers of
English in the Department of Basic Science. Collected data, then will be processed
and analyses to yield conclusions about the study.

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Together the quantitative method, the qualitative data has been obtained by
informal interviews with some students and teachers to gather in-depth
information about the real situations of teaching and learning speaking skills at
CUWC. Besides, the author’s own observations will contribute much to the
completion of the study.


strategy application at CUWC.
Last but not least, the “Conclusion” gives a brief description of the study and
states the limitations as well as recommendations for further research.
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PART B. DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1. LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Current trends in teaching English as a second language
Teaching speaking is considered as a difficult skill to teach. Because
Speaking is the skill which can help students to communicate in real situation. The
efficiency of teaching this skill can be evaluated right after students apply their have

factors need to be taken into teaching and learning speaking. Learners speak to
communicate successfully not to correctly.
Because of the present need, instructional strategies can show their importance in
teaching English as second language in general and speaking in particular. These
strategies can :
- Help students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world
works.
- Develop competence in an area of inquiry requires:
a) a foundation of factual knowledge
b) understanding facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework
c) organizing knowledge for retrieval and application.
- Help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining goals and
monitoring their progress in achieving them. (How People Learn (NRC, 1999)
Teachers now do not work alone in class any more. They help students to do that.
Learners are the centre of study. All the things are based on students: their life, their
interest, their own knowledge, etc. That can encourage them to work because they
know that they learn about and for themselves. ( Saskatchewan Education, 1988. ) 14
2. Communicative approach
Its origins are many, insofar as one teaching methodology tends to influence the
next. The communicative approach could be said to be the product of educators and
linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the audio-lingual and grammar-translation
methods of foreign language instruction.
They felt that students were not learning enough realistic, whole language. They did
not know how to communicate using appropriate social language, gestures, or
expressions; in brief, they were at a loss to communicate in the culture of the
language studied. Interest in and development of communicative-style teaching
mushroomed in the 1970s; authentic language use and classroom exchanges where

3.1. History
The instructional strategies used in the early twenty-first century began in antiquity.
In ancient Greece, Socrates illustrated a questioning strategy intended to facilitate
the learner's independent discovery of important truths. An instructional strategy
similar to direct instruction was reported by Samuel Griswold Goodwich's account
of teaching in a rural Connecticut school during the early eighteenth century.
The children were called up one by one to Aunt Delight, who sat on a low chair and
required each, as a preliminary, "to make his manners," which consisted of a small,
student nod. She then placed the spelling book before the pupils and with a penknife
pointed, one by one, to the letters of the alphabet saying, "What's that?" (Edward
and Richey, p.172).
As education extended beyond society's elite, educators became interested in
instructional strategies that would accommodate large numbers of students in
efficient ways. One example, the Lancaster Method, popular in the early nineteenth
century, consisted of gathering as many as a hundred students in one large room,
sorting them into groups of similar abilities, and having monitors (teacher aides)
guide pupil recitations from scripted lesson plans. Nineteenth-century instructional
strategies were teacher centered, intended mainly to transmit basic information

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clearly. In the early part of the twentieth century, however, this emphasis started to
shift. John Dewey and his disciples of Progressive education left a legacy of student-
centered instructional methods aimed at helping students acquire higher-level
thinking and problem-solving skills. Of particular importance was the project
method that provided the intellectual heritage for such contemporary methods as
cooperative learning, problem-based instruction and other approaches emphasizing
active student learning and group interaction.
In the late 1960s Bruce Joyce began describing the various approaches to teaching
that had been developed over the years. He developed a classification system to
analyze each approach according to its theoretical basis, the learner outcomes it was

grades. The predominant use of direct instruction methods needs to be evaluated,
and educators need to recognize the limitation of these methods for developing the
abilities, processes, and attitudes required for critical thinking, and for interpersonal
or group learning. Student understanding of affective and higher level cognitive
objectives may require the use of instructional methods associated with other

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strategies. To ensure that the Saskatchewan Goals of Education are achieved,
teachers will need to employ a variety of instructional strategies.
3.2.2. Indirect Instruction
Inquiry, induction, problem solving, decision making, and discovery are terms that
are sometimes used interchangeably to describe indirect instruction. In contrast to
the direct instruction strategy, indirect instruction is mainly student-centred,
although the two strategies can complement each other. Examples of indirect
instruction methods include reflective discussion, concept formation, concept
attainment, cloze procedure, problem solving, and guided inquiry.
Indirect instruction seeks a high level of student involvement in observing,
investigating, drawing inferences from data, or forming hypotheses. It takes
advantage of students' interest and curiosity, often encouraging them to generate
alternatives or solve problems. It is flexible in that it frees students to explore
diverse possibilities and reduces the fear associated with the possibility of giving
incorrect answers. Indirect instruction also fosters creativity and the development of
interpersonal skills and abilities. Students often achieve a better understanding of the
material and ideas under study and develop the ability to draw on these
understandings.
In indirect instruction, the role of the teacher shifts from lecturer/director to that of
facilitator, supporter, and resource person. The teacher arranges the learning
environment, provides opportunity for student involvement, and, when appropriate,
provides feedback to students while they conduct the inquiry (Martin, 1983).
Indirect instruction relies heavily on the use of print, non-print, and human

with opportunities to "react to the ideas, experience, insights, and knowledge of the
teacher or of peer learners and to generate alternative ways of thinking and feeling"
(p. 119). Students can learn from peers and teachers to develop social skills and
abilities, to organize their thoughts, and to develop rational arguments.

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The interactive instruction strategy allows for a range of groupings and interactive
methods. These may include total class discussions, small group discussions or
projects, or student pairs or triads working on assignments together. It is important
for the teacher to outline the topic, the amount of discussion time, the composition
and size of the groups, and reporting or sharing techniques. Interactive instruction
requires the refinement of observation, listening, interpersonal, and intervention
skills and abilities by both teacher and students.
The success of the interactive instruction strategy and its many methods is heavily
dependent upon the expertise of the teacher in structuring and developing the
dynamics of the group.
3.2.4. Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is inductive, learner-centred, and activity oriented.
Personalized reflection about an experience and the formulation of plans to apply
[earnings to other contexts are critical factors in effective experiential learning.
Experiential learning occurs when learners:
 participate in an activity;
 critically look back on the activity to clarify [earnings and feelings;
 draw useful insights from such analysis; and,
 put [earnings to work in new situations. (Pfeiffer & Jones, 1979)
Experiential learning can be viewed as a cycle consisting of five phases, all of which
are necessary:
 experiencing (an activity occurs);
 sharing or publishing (reactions and observations are shared);
 analyzing or processing (patterns and dynamics are determined);

The importance of independent study is captured in the following statement:
“ Independent learning has implications for responsible decision-making, as
individuals are expected to analyze problems, reflect, make decisions and take
purposeful actions. To take responsibility for their lives in times of rapid social

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change, students need to acquire life-long learning capability. As most aspects of
our daily lives are likely to undergo profound changes, independent learning will
enable individuals to respond to the changing demands of work, family and
society.” (Saskatchewan Education, 1988, p. 53)
A primary educational goal is to help students become self-sufficient and
responsible citizens by enhancing individual potential. Schools can help students to
grow as independent learners. However, if the knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and
processes associated with independent learning are to be acquired, they must be
taught and enough time must be provided for students to practice. Use of
independent study methods may begin as early as kindergarten and should continue
to be used through all the grades. Students should be able to continue to learn after
they have left the structured learning environment of the school.
Independent study encourages students to take responsibility for planning and
pacing their own learning. Independent study can be used in conjunction with other
methods, or it can be used as the single instructional strategy for an entire unit. The
factors of student maturity and independence are obviously important to the
teacher's planning.
Adequate learning resources for independent study are critical. The teacher who
wishes to help students become more autonomous learners will need to support the
development of their abilities to access and handle information. It is important to
assess the abilities students already possess. These abilities often vary widely within
any group of students. Specific skills and abilities may then be incorporated into
assignments tailored to the capabilities of individual students. The co-operation of
the teacher librarian and the availability of materials from the resource centre and

Learning and teaching condition
Surrounding condition is an important factor for improving or preventing learning
and teaching results. Thanks to leaders’ care in recent years, English classes have

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been equipped with modern facilities such as cassette players, computers and
projectors. Therefore, teachers can apply progressive methods and technology in
their lectures and learners thus are more interested in lessons. Besides, a new five-
storey building brings students a better and more comfortable place to study and
encourages them to attend classes.
However, there is one dream which has not come true. There are always from fifty
to sixty, even more than sixty students in each class. This number is not ideal for
learning a foreign language, especially for speaking lessons. It also prevents the
improvement of learning and teaching speaking skills. Working with a large number
of students is a problem for teachers. They face difficulties when teaching and
maintaining the discipline of class at the same time. The overcrowded situation,
therefore, reduces learners’ attention. Teachers speak but learners cannot hear
because their friends are talking in class. As a result, students are not able to
understand all the lecturers’ instruction. It is more challenging when teachers have
to carry out speaking activities. How could they cover so many groups or pairs?
That is the question. More seriously, teachers are exhausted after lessons in which
they have spoken aloud all the times. It causes bad influences on lecturers’ health.

Learners
Most students in the College of Urban Works Construction are general and at
elementary level. They have learned English for at least three years at high school
but this subject was not carefully taken into their consideration. In their opinion,
learning English means learning grammar and structures. All are reasons why
learners get shocked when facing English oral exams at the college. Students are
surprised when they have to study to speak out in class firstly and then in the exams.

teaching enthusiasm between two workplaces.
In short, all factors affect teaching. However, teachers always try to work seriously
and effectively to maximize their teaching efficiency.