Exploring Small Group Collaboration as a Way to Promote English Learning in Online Classes at Three High Schools in Ha Nam province

The aptitude to learn collaboratively and work in groups is an essential capability in both offline and online classes since cooperative student activities are acknowledged as a crucial pedagogical approach in teaching foreign languages. The studied cases that were the focus of this research are three classes of 12 graders taught and observed by three teachers from three different high schools in Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province. From October 2021 to February 2022, the teachers organized a number of one-on-one interviews as well as observed focus groups of 12th graders. The study was carried by three English teachers in Nguyen Tat Thanh High school, A Phu Ly High School and Bien Hoa Gifted High school. The investigation showed that in all cases, working in small groups leads to three different work processes, depending on the student's flexibility and personal responsibility for their own shared learning. It also revealed collaborative learning in combination with digital teaching tools was the preferred instructional approach in all schools. The poster joint presentation will describe, compare and contrast the data taken from all three cases to find out how those students' language competency can be promoted and which strategies can be used to better design and monitor students' online learning through small group assignments.