(SKKN HAY NHẤT) USING MIND MAP AND BRAINSTORM TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS GRADE 11TH

Although a lot of efforts have been put for successful implementation of different techniques in teaching English as a second language, there are still many problems teachers and st

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Reason for the study:

English vocabulary constitutes a challenge for English foreign languageteaching and learning Most students spend a lot of time studying English vocabulary,

but the result is often frustrating and unsatisfactory when so many students learn

vocabulary by rote memorization, which is boring and dampens students’ enthusiasm

for learning

Although a lot of efforts have been

put for successful implementation of

different techniques in teaching

English as a second language, there

are still many problems teachers and

students face in the language

classroom We need

to make changes in the educational

process, otherwise there will be more

barriers students and teachers will be

unable to overcome in the future

There is a demand to use

powerful, creative and adaptable

techniques in teaching

and learning languages Mind

mapping can be used to solve the

problems mentioned above We

suggest that using mind maps in

teaching and learning English will be

useful for both teachers and students

as the amount of information is

increasing every second and our

brain, which doesn’t work in a linear

way can’t perceive even a small part

of it Although a lot of efforts have

been put for successful

implementation of different

techniques in teaching English

as a second language, there are still

many problems teachers and

students face in the language

classroom We need

to make changes in the educational

process, otherwise there will be more

barriers students and teachers will be

unable to overcome in the future

There is a demand to use powerful,

creative and adaptable techniques in

teaching

and learning languages Mind

mapping can be used to solve the

problems mentioned above We

suggest that using mind maps in

teaching and learning English will be

useful for both teachers and students

as the amount of information is

As we have already known that teaching and learning English at high schoolshave made major changes both in content and in teaching methods to match the

objectives and requirements set out in the reform program Although a lot

of efforts have been put for successful implementation of different techniques in

teaching English as a second language, there are still many problems teachers and

students face in the language classroom We need to make changes in the

educational process, otherwise there will be more barriers students and teachers will

be unable to overcome in the future There is a demand to use powerful, creative

and adaptable techniques in teaching and learning languages

The most basic standpoint of the new method is to promote the positiveness andcreativity of the students, which develops and enhances skills to use language for

purposes of communication rather than providing pure language knowledge With this

view, the tips and activities in the classroom have also been changed Therefore, the

teacher must grasp the basic principles of the new method, learn the tricks and

teaching activities in view of communication that can be applied in a flexible,

consistent and effective ways To ensure that students are able to use English well, the

parallel with the development of the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing

we also need to focus on vocabularies and other linguistic knowledge to students

Although now, many foreign language teachers tend to adopt new methods of teaching

vocabulary, but how to teach them effectively remains a vexing problem and must be

addressed more attention Most language teachers realize the importance of teaching

vocabularies effectively in order to help students acquire general knowledge as well as

their linguistic skills In fact, most students learning English often encounter

difficulties when remembering the new words Therefore, mastering vocabulary

knowledge will help students improve the efficiency of learning English as well as

exam results In addition, the master vocabulary knowledge will help students develop

better skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing There have been a

number of teaching and learning method which is quite effective to be applied in the

teaching process, such as introducing Photos or methods of use scenarios However

these methods are still having a problem that every lesson used the above methods will

take a lot of time, students have recorded quite a lot and it will be difficult for students

cultivate words by memorizing vocabularies mechanically Therefore, it is desirable to

find an effective tool to help students learn English vocabulary

To accomplish that goal , I would like to introduce the theme:

VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS GRADE 11 TH ”

The Mind Map is a thinking tool that, based on divergent thinking, builds up astructure of knowledge for each target word by associating it with other related words

or concepts Thus, recalling of one vocabulary word will prompt the other related

items It also incorporates words, pictures, color, images and graphics, making

learning information a vividly visual format Using Mind Maps in learning is in

conformity with the theory of knowledge of visualization, information processing

theory and brain science theory

Mind mapping can be used to solve the problems mentioned above Wesuggest that using mind maps in teaching and learning English will be useful for

both teachers and students as the amount of information is increasing every

second and our brain, which doesn’t work in a linear way can’t perceive even a

small part of it With the study of the subject, I wish teachers would partly help

students gradually overcome the difficulties in the process of learning English

grammar and vocabulary By using mind map and brainstorm techniques in

teaching , I hope that teachers can create more effective lessons and students are

more active and creative in learning English

1.2 Aims of the study:

The current study aims to describe meaningful, powerful and effective tool,used to encourage technical students to apply mind mapping techniques in the

language classroom For this purpose, we overview the previous and the present

studies, concerning the problem and describe the implementation of mind mapping

techniques in the learning process The results of this study showed that mind maps

help students solve problems, brainstorm creative ideas, remember new vocabulary,

take notes, enhance their reading skills, organize the tasks and prepare

presentations This study concludes that mind mapping technique invented in the

20th century is considered to be up-to-date, creative, useful and available tool for

students, educators and teachers

Research questions:

In order to address the aim of the study, the following research questions are raised for exploration:

2 What are the applications of mind map to teaching a foreign language in general and teaching vocabulary in particular?

3 How is mind map used to teach vocabulary to students at high schools effectively?

1.3 Object of the study:

The theme revolves around research problems using mind maps in teaching English vocabulary at Quang Xuong 1 high school

Subjects of case studies that I have bravely applied this theme for graders of 11T4

and 11T5

1.4 Scope of the study:

Given the aim set in 1.2 and the research questions raised above for exploration

in 1.3, the study can not cover all aspects of vocabulary teaching and learning It only

focuses on applying the insights of mind map to teaching vocabulary to students at

high schools

1.5 Significance of the study:

The study will be useful to students, teachers and researchers in the field of English language teaching and learning: students can use mind map model to learn

vocabulary quickly and more effectively; teachers can understand more about the

mind map model and use it to teach vocabulary more effectively in their lessons; and

researchers will use the study as a reliable source of reference in their research

1.6 Organization of the

study Part 1: Introduction

1 Observation: Explore the research by visiting colleagues’ class.

2 Exchange and discussion: After the visiting hours of colleagues, my colleagues and I discuss and exchange the problem that appear in the lessons

3 Experimental Methods: Teachers conducted experiments teach each specific purpose requiredsome specific skill lessons

4 Methods of investigation: Teachers ask questions to check and evaluate the content held by students

PART II- DEVELOPMENT

To use good English learners not only need to learn good skills inlistening, speaking, reading and writing but also to master the grammar

However during grammar school, students often encounter difficulties like not

remember how to use or misuse and incorrect grammar because not mastered the

learning content So grammar school mind map will help more learners to master

the basics to remember So what is mind maps?

2 1 THEORIOTICAL BACKGROUND

2.1.1 DEFINITIONS:

Like students of other colleges and universities in Vietnam, the students of ourschool ( Quang Xuong 1 High school) come from many different parts of the district;

however, most of them are from village schools Students of Quang Xuong 1 High

school do not have the same level of English language proficiency They have learned

English for 4 years at secondary Most of them are only good at grammar, not at

speaking, writing and listening Moreover, their vocabulary is very poor That is why

they do not have enough vocabulary to express their ideas in writing and speaking, and

they do not understand what they hear As a result, the way to present vocabulary is

very important to make sure that they understand their meanings and remember them

for a long time

Mind Mapping is a brainstorming technique for quickly charting your group’sideas in logical groupings, even when members give ideas in a non-sequential manner

It is impossible to effectively outline ideas in a traditional, linear format while

brainstorming The Mind Mapping technique allows you to efficiently brainstorm for

ideas as well as simultaneously create a skeletal framework for later categorization of

the information you collect

Mind mapping is one of the best ways to capture your thoughts and bring them

to life in visual form Beyond just note-taking, though, mind maps can help you

become more creative, remember more, and solve problems more effectively

The first researchers who invented and described a mind mapping technique as

an effective aid of visualization, reflecting the structure of our brain were Tony and

Barry Buzan (Buzan, 1993) Tony Buzan described the technique, working

harmoniously with the way human’s brain, processing the information

What are mind maps?

A mind map is basically a diagram that connects information around a centralsubject I like to think of it like a tree, although it has more of a radial structure In any

case, at the center is your main idea, say, poetry, and the branches are subtopics or

related ideas, such as types of poetry, famous poets, and poetry publications Greater

levels of detail branch out from there and branches can be linked together

See the example of mind mapping

2.1.2 WHY MIND MAPS AND BRAINSTORM ARE BETTER THAN

• Mind maps link and group concepts together through natural associations This helpsgenerate more ideas, find deeper meaning in your subject, and also prompt you to fill in more or findwhat you're missing.

• A mind map can at once give you an overview of a large subject while also holding large amounts of information

• It's also a very intuitive way to organize your thoughts, since mind maps mimic the wayour brains think—bouncing ideas off of each other, rather than thinking linearly

• You can generate ideas very quickly with this technique and are

encouraged to explore different creative pathways

BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUE IN TEACHING ENGLISH

VOCABULARY AT HIGH SCHOOL.

DePorter and Hernacki (in Abdurrahman, 2008:172) describe that there are some

advantages of using mind mapping technique, they are as follows:

1 Flexible

Explaining something can be easy without confusing in add the material based on

the mind mapping We can put the label and category of something based on our

own opinion anywhere in the mind mapping

2.Concentrate on the Topic

Getting the subtopics what we talk about with focus on the main ideas easily

Keep focus on the keyword can help us to make it simple and it does not waste

the time

3 Increasing Comprehension

Using mind mapping can make easy in understanding the material Mind

mapping is a simple think pattern so it is not make us confuse to understand what

we have learned and easy to remember the material

4 Enjoyable

Imagination and creativity are unlimited in using mind mapping, so it can be funny to learn By using pictures and colours, it makes the brain enjoy and excited in

thinking something what we want about the material

2.1.4 WHAT ARE THE APPLICATIONS OF MIND MAP TO

TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY?

With the development of information technology, there are many MindMap software programs available on the internet, such as free-Mind, Mind-

manager, X-Mind, Mind-Maple, etc And even some of them allow free use

There are various formats of Mind Maps included in the software Thus, teachers

can download the software and create a Mind Map easily

Here are some types of mind map techniques:

Network tree

Event chain

Cycle concept map

Spider concept map

2.2 STEPS USING MIND MAPS IN TEACHING ENGLISH:

First, a Mind Map contains a central word, nodes and line The main word,which is positioned at the center of the whole Mind Map, is the topic being

discussed and learnt By associating topics related to the central word, the first

level of subordinate words are introduced, which surround the central word By

linking the central word and the first level of subordinate words, several branches

are formed Then, from the first level of subordinate topics, the second level of

topics are introduced, and so forth In this way, a Mind Map can contain a central

word and infinite sub-centered words The sub-central words, other than the

central word, are called nodes The process of presenting the associated words

put on the branches in the Mind Map is similar to the process of our brain

thinking In this sense, a Mind Map is like a tool recording the process of

thinking

Secondly, a Mind Map usually incorporates words, color, images andgraphs, which make words easy to be remembered It is a visual map as well as a

thinking tool The color, images and graphs can activate the right hemisphere of

the brain, thus improving memory Meanwhile, the color, images and graphs can

vividly convey the meaning of the words On top of that, they together constitute

an effective means to differentiate the subtle distinction of meaning between two

words

Thirdly, Mind Maps are characterized by hierarchical structure, which isconsistent with the character of logical thinking In the process of constructing a

Mind Map, we use divergent thinking to induce subtopics This process enables

the Mind Map to present things logically and structurally It is in accordance

with the way our brain accepts and assimilates that which surrounds us By

contrast, using linear notes (in the form of a list) is against the natural way of

thinking, as it generates an idea, but then deliberately cuts it off from the ideas

preceding and following it The continuous disassociation of each idea from its

context hinders the natural thinking process, and increasingly reduces the

probability of creativity and recall

In particular, using mind map and brainstorming can follow the procedure:

1 Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways Why?

Because starting in the centre gives your Brain freedom to spread out in all

directions and to express itself more freely and naturally

2 Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for your central idea Why?

Because an image is worth a thousand words and helps you use your

Imagination A central image is more interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you

concentrate, and gives your Brain more of a buzz!

3. Use COLOURS throughout Why? Because colours are as exciting to your Brain asare images Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to your Mind Map, adds tremendous energy to yourCreative Thinking, and is fun!

4. CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect your and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc Why? Because your Brain works byassociation It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together If you connect the branches, you willunderstand and remember a lot more easily.

second-5. Make your branches CURVED rather than straight-lined Why? Because having

nothing but straight lines is boring to your Brain

6. Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE Why? Because single key words give your Mind Map more power and flexibility

7. Use IMAGES throughout Why? Because each image, like the central image, is also

worth a thousand words So if you have only 10 images in your Mind Map, it’s already the equal of

- Discuss, modify, complete the mind map Teachers ask students to discuss, modify andedit to perfect the mind map The teacher will be the organizer who helps students develop mind map ofproblem

- Consolidate knowledge with a mind map Teachers give students a presentation,explanations of grammatical knowledge of lesson through a mind map by the one he or she prepared(drawing at the side panel or on the cover), or a mind map that students have just designed

2.3 EXAMPLES OF USING MINDMAPS IN TEACHING ENGLISH

VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS GRADE 11 TH Example 1: Unit 1 :

The generation gap – English 11

13

- using mind map to help students understand and then broaden the net word about the word : Generation gap