(SKKN HAY NHẤT) using mind mapping technique to help students build up their vocabulary

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓATRƯỜNG THPT YÊN ĐỊNH 3 SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM USING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO HELP STUDENTS BUILD UP THEIR VOCABULARY Người thực hiện: Đỗ Thị Thủy Chức vụ:

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA

TRƯỜNG THPT YÊN ĐỊNH 3

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

USING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO HELP STUDENTS BUILD UP THEIR VOCABULARY

Người thực hiện: Đỗ Thị Thủy Chức vụ: Giáo viên

SKKN thuộc lĩnh vực (môn) : Tiếng Anh

THANH HÓA NĂM 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction ………

1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic ………

1.2 Purposes of the study………

1.3 Objects of the study………

1.4 Methods of the study………

2 Contents ………

2.1 Theoretical background………

2.1.1 Vocabulary 2.1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 2.1.1.2 The importance of vocabulary in learning English………

2.1.1.3 Teaching and learning vocabulary …… ……

2.1.2 Mind mapping technique … ………

2.1.2.1 Definition of mind maps………

2.1.2.2 Using mind maps in teaching and learning English vocabulary………

2.2 The use of mind mapping technique in teaching and learning English vocabulary at Yen Dinh 3 High School … 2.2.1 Using mind mapping in teaching English vocabulary… 2.2.2 Using mind mapping in building up English vocabulary 2.3 Sample lesson plan and students’ lexical compilation applying mind mapping………

2.3.1 Sample lesson plan………

2.3.2 Students’ lexical mind maps………

2.4 Effects of the study on teaching and learning ………

3 Conclusion ………

3.1 Conclusion ………

3.2 Recommendation ………

References ………

Appendice

UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic

Learning a new language allows you to communicate with the people whouse that language Learning a foreign language enables you to communicatewith more people from other countries Nowadays, many people choose English

to learn beause it is not only an international language but also the most widelyspoken in the world with 52 countries use it as their official language As aresult, Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has adopted English as acompulsory subject at schools, colleges and universities since 1990s In theEnglish language, there are some skills which must be mastered by the students;

the receptive and productive skills The receptive skills include reading(understanding written language) and listening (understanding spokenlanguage) Productive skills include speaking (producing spoken language) andwriting (producing written language) In order to support those skills, it is

essential to learn vocabulary Nunan argues that vocabulary plays a vital role in teaching and learning the second language as lexical knowledge is fundamental

to communicative effectively [4] The language of the human beings depends on

the vocabulary used or gained Thus, without vocabulary, the learners will be

demotivated to use the language [12].

However, most of the students still encounter a lot of difficulties learningvocabulary Multiple sense English words and synonyms (words with a similarmeaning) present special difficulty for foreign learners Other difficulties withlearning and using English vocabulary include fixed word collocations, phrasalverbs, idioms, proverbs and regional differences in vocabulary usage There aredifferences in English usage in English-speaking countries in terms of spelling,pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar Learning these without a good plan isfutile Words are better remembered if they go in groups or relate to the sametopic Therefore, many try to link certain words with certain situations orcontext With time, surprisingly they find a connection among those words Thismagical link is called theme and then born the incredible way of learningvocabulary: studying words in themes and theme- based word lists are bestpresented with mind mapping technique

In addition, while all the units in English textbooks used in teaching andlearning at schools are organized on themes or topics, many students in myschool still learn new words separately This leads to their poor mastery ofEnglish vocabulary A mind map is a visual tool which organises items intocategories or themes They work in a similar way to our brains because when wegroup related things together, we remember them better.Therefore, encouragingstudents to compile their own vocabulary especially theme based vocabularyeffectively is vital in teaching English That is the reason why I chose the topic

“Using mind mapping technique to help students build up their vocabulary” I hope that students will be able to enrich their vocabulary

1

continually despite the limited time for English subject at school Whileteaching, it is necessary that the National Curriculum Framework is followedand the students’skills and knowledge are developed throughout the year.

1.2 Purposes of the study.

This study is aimed at:

- Investigating students’ compilation of vocabulary at Yen dinh 3 High School

- Pointing out the benefits of mind mapping in teaching and learning English vocabulary

- Suggesting some effective ways of using mind mapping technique to help students build up their own vocabulary

1.3 Objects of study

As mentioned above, the study focusses on finding out the best way to helpstudents know how to compile their own vocabulary effectively and continuallybasing on the themes they are learning in the English textbook using mindmapping Besides, the researcher makes an attempt to apply these methods inher English teaching to prove their effectiveness Because of the limited time,the study is carried out on a small scale, forty two grade – ten students of class10C2 at Yen Dinh 3 High School in Yen Dinh district and four English teachersthere in the school year 2020 - 2021

1.4 Methods of the study

To realize the aims of the study, the reseacher has used both quantitative andqualitative methods The theoretical background of the study comes from a lot

of published books by famous researchers in the field The data for the chartshas been collected through survey questionnaire and analyzed by SPSSsoftware

2

2 CONTENTS 2.1 Theoretical background.

While Harmer states: “Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we

teach in the foreign language ” [14] However, a new item of vocabulary may be

more than just a single word: for example, post office, and mother-in-law, whichare made up of two or three words but express a single idea A useful convention

is to cover all such cases by talking about vocabulary "items" rather than

"words."In addition, Richards defines vocabulary as "the stock of words which is

used by a person, class or profession” [12] According to Ur “vocabulary is

central to language and of critical importance to the typical language learning” [1] Furthermore, Nunan and David state that vocabulary is “the

knowledge of words and word meanings.” [4] From the definitions above, it can

be concluded that vocabulary is the total number of words that are needed tocommunicate ideas and express the speakers' meaning That is the reason why it

is important to learn vocabulary

2.1.2 The importance of vocabulary in learning English.

Vocabulary knowledge is often viewed as a critical tool for second languagelearners because a limited vocabulary in a second language impedes successfulcommunication Underscoring the importance of vocabulary acquisition, Brown

emphasizes that “lexical knowledge is central to communicative competence

and to the acquisition of a second language”[11] Nunan further describes the

relationship between vocabulary knowledge and language use as

complementary: knowledge of vocabulary enables language use and,

conversely, language use leads to an increase in vocabulary knowledge [10].

The importance of vocabulary is demonstrated daily in and out the school Inclassroom, the achieving students possess the most sufficient vocabulary

Researchers such as Wilkins (1972) and Brown (2007) and others have realisedthat the acquisition of vocabulary is essential for successful second language useand plays an important role in the formation of complete spoken and writtentexts In English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language

(EFL), learning vocabulary items plays a vital role in all language skills (i.e.

listening, speaking, reading, and writing [11] Richard and Renady furthermore,

argue that the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use because without an extensive vocabulary, we will be unable to use the structures and functions we may have learned for

comprehensible communication [7].

3

Research has shown that second language readers rely heavily on

vocabulary knowledge and the lack of that knowledge is the main and the

largest obstacle for L2 readers to overcome [14] In production, when we have a

meaning or concept that we wish to express, we need to have a store of words

from which we can select to express this meaning or concept ‘‘When students

travel, they don’t carry grammar books, they carry dictionaries’’[5] Many

researchers argue that vocabulary is one of the most important-if not the mostimportant- components in learning a foreign language, and foreign language

curricula must reflect this Nunan states that: ‘‘There is not much value in being able to produce grammatical sentences if one has not got the vocabulary that is needed to convey what one wishes to say … While without grammar very little

can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed’’ [4] Scholar

Richards stated many reasons for devoting attention to vocabulary “First, a large vocabulary is of course essential for mastery of a language Second language acquirers know this; they carry dictionaries with them, not grammar books, and regularly report that the lack of vocabulary is a major problem’’

[12] On the other hand, vocabulary has been acknowledged as L2 learners’

greatest single source of problems [10] This remark may possibly reflect that

the openendedness of a vocabulary system is perceived to be a cause ofdifficulty by learners Another possible reason is that, unlike syntax andphonology, vocabulary does not have rules the learners may follow to acquireand develop their knowledge In other words, it is not clear in L2 vocabularylearning what rules apply or which vocabulary items should be learned first Ur

also claims that vocabulary is “by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language, whether a foreign or one’s mother

tongue, because of tens of thousands of different meanings” [1].

Despite the difficulties that language learners face in L2 vocabulary, theystill have to deal with it in their examinations as vocabulary has traditionallybeen one of the language components measured in language Furthermore, manylearners see second language acquisition as essentially a matter of learningvocabulary and therefore they spend a great deal of time on memorising lists ofL2 words and rely on their bilingual dictionary as a basic communicativeresource As a result, language teachers and applied linguists now generallyrecognise the importance of vocabulary learning and are exploring ways ofpromoting it more effectively Some of this research takes the form ofinvestigation of strategies learners use specifically for vocabulary, which is myfocus of attention

2.1.3 Teaching and learning vocabulary.

In learning new language, learners would apply as many strategies aspossible in order to master the target language in the shortest time possible

Most of the strategies practiced are usually focusing on the vocabularyacquisition In order to achieve a certain level of vocabulary acquisition, learnershave to use various strategies to be successful in their learning process

4

Consequently, many scholars have come out with teaching and learningprinciples for teachers and learners to teach and learn vocabulary respectively.

Of all the principles introduced, ten principles were found to be essential in

ensuring vocabulary acquisition [7].

Principle 1: Select Appropriate Words

Selecting appropriate words is the most important principle in teaching andlearning vocabulary Words that are considered appropriate are words that arecomprehensible by learners and are coherent to their proficiency level Usefulwords are words that learners need to use often in their language use situations

On the one hand, learners should know what their vocabulary goals are andchoose what vocabulary to focus on in terms of their selected goals

Principle 2: Focus on Different Aspects of Words

Vocabulary acquisition will be more effective when a particular word islearned based on several aspects The reason is that a word carries so much morethan just its meaning For example, amongst other things, students can learn aword’s stress (accent), pronunciation (phoneme), its collocations and wordfamily members, its grammatical patterns and word parts of speech Learningdifferent aspects of words may help learners to enrich their knowledge onvocabulary

As for teachers, one of the strategies that they should be using to teachvocabulary more effectively is by introducing (if there is no special purpose) avariety of vocabulary type (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) to learners Study ofroots and affixes is also known to be helpful to multiple student populations

This is because word parts, especially affixes and roots, are vital for Englishlanguage learners who need the tools to deconstruct unfamiliar wordsindependently

Principle 3: Progress from Less Demanding to More Demanding Vocabulary-related Activities

Learners should not be expected to use new words in activities that requirethem to know every aspect of the words This is inconsistent with how theprocess of language vocabulary acquisition must take Instead, the process oflearning vocabulary needs to be implemented step by step, and learners areencouraged not to immediately use new words in vocabulary-oriented activities

For instance, learners need to be given an opportunity to process the new words

as input first Then, learners should be getting a chance to use the new words incontexts, based on their parts of speech

Principle 4: Limit Forced Semantic Elaboration during the Initial Stages of Learning New Words

5

Following the third principle above, teachers should limit the explanation ofmeaning of the new words to just the basic meaning, as to avoid confusion andmisunderstanding from learners of the new language Rychards states thatstudents should not face with material that is too difficult as they will not be able

to guess successfully It will also not be easy for them to add new knowledge towhat they already know Material that is a little easy is beneficial for languagelearners to improve themselves This is because they already know all the wordsand will soon be able to build their word recognition speed

Principle 5: Encourage Interest among Students during Learning Process

Vocabulary teaching and learning should be interesting and enjoyable as tokeep motivation high while encouraging students to develop strategies that theycan continue to use once they leave the classroom Besides giving learners someopportunities to enjoy their learning process, teachers should also take learners’

perspective into consideration when it comes to preparing the learning materials

In other words, learners should be given a chance to say what they like anddislike Most often, pictures as visual aids will attract students' attention, andmotivate them to learn In whatever way language is taught and learned, the keyelement is to ensure the learning process is easier for students When studentshave no interest in the subject, it would encourage them

Principle 6: Accommodate Use of Contextual Cues

Vocabulary can be taught better through the use of contextual cues It helps toease many teachers in explaining the meaning of new words to learners

Teachers can use materials such as realia, pictures, past experiences andexamples to depict the connection between the new words and their meaning

Thus it is a particularly convenient tool for language learners who frequentlypause to consult dictionaries in search for the meaning of unknown words orphrases

Principle 7: Expose Learners to the Use of Dictionary

A dictionary is one of the important references in learning new words, especiallyfor new learners There are many types of dictionary in the market includingpicture dictionaries which are targeted toward the young learners who are stilllearning to expand their vocabulary in both their mother tongue (L1) and second(L2) languages It is up to teachers and learners which dictionary would benefitthem the most

Principle 8: Exercise Repetition by Introducing Words Frequently Inside the Module

The more frequently language learners are exposed to a particular vocabulary,the more likely they are to remember it This is one of the basic principles in

6

memorising new words as with repetition, learners would be able to memorise,and produce the word appropriately when they understood the meaning Mostwords that are taught will be lost to the Forgetting Curve, it is therefore essentialthat the new words are repeated soon after the initial learning, and repeated atspaced intervals many times and in many contexts thereafter to cement them inmemory

Principle 9: Promote Deliberate Vocabulary Acquisition

Deliberate vocabulary acquisition is the stage where the teachers introducenew words to the learners and be sure to explain it thoroughly so that thelearners are able to understand the meaning of that word and memorize it Themore effectively the to-be-learned material is elaborated during acquisition, themore readily it will be recalled by the learners

Principle 10: Expose Learners with Exercises and Activities Other Than Memorizing Words

Instead of just sticking to the conventional teaching methods like readingtextbook, referring to a dictionary for meaning or memorising new words,teachers could use their imagination to encourage learners to learn new words indifferent types of activities For example, using games as part of the activitywould not only help with the memorisation of new words, but at the same timehelp the learners to retain better attention on the learning process, and releasesome of the build-up stress in them, especially in a classroom consisted oflearners from various background

2.1.2 Mind mapping method.

2.1.2.1 Definition of mind maps.

The concept of the Mind maps was put forth for the first time by TonyBuzan, the father of researching effective methods of memorizing, in 1960s, as atool of note-taking In the beginning, Tony Buzan used this method to help thestudents who were failing their studies He discovered that these students gotgreat improvement in their studies, and their way of thinking changed Some ofthem even became excellent students After that, Tony Buzan compiled his ideas

into books So the concept of the Mind map was created Buzan compared a mind map to a city map for convenience of understanding He said, the center of

a city is like the center of a Mind map The main road in the city is equal to themain thought in the thinking process, and the secondary road represents thesecondary thought, and so on With the Mind map, you will know where you are

go A mind map is a diagramused to visually organize information A mind map

is often created around a single concept, drawn as an image in the center of ablank landscape page, to which associated representations of ideas such asimages, words and parts of words are added Major ideas are connected directly

to the central concept, and other ideas branch out from those.(from Wikipedia)

7

Picture 1: An example of a mind map

Mind maps are considered to be a type of spider diagram A similar concept inthe 1970s was "idea sun bursting"

2.1.2.2 Using mind-mapping in teaching and learning vocabulary.

Mind maps can be an effective tool in learning vocabulary words andexpressions by making connections in a non-linear way Language is usedwhenever and wherever possible Vocabulary is the root of everything thatinvolves the use of languages, such as writing, advertising, publishing, and dailycommunication We are forced to receive, learn and use vocabulary every day,thus it’s necessary for us to master how to learn and expand vocabulary withmind maps

Mind Map for Synonyms

Have you ever been caught in a dilemma where you rack your brain for anappropriate word to express something clearly and precisely? In all languages,you may find many words that mean almost the same thing – they are

“Synonyms” Thanks to the mind maps I have made for my word lists, choosingwords with greater precision is not as difficult as before Gathering synonyms in

a map helps you to delve deeper into their meanings and digest the nuancesbetween them For example, you see a woman and her little baby walking Ofcourse, the way a baby walks is definitely different from an adult What are thebest words for that respectively?

Put the word WALK as the central topic of your mind map, and then add its synonyms to enlarge branches that need detailed explanation The following is amind map for synonyms of “walk” made by MindMaster

8

Picture 2: An example of build up synonyms

Mind Map for Words in Categories

There are chances you may need to use words under a category For instance,

if a teacher intends to teach his students word of vehicles, he is sure to need amind map for words of vehicles On the contrary, students also need such a mindmap to enhance their memory and understanding of these vehicles

In this case, you can add VEHICLES on the center of the canvas as the centraltopic, and then supplement branches that can trigger associations Here I made amind map for words of vehicles with MindMaster The pictures of each vehiclecome from built-in clip arts of MindMaster software It’s cool!

Picture 3: An example of mind map for words in category

Mind Map for Collocations

Collocations are two or more words that are often used together, in a waythat happens more frequently than would happen by chance For example,

9

“make a cup of coffee” and “do homework” are examples of commoncollocations we use universally People don’t say “a glass of coffee” or “makehomework” Using collocations correctly shows an excellent command of thelanguage and can impress others your ability to speak the language well InEnglish, people use collocations frequently in business, which requiresbusinessman good command of business collocations To make a mind map forcollocations, you need to first figure out the word you want to collocate with or

a certain scene you need collocations for For example, the following is a mindmap of collocations with DO

Picture 4:An example of mind map for collocation

Mind Map for Combinations

Picture 5: An example of mind map for combination

We all know that in English grammar, words have different combinations, thusresulting in various grammar constructions Verbs appear most often, and I

10