Vận dụng Thuyết về các loại hình trí thông minh để đa dạng hóa các hoạt động khởi động trong giờ học Reading- tiếng Anh 12 chương trình chuẩn

Aims of the study This study is carried out with the following specific aims: - To make teachers more aware of the importance and effectiveness of the theory of MI in teaching English

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ADKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

LIST OF ACRONYMS iv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Scope of the study 2

1.3 Aims of the study 2

1.4 Objectives of the study 2

1.5 Method of the study 2

CHAPTER 2: CONTENTS 3

2.1.Theoretical bases 3

2.1.1 The introduction of the theory of Multiple Intelligences 3

2.1.2 Using the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in the classroom 4

2.1.3 Warm up activities in reading lessons 5

2.2 Facts about teaching and learning English in An Nhơn No3 High school & other school 6

2.3 Application the theory of MI to vary warm up activities in reading lessons 7

2.3.1.Linguistic learners 8

2.3.2.Logical or mathematical learners 9

2.3.3.Visual and spatial learners 11

2.3.4.Musical learners 12

2.3.5.Bodily or Kinaesthetic learners 13

2.3.6.Interpersonal learners 14

2.3.7.Intrapersonal learners 15

2.3.8.Naturalistic learners 16

2.4.Results 18

CHAPTER 3: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 20

3.1 Conclusion 20

3.2 Suggestions for further study 20

APPENDIX 21

REFERENCE 22

TÓM TẮT NỘI DUNG SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

Tên đề tài: APPLYING THE THEORY OF MULTIPLE

INTELLIGENCES TO VARY WARM UP ACTIVITIES IN

READING LESSONS - TEXTBOOK TIENG ANH 12 2

Written by : Nguyễn Thị Thanh Huyền

Thu hút sự hứng thú của mọi đối tượng học sinh trong giờ học Tiếng Anh

II Bản chất của giải pháp

1.6.Design of the study

The study consists of 4 main chapters:

- Chapter 1 is the introduction which deals with the rationale, the scope, the aims, the method and the design of the study

- Chapter 2 is the literature review of the study In this chapter, I will introduce specific features of the theory of MI,the application into classroom, the roles of warm up activities in teaching reading lessons and the facts of learning and teaching English in An Nhon No3 High School

- Chapter 3 is the activities In this chapter, lots of warm up activities are suggested and applied in real lessons

- Chapter 4 is the conclusion, the implications for teaching, learning and suggestions for other researches

At the end of the study, there will be the presentation of reference materials used to carry out the study

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study:

Recent years have seen remarkable changes in the way of teaching English However, although teachers of English have adopted communicative approach for a few years, they find it difficult to teach all kinds of students in the same class effectively Students tend to be treated

as a homogeneous group and find no where to show their strength in the classroom The term “students-centered” seems to be completely ignored

In fact, every classroom is full of students who are different from each other in many different ways A student is unique in a class not only because of his age, his family background, or his own interests, but also because of his strengths and weaknesses It is undeniable that when students learn through their strengths, they not only learn more effectively but also show the improvement in their weaker areas In addition, the theory of Multiple Intelligences maintains that students who have one area

of intelligence which is more fully developed than the others should be encouraged to approach their learning by using that particular intelligence

as an entry point As a result, it is vital for teachers to utilize such strengths or intelligence of students to help them absorb the knowledge in the most suitable way With the hope to find a better way to teach students

as individuals, this experienced idea, based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences, has been carried out

In addition, reading is one of the most basic skills that need paying much attention in the teaching and learning process of a foreign language Reading skill is not only the purpose of the learning process but also an effective means for students to expand their vocabulary and structures; thus, helps them to improve other skills Moreover, in 12 years in the job

as a teacher of English, I recognize that most of the students consider reading as a boring skill; therefore, they soon become fed up with the reading passages in their textbook Hence, I harbour the wish of helping students improve their reading skills in this experienced idea

Last but not least, warm-up activities are excellent teaching tool in motivating students when they first come to the new lesson It is clear that

starting a lesson with a good warm-up activitiy helps to captivate the students and draws them into the lesson well From my experience, it isn’t difficult to carry out a warm-up activity, but it is quite easy to repeat this kind of activity, which makes it boring Thus, to make an effort to vary warm-up activities, I carry out this idea

From the above discussion, my experienced idea will make a little contribution in applying the Theory of Multiple Intelligence to vary warm-

up activities in reading lessons

1.2 Scope of the study

In spite of having been studied only for recent years, the theory of MI has exposed its importance in analyzing psychological aspects in human’s intelligences Thanks to its significance, methodologists have applied the theory into teaching foreign languages and gained certain success In teaching English, this theory has provided some theoretical backgrounds in creating various activities that attract students’interests However, with the limitation of time and reference materials as well as the limited level of this study, my study focuses only on warm up activities used in reading

lessons in textbook Tieng Anh 12 In this study, I shall be concerned with

making students of different levels to be much interested in the topic at the beginning of reading lessons

1.3 Aims of the study

This study is carried out with the following specific aims:

- To make teachers more aware of the importance and effectiveness

of the theory of MI in teaching English

- To create various warm up activities to make reading lessons more interesing and effective

- To attract the interests of all kinds of students in an English lesson

1.4 Objectives:

I have carried out this study to the students in grade 12, acedamic

year 2009 – 2010 and 2010 - 2011 with textbook Tieng Anh 12

1.5 Method of the study

In order to achieve the aims of the thesis, I have followed the following steps:

- Make a small survey about the interests of students in a reading lesson

- Collect, create, classify and apply variety of warm up activities to see their levels of effectiveness in reading lessons

- Observe students’ reactions in differents kinds of warm up activities, and then draw some conclusions on their most favorite warm-up activities

- Classify students in each class and use suitable activities

Dr Howard Gardner-professior of education at Harvard University (the photo above) developed a theory called Multiple Intelligences (1983) which can

go some way towards explaining different learner styles

According to Gardner, there are eight different types of intelligences as followed:

 Linguistic intelligence- The word-player This area of intelligence has to

do with words, spoken or written Students who have this type of intelligence tend to be typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words along with the dates They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and by discussing and debating about what they have learned Moreover, students with this type of

have high verbal memory to recall, understanding and manipulate syntax and structure In the most traditional sense, the teacher teaches and the students learn However, this can also be turned around and students can help each other understand concepts

 Logical / Mathematical intelligence- The questioner –This area of

intelligence has to do with logic, abstractions, reasoning and numbers In other words, this is the use of logic and mathematical models to represent and work with ideas While it is often assumed that those with this intelligence naturally excel in mathematics, chess, computer programming and other logical or numerical activities, a more accurate definition places less emphasis on traditional mathematical ability and more on reasoning capabilities, recognizing abstract patterns, scientific thinking and investigation and the ability to perform complex calculations It correlates strongly with traditional concepts of "intelligence" or IQ

 Visual / Spatial intelligence- The visualiser- This is the explanation and

comprehension through the use of pictures, graphs, maps, etc.This type of learning gives students visual clues to help them remember language In

my opinion, the use of visual, spatial and situational clues is probably the most effective way to learn English

 Musical intelligence- The music lover- This is the ability to recognize and

communicate using melody, rhythm, and harmony.This type of learning is sometimes underestimated in ESL classrooms If you keep in mind that English is a very rhythmic language because of its tendency to accent only certain words, you'll recognize that music plays a role in the classroom as well

 Bodily / Kinaesthetic intelligence- The mover- This is the ability to use

the body to express ideas, accomplish tasks, create moods, etc.This type of learning combines physical actions with linguistic responses and are very helpful for tying language to actions The students of this type may enjoy acting or performing, and in general they are good at making or building things They often learn best by doing something physically, rather than

by reaing or hearing about it In other words, repeating "I'd like to pay by credit card." in a dialogue is much less effective than having a student act out a role-play in which he pulls out his wallet and says, "I'd like to pay by credit card."

 Interpersonal intelligence- The socialiser –This is the ability to get along

with others, work with others to accomplish tasks Group learning is based

on interpersonal skills Not only do students learn while speaking to others

in an "authentic" setting, they develop English speaking skills while reacting to others

 Intrapersonal intelligence- The loner – this is a way to learn through

self-knowledge leading to understanding of motives, goals, strengths and weaknesses.This intelligence is essential for long-term English learning Students who are aware of these types of issues will be able to deal with underlying issues that can improve or hamper English usage

 Naturalistic intelligence- The nature lover (added by Gardner at a later

date) - This is the environmental ability to recognize elements of and learn from the natural world around us Similar to visual and spatial skills, Environmental intelligence will help students master English required to interact with their environment

The drawing on the next page can best illustrating the eight different types of inteligences:

The eight different types of intelligences

2.1.2 USING THE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE IN THE CLASSROOM

Everyone is born possessing the eight intelligences Nevertheless, all students will come into the classroom with different sets of developed intelligences.This means that each child will have his own unique set of intellectual strengths and weaknesses These sets determine how easy (or difficult) it is for a student to learn information when it is presented in a particular manner This is commonly referred to as a learning style Many learning styles can be found within one classroom Therefore, it is impossible, as well as impractical, for a teacher to accommodate every lesson to all of the learning styles found within the classroom Accepting Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences has several implications for teachers in terms of classroom instruction The theory states that all eight intelligences are needed to productively function in society Teachers, therefore, should think of all intelligences as equally important This is in great contrast to traditional education systems which typically place a strong emphasis

on the development and use of verbal and mathematical intelligences Thus, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences implies that we should recognize and teach to a broader range of talents and skills Another implication is that teachers should structure the activities in a style which engages most or all of the intelligences This kind of presentation not only excites students about learning, but it also allows a teacher to reinforce the same material in a variety of ways By activating a wide assortment of intelligences, teaching in this manner can facilitate a deeper understanding of the topic of the lesson

2.1.3 WARM UP ACTIVITIES IN READING LESSONS

It has been known for some time that students learn best when:

Learning is fun or pleasurable One effective way of motivating a student

is to have them undertake activities for which the student has some talent With progress, the student avoids undue frustration and goes on to learn more.When application of Multiple Intelligence theory is made in this way teachers are

“teaching through a child’s strength

They are emotionally involved students learn, remember and are more likely to use experiences that are troubling, mystifying or off-putting as well as ones that are pleasurable Students are “turned off” or “on” very quickly, so a memorable opening illustration or attention-grabbing comment helps engage

their minds MI provides a plenty of ways to broach a topic, one of which the students are sure not to have experienced previously

They are challenged Students will not adopt new strategies in learning unless they are challenged Traditional methods of teaching a student who has failed to learn the first time, is to repeat the same experience MI theory would teach students through their strength; the content does not need to be downgraded

They become so absorbed in a physical or mental activity that they temporarily lose track of space, time, worldly concerns and even pain Teaching through a student’s strength allows the student to get involved, in-depth in a subject It also motivates a student for further learning

They are enveloped within (classroom or home life or both) an atmosphere

of continual improvement - a cycle of practise, learning and expression

As English teachers, we hope our students will take an active part in the classroom It is our duty to make the classroom a lively and interesting place How can we create such a classroom? My experience has taught me that warm-

up activities can spark students’ curiosity and promote a comfortable atmosphere

Warm-up activities are activities or games carried out at the beginning of each class to motivate students so they can make good use of class time In fact, these initial activities that start the class are very important for some reasons First of all, warm ups set the tone of the lesson For example, a fun activity can raise energy levels at the beginning of the lesson while an activity that students find too difficult or confusing can prove discouraging Secondly, warm ups get students to begin thinking and focusing on English.Thirdly, warm ups provide a transition into the topic It is true that an activity at the start of the lesson activates pre-existing knowledge on a subject, and may even get students to use (or consider) some of the ideas, vocabulary, or even grammar important to the lesson Finally, they allows the teacher important opportunities to access character and ability Thus, during the activities, the teacher can know which students work well together and which ones don’t so that he can determine who will form the best groups for subsequent activities

In a reading lesson, a good warm-up activitiy is one that grabs students’attention and acts as a transition between the previously taught skill and the one to follow In addition, it is in the reading sections that students first come

to the lesson’s topic which is often new and contains variety of new words and expresions As a result, it is advisable for teachers to create interesting warm-up

activities so that students can get themseves ready to deal with difficult tasks in reading passages

2.2 FACTS ABOUT LEARNING & TEACHING IN AN NHON No3 HIGH SCHOOL & OTHER SCHOOLS

Dr Gardner says that our schools focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence We esteem the highly articulate

or logical people of our culture However, Dr Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences Unfortunately, many students who have these gifts don’t receive much reinforcement for them in school Many of these students, in fact, end up being labeled "learning disabled,"

Having taught English for 12 years, I have gained some experience and had a deep look into unavoidable problems of teaching English at An Nhon No3 High School as well as others The most easily recognized problem is that many teachers of English usually go directly into their new lesson without warm-up activities This results in boring learning atmostphere and students find it difficult to learn with their enthusiasm And if some warm-up activities are done, they are just small games which make students feel “funnier” while the content

of the new lesson is ignored Moreover, it is also a problem that most teachers of English have tried their best to create interesting warm-up activities only to attract the attention of good students Weaker students, in contrast, become their audiences or fans As a result, although warm-up activities are done, they fail to motivate all the students This is really worth considering when the number of weak students is still high More importantly, many teachers of English usually apply the same warm-up activities to every kind of class and students, which is not flexible at all The levels of students are not paid much attention to Most importantly, the term “multiple intelligences” seems to be unfamiliar to most teachers of English They even don’t know what they are and how to apply them

to vary their warm-up activities in order to motivate their students Hence, I think it is high time for us to do something to make the theory of multiple intelligences become practical and applicable in the way we teach English

2.3 APPLICATION THE THEORY OF MI TO VARY WARM UP ACTIVITIES IN READING LESSON

The theory of multiple intelligences suggests that teachers be trained to present their lessons in a wide variety of ways using music, cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multimedia, field trips, inner reflection, and much more

In fact, teachers usually approach MI from two directions Some teachers plan lessons teaching content through each intelligence Other teachers plan their lessons around the strengths and weakness of their student’s MI profiles MI educationists generally prefer the later approach, as it encourages teaching weak students through their strengths Teachers find that teaching through strengths develops a student’s weaker intelligence Therefore, students should be encouraged to use their strengths in order to make the learning process more accessible

Although the students’ feedback confirmed that warm-up activities are a creative teaching tool, we need to adopt appropriate activities If the activities are too difficult, the students cannot do them; but if the activities are too easy, the students do not improve their English and may lose interest Therefore, it is always better to link each short activity to what the students are studying

At the beginning of reading lessons, I try to use various warm up activities

so that I can touch upon all the types of intelligences now and again By observing my students and making notes on how they react to different activities

I may well discover, for example, that I have a class with a majority of visual learners so I try to use more flash cards or improve my board work

Corresponding to different kinds of intellignces, I have classified into 8 types of learners with some suggested warm up activities as followed:

2.3.1 Linguistic learners :

These are learners who are good at reading, writing, and telling stories and who can learns best by saying, hearing and seeing the words

 Suggested activites: Chain Stories, Categories, Memory games, Running Dictation

 Applied in real lesson

MEMORY GAME

( Applied in Unit 10: Endangered Species, A- Reading)

 Kind of activities: linguistic

 Levels of students: medium and weak students

 Kinds of intelligence touching: linguistic, interpersonal, visual

 Preparation: Two separate pieces of paper with some phrases

related to the topic of the reading text The first part of each phrase should be written on one coloured sheet of paper or, if you haven't got coloured paper, in a different coloured pen Then with a different coloured pen, or paper, write the second part of the phrase,

for example, 'ozone' on the first and 'layer' on the second

 Procedure:

 Put all of the first parts of each phrase together, face down on the floor Then mix up the second group of words / phrases face down in a separate group to the first

 In groups students work together to pick up one piece of paper from each group so as to make a phrase from the previous class

 As the students match them up incorrectly students start to recall the correct collocation or phrase

 The activity is not only fun but also aids efficient memorising

of the target language The more opportunities we allow our students to see the words the more likely they are to actually have them 'stuck in their heads' for easy access at a later stage

Cut down trees

RIGHT OR WRONG? RIGHT OR LEFT?

( Applied in Unit 15: Women In Society, A: Reading)

 Kind of activities: linguistic

 Levels of students: medium and advanced students

 Kinds of intelligence touching: linguistic, spatial, interpersonal,

intrapersonal

 Preparation: some sentences in the reading text or relating to the

content of the reaing text

 Procedure

 Line up the class in a row facing the teacher

 Say a sentence which relating to the reading text and students have to decide if the sentence is right or wrong For example,

“ Many people believed that women’s natural roles were as mothers and wives “or “ Women are usually better with children than men”

 If the sentence is right students should take a big step to the right

If it's wrong, they should take a big step to the left

 When the students get the idea, one of them can make up the sentences

 The last person to step, or the students who step the wrong way, can be eliminated

2.3.2 Logical or mathematical learners:

These are learners who are good at solving puzzles, exploring patterns, reasoning and logic and who can learn best by asking questions, categorising and working with patterns

 Suggested activites: Puzzles, Problem solving,Mastermind

 Applied in real lesson

TOPIC WORD

( Applied in Unit 7: Economic Reform, A:Reading)

 Kind of activities: logical

 Levels of students: medium students

 Kinds of intelligence touching: linguistic, logical, interpersonal,

intrapersonal

 Preparation: 2 blank worksheets ,a slide with a set of words in

random order of letters

 Divide the class into 2 teams

 Show the slide and ask the sts to read in one minutes

 Ask students to write all the words in the correct order (1 production 2 industry, 3.development, 4 agriculture, 5 export,

6 government, 7 law, 8 business

 While writing, asks them to predict the topic word of all these words “ ECONOMY”

 One word in correct order gets 1 mark, topic word gets 5 marks

 Correct, tell the winner and ask students to tell something about Vietnamese economy nowadays

 Lead into the content of the text

WHAT’S MY LINE?

(Applied in Unit 6: Future Jobs, part A: Reading)

 Kind of activities: logical

 Levels of students: weak & medium students

 Kinds of intelligence touching: linguistic, logical, interpersonal,

 If the class ask ten questions without being able to guess the job the student who was thinking of the job wins

MIND MAPPING

(Applied in Unit 4: SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM, part A: Reading)

 Kind of activities: logical

 Levels of students: weak & medium students

 Kinds of intelligence touching: linguistic, logical, interpersonal,

intrapersonal

 Preparation: 4 mind maps and word cards for weak students

 Procedure :

 Divide the class into 4 groups give a mind map for each group

 Asks the students to complete the maps with suitable words or tick the cards on suitable gaps to complete the map

 Asks sts to tick their maps on the board

 Comments & introduce the new lesson

2.3.3 Visual and spatial learners:

These are students who are good at drawing, building, arts and crafts and who can learn best by visualising, using the mind's eye

 Suggested activities: Using Flashcards,Colours,Pictures,Drawing and Project work

 Applyed in real lesson:

PICTURES CATEGORIES

(Applied in Unit 11: Books, PartA : Reading)

 Kind of activities: visual

 Levels of students: weak students

 Kinds of intelligence touched:visual/spatial, kinaesthetic, interpersonal

 Preparation: some coloured pictures of some kinds of

books(APPENDIX 1 ) and 2 worksheets

 Procedure:

 Divide the class into two groups

 Show the pictures and 2 worksheets with 4 categories on the board

Comic books Textbooks Science books Novels

 Ask 2 representatives of each group to go on the board , take the pictures to tick into their suitable categories

 Ask them to tell some special features of each kins of books (if possible) Which group has more pictures and more features will be the winner

 Remark, tell the winner and lead into the contents of the new reading lesson

DESCRIBING PICTURES

(Applied in Unit 8: LIFE IN THE FUTURE, PartA : Reading)

 Kind of activities: visual

 Levels of students: weak students

 Kinds of intelligence touched: visual/spatial,linguistic, kinaesthetic, interpersonal,intrapersonal

 Preparation: some coloured pictures related to future life(APPENDIX 2 )

 Procedure:

 Divide the class into five groups

 Has each group choose 2 pictures

 Has sts observe their pictures to answer the question: What will life be like in the future?

 Asks the representatives to show the pictures on the board and talk about them.The rest give comments and other ideas

 Remarks and leads into the content of the reading lesson, page 85

NAME IT

(Applied in Unit 12: WATER SPORTS)

 Kind of activities: visual/spatial

 Levels of students: weak and medium students

 Kinds of intelligence touched: visual/spatial, kinaesthetic, logical,

interpersonal

 Preparation : pictures of some kinds of water sports (APPENDIX

2), 2 differently-coloured sets of flash cards with the names of

 Procedures :

 Divide the class into 2 groups

 Show the pictures on the board

 Hand out the flash cards

 Ask the students to run on the board and tick their flash cards into the right pictures

 Asks students to give descriptions of their ticked sports( if possible or for medium and advanced students)

 Remark, tell the winner and lead into the contents of the new reading lesson

DRAWINGS

(Applied in Unit 1: HOME LIFE)

 Kind of activities: visual/spatial

 Levels of students: every kinds of students

 Kinds of intelligence touched: visual/spatial, linguistic,logical,

interpersonal

 Preparation : picture of a family in their living room

 Procedures :

 Divide the class into 4 groups

 Asks sts to draw a picture of their family

 Asks sts to talk as manythings as possible about the family’s members

 Asks the groups to show the pictures on the board and describe them in groups

 Remark, tell the winner and lead into the contents of the new reading lesson

2.3.4 Musical learners:

These are students who good at singing, listening to music and playing instruments and who can learn best by using rhythm, with music on

 Suggested activities:Using songs,Chants,Drilling

 Applying in real lesson

LISTEN & PREDICT

(Applied in Unit 16: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations)