skkn SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE THE WEAK STUDENTS’ LISTENING SKILL GRADE 11TH

TITLE : The problem of teaching listening A new series of English textbooks for students have been used in schools in VietNam for some years and there has been a lot of feedback from t

TITLE :

The problem of teaching listening

A new series of English textbooks for students have been used in schools in VietNam for some years and there has been a lot of feedback from teachers who have used them One of the problems they face is that they are not satisfied with their teaching of listening Although they have been trying to find ways to make their listening activities more effective, the results they obtain are not as good as what they want

Some conclusions have been made to explain the situation Many teachers stated that the new textbooks which contain a large amount of knowledge, hinder the students’ learning Others stated that they have many weak students who lack vocabulary, grammatical knowledge and have poor pronunciation, reduce classroom learning potential learning environment Sometimes the problem originates from the teachers themselves Many teachers think that if they teach in a class with many weak students, they can’t spend a lot of time teaching listening They do not use all of activities they had designed when writing lesson plans because if they do, the weak students can’t keep up

What we should do to help develop listening skills in weak English language students.

A Issues relating to the language learners

After finding out that our teachers used the listening techniques they were trained

in the workshop, but not successfully in every language class, we looked into other issues relating to language learning which have been discovered so far

SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE THE WEAK STUDENTS’ LISTENING SKILL- GRADE 11TH

SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE THE WEAK

1 Psychology

We should take into account the psychology of learning habits and skills Certain psychological factors should be considered such as memory We should consider their mental condition, their ability

2 Motivation and learning

- Students learn well if they are well-motivated We can motivate even unmotivated students

3 Learning styles

- Visual learners learn through seeing

- Auditory learners learn through listening

- Tactile/Kinaesthetic learners learn through moving, doing and touching

4 Types of Multiple Intelligence

- Visual/Spatial Intelligence: ability to perceive the visual

- Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence: ability to use words and language

- Logical/Mathematical Intelligence: ability to use reason, logic and numbers

- Bodily/Kinaesthetic Intelligence: ability to control body movements and handle objects skilfully

- Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence: ability to produce and appreciate music

- Interpersonal Intelligence: ability to relate and understand others

- Intrapersonal Intelligence: ability to self-reflect and be aware of one’s inner state

of being

It is believed that each person has at least 3 or 4 types of intelligence So we cannot think that weak learners are unintelligent people.

5 Weak students

Weak students are the students who usually lack basic knowledge or skills, have difficulty in comprehension Some teachers say that in the classroom the weak students often lack concentration They are easily confused so in the classroom the

teacher should give clear, step by step, instructions The teacher should anticipate that weak students may need extra help, extra explanations

B What we do to help weak students in Listening.

1 At the pre-listening stage: have more time at the pre-listening stage by

shortening the post-listening stage

At this stage, we carefully prepare the lesson reading the tapescripts and using The Teaching Listening Checklist The following activities can be used based on the content of each lesson:

- Revise and teach vocabulary

- Revise and teach grammatical structure

- Create a gap-filling task or other tasks based on the tapescript

- Train listening skills

- Train microskills for listening

- Give some listening tips

2 At the while-listening stage:

- Remember to tell the aim of listening before you let the students listen to the tape

- Write a very easy question so that the students can answer after the first listening (to encourage them to listen, to make them have a feeling of success)

- Write more additional questions to the listening tasks to make them easy for the students

- Ask the students to guess before they listen to the tape (Do not say what they guess is wrong or right, ask why they guess so if necessary)

- Be flexible when getting the students to listen to the tape Read the listening text

if you find it helpful to your students

- Instruct students how to make the answers while listening ( short answers or main ideas)

SOLVE THE PROBLEM

- In the Tieng Anh 11 textbook in VietNam, activities in the three stages are ready for the teachers to use The problem is that many students are still weak at learning English, particularly, listening Sometimes they are fed up with listening activities because they are forced to listen to stories or conversations from the cassette players, and grasp nothing Sometimes they feel happy in listening activities, because they just pretend to do some activities the teacher asks them to do, pretend

to listen to the tape carefully, finish one or two tasks in the textbook and wait for the answers to the tasks the teacher tell them or someone of their classmates who is lucky to get the teacher’s book

- So as to teach weak students effectively, I have designed some units of the 11th

from textbook such as : Unit 1, unit 2, unit 6, unit 9 and unit 10

A Unit 1: FRIENDSHIP

I Warm-up

Alternative: Bingo (for class of lower level)

- Ask Ss to list the characteristics that they expect in their best friends

- Let Ss down all their vocabulary on the board

- Let Ss take out a piece of paper and copy down 5 characteristics that they like best

- Read out 5 characteristics that T like best

- Any Ss who have 3 or more choices the same as the T will shout “Bingo” and they are the winners

- Expected answers: caring, supportive, helpful, honest, good-nature, quick-witted, humourous, friendly

II Pre- listening

Pre-teaching vocabulary:

Help the students to find out the Vietnamese equivalence of other English words given in the task:

1 apartment building (n) (picture): chung cư

2 guitarist (n) (picture): người chơi đàn ghi ta

3 sense of humor (n, phr) (explaination): tính/óc hài hước

Explaination: A person who can make you laugh easily is a person who has

…

Rough time (n) (synoym) = difficult time: lúc gian khó

- give S.O a ring = call S.O

- Checking R.O.R: - happen to know

be through good tires and bad tires

- help S.O through = help S.O out of difficulties

Prediction activity:

- Have Ss read and do Task 1 before listening

- T instructs Ss to pay attention to the linking sounds “ went on” and weak worm “ came to”

III While listening

- The task is designed for weak students

- Ask the students to listen to the tape for the first time and answer the following questions:

Task 1: Multiple choice (worksheet)

- Let Ss listen again and circle the correct answer

Worksheet:

Listen and circle the correct answer:

1 Ha’s family moved to Hai Phong in

2 People think that Hai Phong are:

a cordial b friendly c good

3 Where Lan first went on a trip to Do Son,

a she rode to Ha’s house to meet her

b she and her family came to Ha’s house first

c Ha rode to Do Son right after Lan gave her a ring

4 Long is good at:

a painting b singing c playing guitar

5 a Minh is not only a good listener but also a helpful frienf

b Minh doesn’t really like to listen to Long’s problem but he always helps Long

c Ming is a good listener, but he doesn’t always help Long

- Go over the answer with the class

- Keys: 1 c 2 b 3 c 4 b 5 a

Task 2: Taking notes

- Ask Ss to listen again and note the ideas in the table in task 2 p 18

- Call on Ss to read their notes and check with the class

- Expected answer:

How and where did they meet ?

What do they like about their friends ?

the same apartment building in Ha Noi

- Lan went on a holiday to Do Son and

Ha went there to help her

-Ha’s very friendly and helpful

-Ha’s sociable

She’s got many friends in Do Son and she introduced Lan around

- Ming played the guitar Long was a singer

- They worked together

-Minh has a sense of humour

-Minh likes to go to plays and movies

-Ming is a good listener

-Minh is friendly and helpful

- For the second or third, or fourth listening the teacher should help the students to finish the listening task in the textbook

IV After listening

Speaking: Interviewing

- Have Ss interview their partners about their best friends

- Suggested questions:

1 How long have you know your best friends for a good friends ?

2 How did you meet this friend ?

3 What do you remember about the first time you meet ?

- Move around to control and give help if necessary

- Call some Ss to report what they have known from their parners’ friends

- Ask for Ss’ comments

- Give comments on what Ss have reported

Unit 2: PEOPLE’S BACKGROUND

I Warm - up:

- T asks Ss to present their ideas

1 What does a fire cause ?

destroy buildings, houses, forest

 Lead-in:

- The listening lesson today is about the fire happening to Christina’s family

13 years ago

II Before listening

Pre-teaching vocabulary:

 memorable (n) (synonym)

+ What is the synonym of “unforgettable” ?

 scream (v) (action)

+ Do the cation of “scream” and ask Ss “What am I doing ?“

 gas stove (n) (picture)

+ Show a picture of gas stove to Ss

 appeciate (v) (definition) to recognize the good qualities of SO/Sth: đánh giá cao

 protect (v) (picture + situation)

+ Show a picture of a greenhouse and ask Ss question:

What is this ? What do people use it for ?

+ Ask Ss to fill in the following sentence with a verb:

People grow young plants in the greenhouse to …… them from the weather

- Before listening and completing the task, Ss should be given more explanation

Be + PP Passive Can be + PP

Note: After the above activities, students can obtain more words needed for listening to do the task.

A fire

II While listening

I have made a little alter to have students prepare the lesson plans carefully

in class, exploit the transcript and develop further their language skills Task 1: Gap-fill (task 2 p 28)

- Tell Ss to read through the passage and guess the world in each gap

- Ask Ss to listen to the resordings and fill in the gaps

- Go around to control and give help if needed

- Give feedback

Expected answer:

4 replaced 5 took 6 apppreciate

Task 2: Questions and answers

- Ask Ss to work in pairs

- Tell Ss to listen again and answer the questions

- Call on Ss to give the answers

- Check with the class

 In this stage, t should give Ss some advice in writing skill (in short answers)

1 What is Christina’s job ?

2 When did her most unforgettable experience happen ?

3 What was she doing then ?

4 Did the fire take many things from her ?

5 What did she realize after the fire ?

Expected answer:

1 She is a businesswoman

2 (It happened) 13 years ago

3 It started in the kitchen

4 Yes, it did

5 She realized that family was more important than things

III After listening:

Have Ss work in groups of four or five to give their opinioins on the sentence:

“Family is more important than things”

- Ask them to put a red card next to the sentence if they disagree with it and

a green one if they agree, and justify their answers

- Call some groups in to report their group’s ideas

- Give feedback.

Suggested ideas: (deliver handouts)

Family is more important than things because it can’t be replaced It gives you mutual love, support and sincere understsanding It brings the individual place and happiness.

Nothing is more precious than the sweet moment when every member of the family finds themselves among their dear ones, taking a good meal and getting through a peaceful night.

C UNIT 6: AN EXCURSION

I Warm – up:

Game: Picture guessing (pictures of a marathon race)

- Divide the class into 2 groups

- Let Ss guess the picture sticked on the board by listening to the information the T says or looking at the pictures the T shows

In order to guess the picture, Ss have to connect the information they have received

- The group that can give the correct answer first will win the game

- Check Ss understanding of instructions

- Have Ss start the game

Hints: 1 Show the picture of an Olympic game

2 Show the picture of Boston

3 Write on the board: 42 km

4 Say: Do Thi Bong

- Declare the winner

II Pre- listening:

- Elecit the meanings from Ss, let Ss listen and repeat the difficult words

- Notice the stress

1 race (n) (picture): cuộc đua

(picture-eleciting): nói về vận động viên hoặc điền kinh)

2 athlete (n): vận động viên điền kinh

+ Show the picture of an athlete and ask: Who’s this ?

+ What is the adjective of “athlete” (an athlete) ( athletic)

3 formally (adv): 1 cách trang trọng

4 clock (v) (eleciting) bấm giờ đạt được (thời gian/khoảng cách /tốc độ được nói rõ)

+ Ex: He clocked 9.6 seconds in the 100 metres

+ Eliciting: - What does “clock” mean ?

- What is the verb of “clock” ?

- What does it mean ?

5 female (n) (adj) (adj) (symbol): giống cái, đàn bà

+ Point to each symbol and ask: What does this symbol indicate ?

III While listening:

I have designed the order of the tasks to suit the weak students

Task 1: Matching (Handouts)

- Let Ss 2 minutes to read the information 1 more time

- Have Ss listen to the dialogue once and twice and match the numbers with their meanings

- Ask Ss to compare their answers with their partners

Worksheet:

a 1987

b 1961

c 1975

d 1984

e 15

f 34

g 42

h 13

1 The year when thousands of runners from many different countries ran in the Boston Marathon

2 The year when women were accepted to take part in the Boston races

3 The year the Boston Marathon began

4 The year when 8 women started the race and they all finished

5 The number of towns that runners have to go through during the Boston Marathon race

6 The number of runners who took part in the 1st Boston Marathon

7 The length of the Boston race

8 The number of countries who took part in the Marathon race

in 1984 Keys: a 3 b 2 c 4 d 1 e 6 f 8

g 7 h 5

IV After - listening

 Ask students to summarize with the chart

D UNIT 9: THE POST OFFICE

I Warm-up

- T has the students guess:

Guessing game: What is it ?

- T gives cues and Ss guess what the thing is by raising Yes/No questions

Cues:

1 It was invented in the 1870.

2 It was invented by Alexander Graham.

3 It is used to transmit speech in along distance.

Example exxhange:

T: It was invented in the 1870s

The Boston Marathon

1987

runners

The Boston Race

runners

13 towns The centre of Boston