Using some brainstorming techniques and outlining to improve writing skills for 12th form non english majors at lam son gifted high school

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT Lam Son Gifted High school TEACHING EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE Using some brainstorming techniques And Outlining to improve writing skills for 12th

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT

Lam Son Gifted High school TEACHING EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE Using some brainstorming techniques And Outlining to improve writing skills for 12th form non - English majors at Lam Son Gifted high school Writer : Nguyen Thi Huong Position: Teacher Subject : English THANH HOA - 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A INTRODUCTION 01

I Reasons for choosing the topic 01

II Aims of the study 01

III Participants and applying scope of the study 02

IV Method of study 02

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 03

I Overview of writing 03

1.1 Definitions of writing 03

1.2 Approaches to teaching writing skills in foreign language teaching 03

2 Applying of Brainstorming techniques in English teaching 04

2.1 Definition of Brainstorming 04

2.2 Organization of brainstorming techniques for warm-up

2 3 Some suitable and useful activities for applying brainstorming techniques in pre- writing .

04 04 3 Applying of outlining a paragraph writing in English teaching

07 II The actual teaching and learning context at Lam Son Gifted high school 08

III Examples of applying brainstorming techniques in actual lessons in English teaching Tieng Anh 12

IV Examples of applying outlining in actual lessons

09 15 V Reached results 18

PART C: CONCLUSION 18

PART A INTRODUCTION

I Reasons for choosing the topic

In the process of globalization, English plays an important role in enhancing economy, politics, culture and international relations between many countries Therefore, there is a great demand for teaching and learning English in the world as well as in Viet Nam English users today focus more on the ability to communicate

in spoken and written languages However, the education quality has not met the society’s expectation because mostly high-school graduates cannot communicate in English effectively in both oral and written forms Under the urgent demand of improving the quality, Vietnam’s English language teaching has recently undergone a comprehensive reform Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has continually updated a new set of textbook for high school students in order to develop students’ communicative competence Moreover, in September

2014, Education Ministry decided to merge the two current exams into one nationalexam that is required the writing ability of students However, regarding Vietnam’scontext, the change will create many difficulties to not only teachers but alsolearners of English who are too familiar to the old teaching methods, especially inteaching writing skill, which seems to be the most difficult work in teaching andstudying English nowadays

At Lam Son Gifted high school, writing skills is really a big challenge fornon-English majors For students, they used to learn in the way which writinghas no place Another problem is their level of English proficiency That is whythey find it too difficult to write English compositions Moreover, lack ofmotivation also faces the students They often get bored and indifferent in thewriting lessons

As a teacher of English, who is aware of the fact and current challenges andwishes to contribute some suggestions for possible improvements in the teachingand learning of writing skill, I have been trying all the best ways and techniques toteach and improve writing skills for non-English majors in grade 12th During mywriting teaching period, I have always wanted to see my students’ excitement onthe lesson every time they learn English Thus, I think it is necessary to operate alesson with some activities that take a little time but can bring much effect onstages of the lesson In addition, in order to cope with the demand of the societyand the requirement of the current national examination this school year, I want

to introduce the brainstorming techniques and making outlines that I am applying

in classroom teaching Therefore, I decided to make this “Using some

brainstorming techniques and outlining to improve writing skills for 12 th form non - English majors at Lam Son Gifted high school”

II Aims of the study

This assignment is aimed at:

- Investigating the situation of teaching and learning writing to the 12th formnon- English majors at Lam Son Gifted high school

- Giving the effectiveness and difficulties of applying some brainstormtechniques and outlining in teaching writing to the 12th form non- English majors atLam Son Gifted high school

- Providing some suggestions and implications for the improvement ofwriting teaching and learning by using some brainstorm techniques and outlining

III Participants and applying scope of the study

The brainstorming techniques and outlining methods of teaching writingskills were carried out at Lam Son Gifted high school with the participation ofstudents whose majors are Physics, Biology, Information Technology andLiterature in grade 12th To those students, English was not their majors but acompulsory subject in the courses All of them have learnt English for at least fouryears at secondary schools, especially some of them have learnt English for nine

years Most of them can do grammar very well but have difficulties in masteringfour skills, especially writing skills which students find most challenging andboring

I mainly concentrate on effectiveness and difficulties of applying somebrainstorm techniques and outlining in teaching writing to the 12th form non-English majors at Lam Son Gifted high school

The examples given in this assignment are based on the textbook of English 12

IV Method of study

To conduct the study, many methods are used However, the main ones are

descriptive statistics, observation and analytical method

Writing is characterized with some basic features, such as being linguistics,creative, progressive and interactive Besides, the word “writing” itself may imply

an act, a process, or a skill, which needs practice and study to develop It requiresboth physical and mental powers from the writers.

In classroom, the teaching and learning of writing also plays an importantrole Through writing, we are able to share ideas, arouse feelings, persuade andconvince other people We are able to discover and articulate ideas in the ways thatonly writing makes possible Therefore, writing has always occupied a place in thelanguage syllabus The teaching of writing also aims at communication However,beside used to communicate, writing helps our students learn First writingreinforces the grammatical structures, idioms and vocabulary that we have beenteaching our students Second, when our students write, they also have a chance to

be adventurous with the language, to go beyond what they have just learnt to say, totake risk Third, when they write, they necessarily become very involved in the newlanguage, the effort to express ideas and the constant use of eyes, hand and brain is

a unique way to reinforce learning

With all the roles mentioned above, writing really becomes an integral part

in almost every language syllabus from elementary to tertiary level

1.2 Approaches to teaching writing skills in foreign language teaching

There are various ways to teach writing but the two most common are theproduct approach and the process approach Nunan (1991) introduced the twoapproaches in teaching writing and the differences between them clearly as follows:

- In favor of classroom activities in

which the learners individually

imitate copy and transform model of

correct language, usually at sentence

level

- Organization of ideas is more

important than ideas themselves

- Emphasize grammar exercises and

correctness

- Focus on the end result of the

writing process: the writing paper of

- Ideas are important

- The learners are encouraged to get theirideas on paper without worrying too muchabout correctness

- Focus on the various forms of classroomactivities which promote the development

of language use

- The final draft is the result of a long andpainful process of writing successivedrafts

Table 1: Approaches to teaching writing skills

While “The product approach to writing usually involves the presentation of

a model text, which is analyzed and then forms the basis of a task that leads to thewriting of an exactly similar or a parallel text” ( Evan and St John, 1998: 116), theprocess approach focuses on thinking and writing processes Nevertheless, the

product approach sees the language learners as creators of language, decisionmakers of the message and content In the view of Hedge (1990), the processcontains a lot of stages which can be illustrated as follows: "being motivated towrite - getting ideas together - planning and outlining – making notes - making afirst draft - revising replanning redrafting - editing and getting ready forpublication." There are three essential steps: pre-writing, planning (outlining),writing, and revising drafts Each step involves certain kinds of task that the writershave to fulfill in order to construct a good piece of work.

The most important is pre-writing that is any classroom activity thatencourages the learners to get ready to write It may include understanding thepurpose of writing, discovering the topic, thinking about the audience, gatheringinformation or inventing possible content Once the possible content for writing hasbeen explored, the writers will feel more confident to move forward to the next

stage This step is included choosing and narrowing the topic, gathering ideas and

2.2 Organization of brainstorming techniques for warm-up

“Brainstorming is a way of gathering ideas of a topic via making a list, freewriting and mapping.”, McDowell, 1999 This is adapted these requirements:

Rules: The teacher has to ensure that the students understand how a game or

activity is played by giving clear instructions of the rules and remembers to checktheir understanding before starting

Forms of playing: Students can play the games or brainstorming activities: in pairs

(student A with student B); in small groups of four or five or more; in two groups (the class is divided into two teams); in individually with class

Depending on each game or brainstorming activity, teacher chooses the mostsuitable one flexibly

Requirements: While playing the games students should use English as much as

possible In connection with the games is the topic of the new lesson student shouldrecognize the link between them

Preparation: A teacher should prepare a little in advance: pictures, cards, word

square, quiz, questions, clear instructions and so on

Role of the teacher: Teacher plays the role of an instructor and counselor during

the game or brainstorming activity

Time limit: Each game or activity in pre- writing stage takes from 5 to 8 minutes.

Before starting, time limit should be given to students and teacher should stop themwhether they have finished or not

2 3 Some suitable and useful activities for applying brainstorming techniques

in pre- writing

There are many suitable activities that I have adapted in each writing lesson

a Building up sentences

- Divide the students into groups The size of group may vary depending on

total number of the class

- Give words making up meaningful sentences in a wrong order and explainthe sentences to students

- Ask the students to write out sentences correctly, read out the sentences andthen write on the board

b Writing consequences

This is a fun activity to create a group story Each student needs a blanksheet of paper and a pen If possible, sit in a circle to play Each student adds onestage to the story then folds the paper to cover the information and passes the paper

to the student on the right

- The teacher asks the students to get into groups of six or seven

- The teacher reads aloud to provide the students with the followinginstruction:

- Write the name of a man It can be a famous man or a man everyone in theclass know (Depending on the group, allow them to put the names of classmates)

- Write the name of a woman It can be a famous woman or a womaneveryone in the class knows (Depending on the group, allow them to put the names

of classmates)

- Write the name of the place where the two people meet

- When they meet, he says something to her What does he say? Studentswrite what he says to her She replies to the man What does she say? What is theconsequence of this encounter? What happens? What is the opinion of the wholestory? What does the world say as a comment?

- After each command, the student writes down the information that he hasbeen asked to provide, fold the paper over to hide what he has written to the person

on his right The next command is given and the procedure is repeated

- When the work has finished, groups open them and, in writing, join thefragments of information together to make it more interesting and logical

- The students read the story aloud

c Correct the facts

Preparation: Prepare handouts that contain one picture and sentences with

wrong description of the picture

- Divide the class into groups.

- Deliver handouts to each group Then ask them to correct the sentences tomatch the picture

- Go around and observe the performance of groups

- When the groups have finished their work the teacher calls representatives

of groups to write the answer on the board

- The teacher and the students correct sentences together The group thatdoes better and more quickly will be the winner

d Exchange letters

The complaining customer: In this activity, students write complaining letters

about goods they have bought after seeing an advertisement The students representthe company who make the goods then have to reply to those letters

- Students are divided in to small groups Each group is given anadvertisement

- The groups are told to imagine they have bought the item that is advertisedbut are not satisfied with it for some reasons

- The letters are then given to different groups The new group has to studythe letter of complaint and decide what to do about it When the decision has beenreached they can write a reply to the original letter

- The letters are then returned to the original group who read them anddiscuss what they have been sent

- The teacher divides the class into 2 groups

- The students are all instructed to write a description of famous person or amember of the class, without mentioning that person’s name

- A member of one of the group reads his description If someone from theopposing team can identify the person, the group scores a point from the groupreading the description if the information about the person in wrong or the English

is totally unpredictable

f Role playwriting

Writing can be much more motivating if the teacher gives students a chance

to play a role In this activity, the students will have the chance to write to animaginary romantic partner

- Prepare the role cards for the students

- Read the situation from the role-play.

- Divide the class into groups and then give out role cards to each group forthem to read Explain to them that the different groups do not talk to each other

- Give the students time to write the letter but be sure to give them a firmtime limit Remind them that they must finish the letter with the last line provided

- When they have finished the letter the teacher can either ask them to readthe letter aloud The important thing is that they must the letter in the correct order

to tell the story

3 Applying of outlining a paragraph writing in English teaching

Knowing how to write an essay outline is an invaluable skill Especially writerswho are experienced and used to writing off the cuff can write good essays withoutoutlines However, using outline makes the process easier, smoother and betterorganized It provides the skeleton, on which students can build writing, low theideas and thoughts logically, and go on towards a strong conclusion Without thesesteps, students may run the risk of going off in different directions, the ideasdisorganized and the thoughts all jumbled

Steps of making an outline.

a Read the assignment guidelines carefully.

Highlight or underline important words and phrases in the instructions Make surethat students fully understand what the instructor is asking you to do

b Develop a topic

There are many useful prewriting strategies that can help to generate ideas for thepaper List all the ideas that come to mind (good or bad) and then look over the listthe students have made and group similar ideas together Expand those lists byadding onto the list or by using another prewriting activity

Questioning On a piece of paper, write out “Who? What? When? Where?Why? How?” Space the questions about two or three lines apart so that studentscan have their answers on these lines Respond to each questions in as much detail

as they can

c Identify writing’s purpose

Ask students what they want to accomplish with their papers Are they writing thispaper in order to persuade, entertain, enlighten, or something else? Just make surethat the purpose is in line with what the assignment asks them to do Look for keywords in the assignment guidelines to help figure out what their purpose should be

d Identify the audience

Identify the needs and expectations of their audience by considering what they doand do not know about the topic Anticipate their reactions as well How they mightreact to the information that you will be sharing with them? Will they be angry,sad, amused, or something else?

e Develop the thesis

Once you have developed your ideas and considered your purpose and audience,you should be ready to write a thesis statement Effective thesis statements expressthe main focus of a paper and state an arguable claim A thesis should not be morethan one sentence in length Make sure your thesis is arguable Do not state facts

or matters of taste

Make sure your thesis provides enough detail How many main ideas you intend toexpress and remember to give detail and relevant information

f Identify the linking words and go on in the right types of writing paragraph

According to Keith S Folse, 2010 , types of writing paragraph consists ofdescriptive, comparison, cause- effect and classification paragraphs So make surethat student know to develop its right outline Further more, using suitable andeffective linking words can make the writing more unity and coherence

II The actual teaching and learning context at Lam Son Gifted high school

Although, English is a compulsory subject at Secondary Schools, many pupilsare not interested in learning English, they are only interested in their majorsubjects which they are supposed to perform in the university examinations orspecialized in The primary concern of the pupils is to get good marks at writtenachievement tests Besides, a small number of pupils make efforts to learn Englishwell to apply for a job more easily in the future Only pupils specializing in Englishare motivated to learn English to pass the entrance exam into university and toseek scholarship to study abroad

Moreover, language environment is another problem, the scale of class is anobstacle to teachers in general and English ones in particular, the number ofstudents in a class is too great; there are still about 30 to 39 students per class.Thus, in a forty-five –minute lesson, it is difficult to take out their writingsuccessfully Moreover, a large number of students have a bad habit of thinking oftopics in Vietnamese and then trying to translate their ideas into English Thishabit has a great influence on the ways the students write in English

In short, through observation and reality when teaching English for nearly 13years and teaching four classes 12F, 12I, 12V and 12S at Lam Son Gifted highschool in the school year 2015 – 2016, the students’ inactiveness and incorporation,the limitation of communicative environment, lack of teachers’ investment lead tothe students’ inability of writing skills and developing English compositions Tosolve these problems, I myself have applied some brainstorming techniques andmaking outline in teaching writing lessons, which within this paper I would like todeal with to improve writing skills for 12th form non - English majors

III Examples of applying brainstorming techniques in actual lessons in English

teaching Tieng Anh 12

The following examples are based on the textbook of English 12 Each unit mayhave more than one activity of brainstorming depending on knowledge of lessons I

am trying my best to exploit and find out as many as possible Allowing students towork individually, in pairs or in groups is basing on abilities of each class Duringthe teaching process, I usually use the different pictures, different symbols ordifferent maps and so on to stir the interests of my students to the writing lessonand try to show them on the papers, blackboard or screen of projector.

1 Home Life Writing about family rules

2 Cultural Diversity Describing typical features of a Vietnamese

conical leaf hat

3 Ways of Socializing Writing about advantages and disadvantages of the

mass media ( changed requirement)

4 School education system Describing school education system in Vietnam

5 Higher education Writing a letter of request

6 Future Jobs Writing a formal letter of job application

7 Economic Reforms Writing a report based on given information

8 Life in the Future Describing the world you would like to live in the

future

9 Deserts Describing main features of a desert

10 Endangered Species Writing about measures to protect endangered

species and possible results

11 Books Describing a book

12 Water Sports Giving instructions

13 The 22nd Seagames Describing a sporting event (a football match)

Writing a letter of recommendation

Table 2: Checklist of writing tasks in English textbook 12.

1 “Stop the bus” game and “making sentences” in unit 1: Home life

Topic: Writing about family rules

a Brainstorming technique is used in pre- writing stage as a game: Stop the bus! Procedures:

Arrange students to work in small groups of 5 or 6 depending their seats and ask

- Write down five words showing family relations

- Write down five things that family members often do together

- Write down five verbs expressing feelings – parents to children and vice versa.-Write down five qualities that most parents should want their children to have