Using teaching aids in teaching pronunciation for grade 10students at hau loc 2 high school

Applying the study in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 High school……… 11 3.1.. Using teaching aids in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 H

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS……….……… i

I INTRODUCTION……… 1

1 Rationale of the study……… ………… 1

2 Aims and objectives of the study ……… 1

3 Scope of the study……… 2

4 Methods of the study……… 2

II CONTENT ……… 3

1 Theoretical background……… 3

1.1 Definition of pronunciation……….……… 3

1.2 Main features of pronunciation ………….… 3

1.3 The articulation of phonemes……… … 5

1.3.1.The articulation of vowels……… 6

1.3.2.The articulation of consonants……… 8

1.4 Definition of teaching aids……… 9

2 Practical background ……… 10

3 Applying the study in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 High school……… 11

3.1 Preparation……… 11

3.2 Using teaching aids in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 High school……….………

4 Results of applying the method ……… …………

12 16 III CONCLUSION ……… ……….………… 18

1 Conclusion……….……… ………… …… 18

2 Suggestions……….……… 18

REFERRENCES……… I

LIST OF GRADED STUDIES……… II APPENDIX 1……… …… III

I INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

It is undeniable that English plays an important part in the development ofour country firstly because it is an international language; secondly it is also seen as

a means to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between Vietnam andother countries Hence, more and more attention was drawn to teaching andlearning English Important as it is, teaching and learning this foreign language isnot an easy task to carry out

The final target, which both teachers and students are trying to obtain, is touse English to communicate successfully Thus, there are many things that Englishteachers need to fit into their limited class time such as grammar, vocabulary,speaking, listening, reading, and writing Normally, pronunciation often getspushed to the bottom of the list Many teachers often say that there is just notenough time to teach pronunciation Moreover, students often think it is not asimportant as other parts-grammar, reading, writing etc., because it is only a smallpart tested on their college entrance exams However what students see is just a tip

of the iceberg They are not aware that if they need or want to speak Englishunderstandably, pronunciation is very important Even if students’ grammar andvocabulary are strong, while their pronunciation is not easy to understand, theircommunication will fail

In addition, English Textbook 10 (Published by Education Publishing House)does not contain any pictures or any demonstrations to illustrate the ways topronounce the sound correctly Students just look at the text book, listen and repeatthe teacher or the tape to produce the sounds Therefore, not only do they find itdifficult to imitate the way to produce the vowels or consonants but alsomispronounce them As a result, wrong pronounce can lead to the mistakes ofwords’ meaning In addition, most of the students who have difficulties in learningpronunciation feel bored and are not eager to participate in the lessons They arealso afraid of making mistake when they say the words; hence, they are quitepassive in the classroom, which certainly leads to the low achievement of students

in learning English

All of the above reasons have inspired the author to do the study “Using teaching aids in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 High School” with the purpose of helping many teachers to deal with teaching

pronunciation with these students

2 Aims and objectives of the study

The general purpose of this research is to show English Foreign Languageteachers the need to consider using teaching aids as a technique that directlyconnects the knowledge of a lesson with real things in order to make a clear picture

of phonetics to help students learn English more effectively, pronounce words andsentences more accurately and then be more confident to communicate in English.

The specific aims or objectives of the studies are:

- To improve the pronunciation of the students

- To motivate students to learn pronunciation

- To spot the light on the importance of teaching aids in performing learning processes and make the reception of the information clear and not toocomplicated for students to understand

teaching-3 Scope of the study

Learning a second language as a scholar once said “is a long and complexundertaking” Therefore, teachers of a second language have to apply a lot oftechniques to accelerate the results of lessons In the scope of this study, however,the author only has ambition to propose using teaching aids to improve the effect ofteaching pronunciation for students in grade 10 at Hau Loc 2 High School

4 Methods of the study

The study is designed to use both qualitative and quantitative methods.Besides, many resources such as books, and some sources on the Internet have beenread by the researcher

In order to gain most reliable results, the quantitative data will be collectedthrough pre-test and post-test The data, then, will be processed and analyzed togive conclusions for the study

Along with the quantitative method, the qualitative data has been obtained byclass observation and consultancy from other teachers to collect further moreinformation about the real situations of teaching and learning pronunciation ingrade 10 at Hau Loc 2 high school

According to AMEP Research Center (2002) pronunciation refers to theproduction of sounds that we use to make meaning It includes attention to theparticular sounds of a language (segments), aspects of speech beyond the level ofthe individual sound, such as intonation, phrasing, stress, timing, rhythm(suprasegmental aspects), how the voice is projected (voice quality) and, in itsbroadest definition, attention to gestures and expressions that are closely related tothe way we speak a language This broad definition of pronunciation includes bothsuprasegmental and segmental features Although these different aspects ofpronunciation are treated in isolation, it is important to remember that they all work

in combination when we speak, and are therefore usually best learned as an integralpart of spoken language

Another notion from Szynalski (n.d) in http://www.antimoon.com/ says thatthere are three levels of English pronunciation; (i) Level 1: people often don’tunderstand what you want to say You use the wrong sounds in English words, (ii)Level 2: people can understand what you want to say, but they have to concentrate

to understand you, (iii) Level 3: People can understand you easily Yourpronunciation is clear and pleasant

Based on some the statements above, it can be concluded that pronunciation

is an important component in learning English Therefore, pronunciation cannot beunderestimating in learning English

1.2 Main features of pronunciation

Figure 1: Features of pronunciation according to Gerald Kelly (2000)

According to Gerald Kelly (2000: p1) Pronunciation has 2 main features:

Phonemes and Suprasegmental features

Phonemes are the different sounds within a language Although there are

slight differences in how individuals articulate sounds, we can still describereasonably accurately how each sound is produced Sounds may be voiced orunvoiced (or voiceless) Voiced sounds occur when the vocal cords in the larynxare vibrated It is easy to tell whether a sound is voiced or not by placing one or twofingers on the speaker’s Adam’s apple If voiced sounds are being produced, thespeaker will feel vibration; if unvoiced sounds are being produced, he will not Thedifferent between /f/ and /v/, for example, can be heard by putting the top teeth onthe bottom lips, breathing out in a continuous stream to produce /f/, then addingvoice to make /v/

The set of phonemes consists of two categories: vowel sounds and consonant sounds However, these do not necessarily correspond to the vowels and consonants we are familiar in the alphabet Vowel sounds are all voiced, and

may be single (like /i/ in hit) or a combination involving a movement from one vowel sound to another (like /ei/ as in face); such combinations are known as

diphthongs Single vowel sounds may be short (like /i/ as in miss) or long (like /i:/

in heat) The symbol /:/ denotes a long sound.

Consonant sounds may be voiced or unvoiced It is possible to identify

many pairs of consonants which are essentially the same except for the element of

voicing (for example /f/, as in fan, and /v/, as in van)

The following table lists English phonemes, giving example of a word inwhich each appears

Figure 2: English phonemes

While Phonemes are units of sound which we can analyze, Suprasegmental features, as the name implies, are features of speech which generally apply to groups of phonemes These features consist of intonation, stress and how sound

change in connected speech

With regard to individual words, teachers can identify and teach word stress.Usually one syllable in a word will sound more prominent than the others, as in

BEAUty or TEAcher With regard to utterances, teachers can analyze and teach

intonation as well as stress, although these features can at times be quite hard toconsciously recognize and to describe Stress provides rhythm to speech One ormore words within each utterance are selected by the speaker as worthy of stressingand thus made prominent to the listener Intonation, on the other hand, is the way inwhich the pitch of the voice goes up and down in the course of an utterance

Utterance stress and intonation patterns are often linked to thecommunication of meaning Take it as an example, in the following utterances: E.g:

I’d like a cup of herbal TEA (A simple request)

I’d like a cup of HERbal tea (Not any other sort of tea)

I’d like a CUP of herbal tea (Not a mug)

The first example is like the default choice, a first time request, while in theother two examples there is an apparent attempt to clear up some misunderstandingbetween the speaker and the listener

To sum up, in order to help students to communicate in English successfully,teachers should raise their awareness of these two above features of pronunciationwhich are presented one after another in the text book for grade 10, grade11(phonemes) and grade 12 (Suprasegmental features) Moreover, they shouldassist them and provide them with opportunities to practice pronouncing in order tobecome more confident to communicate in English

1.3 The articulation of phonemes

In learning pronunciation it’s essential for learners to learn how to producethe sounds, in other words they should learn about the articulation of phonemes.According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articulation_(phonetics)

Articulation is the movement of the tongue, lips, jaw, and other speech organs(the articulators) in ways that make speech sounds

As defined above, articulation of phonemes are very important Oncelearners know how to use the articulators in saying the words correctly, they canspeak English as naturally as native speakers The articulation of phonemes iscomposed of the articulation of vowels and consonants

1.3.1 The articulation of vowels

According to Jones (1956, p15) vowels are some of the continuous voicedsound produced without obstruction in the mouth unaccompanied by any frictional

Figure 3: Vowel diagram

noise However this definition can’t clarify the role of other articulators inpronouncing vowel sounds Later, another notion was developed by Gerald Kelly(2000, p13) stated that vowels are produced when the airstream is voiced throughthe vibration of the vocal cords in the larynx, and then shaped using the tongue andthe lips to modify the overall shape of the mouth The position of the tongue isuseful reference point for describing the differences between vowel sounds, andthese are summarized in the following diagram

The diagram is a demonstration of the “vowel space” in the center of themouth where vowels sounds are articulated

* “Close”, “Mid” and “Open” refer to the “vowel space” in the center of themouth where vowel sounds are articulated

* “Front”, “Center” and “Back” and their corresponding “vertical”lines refer

to the part of the tongue

represents the height of the tongue and also the part of the tongue which is raised

Put all these thing together:

/i:/ as in heat (a close front vowel) is produced when the front of the tongue

is the highest part, and is near the roof of the mouth

/æ/ as in cat (an open front vowel) is produced when the front of the tongue

is the highest part, but the tongue itself is low in the mouth

/ɒ/ as in dog (an open back vowel) is produced when the back of the tongue

is the highest part, but the tongue itself is low in the mouth

/u:/ as in moon ( a close back vowel) is produced when the back of thetongue is the highest part, is near the roof of the mouth

The diagram also illustrates the position of the lips when pronouncingvowels Front vowels have an unrounded lip position, while back vowels arepronounced with rounded lips

Figure 6: Groups of diphthongs

Figure 4: Lips position in producing single vowel sounds

However, vowels in english is composed

of not only single vowels but aslo diphthongs

According to Wikipedia diphthongs are vowels

which change in quality, as if they were made

from two vowel qualities glued together The

gliding movement of a diphthong is caused by

movement of the articulators during their

production as described in the following figure:

/iə/ is a little closer than /i/ in bit, bin /eə/

begins with the similar vowel sound as /e/

of get, men, /ʊə/ has a starting point slightly closer than /ʊ/ in put, pull.

The second group, closingdiphthongs, can be divided into two sub-groups One of these two subgroups is/ ei/, /ai/, /ͻi/, the diphthongs that glidei/, the diphthongs that glidetowards /i/- a closer vowel Because thesecond part of these sound is weak, they often do not reach a position that could becalled close However,the important thing is that a glide from a relatively moreopen towards a relatively closer vowel is produced The other sub-group is /əʊ/,/aʊ/, the two diphthongs that end with a glide towards /ʊ/ In producing thesesounds when the tongue moves closer to the roof of the mouth there is at the same

time a rounding movements of the lips This movement is not a large one becausethe second part of the dipthong is weak.

Vowels, though single vowels or diphthongs, are very important forpronunciation Without knowing how to produce vowels, English learners will find

it difficult to make themselves understood in English Nevertheless, many wordsconsists of not only vowels but also consonants Hence, to help leanerscommunicate sucessfully, English teachers should also provide them someknowledge of consonants

1.3.2 The articulation of consonants

A consonant according to Wikipedia can be defined as a speech sound that isarticulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract Examples are /p/,pronounced with the lips; /t/, pronounced with the front of the tongue; /k/,pronounced with the back of the tongue; /h/, pronounced in the throat; /f/ and /s/,pronounced by forcing air through a narrow channel (fricatives); and /m/ and /n/,which have air flowing through the nose (nasals)

Consonants, as mentioned ealier, can be voiced or unvoiced For instance,The articulation of /p/ or /b/ is comparaively the same, the only differnce being thatthe latter is voice while the former is unvoiced The reason is that the relative forceinvolved in producing /p/ is greater than that used to produce /b/, thus, the termsfortis (srong) and lenis (weak) are sometimes used In addition to the presence orabsence of voicing, consonants can be described in terms of the manner and place

*Bilabial : using closing movement of both lips., e.g: /b/ and /m/

*Labio-dental: using the lower lip and the upper teeth, e.g: /f/ and /v/

*Dental: the tongue is used either between the teeth or close to the upperteeth, e.g: /θ/ and / /

*Alveolar: the blade of the tongue is used to close the alveolar ridge, e.g /t/,/s/

*Palato- alveolar: the blade (or tip) of tongue is used just behind the alveolarridge, e.g /tʃ/ and /dʒ/

*Palatal: the front of the tongue is raised to close to the palate, e.g /j/

*Velar: the back of the tongue is used against the soft palate, e.g /k/, /ŋ/

*Glotta: the gap between the vocal cords is used to make audible friction,e.g /h/

In conclusion, in order to help students to communicate in Englishsuccessfully, teachers should raise their awareness of learning pronunciation.Moreover, they should assist them develop both their pronunciation and theconfidence to handle communication situations they may encounter beyond theclassroom Only by this way, can the teachers give their leaners the foundation tocommunicate competently in the new language

1.4 Definition of teaching aids

Teaching and learning a foreign language is a process needing a lot ofpatience, energy, time, creativity and competence The success of this teaching andlearning process is determined by a number of factors both linguistic and non-linguistic such as students, teachers, methods, materials and even teaching aids.According to Collins English Dictionary “teaching aid is any device, object ormachine used by a teacher to clarify or enliven a subject” Using only textbook inteaching and learning can become boring for teacher and student Hence,introducing tactile aids to explain concepts is a way to break up lessons, reinforceretention and increase engagement.Teaching aids fall into 3 groups: Visual aids,audio aids and audio - visual aids

Visual aids are the aids which use sense of vision, for example: actualobjects, models, pictures, charts, maps, flash cards, flannel board, bulletin board,chalkboard, overhead projector, powerpoint etc As an old saying “picture is worth

of thousand words”, the visual one can make the massage very clear and objective

In other words, visual aids can have huge impact on how students retaininformation While words can be abstract and hard to remember,visuals tend to bemore concrete and easier to recall Moreover, when information is presentedvisually, more students are likely to be engaged in the lessons

Another group is audio aids which can be any instructional device that can

be heard not seen They include recored materials, radios, cassette players, cassettewhich teachers can use in the second language class to make the teaching methods,techniques and materials considerably effective and interesting, and to help learnershave maximum benefits Unlike most other types of aids and means used in thelanguage class, on the one hand, this type of aid enables the teacher to modify theteaching method and technique, change the classroom situation quickly andimmediately as necessary, and on the other hand, it attracts the learners attention,stirs their imagination, reduce their exhaustion and motivate them to be involved inthe learning process

The last kind of teaching aids, audio - visual aids, can be defined as training

or educational materials directed at both the senses of hearing and the sense ofsight, films, recordings, photographs, etc… used in classroom instruction, librarycollections or the likes There are various types of audio-visual materials rangingfrom filmstrips, slides, tape recording and flash cards In the current digital world,

audio-visual aids have grown exponentially with several multimedia such aseducational DVDs, powerpoint, television educational series, You Tube and otheronline materials This kind of tools not only help teacher present the lesson simply,easily and effectively but also keep students’ memory more permanent sincestudents have to use more than one sense.

To sum up, teaching aids play an important part in the success of learningand teaching a foreign language They both help the teacher to introduce newtopics in easy way and assist the student to remember the concept for longer period.Furthermore, they convey the same meaning as words but it give clear conceptsthen help to bring effectiveness in learning process

2 Practical background

Teaching as well as learning pronunciation is so complex and difficult thatboth teachers and students meet a variety of challenges The problems deprive notonly from teachers, students but also from materials

To begin with, teachers often find that they do not have enough time in class

to give proper attention to this aspect When they do find the time to addresspronunciation, the instruction often amounts to the presentation and practice of aseries of tedious and seemingly unrelated topics Drilling sounds over and overoften make students discouraged Furthermore, in some case, teachers’pronunciation isn’t really good for students to imitate Consequently, students willpronounce inaccurately

There are also psychological factors from students that affect the learning ofpronunciation, which does not happen to learning grammar or vocabulary For onething, the most basic elements of speaking are deeply personal Our sense of selfand community are bound up in the speech-rhythms of Vietnamese These rhythmswere learned in the first year of life and are deeply rooted in the minds of thestudents Therefore, it is difficult for them to try to speak in English accurately Forexample: sound “p” in English is voiceless while it is voiced in Vietnamese.Therefore, when pronouncing the word PLAY, instead of producing a voiceless “p”they say a voiced “p” Once making mistakes, students have the sense of shynessand don’t want to get out of their safe zone to be involved in pronunciation lessons

The next problem is the awareness from both teachers and students.Generally, the main goal of studying English many students set during this period

is to get GCSE certificate or win a place at university while pronunciation plays afar smaller part in the English test than grammar or reading skills Hence, bothteacher and students find it unnecessary to put stress on this part

The last but not least, as can be seen, all pronunciation parts in the EnglishTextbook 10 Published by Education Publishing House are designed in the samemodel: Listen and repeat then practice these sentences, which make studentsdemotivated Furthermore, there is no instruction about how to produce the sounds

mentioned in this part Consequently, not only do teachers find it difficult topresent but students also have trouble practicing

From the above given facts, so as to teach pronunciation effectively teachersshould use teaching aids not only to help them present clearly, but also assist thestudents to practice more efficiently and motivate them as well

3 Applying the study in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 High School.

3.1 Preparation

Before applying the study to solve the problems in teaching pronunciation, Ichose two groups of 10 students in two classes A4 and A6 who were at the samelevel of knowledge and awareness Then after having finished teaching unit 2, 3 Iask them to do a 15 minute pre-test

The result of the pre-test is followed:

ST

T

Group in class A4 Result Group in class A6 Result

1 Truong Mai Thi 7,75 Hoang Linh Chi 6,75

3 Nguyen Trong Hieu 5,0 Le Ngoc Huy 6,75

4 Luong Mai Linh 5,5 Hoang Anh Quang 7,0

5 Truong Hoang Manh 7.0 Luu Ngoc Anh 5,0

6 Trinh Xuan Manh 6,25 Le Thi Kieu Trang 7,75

8 Chung Phuong Thuy 7.25 Vu Thao Van 5,5

9 Tran Hoang Quan 5.5 Pham Thu Xuan 5,75

10 Mai Quynh Phuong 6.0 Tran Anh Linh 6,25

The pre-test result shows that the average mark of the two groups was nearly

at the same level: group of class A4’s average mark was 6, 35 while that figure ofgroup A6 was 6, 45 Furthermore, each group had 3 students whose marks werequite good, more than 7 and 3 other students whose results were from 5 to less than

6 In a nut shell, it could be affirmed that these two groups of students were at thesame level

After comparing the result of these students to ensure that they were at thesame level, I moved to the next step: preparing the materials for teachingpronunciation parts in unit 4, 5 In this step, I tried to collect all the suitablematerials from many sources such as internet or books to find out the suitableteaching aids to help me improve the effectiveness of the lessons All of my workwas then presented in the VCD attached with this study Next, from the material Ihad, I tried to design the lesson so that it not only can help me present the new

items easily, effectively and attractively but also help students understand thelesson clearly

When everything was ready, I began to apply what I had prepared for the twonext lessons: unit 4, unit 5 for only students in class A4 while maintainingconventional methods for students in class A6

3.2 Using teaching aids in teaching pronunciation for grade 10 students at Hau Loc 2 High School

UNIT 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION Lesson E: Language Focus – Part I: Pronunciation

I Aims and objectives:

1 Aims: Help students distinguish and pronounce the sounds /ɒ/ and /ͻ:/ correctly

2 Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to distinguish and

pronounce the sounds /ɒ/ and /ͻ:/ correctly by practicing the sounds, the

words and the sentences containing the sounds.

II Method: Integrated, mainly communicative

III Time: This part will last for 15 minutes

IV Teaching aids: Textbook, board, computer, Project, video, speaker, handouts

V Anticipated problems:

Problems: - They may feel embarrassed when repeat after the speaker

Solutions: - Teacher should give clear guide and encourage student to repeat

after the video

VI Procedures:

- Show Ss some pictures; ask Ss to look at

them and answer the questions below:

Picture 1 What is his job?

Picture 2 What is she doing?

1 Listen and repeat

- Let Ss watch the clips of showing how to

pronounce the two sounds: /ɒ/ and /ɔ:/

- Explain to Ss when to listen and when to

- Listen to the T

- Listen and do as required

repeat before showing the video

- Ask Ss to listen and repeat in chorus

/ɒ/ /ɔ: /

Notes: O followed by one or two consonants

(except for r) is commonly pronounced /ɒ/

Or, ou, our, al, au, aw are commonly

pronounced /ɔ: /

- Turn off the volume of the video and call

some Ss to look at the video and read out the

words

- Give feedback

2 Minimal pairs

- Show the pictures of minimal pairs on the

Power point then ask Ss to listen the first time,

then listen and repeat after the speaker

- Gives handouts and asks Ss to listen and circle the words they

hear in the sentences (the tape is included in the VCD) then

repeat the sentences.

- Listen and circle the words they hear in the sentences.

- Call some students to give their answers

- play the video to check and give feedback

*Answer:

1 b 2 a 3 b 4 a 5 a 6 a

- Give the answers

- Listen and take note

UNIT 5: TECHNOLOGY AND YOU Lesson E: Language Focus – part I: Pronunciation

I Aims and objectives:

1 Aims: Help students distinguish and pronounce the sounds /ʊ/ and /u:/ correctly

2 Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to distinguish and

pronounce the sounds /ʊ/ and /u:/ correctly by practicing the sounds, the words and the sentences containing the sounds.

II Method: Integrated, mainly communicative

III Time: This part will last for 15 minutes

IV Teaching aids: Textbook, board, computer, Project, video, speaker, handouts

V Anticipated problems:

Problems: - They may feel embarrassed when repeat after the speaker

Solutions: - Teacher should give clear guide and encourage student to repeat

after the video

VI Procedures:

- Show Ss some pictures; ask Ss to look at

them and answer the questions “What is this?”

5’

1 Listen and repeat

- Let Ss watch the clips of showing how to

pronounce the two sounds: /ʊ/ and /u:/

/ʊ/ /u:/

- Explain to students when to listen and when

to repeat before showing the video

- Ask Ss to listen and repeat in chorus

- Turn off the volume of the video and call

some Ss to look at the video and read out the

words

2 Minimal pairs

- Show the pictures of minimal pairs on the

Power point then ask Ss to listen the first time,

then listen and repeat after the speaker

- Listen to the T

- Listen and do as required

- Look at the video and read out loud the words.

- Listen and do as required

4’ III Checking:

- Give handouts and asks Ss to listen and circle

the words they hear in the sentences (the tape

is included in the VCD) then repeat the

sentences

* Tick the word a) or b) that you hear in the

sentences

- Call some Ss to give their answers

- Play the video and check

*Answer:

1 a 2 a 3 a 4.b 5 b

they hear in the sentences.

- Give the answers

- Listen and take note

Figure 7,8: Using teaching aids in Teaching pronunciation for class 10 A4 at Hau Loc 2 High School

applying the method

In order to assess the effectiveness of applying this method to teachingPronunciation I gave a fifteen minutes post-test to both groups of student in classa4 and class a6 (the two groups are mention above) after finishing unit 4 and unit 5.The result of this post-test is presented in the table:

STT Group in class A4 Pre

test

-Post -test

Group in class A6

Pre-test

test