Using mind map effectively in teaching and learning english at junior high school

Therefore, in teaching English to students, we need to direct students to apositive and self-reliant learning methods to acquire knowledge in addition toimparting knowledge to students,,

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Reasons for choosing the theme:

Today, English is recognized as an international language that is widely usedand popular all over the world Since Vietnam accessed to the World TradeOrganization, more and more foreign corporations have invested into Vietnam toexpand their markets and business cooperation Therefore, the demand of usinghuman resources need not only high professional qualifications but also the ability

of using English in work and communication must be professional, this is a seriousproblem for workers and Employers So good communication in English will givepeople more opportunities to work in foreign companies with higher salaries and beable to move faster in their jobs

But it is the fact that: the application of English language teaching curricula inhigh schools is not effective, which cause parents and students to be dissatisfied.Most students after having studied English for seven years at elementary school,they can not hear, speak, read or write Many recent surveys have shown verypessimistic results: after studying English at junior high school (9th grade),students can only hear basic informations such as greetings, names, but can notretell a story of about 100 words

Therefore, in teaching English to students, we need to direct students to apositive and self-reliant learning methods to acquire knowledge in addition toimparting knowledge to students,, and teachers also have research methods to keep

up to date with the knowledge of the world Building a "picture" of the relationshipbetween the knowledge will bring about significant benefits in terms ofmemorization, cognitive development, thinking, imagination, and brilliance Create One of the most effective tools to create "link images" is Mind Map The mindmap method proposed by Tony Buzan, dubbed the "universal brain tool", is an

innovative methodology that is encouraged by the education industry to beimplemented in teaching and learning.

Mind map is a fresh air blowing into the arid lands of past communication

It helps the teachers know how to put on it to get the most effectively It helpsstudents proactively develop their ideas, form independent thinking So that theycan actively participate in the process of intellectual acquisition With the aboveideals and from what has been learned through the use of mind mapping in teaching

and learning English in recent years, I boldly wrote the topic "Using mind map effectively in teaching and learning English at junior high school " I hope to

show evidence that the use of mind map is a way to innovate The most activeadvocacy brings effective teaching and learning in today's era

2 Research purposes :

This theme will help to clarify:

- The ways to help students study English effectively

3 Research objects:

With this initiative experience, I focus on researching, summing up the

following isssues:

- How to use mind map in teaching and studying English

- Help student develop their life skills through using mind map

4 Research methods.

1- A visual approach (using teachers and students thinking maps)

2-Requirements (guide them how to draw, how to present and how to apply)

3- Practical training methods (for students drawing, applying in each lesson and each type of lecture)

4- Comparative method

5- The pedagogical observation methods

PART 2: CONTENT 2.1 Basis of reasoning of the problem:

In the past few years, Ministry of Education and Training has consistentlyheld excellent teacher examinations, good student competitions at districts,provinces level, and online English-language Olympics Every year, theDepartment of educations has organized school inspections in order to advise andmotivate teachers to innovate teaching methods, to check students’ active learning,

to organize seminars on improving the qualities of teaching and learning.Improving the quality of students need to innovate methods, focusing on the ways

to guide students how to self-study, self-discovery and creat Using Mind mapping

in teaching and learning can do that In fact, there are many teachers as well asstudents do not know how to represent the mind map; how to apply it to thesections of the lectures (usually only for the conclusion); how to use it effectively.However, there are a lot of teachers who have used mind map effectively,especially the mind mapping products of students are very creative and creative in

a surprising way They can gain knowledge quickly and express it in a lively,concise and concise map

On the other hand, to prepare for a lesson using mind map is not toocomplicated because the map material is quite simple, such as: Student notebookpaper, A3 size paper, A4, cardboard, more modern is using the powerpointpresentation or using specialized software Any teachers, who have limited ITqualifications, can also do it Mind map not only helps system of lessons morelogical, easier to understand and memorable way, but also to create a dynamicatmosphere in the classroom, to improve the interaction between teachers andstudents I realize that: the lessons that use the mind map make my students excitedbecause they are actively engaged in active learning, learning is as simple asplaying a relay game For example, learning about the comparative , students

represented their ideals on the board by drawing big branches: Concepts,characteristics ., followed by large branches is small branches with the samemeanings In this way, they can discuss, change and complement each other in aflexible way to have a complete lesson plan.

For this method, the teacher is only a stimulus, evaluation and content, andthe students are really active and creative in expressing their knowledge Therefore,the mind map method also contributes to help our students get more life, such as:skills seeking support, confidence, ability to listen, negotiate, cooperation, privateGreat creativity, time management " Not only in class, many students practiceusing the mind map while studying at home

2.2 Status of the problems:

a Advantages:

- The majority of students are very interested in this new method of teachingthis subject In addition, younger students are often hyperactive so the combination

of learning with fun, drawing pictures makes them very passionate

- Mind Map is easy to see, to write, and brings synthesis, thus it stimulates the interest in learning and creative abilities of students

b Disadvantages:

Through the daily teaching shows that: many students do not know how tolearn, how to record knowledge in the brain They only just learn by heart but theydon’t remember the important knowledge , or do not know thinking, linkingknowledge related to each other They are used to recording and memorizingmechanically, so to change the way of learning is also very difficult Beside , there

is not much time in class that also makes drawing maps face many restrictions

c Factual survey:

The method is implemented and applied at the beginning of this school yearand I have taught my students how to to get acquainted, approach gradually withthe mind map and guide them to to present their ideas before the class.

Before proceeding this topic I have taken a survey about the ability to applymind map of the students in the classes I teach The purpose of the new approach is

to improve the quality of students Thus, here I present the level of mastery ofknowledge before applying the mind Map through the first 45 minutes test:

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3 The measures carried out to solve the problem

3.1 What is the " Mind map" ?

The Mindmap is a method given as a powerful means of utilizing the visualrecognition of the brain This is a way to remember the details, to synthesize, or toparse a problem into a kind of branching schema This method was developed inthe late 1960s (20th century) by Tony Buzan, which helps to record lectures usingonly key words and images This way of recording is quick, easy to remember andeasier to review

This method exploits the ability to memorize and relate data to one another byusing colors, a basic structure developed extensively from the center, using lines,symbols, and words Words and pictures follow a set of simple, basic, natural andunderstandable rules With a Mind Map, a long list of monotonous information canturn into a colorful, lively, memorable and organized map It combinesrhythmically with the natural working mechanisms of our brains Remembering

and recalling information later will be easier, more reliable than using traditional recording techniques.

Mind map is an effective learning method in education

3.2 Advantages of using mind map:

- Advantage: Compared with the traditional way of studying, the mind map methodhas the following advantages:

- The main idea will be centered and clearly defined

- The reciprocal relationship between each point is pointed out The more important

it is, the closer it is to the main idea

- The relationship between the key concepts will be received immediately by sight

- Revising and memorizing will be faster and more effective

- Adding information (mind) is easier by drawing inserts into the map

- Each map will distinguish easily for recall

- New ideas can be placed in place on the image easily, regardless of the order

of presentation, enabling quick and flexible changes to the memo

- take advantages of the supports of the softwares on the computer.

3.3 How to make a mind map:

A mind map works in the same way that our brains operate Although thebrain can handle most complex events, it is based on very simple principles That'swhy creating mind Maps is easy and fun, because they follow the available needsand potential of the brain rather than in opposition to them So, what are the keytasks of the brain in creating Mind Maps? Very simply: Imagine and links

- Seven steps to create a mind map:

* Step 1: Start from the CENTER of a blank sheet of paper and pull to the side.Why? Because starting from the center for the brain, the freedom to spreadproactively and to express more liberal, more natural

* Step 2: Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for the central idea Why? Because a picture

is worth a thousand words and helps us use our imagination

* Step 3: Always use COLOR Why? Because color also stimulates the brain as animage Colors give Maps Think about resonant vibrations, bring endless vitalityand energy to creative thinking and it's also fun

* Step 4: Connect the BRANDS to the central image, and connect the secondaryand tertiary branches to the first and second level branches, etc Why? Because, as

we all know, the brain works by association If we connect the branches together,

we will understand and remember a lot easier

* Step 5: Draw more bendy lines than the straight line Why? Because nothingbrings boring to the brain than straight lines Like tree branches, organized curveswill appeal to and attract more eye contact

* Step 6: Using a keyword in every destination Because, the keywords give ourThinking Maps a lot of power and flexibility Each word or every single image islike a multiplier, which gives its associations and associations a special appearance

* Step 7: Use the pictures throughout Because just like the central image, eachpicture is worth a thousand words So if you have only ten images in your MindMap, then it's on par with ten thousand words of footnotes.

3.4 Applications of mind map in teaching:

3.4.1 Using mind map in teaching vocabulary:

a Step 1: Preparation of teachers

- Teachers list before a large vocabulary of topics in the book as: My School,

My House, Family, Activities, Classes, Places, Body, Food and Drink, Sports andpastimes, Countries , When learning these topics, the teacher asks students tomaster topics learned and review the vocabulary relating to the topic

- Normally in all GRAMMAR PRACTICE is all grammar revision of 2, 3 or 4previous units, I usually spend about 15 minutes to guide students to reflect on thevocabulary according to the topic by drawing mind maps

For example the following picture about “My School” Unit 2 (Textbook

English 6)

b Step 2: Preparations of students:

Ask students to prepare some of the following tools:

- A box of crayons

- A4, A3 or take advantage of the back of the picture, posters, New Year calendar

c Step 3: Instruct students to draw

- Firstly, I give a template mind map that is available in the drawing for students and explane about the branches, line drawings and objects drawn on it

- When guiding them to draw, it is not necessary to require them to draw like a sample that I made Students can draw under their own creativity and colors

- Starting from the central image of the main theme, students can draw the humanbranches, called branch level 1 Then from that branch level 1 to develop additionalbranches of the branch level 1 (branch level 2) Just continue to do until the lastbranch

- Students can also use images to illustrate a subject or a single vocabulary

- Ask students to always use color Because color also has the effect of stimulating the brain as images

- Students should use the curved lines instead of straight lines because the curve lines which are organized clearly will attract the attention much more of eyes

- The layout of information is all around the central image

- Students should not draw out the paper, leave some space so that we can add tothe branches with the words that the children will learn later So mind map is notonly drawn once , it will further continue when students learned more new wordsrelated to the topic

d Step 4: Comment

- After students finished painting, I hung a mind map to comment on these pointsthat the student has achieved and a number of weaknesses in mapping With the

good students I asked them to put some simple example sentences with the words

on mind maps to make them understand better about how they use the words

- Then ask students to finalize their maps at home So you have time to draw more detailed and better quality

Here are some of the topics that I have applied to teach students in grade

6: * Theme 1: "My house"-Unit 3 (Textbook English 6)

-Starting is the central image (the House), then followed by the main tributaries suchas: Living-room (living room), Bedroom (bedroom), Kitchen (kitchen), Bathroom(shower) Next up from the main branches to draw more of the sub-genres, looklike Kitchen branch , to list all the vocabulary related to the living room

- Teachers can also suggest the students should add the words that are not in thetextbook or add more latter With each branch, the students can also draw pictureswith equivalent words right next to

* Theme 2: Sport and Pastimes – Unit 12 (Textbook English 6)