graphic organizers effective tools for teaching writing skill in the new “tieng anh 10” textbook

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NGHỆ AN ĐỀ TÀI: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS - EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILL IN THE NEW “TIENG ANH 10” TEXTBOOK MÔN: TI NG ANH Ế Năm học: 2020-2021... As a tea

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NGHỆ AN

ĐỀ TÀI:

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS - EFFECTIVE TOOLS

FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILL IN THE NEW

“TIENG ANH 10” TEXTBOOK

MÔN: TI NG ANH Ế

Năm học: 2020-2021

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS - EFFECTIVE TOOLS

FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILL IN THE NEW

“TIENG ANH 10” TEXTBOOK

GV: NGUY N TH THU HÀ Ễ Ị MÔN: TI NG ANH Ế

Năm h c: 2020-2021 ọ

INDEX

Parts Contents Pages

1 Reason for choosing the study

2 Purpose of the study

112

1.Theoretical considerations

1.1 Definitions of writing1.2 The importance of writing1.3 Difficulty of teaching writing1.4 Effective writing teaching requirements1.5 Graphic organizers

1.6 Students’ attitudes towards writing

2 The reality of teaching and learning writing at Nguyen Duy Trinh high schools

2.1 The teacher’s and students’ attitudes towards theteaching and learning of writing

2.2 Students’ difficulties in learning writing2.3 The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook

3 Research methods

3.1 Participants and setting3.2 Data source and research material3.3 Data collection procedure

55677779910 24

1 Reason for choosing the study.

In the process of globalization, English plays an important role in enhancingeconomy, 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 tocommunicate in spoken and written languages However, the education quality hasnot met the society’s expectation because mostly high-school graduates cannotcommunicate in English effectively in both oral and written forms Under theurgent demand of improving the quality, Vietnam’s English language teaching hasrecently undergone a comprehensive reform Vietnamese Ministry of Educationand Training has issued a new set of textbook for high school students in order todevelop students’communicative competence The new textbook displays two newteaching approaches They are learner - centered and communicative approaches.However, regarding Vietnam’s context, the change will create a lot of difficulties toteachers of English who are too familiar to old teaching methods, especially inteaching writing skill, which seems to be the most difficult work in teachingEnglish

At Nguyen Duy Trinh high school, teaching writing skills is really a bigchallenge One of the major reasons for students' low performance in writing;however, is the traditional methods adopted to teach this skill In fact teachingwriting in this part of theword does not go far beyond: "the teacher assigns a topic,the students write and the teacher evaluates and (at his/her best) providesfeedback"(Marshi& Henatabad 2011.p.79) Such an approach to teaching writing,

in the researchers' point of view, is very unproductive and demotivating It inducesthe learners to develop negative attitudes towards writing To make teachingwriting more fruitful and less boring, more modern innovative techniques suchasgraphic organizers are worth considering and being utilized in teaching Englishwriting Another problem is the students’ low level of English proficiency That iswhy they find it difficult to write Moreover, lack of motivation also faces thestudents They often get bored and indifferent in the writing lessons In myopinion, the current problem must be worked out and appropriate teachingtechniques should be made Up to present, a few researches have been carried out

on the teaching of writing for students in Nghe An As a teacher of English, who

is aware of the fact, I wish to contribute some suggestions for possibleimprovements in the teaching and learning of writing skill by the means ofgraphicorganizers

2 Purpose of the study

In response to the problem of students' insufficient writing ability, comes thisresearch as an attempt to determine whether using graphic organizers helps toimprove Nguyen Duy Trinh high school students' writing performance Thisresearch also intends to see how the use of such techniques impacts the students'attitudes towards writing.

2.1 Hypotheses of the study

Through the use of graphic organizers to teach writing, it is hypothesized that:2.1.1 Students' writing performance will improve significantly

This hypothes is is based on the assumption that graphic organizers providescaffolding or support for new information, help to focus attention, organizeinformation, select relevant vocabulary and offer a reminder for previousinformation

2.1.2 Students' attitudes towards writing will become more positive

This hypothesis is based on the assumption that these organizers create anenjoyable learning atmosphere that enhances meaningful learning Hence theyserve to improve performance and prevent frustration and boredom

2.2 Questions of the study

This research is intended to answer two questions that are directly related tothe above hypotheses

1 What is the effect of using graphic organizers on students' writing performance?

2 How does the use of graphic organizers impact the students' attitudes towardswriting?

2.3 Significance of the study

This research is significant as it attempts to investigate the impact graphicorganizers may have on the writing ability and attitudes towards writing English

of the 10th grade students at Nguyen Duy Trinh high schools towards thissignificant skill This study is also significant because its results woulddemonstrate the viability of using such an occidental innovative technique; thegraphic organizers to improve the writing proficiency of a group of the 10th gradestudents as well as their attitudes towards this important skill If this techniqueproves to be useful, then it goes without saying that it will be adopted to teachthis vital skill to attain better writing performance Better writing performancesecures the academic future of the students and facilitates their educationalprogress

1 Theoretical considerations

1.1 Definitions ofwriting

There are a lot of definitions of writing According to Byrne (1991), writingcan be defined as the act of forming graphic symbols When we write, we usegraphic symbols (alphabet, grammar, and structures) to make visual meaningfulutterances Therefore, on one level, writing can be said to be the act of makingmarks on flat surface of some kinds However, writing is not just simply puttingwords, sentences together Many researchers tended to focus on the nature ofwriting as an entity of linguistic creation Writing is also considered as acommunicative process with purposeful interaction between the participants.However, writing, in language teachers’ opinions, is a language skill which isdifficult to acquire In short, the definitions of writing are various However,writing is characterized with some basic features, i.e being linguistics, creative,progressive and interactive Besides, the word “writing” itself may imply an act, aprocess, or a skill, which needs practice and study to develop It requires bothphysical and mental powers from the writers

1.2 The importance of writing

Writing is a means to acquire and attain language, confirming that it is animportant mode of communication through which life experience and personalviews can be shared Writing is also described as skill that draws on the use ofstrategies to accomplish a variety of goals Writing is a means of extending andreinforcing knowledge Writing acts as an effective tool for acquiring newinformation

1.3 Difficulty of teaching writing

Albeit the importance of writing, many scholars and researchers admit thatteaching this skill is a complex and cumbersome process Teaching writing is just

as complicated as writing itself, teaching writing is demanding and cumbersome

As a teacher of writing for a long time, I acknowledge the difficulty andcomplexity of teaching English writing However, it should also be acknowledgedthat the traditional methods which are widely adopted to teach this skill in this part

of the world is one of the major causes for the poor level of the students' writingperformance

1.4 Effective writing teaching requirements

Effective writing teaching requires the use of assistive devices to support andmaintain the learning of this skill It is not enough for the teachers of writing to behighly qualified, but that their practices of instruction follow scientific basedresearch There are some major principles of effective writing instruction Theseinvolve providing support for recognition through presentation, support forstrategic learning through expression and support for affective learning throughengagement Use of mind mapsand graphics, says Strangman, provides the teacher

with tools and strategies that help him/her to adhere to the above principles ofeffective writing teaching Currently, visual organizers are widely incorporated inteaching writing These tools are claimed to provide learners with a concretestructural framework of information and help to focus the learners' attention on keyideas and the conceptual relations between these ideas rather than the apparentlyisolated facts (Delrose, 2011) In fact, the use of graphic organizers enhancesunderstanding, organizing and meaningful learning, and in this way facilitates thecomplex task of learning writing while serving to prevent boredom.

1.5 Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are defined as visual displays of key content informationdesigned to guide learners and to enhance their comprehension They aresometimes referred to as concept maps, cognitive maps, or content maps, but theyare all used to serve one purpose They are meant to help students clearly see howideas are organized within a text or surrounding a concept Through the use oforganizers, learners acquire the structure of abstract concepts A graphic organizer

is a visual graphic display that shows the relation between facts, terms or ideaswithin a learning task (Hall & Strangman,2002) The visual representation ofgraphic organizers provides learners with a structural framework of information to

be learned This helps to direct the learners' attention to key concepts andconceptual relationships The use of such organizers, thus promotes understanding,and enhances organization and long term retention of information It stressesmeaningful learning which serves to facilitate learning and minimize boredom.1.6 Students' attitudes towards writing

The ability to write clearly, consciously and efficiently is important toachieve academic success However, many students have limited writing abilitiesand struggle to write compositions that adequately convey their thoughts and ideas.Indeed, the writing process can be very cumbersome and difficult to master.Actually many students are classified as low achievers in this skill This situation isquite frustrating and leads many students to develop negative attitudes towards thisessential skill Educators can play a major role in helping students overcome thisproblem It is important for teachers to provide students with interesting, authenticand meaningful writing experiences (Chohan,2011) When these types ofexperiences are provided for the students, they become more engaged andinterested in their learning According to Chohan (2011), writing is better learnedwhen students are engaged, helped to organize their thoughts, and allowed toexpress their own experiences Lancaster (2013) reports that when students havethe chance to participate in writing workshops and use a variety of graphicorganizers, writing becomes meaningful, creative and more enjoyable.Furthermore, when learners are offered the opportunity to practice writing understress - free conditions, they become more comfortable and confident in the writing

interesting because it effectively shows students' growth with respect to theirwriting abilities Lancaster (2013) confirms that the use of graphic organizers inteaching is one way to create a learning atmosphere where students love writing.Teachers can prevent writing failure and students' frustration when successful,meaningful ways of teaching are used.

2 The reality of teaching and learning writing at Nguyen Duy Trinh high school

2.1 The teacher’s and students’ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of writing

Writing is not highly appreciated by the students and even the teachers donot take the importance of writing seriously This is because of the main purpose

of teaching and learning English at Nguyen Duy Trinh high school The results ofthe final exam and university entrance exam are considered the most importance ofteaching and learning English at school so both the teachers and students therefocus mostly on grammar and reading skill rather than on other skills such asspeaking, listening and writing This certainly affects the students’ writingcompetence and prevents the improvement of their writing ability Consequently,most of the teachers and the students think the students’ writing competence is bad.2.2 Students’ difficulties in learning writing

The 10th form students at Nguyen Duy Trinhhigh school are sixteen years old.Although they have been learning English for four years at lower - secondary schools,their English knowledge is still limited Besides, they have no clear determination onEnglish learning goal Students have to face many difficulties that are from twocauses: from the students themselves, and from the teachers’lectures

In terms of the first cause, the majority of the students have trouble withwriting because of their low level of English proficiency Their vocabulary andsentence structures are poor Grammar mistakes and spelling are also a commonfear for many of them Besides, their low background knowledge also makesthemfeel stressed when writing Many of the students said they found it hard to generateideas and make an outline because of their low background knowledge.Their lowmotivation is also a problem These students consider the result of the exams as themost importance of their learning Therefore, they care much about grammar,structures and reading skill This, obviously, decreases their interest in writing.Moreover, they consider time limitation as a trouble Many of them said theysometimes did not have enough time to complete writing tasks at class The mainreason for this is because of their low level of English proficiency and lowbackgroundknowledge

In terms of the second cause, the students do not highly access theirteachers’ assistance They find their teachers’ feedbacks are not comprehensiveand their teachers’ instructions are not adequate

2.3 The new “TiengAnh 10”textbook

The new “TiengAnh 10” is the first of three - level English language set oftextbooks for the Vietnamese upper secondary school It follows the systematic,cyclical and theme - based curriculum approved by the Minister of Education andTraining on 23rd November 2012 The aim of this set of textbooks is to developstudents’ communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing sothat when finishing upper secondary school, students will achieve level three of theVietnamese Foreign Language Competence Framework (equivalent to B1 in theCommon EuropeanFramework of Reference for Languages).

2.3.1 Grade 10 writing objectives

The aim of the course is to equip students with English writing skill for basiccommunication For grade 10 students, the objective is to develop students’abilities to provide 150 - 180 word paragraphs or short essay on familiar topics.2.3.2 Writing lessons

The writing subsection prepares students to cope with the two biggestproblems they usually experience, which are lack of ideas and lack of necessarylanguage to express ideas It often begins with a pre - writing activity thatpresents the topic and gives students an opportunity to brainstorm ideas related tothe given topic In the following activity, useful phrases are presented andpracticed so that students can use them later Sometimes, a model text is presentedwith one or two tasks for students to study its structure and format beforeproducing their own text This approach to writing gives students some guidance

so that they feel more confident and are better prepared for the writing task Inorder to realize the course objective, the writing section focuses on daily andpopular topics The required competences and objectives of the writing lesson ineach unit are detailed in the following table:

Units Required tasks

1 Family Life Writing about doing household chores

2 Your body and you Writing about what to eat and not to eat

3 Music Writing a biography

4.For a better Community Writing an application letter for volunteer work

5 Inventions Writing about the benefits of an invention

6 Gender Equality Writing about the disadvantages of working mothers

7 Cultural Diversity Writing about some typical characteristics

of Vietnamese people

8 New ways to learn Writing about the advantages of electronic devices

10 Ecotourism Writing a travel brochure promoting an ecotour

Table 1: Checklist of writing tasks in TiengAnh 10 textbook

3 Research methods

3.1 Participant and setting

The participants of this study are the students from class 10D1 with 44students They are chosen to be the first students to study the new textbookdesigned for those who have been studying English for 10 years from grade 3 tograde 12 To study this textbook, students have to achieve level two of theVietnamese Foreign Language Competence Framework (equivalent to A2 in theCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages) However, thenumber of the students that can meet the requirement is very small, about 15 in thetotal of 44 students Consequently, I faced a lot of challenges when teachingstudents the new textbook, especially writing skill

3.2 Data sources and research material

Both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed to carry out the study.The study used three major instruments for data collection: a writing rubric (seeApp A), an attitudinal survey (see App B) and tests (see App.C) The writingrubric based on The Georgia Department of Education Scale was selected andmodified by the researcher to assess the various traits of students' writing Thesecond instrument used in this study was the attitude survey This survey wasintended to measure the students' attitudes and feelings towards writing and theirperceptions of the writing task Informal interviews with the colleagues and thestudents are also conducted Besides, reviewing the related documents is also amethod to establish the theoretical background for the study

3.3 Data collection procedure:

The data collection procedure is indicated in the following chart:

The attitude survey

Writing pre-test

The teaching of writing skills (3 lessons-Unit 3, 4, 5)

1st writing post - test

The teaching of writing skills (2 lessons - Unit 6, 7)

2ndwrtiting post - test

Compare the results of the pre-test and the two post tests

The attitude survey

Data analysis

44 grade 10 students

In the same lesson, the students were given the writing attitude survey Thiswas a close-ended survey intended to collect some information about the students’perceptions and feelings towards writing before the graphic organizers'intervention This survey would be given to the students once more at the end ofthe study to see if there were any changes in students' attitudes towards writingwhich could be attributed to the graphic organizers' intervention.

In the second lesson of this phase, the participants were informed that theywere going to do their first writing assignment Evaluation was carried out byusing the writing rubrics designed for this study

4.1.2 Intervention

I applied graphic organizers in teaching writing skill for 10D1 in Unit 3, 4,

5, 6, and 7 In the first semester, the students had 2 periodical tests, the teacherused these tests as a way to check the development of the students’ ability onwriting skill After each writing lesson, the teacher took notice of any development

of students by collecting students’ writing and that was also used for thecomparison in collecting dates

4.1.3 Post – intervention

There were two post - writing tests, the first one was conducted at the end

of the first term and the second was in the middle of the second term The scores ofthe students were averaged and recorded to be compared to their scores before theintervention or before they received their graphic organizer's training Results ofthis comparison would help to answer the major question of this study and to reject

or verify its main hypothesis In the second lesson of this last week of the study,the students were administered the writing attitudes survey It was the same surveywhich was given to them during the baseline period The students’responses to thisquestionnaire were used to check if the use ofgraphic organizers had changed theirattitudes towards writing

5 Applications of the study in the Units.

Writing a biography

3 Write a biography, using the Fact Files (The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook –page 32, Volum 1)

a Fact Files not using graphic organizers

Frédéric François Chopin (1810 - 1849)

+ Early years: born in 1810 in Warsaw, a renowned child prodigy, grew up,

completed his music education and composed many works in Warsaw beforeleaving Poland in 1830 at the age of 20; settled in Paris after the November 1830uprising, suffered from poor health since childhood

+ Typical works: 59 mazurkas, 27 études, 27 préludes, 21 nocturnes, 20 waltzes,

18 polonaises, 4 ballades, 3 piano sonatas

+ Important achievements: invented the instrumental ballade and made major

innovationsto the piano sonata, waltz, and prélude

+ Conclusion: one of the greatest Romantic piano composers, his piano works are

often technically demanding, died in Paris in 1849 at the age of 39

b Fact Files using graphic organizers

Frederic Francois Chopin was a famous Polish composer and pianist Born in 1810

in Warsaw, he was a renowned child prodigy who published his first composition

At the age of 7 He grew up and completed his music education and composedmany works in Warsaw before leaving Poland in 1830 at the age of 20 He settled

in Paris after the November 1830 uprising Chopin suffered from poor health sincechildhood Most of Chopin’s music was written for piano During his short life,Chopin composed 59 mazurkas, 27 études, 27 préludes, 21 nocturnes, 20 waltzes,

18 polonaises, 4 ballades, 3 piano sonatas Chopin also earned some importantachievements Heinvented the instrumental ballade and made major innovations tothe piano sonata, waltz, and prélude Chopin is remembered as one of the greatestRomantic piano composers His piano works are often technically demanding Hedied in Paris in 1849 at the age of 39

Unit 4: FOR A BETTER COMMUNITY

Writing an application letter for volunteer work

5 You would like to volunteer at the Heart to Heart Charity Office Write a formalletter of 140 - 160 words applying for the job (The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook– page 44, Volum 1)

a Outline not using graphic organizers

Sender’s addressDate of writingEmployer’s title

+ Listing your personal qualities and offering to send references

+ Saying you are available for an interview and when you could start work

+ Thank - you note and formal closing

Signature

Useful language

I am writing to apply for the job as \ the position of…

I am writing to express my interest in the volunteer work placement…

I am writing regarding the advertisement for the job as…which appeared in…on…

As you will see from my enclosed CV, I am…

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address I am available for an interview at any time

Thank you for considering my application

………

b Outline using graphic organizers

Sender’s address Date of writing

Employer’s title

Office Address

Dear ,

Paragraph 1: Mentioning the job you are

applying for and where you found the job

Paragraph 2: Telling why you are right for the job, mentioning your experiences and

Sender’s address

Date of writingDirector

Heart to Heart Charity Office

15 Ha Thanh Street Ha Noi

Dear Sir \ Madam,

Paragraph 1: - volunteer

- in the Youth Newspaper

Paragraph 2: - having experience of doing

office work at a school for deaf children…

Paragraph 3:- be reliable,honest,hard-working

- can send references from the

Paragraph 4: - being available for an interview

- start working from next week

I look forward to hearing from you

Yours faithfully