Improving speaking skill through the mind mapping techniques for the 10 th grade students at nhu thanh 2 high school

Aims of thestudy The main aims of the study are not only to know about the fact of teaching andlearning speaking skills in Nhu Thanh 2 High School more clearly but also to investigatewhe

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

NHU THANH II HIGH SCHOOL

INNOVATION IN TEACHING

IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILL THROUGH

GRADE STUDENTS AT NHU THANH 2 HIGH SCHOOL

The writer: Nguyễn Thị Điệp The post: Teacher

Innovation of subject:E n g l i s h

THANH HOA, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENT

2.2 Practical situation: The reality of quality of English at

2 3 Practical solutions: Using the mind mapping techniques

in speaking periods

5

2.3.1 Guidance to implement the mind mapping techniques to

2.3.2 Some practical examples of using the mind mapping

techniques in the speaking lessons at Nhu Thanh 2 High School

*) Danh mục sáng kiến kinh nghiệm đã được hội đồng sáng

kiến kinh nghiệm ngành giáo dục và đào tạo huyện, tỉnh và các

cấp cao hơn xếp loại C trở lên.

Generally, for many years, learning and teaching English have experienced manychanges to meet the demand of society However, teaching and learning Englishespecially speaking skills in high schools haven’t got much achievement Speaking hasbeen considered the most demanding of four skills, namely listening, speaking, reading,and writing But a large number of students pay very little attention or ignore in thespeaking periods As a result, very few students can speak English even though manystudents have learnt English since at grade 3.

Through the teaching process and observing the English periods at Nhu Thanh 2High School, I recognize that almost of students ignore the speaking skills during theirstudy because they realize that most of their tests and the national examination don’trequire the speaking skills Therefore, students are not motivated or eager to speak andparticipate in the speaking activities Furthermore, the students often find some problems

in learning speaking skills The problem frequently found is that their native languagecauses them difficult tousethe foreign language Other reason is because of motivationlack to practice the second language in daily conversation They are also too shy andafraid to take part in the conversation Many factors can cause the problem of the students’speaking skills such as the students’ interest, the material, and the media among othersincluding the technique in teaching English Consequently, many techniques can beapplied to motivate students and improve the students’ speaking skills However, from myown experiences, mind map is considered as one of the most useful techniques to improvestudents’ speaking skills, which can encourages the student to be actively participating inteaching - learning process and makes them imaginative and critical since mind mapping

is a very powerful tool for brainstorming, creative thinking, problem solving, organizing

of ideas and of course, note taking Besides, mind map can help students to increasestudents’ understanding about the topic or material and gave a new insight for the studentsbecause it contains the key word or outline about the topic that will be conveyed to theothers In addition, this is creative method which is possible for students to identify thetopic that they have planned and students can be able to concentrate on their talk as toconvey their opinion systematically

From the above reasons I mentioned above, having born in my mind for a

long time, I made a choice to do a research with title“Improving speaking skillthrough the mind mapping techniques for the 10 th grade students at Nhu Thanh 2 High School”.

1.2 Aims of thestudy

The main aims of the study are not only to know about the fact of teaching andlearning speaking skills in Nhu Thanh 2 High School more clearly but also to investigatewhether the using of the mind mapping techniques in English speaking lessons can bringthe enhancement for students or not

1.3 Objects of thestudy

The objects of the study are students in the three classes (10C1, 10C2, 10C5) that Ihave been teaching in Nhu Thanh 2 High School with the aim to examine how the mindmapping techniques affect the process of speakinghere

- Carrying out experimental teaching on speaking skills using the mind map

techniques as well as observing thelesson

- Recording is used to record the process of using the mind mappingtechniques

2 CONTENTS 2.1 Literaturereview

2.1.1 Overview of speakingskill

Speaking is one of the important basic skills in learning English It is the

productive skill in the oral mode in giving information or responding which requires the speakers to use the knowledge about pronunciation, vocabulary,

culture, listening, the ability of responding and predicting …It consists of both verbal and non verbal communication

Speaking is a complicated process It includes activities that occur prior to, during,and after the actual speaking event For example, before speaking, the speaker mightdetermine the actual content of the message, how it should be presented, and what kind ofaudience will be hearing the message While speaking, the speaker must attend to suchthings as presenting a clear message, tone of voice, suitable vocabulary, possibleresponses, the environment, and nonverbal gesture Following speaking, the speaker mightaccept comments, answer questions, explain concepts not understood, and assess theprocess

2.1.2 Definitions of MindMap

Mind mapping technique refers to teaching technique using mind map as a tool torepresent students’ understanding by using words, picture with color and symbols in a

hierarchical or tree branch format.(Burn, 2010)

Mind map uses the whole brain to help generate ideas The cerebral cortex(cerebrum) of our brain, or 'thinking cap' as it is sometimes called, consists of a left andright side The left side of the brain mainly focuses on words, logic, lists, analysis andnumbers, whereas the right side of our brain focuses on such areas as rhythm, imagination,colour, images, dimension and day dreaming Mind map is a fairly simple techniquewhich will appeal particularly to visual learners Some students may already have

encountered mind-mapping before in the guise of “spider diagrams” or“conceptmapping”.

In the mind mapping technique, the student could draw or write what they have intheir mind related to the topic discussed They could generate or develop their ideas Theycould find the best idea that can be used by them

2.1.3 The Characteristics of MindMap

According Buzan (1993), there are five essential characteristics of Mind Mapping:

a The mind idea, subject or focus is crystallized in a centralimage

b The main themes radiate from the central images as‘branches’

c The branches comprise a key images or key word drawn or printed on its

associated line

d Topics of lesser importance are represented as ‘twigs’ of the relevantbranch

e The branches from a connected nodalstructure

2.1.4 How to draw a MindMap

Drawing a mind map is as simple as 1-2-3:

Step 1:Start in the middle of a blank page, writing or drawing the idea you intend to

develop You should use the page in landscape orientation

Step 2:Develop the related subtopics around this central topic, connecting each of them to

the center with a line

Step 3:Repeat the same process for the subtopics, generating lower-level subtopics as you

see fit, connecting each of those to the corresponding subtopic

Some more recommendations:

- Use colors, drawings and symbols copiously Be as visual as you can, and yourbrain will thank you I’ve met many people who don’t even try, with the excuse

they’re "not artists" Don’t let that keepyoufrom trying itout!.

- Keep the topics labels as short as possible, keeping them to a single word – or,better yet, to only a picture Especially in your first mind maps,thetemptation towrite a complete phrase is enormous, but always look for opportunities to shorten it

to a single word or figure – your mind map will be much more effective thatway

- Vary text size, color and alignment Vary the thickness and length ofthelines.Provide as many visual cues as you can to emphasize important points Every littlebit helps engaging yourbrain.

2.1.5 Relation of Mind Mapping andSpeaking

One aspect that makes us got difficulties in speaking is about the idea Especially, if

we need to explain something in English as our foreign language, and in fact in speakingtime for preparation is very limited And one of the solution is the using mind mappingtechniques This is very needed to avoid we get stag because lost of concept

Tony Buzan(2004)stated that there three common techniques for taking notes

during a lecture:Writing a complete transcript, writing a summary, writing key words

only

The mind map should be interesting too; the students can use lines, colors, arrows,branches or some other way of showing connections between the ideas generated on yourmind map These relationships may be important in understanding new information or inconstructing a structured essay plan By personalizing the map with their own symbolsand designs, they will be constructing visual and meaningful relationships between ideaswhich will assist in their recall and understanding When the students speak, commonlythey got stagnancy They have no idea what should they talk about The mind map couldhelp them to stay speak By using mind mapping it would be easier for them to rememberabout the concept they made before

2.2 Practical background:The reality of quality of English at Nhu Thanh 2HighSchool

Nhu Thanh 2 high school is a school in the mountainous area, most of the studentsare ethnic minority, therefore, their basic knowledge of English is not good and they arenot confident in learning and communicating in English As a result, most of the studentsignore the speaking skills during their study because they realize that most of their testsand the national examination don’t require the speaking skills Thus, students are notmotivated or eager to speak and participate in the speaking activities Furthermore, thestudents often find some problems in learning speaking skills The problem frequentlyfound is that their native language causes them difficult to use the foreign language Otherreason is because of motivation lack to practice the second language in daily conversation.They are also too shy and afraid to take part in the conversation Many factors can causethe problem of the students’ speaking skills such as the students’ interest, the material, andthe media among others including the technique in teachingEnglish

Consequently, many techniques can be applied to motivate students and improvethe students’ speaking skills During the process of teaching in Nhu Thanh 2 High School,

I realize that most of the teaching lessons have been taught by using

active teaching methods After applying these methods to teaching, I found that usingmind maps in English lesson really practical and effective because mind map is a verypowerful tool for brainstorming, creative thinking, problem solving, organizing of ideasand of course, note taking The students' results in learning English are becoming betterand better Furthermore, more and more students are interested in learning English.English lessons are no longer a burden to the students those are always sitting andlistening to the teacher During the class, students can brainstorm, then discuss with theirpartners about the content of the lessons and draw the mind maps by themselves, whichmakes them understand and remember knowledgebetter.

In general, based on the practical experience in my school, I want to present theway to use mind maps in English lessons effectively, with the aim of contributing toimproving the effectiveness of teaching and learning English, especially in teachingspeaking skills for the 10thgrade students

Picture 1: Dinh Mai’s mind map – Class: 10C5 (Topic: Daily routine)

Step 1:Teacher gives topic to the students Teacher should choose the interesting topics

which are familiar to students to enhance their interest

Step 2:Teacher explains the topics and gives the basic mind maps which help student

understand how they should do

Step 3:Teacher gives the students time to make short preparation and asks student to work

in groups or pairs to discuss the topic With the topics related to the personal information,teacher asks students to work individually, after that, share their information with theirpartner

Step 4:Teacher asks the students to make the sub points of the topic given and write them

into the mind mapping form Teacher encourages students to use the pictures or draw thevivid paintings to make their mind map more engrossing

Step 5:Teacher asks the students to speak in front of the class based on the topic given.

The students could be used the mind mapping that they made before to help their speakingactivities

Step 6:The students are given some questions to see how they give responds

immediately

Step 7: Each student gives his / her questions and answers one another to practice doing

communication in English

Step 8:Teacher gives feedback and pays a compliment on the beautiful, creative mind maps

or gives them good marks

Picture 2: Students work in group to discuss the topic

*) For example: Period 1 - Introduction

Teacher’s sample:

Schools Measure

Personalities

Favorite Subjects People’s background

Hobbies Good Points

Topic 1:Introducing yourself

*) Functions practiced:Talking about yourself, people’s background

*) Applied lessons:

- Optional period (Introducing yourself with theclassmate)

- Unit 3 – English 10 (Talking about People’s background)

*) How to use the activity

- Step 1: Teacher introduces topic and gives the basic mind map

- Step 2: Teacher asks students to work in pairs and discuss about the main pointsrelated to the topic, give the sample of the mind map ingeneral

- Step 3: Teacher gives the eliciting questions to help students recall the vocabularyrelated the topic of the lesson, and give some language function or usefullanguage

- Step 4: Teacher asks students to make the mind map in detailindividually

- Step 5: Teacher goes around and helps students ifnecessary

- Step 6: Teacher asks students to share their mind map with theirpartners

- Step 7: Teacher calls on some students to present in front of the wholeclass

- Step 8: Students gives the comments or questions to the presenter

- Step 9: Teacher gives thefeedback

Student’s product:

Picture 3: Luong Van’s mind map – Class: 10C1 (Topic: People’s backgound)

Topic 2: Daily routine

Functions practiced:Talking about daily activities

Applied lessons:

- Unit 1– English 10 (Talking about dailyactivities)

How to use the activity

- Step 1: Teacher introduces topic and gives the mind map relating to the topicin general

- Step 2: Teacher asks students to work in pairs and discuss about the mainpoints related to thetopic

- Step 3: Teacher gives the eliciting questions to help students recall the vocabularyrelated the daily routine, and give some language function or usefullanguage

- Step 4: T asks students to make the mind map in detailindividually

- Step 5: Teacher goes around and helps students ifnecessary

- Step 6: Teacher asks students to share their mind map with theirpartners

- Step 7: T calls on some students to present in front of the wholeclass

- Step 8: Students gives the comments or questions to the presenter

- Step 9: Teacher gives thefeedback

*) For example: Unit 1: A day in the life of – Part B: Speaking

Teacher’ssample:

Student’sproduct:

Picture 4: Thanh Huyen’s mind map – Class: 10C1 (Topic: Daily routine)

Topic 3: Mass media

Functions practiced:Talking about different types of media

Applied lessons:

- Unit 7– English 10 (Talking about different types ofmedia)

How to use the activity

- Step 1: Teacher introduces topic and gives the mind map relating to the topicin general

- Step 2: Teacher asks students to work in groups and discuss about the main pointsrelated to thetopic

- Step 3: Teacher divides the topic for each group Each group prepares a kind ofmass media

- Step 4: Teacher lists the vocabulary related the features of different types ofthe mass media, and give some language function or usefullanguage

- Step 5: Teacher goes around and helps students ifnecessary

- Step 6: Teacher calls on the representatives of each group to go to the boardand finish the mindmap

- Step 7: Students base on the mind map topresent

- Step 8: Students gives the comments or questions to the presenter

- Step 9: Teacher gives thefeedback

*)For example: Unit 7: The Mass Media – Part B: Speaking

Teacher’s sample: