(LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ) Using mind mapping to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at Bac Giang university of Agriculture and Forestry

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE-STUDIES **************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY LAN USING MIND MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY TO THE FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT BAC GIANG UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY (Sử dụng đồ tư để dạy từ vựng cho sinh viên năm thứ không chuyên trường Đại học Nông-Lâm Bắc Giang) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi-2012 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE-STUDIES **************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY LAN USING MIND MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY TO THE FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT BAC GIANG UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY (Sử dụng đồ tư để dạy từ vựng cho sinh viên năm thứ không chuyên trường Đại học Nông-Lâm Bắc Giang) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Prof.Dr Hoàng Văn Vân Hanoi-2012 Hanoi-2011 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations vii Lists of tables and figures viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 An overview of mind mapping 2.1.1 Definition of mind mapping 2.1.2 Classifications of mind mapping 2.1.2.1 Network tree 2.1.2.2 Event chain 2.1.2.3 Cycle concept map 2.1.2.4 Spider concept map 2.2 The applications of mind mapping to teaching a foreign language 2.3 The applications of mind mapping to teaching vocabulary 12 2.3.1 The overview of vocabulary 12 iv TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 2.3.2 Strategies of teaching and learning vocabulary 13 2.3.3 Mind mapping in teaching vocabulary 15 2.4 The advantages of using mind mapping 16 2.5 Related studies 19 2.5.1 Review of related studies worldwide 19 2.5.2 Review of related studies in Vietnam 20 2.6 Concluding remarks 21 CHAPTER 3: USING MIND MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY TO THE FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT BUAF AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS 22 3.1 Introduction 22 3.2 Using mind mapping to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF 22 3.2.1 A brief introduction to BUAF 22 3.2.1.1 The University 22 3.2.1.2 The teachers of English 23 3.2.1.3 The Students 23 3.2.1.4 The coursebook “New Cutting Edge – Elementary” 24 3.2.2 How to use MM to teach vocabulary in the coursebook “NCE – Elementary” 25 3.2.2.1 Three chosen vocabulary parts in the coursebook “NCE – Elementary” 25 3.2.2.2 Class procedures 26 3.3 How effective is mind mapping in teaching vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF? 30 3.3.1 Method of the research 30 3.3.2 Population 30 v TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 3.3.3 Data collection instruments 30 3.3.3.1 Questionnaires 30 3.3.3.2 Interviews 31 3.3.4 Data analysis procedures \ 31 3.4 Findings and discussion 32 3.4.1 Discussion 32 3.4.2 The Findings 32 3.4.2.1 The effectiveness of mind mapping technique to teaching vocabulary 32 3.4.2.2 Students’ feedbacks on the application of mind mapping in vocabulary lessons 34 3.4.2.2.1 Questionnaires 34 3.4.2.2.2 Interviews 36 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 37 4.1 Major findings of the study 37 4.2 Pedagogical implications and suggestions 38 4.3 Limitations of the study 38 4.4 Suggestions for further studies 39 References 40 Appendices I vi TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS MM: Mind mapping MMs: Mind maps BUAF: Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry NCE: New Cutting Edge L2: Second language vii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Page Table 1: Question & in questionnaires and students’ answers 34 Figure 1: Example of mind mapping Figure 2: Network tree of U.S currency Figure 3: Event chain Figure 4: Cycle concept map Figure 5: Spider concept map Figure 6: Mind map on “Transport” 16 Figure 7: Mind map on “Family week away” 16 Figure 8: Why to use mind maps? 18 Figure 9: Mind map on “Transport” 27 Figure 10: Mind mapping on “Drink” 28 Figure 11: Mind mapping on “Food” 28 Figure 12: Mind map on “Film” 29 Figure 13: Students’ interest with the application of mind mapping 35 Figure 14: Do you want to learn vocabulary with MM any longer? 35 viii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Vocabulary is an important element in second language (L2) acquisition By learning new words, learners can enhance their listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as improve comprehension and production in L2 When a person’s vocabulary is limited, he may find himself incompetent in learning English as he cannot make full sense of what he hears or reads Dellar and Hocking (cited in Thornbury, 2002: 13) states, “If you spend most of your time studying grammar, your English will not improve very much You will see most improvement if you learn more words and expressions You can say very little with grammar, but you can say almost anything with words.” Thornbury (2002: 23) also maintains that learners need not only to learn a lot of words, but also to remember them The prominent role of vocabulary in second or foreign language learning has been recently recognized by theorists and researchers in the field Accordingly, numerous approaches, techniques, exercises and practice have been introduced into the field of vocabulary teaching (Hatch & Brown, 1995) It has been suggested that teaching vocabulary should not only consist of teaching specific words but also aim at equipping learners with necessary strategies to expand their vocabulary knowledge (Hulstjin, 1993, cited in Morin & Goebel, 2001) Vocabulary learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies which in turn are part of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001) One of the strategies in learning vocabulary is how to learn and remember vocabulary effectively Learning new vocabulary involves storing them first in short-term memory, and then in long-term memory There are some factors affecting the process of remembering new vocabulary items They may be the ways to present the words, how frequently they appear or how words are recycled TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Rivers (cited in Thornbury, 2002: 144) states that “vocabulary cannot be taught, it can be presented, explained, included in all kind of activities and experienced in all manner of associations…but it is ultimately learned by the individual.” Moreover, one of the strategies to teach vocabulary is to apply images and review well in a structured way Mind mapping is believed to be one of the techniques or activities which can be used in teaching and learning vocabulary effectively For all the reasons mentioned above, I have decided to choose Using mind mapping (MM) to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry (BUAF) as the topic of my MA thesis 1.2 Aim of the study The study is aimed at finding the ways to use MM to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF effectively with the coursebook New Cutting Edge (NCE) – Elementary 1.3 Research questions In order to address the aim of the study, the following research questions are raised for exploration: What are the applications of MM to teaching a foreign language in general and teaching vocabulary in particular? How is MM used to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF effectively? The answer to Questions involves a review on the notion of MM and its applications to teaching a foreign language in general and teaching vocabulary in particular The answer to Question involves a mini-experiment in which I will exploit the insights of MM to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF, using the coursebook the university is currently using; then in order to get TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com to know how effective MM is to teaching vocabulary, a small research is conducted to obtain the opinions from the students at BUAF 1.4 Scope of the study Given the aim set in 1.2 and the research questions raised above for exploration in 1.3, the study can not cover all aspects of vocabulary teaching and learning It only focuses on applying the insights of MM to teaching vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF 1.5 Significance of the study The study will be useful to students, teachers and researchers in the field of English language teaching and learning: students can use MM model to learn vocabulary quickly and more effectively; teachers can understand more about the MM model and use it to teach vocabulary more effectively in their lessons; and researchers will use the study as a reliable source of reference in their research 1.6 Organization of the study The study consists of four chapters Chapter – Introduction – covers the rationale, the aim, the research question, the scope, the significance and the organization of the study Chapter – Literature review – provides the theoretical background of the study which includes some basic knowledge of MM in general and MM in teaching vocabulary in particular Besides, some advantages of using MM are also presented Chapter – Using MM to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF and its effect – describes the method based on which the study is carried out with the description of participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedures and analysis procedure It also gives a brief introduction to BUAF, English teachers, students and the coursebook that the university is currently using Besides, in this chapter, it attempts to describe in detail three places where vocabulary is taught to the first year non-English major students at BUAF, TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com APPENDIX 8: Lesson plan of vocabulary PART MODULE 5: getting FROM A TO B Vocabulary: Transport A Aims and requirements Aims: - To introduce students (Ss) vocabulary related to the topic “transport” - To help Ss identify different types of transport Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to: - Get familiar with vocabulary related to the topic “transport” - Know how to use the preposition that go with each type of transport Time: 20’ Teaching aids: - Text-book, board, chalk, lesson plan, pictures, maps …… B Procedure: I Class organization: (1’) - Greet and check Ss’ attendance II New lesson: Teacher’s activities Time 5’ Warm-up: - Ask Ss to close the book and give Students’ activities - Close the book - Answer the questions the answer to some questions “How you often go to school?” “How does your mother/ your father often go to work?”, etc - Guess the topic of the lesson - Elicit Ss to guess the topic of the lesson and lead to the lesson 15’ New lesson - Draw a map on the board X TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Transport - Divide the class into groups and ask Ss some questions to help them - Answer the questions complete the map: “How many types of transport you know?” What are their subtypes?” etc - Call Ss from groups to draw their - Complete the map maps on the board - Ask Ss to compare the map and add - Compare and add the ideas some more ideas by looking at the types of transport given in page 42 - Give the suggested completed map by delivering the map prepared to Ss Find these types of transport in the photos - To make sure students know the - Match the words with the meaning of these words, ask Ss to pictures match them with the pictures given in page 42 - Give the suggested answer if Suggested answer: necessary a an aeroplane b a bus c a scooter a car a taxi d a bicycle e a train f a ferry XI TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com g an underground/ a subway train h a tram - Elicit them to give their Vietnamese - Give their meaning in meaning Vietnamese - Help Ss practice pronouncing these - Practice pronouncing these words words with T Put the types of transport in order from fast to slow - Ask Ss to work in groups and put the - Work in groups types of transport in order from fast to slow - Elicit Ss to give the answer - Give the answer - Give the suggested answer if Suggested answer: necessary an aeroplane a bus a train 4/5 a car/ a taxi a motorbike an underground a ferry 9/10 a tram/ a bus 11 a scooter How people usually travel in 12 a bicycle your town? - Ask Ss some questions “How - Answer the questions schoolchildren usually travel in your town?” “How students and young people usually travel?”, etc - Elicit Ss to use the correct preposition with each kind of transport XII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com APPENDIX 9: LESSON PLAN OF VOCABULARY PART MODULE 6: EATING AND DRINKING Vocabulary: Food and Drink A Aims and requirements Aims: - To introduce students (Ss) vocabulary related to the topic “food and drink” - To help Ss identify different types of food and drink Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to: - Get familiar with vocabulary related to the topic “food and drink” - Identify which type of food and drink is countable and which one is uncountable Time: 20’ Teaching aids: - Text-book, board, chalk, lesson plan, pictures, maps …… B Procedure: I Class organization: (1’) - Greet and check Ss’ attendance II New lesson: Teacher’s activities Time Students’ activities 5’ Look at the picture from a hotel restaurant Is it breakfast, lunch or dinner? - Elicit the names of the meals and ask Ss - Give the names of the meal which is their favorite and answer the question - Ask Ss to focus on the picture and ask - Look at the picture and answer the question the question Suggested answer: Breakfast 15’ Find these things in the picture - Ask Ss to work in pairs and find food and - Work in pairs and find XIII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Teacher’s activities Students’ activities Time drink in the picture given - Check the answer with whole class - Check the answer with T - Help Ss pronounce these words - Practice pronouncing these words with T Put the words in Ex2 into two groups - Divide the class into big groups One group put the words in task into - Work in groups and the task countable nouns box, one group put them into uncountable nouns box - Write down the answer on the - Call Ss to write the answer on the board board and ask the others to check - Draw maps on the board and ask Ss to close the book and complete them - Close the book and complete the map Drink Food Countable Uncountable XIV TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com APPENDIX 10: LESSON PLAN OF VOCABULARY PART MODULE 8: FACT OR FICTION? Vocabulary: Describing films A Aims and requirements Aims: - To introduce students (Ss) vocabulary related to the topic “describing films” - To help Ss identify different types of films - To provide Ss some adjectives that are used to describe films Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to: - Get familiar with vocabulary related to the topic “films” and “describing films” - Use the given adjectives to describe films they have ever seen Time: 20’ Teaching aids: - Text-book, board, chalk, lesson plan, pictures, maps …… B Procedure: I Class organization: (1’) - Greet and check Ss’ attendance II New lesson: Teacher’s activities Time 3’ - Introduce the topic of the lesson to Students’ activities - Listen to T Ss - Draw a map on the board and remind Ss to complete the map with their own ways during the lesson 5’ Look at the photos from films Which film is - Checking Ss’ understanding about - Give the meaning of the given XV TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Teacher’s activities Students’ activities Time the meaning of the given words and words focused them on the photographs of the films - Ask Ss to work in pairs to match the - Work in pairs to match films with the vocabulary given - Practice pronouncing the types of - Practice pronouncing with T film with Ss - Give Ss 3’ to fill the types of film in - Fill in the map the map Which adjective(s) describes each 5’ type of film? - Elicit Ss to give the meanings of the - Give the meanings of the given adjectives given adjectives - Ask to work in pairs to choose the - Work in pairs to choose the adjectives that are suitable to describe adjectives the types of film - Remind Ss to complete the map with - Complete the map with the the new information new information 5’ Work in pairs Say the name of a film and your partner says which adjective(s) describe it - Ask Ss to work in pairs (one says the - Work in pairs name of the film; one speaks out the adjectives to describe this film) - Speak aloud - Call some pairs to speak aloud in front of the class - Compare the maps - Ask Ss to compare their maps with XVI TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Teacher’s activities Time their friends before calling students Students’ activities - Draw the maps on the board to draw their maps on the board - Add the ideas - Elicit Ss to add more ideas and then give the suggested map if necessary XVII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com APPENDIX 11: VOCABULARY PART XVIII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com XIX TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com APPENDIX 12: VOCABULARY PART XX TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com XXI TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com APPENDIX 13: VOCABULARY PART XXII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com XXIII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com XXIV TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ... choose Using mind mapping (MM) to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry (BUAF) as the topic of my MA thesis 1.2 Aim of the. .. introduction of BUAF, the English teachers, the students and the coursebook that is currently using Then I applied the insights of MM to teaching vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at. .. question of how to use MM to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students at BUAF The chapter will start with a brief introduction to BUAF, BUAF’s English teachers, the first year students,