SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Reasons for choosing the topic 1 1.2. Research purpose and objectives 1 1.3. Research questions 2 1.4. Scope of the research 1.5. Research methodology 2 2 2. CONTENTS 2 2.1. Theoretical background 2 2.2. Practical background 11 2.3. Solutions to the problems 12 2.4. Effectiveness of using mindmapping techniques 15 2.5. Sample lessons 23 3. CONCLUSION AND PETITION 35 REFERENCES APPENDIX

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA TRƯỜNG THPT LƯƠNG ĐẮC BẰNG SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM TÊN ĐỀ TÀI USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE THE 12th GRADERS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY AT LUONG DAC BANG HIGH SCHOOL (BASIC BRANCH) (Sử dụng kỹ thuật lập đồ tư để nâng cao vốn từ vựng Tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 12 trường THPT Lương Đắc Bằng – Chương trình bản) Người thực hiện: Hồ Thị Minh Thái Chức vụ: Tổ trưởng chuyên môn Tiếng Anh Đơn vị công tác: Trường THPT Lương Đắc Bằng SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh THANH HÓA - NĂM 2022 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic 1.2 Research purpose and objectives 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the research 1.5 Research methodology 2 CONTENTS 2.1 Theoretical background 2.2 Practical background 11 2.3 Solutions to the problems 12 2.4 Effectiveness of using mind-mapping techniques 15 2.5 Sample lessons 23 CONCLUSION AND PETITION 35 REFERENCES APPENDIX INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic In today’s global world, the importance of English cannot be denied and ignored It has been playing a major role in many sectors including medicine, engineering, education, aviation, etc It is the language of science and technology It is the official language in a large number of countries English language, therefore, is believed to be used to access to every field of life It is English that is used to communicate internationally In acquiring a foreign language, vocabulary plays a crucial part It is one element that links the four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) all together When talking about the importance of vocabulary, it was noted by Wilkins (1972) that: "without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed." Indeed, people need to use words in order to express themselves in any language In order to communicate well in a foreign language, anyone should acquire an adequate number of words and should know how to use them accurately Before 1970, little attention was paid to vocabulary teaching and learning It means that teaching vocabulary was just considered as an addition to teaching grammar or simply a by-product of language teaching and communicative functions However, some scholars of language acquisition no longer talk about the four language skills, but nine skills These other five skills are vocabulary, spelling, grammar, pronunciation and study skills Therefore, the role of vocabulary knowledge has been recognized by theorists and researchers since 1990 Besides, in my experience as a teacher of English, I noticed that my students usually find it difficult to speak English fluently They usually consider speaking and writing activities (productive skills) exhausting because they keep on using the same words and expressions, so very soon their conversation is abruptly interrupted due to missing words For the same reason, their receptive skills (listening and reading) are not good either The main reason for such problems is the lack of vocabulary Other students are faced with the problem of forgetting the words right after the teacher has elicited their meaning or after having looked them in the dictionary This is also a cause of the lack of vocabulary Recognizing the importance of vocabulary, I myself understand that the teacher has an essential role in helping students to improve their vocabulary To the best of my knowledge, there have not been any studies concerning Mindmapping technique in vocabulary teaching carried out at Luong Dac Bang high school before Therefore, the author of the present study, a teacher of English, has decided to conduct a study named “Using Mind-mapping Technique to improve the 12th Graders’ English Vocabulary at Luong Dac Bang high school” The findings of the study, if done well, would be original 1.2 Research purpose and objectives The purpose of the study is to improve the 12 th graders’ English vocabulary at Luong Dac Bang high school In order to achieve the purpose, the study is expected to reach the objectives as follows: - Uncovering the 12th graders’ attitudes towards mind-mapping technique used in vocabulary teaching - Evaluating the effectiveness of mind-mapping technique applied to vocabulary teaching 1.3 Research questions The objectives of the study can be elaborated into the research questions as follows: - How is mind-mapping technique used in vocabulary teaching assessed by the 12 th graders at Luong Dac Bang High School? - What is the effectiveness of mind-mapping technique on the 12 th graders’ English vocabulary outcome at Luong Dac Bang High School? 1.4 Scope of the research The focus of the study is using mind-mapping technique to improve the 12 th graders’ English vocabulary at Luong Dac Bang high school Hence, the study could not cover all aspects in vocabulary teaching It only focused on the use of mind-mapping as a technique to help enhance the 12th graders’ vocabulary at Luong Dac Bang high school The subjects of the study are 90 male and female students coming from class 12A3 and 12A9 The age of those 90 students ranges from 17 to 18 They are going to be the participants and respondents to survey questionnaires, trial lessons and tests The action plan was implemented in months from October 2021 to February 2022, during the academic school year (2021-2022) at Luong Dac Bang high school 1.5 Research methodology The purpose of this research is to find out whether mind-mapping technique has any positive effects on the 12th graders’ improvement and retention of vocabulary and explore the students’ attitudes toward this technique Besides, I myself - the researcher - would like to improve my students' learning skill and my professional performance Therefore, it is hoped to be a practical action research project because its purpose is to research a specific school situation with a view toward improving practice, to focus narrowly on a specific problem and to be undertaken by an individual teacher within a high school In order to address the two research questions, both qualitative and quantitative methods are exploited in this action research The data are collected via survey questionnaires, interviews and tests CONTENTS 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Vocabulary Defined According to Webster (1994), vocabulary is the list of words which is often used in every aspect of life and words are usually arranged alphabetically with an equivalent definition To be more details, vocabulary is often explained or translated, depending on the word stock at the command of an individual for the use of this person in particular work, language or branch of subject, etc Additionally, Lado (1994) defined vocabulary as a form of expression with associated with the meaning and content of words Meanwhile, it was also defined by Scrivener (1994) that vocabulary could be considered as a powerful meaning carrier because when a student identifies the importance of the vocabulary in communication and learning, they may reasonably intend to get, receive and accept a working knowledge of a great amount of words Another significant thing to be considered for teachers when making work of vocabulary is the difference between receptive and productive vocabulary According to S Thornbury (2002), in general, there are several difficulties when learners access vocabulary of a foreign language, and they are: • Creating the accurate connection between the form and meaning of words during the process of understanding the target language; for example, separating the meaning of the words related to the topic • Using the exact word form for the intentional meaning when producing language In brief, there are many different points of view about vocabulary Having mentioned these definitions, the researcher decided to use that of Webster (1994) in this study because this definition from this scholar is more appropriate and useful to use in the study 2.1.2 Vocabulary Classified According to Scrivener (1974), vocabulary can be divided into two types, including productive (active vocabulary) and receptive (passive vocabulary) Particularly, productive vocabulary is the group of words which are often used in spoken language, or daily conversation This type of vocabulary requires good pronunciation – saying the sounds and stress of the words correctly – so that the dialogue can be carried out smoothly Meanwhile, receptive vocabulary is the use of words that we can identify and understand how to use; but we not use it intentionally in conversation or other purposes Additionally, it is raised by Hendrich (1988, p.131) that, vocabulary classification is possible to maintain from different viewpoints: formal (for example word classes); mechanical (according to the frequency); semantic, that is according to the relationships of language marking to off-language reality or according to the relationships of meaning (synonyms, antonyms, etcetera); or from the grammatical viewpoint, mainly paradigmatic, which is grouping words together according to the same grammatical characteristics Another classification by Judy K Montgomery (from the book: The Bridge of Vocabulary: Evidence Based Activities for Academic Success (NCS Pearson Inc, 2007) There are types of vocabulary: • Listening which is the words we hear and understand; • Speaking which is the words we use when we speak; • Reading which is the words we understand when we read text; • Writing which is the words we can retrieve when we write to express ourselves The first two constitute spoken vocabulary and the last two, written vocabulary Children begin to acquire listening and speaking vocabularies many years before they start to build reading and writing vocabularies Spoken language forms the basis for written language Each type has a different purpose and, luckily, vocabulary development in one type facilitates growth in another 2.1.3 Vocabulary Tests Defined According to Brown (2005), test, in simple term is a way of examining ability of an individual, knowledge or performance in a given aspect There are many published exercises on vocabulary These include: Matching pictures to words; matching parts of words to other parts; matching words of other words (synonym, opposites, sets of related words, etc.); using prefixes and suffixes to build new words; using given words to complete a specific task; filling in crossword, girds or diagrams; memory games Each of them can be interpreted in detail as follows: • Matching pictures to words which could help a child to demonstrate their knowledge Activities like this can also be lessons in vocabulary, for a child matching local birds this is also an opportunity for the child to demonstrate their knowledge in the names and sounds of the birds • Matching parts of words to other parts in which the child is using their developing memory, utilizing their ability to store, organize and retrieve information, recall information in relation to something they have seen before • Matching words of other words, example: synonym, opposites, sets of related words, etc which can also provide the child the opportunity to further their knowledge and then demonstrate that knowledge in a particular/specialized area of interest • Using prefixes and suffixes to build a new word which give the children an improvement when they read literature, coming upon unknown words It also helps them concisely say or write something They just add a prefix or suffix and eliminate the extra prepositions or sentences needed to convey the meaning • Using given words to complete a specific task helps the children to train their memory and the capability to analyze and give the most suitable choice • Filling in crossword, girds or diagrams force the children to look at the letter sequence of a word which helps them learn new spelling Filling in crosswords relies on them spelling the word correctly and this helps them to remember words with difficult spelling • Memory games bring about a wide range of benefits which include:  improve concentration;  train visual memory;  increase short term memory;  increase attention to detail;  improve the ability to find similarities and differences in objects;  help to classify objects that are grouped by similar traits 2.1.4 Mind-mapping Technique Mind-mapping Technique Defined There are many different views on the definition of mind-mapping It is defined by Tony, a British psychologist that “Mind-mapping technique” or “Mind-mapping” was created and made progress in the late 1960s in an attempt to assist learners to the notetaking more effectively According to Buzan (1993) in the book “The Mind mapping Book”, “Mind-mapping is a powerful graphic technique, which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain” Additionally, it was also noted by McGriff (2000) about Mind-mapping that “Mind-mapping is an excellent way to help learners organize knowledge, to empower themselves to better comprehend the key concepts and principles in lectures, readings or other instructional materials” Mind-mapping is also defined by Readon and Nourie (1999) that “Mind-mapping is a creative note-taking method, which eases us to remember much information Because of its visual specialty, Mind-mapping is often full of color, pictures and symbols like a small art Figure 1: An example of Mind-mapping (by Paul Foreman) In the example about Mind-mapping given in the picture above, the author concentrates on the topic of “tennis” and the related aspects that help reader to understand more about this sport, for example, principles, shot, scoring, tournaments or surfaces In general, Mind-mapping illustrates the process of forming ideas happens in our mind By using Mind-mapping, a great amount of information can be presented by pictures, lines, colors or symbols Furthermore, other components of a Mind-mapping such as arrows, shapes will help our brain to remember information in a better way In the book about Mind-mapping, Buzan (2004) recommends a way to make or create a Mind-mapping, consists of these following advices: • Taking a blank piece of paper and beginning in the center of this sheet with turning the paper sideways Starting from the middle helps the brain to think freely due to numerous creative spaces, ideas from brain can spread in all direction so that they can be expressed in the most effective way • Taking pictures, photos or big shape drawn by the author for the main topic or ideas, with the biggest for the most important and smaller for the less significant An image or picture put in the central of the Mind-mapping can be able to make the map to be more intriguing and keep the author of the map concentrated on the process and stimulate the imagination so that new ideas can be produced • Using colors, which are helpful to the imagination, to make the Mind-mapping to be more vibrant, lively and energetic Bright and impressive colors such as red, orange or blue are highly recommended • Using curved lines, which are less boring and more attractive to the maker, to connect the main ideas to the topic in the central position of the paper When connecting ideas by lines, it creates the structural frame to the whole map and helps the brain link ideas and support evidence together • Using as least words as possible, the best way to convey ideas in Mind-mapping is using one key word, which is proven to create the creativeness and flexibility to the Mindmapping and help the author to spark off novel thoughts, for each big branch, and more details can be added in further branches Mind-mapping Classified In general, Mind-mapping imitates the thinking process, namely helps us to move from one topic to another topic back and forth, and presents the information through symbols, pictures, emotional meaning and colors, exactly the same as our brains process it It uses lines, colors, arrows, branches or some ways of showing connections between ideas generated on our mind map Our brains can remember things better with visual, colors and pictures and therefore remember the facts and ideas that go with them In fact, there are many different types of Mind-mapping; however, four types presented below are the most popular Network tree Network tree is a way of presenting ideas, concepts or information and relationships among them in the form of branches, often vertical ones In a network tree, information, with examples incorporated to reinforce the meanings of the word, are regularly arranged basing on its level of specification, in which the most general term will be at the top and more specific items will be under the big topic An example of a network tree is shown in Figure below: Figure 2: An example of a network tree (by Karla Šturm) It can be seen in the network tree example shown in Figure that there are many scientific terms presented in this diagram Event Chain In general, an event chain is a diagram which has the function of indicating the relationships among events and how they have an influence on each other In particular, its chain describes the sequence of the procedure of this event Figure 3: An example of an event chain (by Lori Edwards) Take Figure as an example, it can be seen that there are several stages in the Order Information Check process, and each step in the procedure has the relationship to at least one another stage By using the event chain, steps and stages used to complete the task can be described in a clearer way to understand Cycle Concept Map Cycle concept map could be considered a remarkable type of event chain map In this type of map, there is no final outcome produced after the event sequence Instead, the last stage in the map has a reversal effect back to the initial one Figure 4: An example of a cycle concept map (by Wayne Sullivan) As can be seen in the Figure 4, which illustrates the cycle of the element of Carbon on the Earth, all of the components involving in the process of producing CO and C have the relationship to each other; and if the diagram is analyzed carefully, there are up to three smaller cycles described in this map Spider Concept Map This is the most popular and favorite type of Mind-mapping, and this type of Mind-mapping are still used by many students all over the world to help them study more effectively It is noted by Svantesson (2004) that there are several ways of creating Mind-mapping using this method, namely hayfork, thorn fish, cluster or variation, which are given with examples below: Figure 5: An example of hayfork Figure 7: An example of cluster Figure 8: An example of variation Figure 6: An example of thorn fish 2.1.5 Mind-mapping Technique in teaching and learning vocabulary It is undeniable that memory plays an important part in learning, remembering and acquiring a foreign language, especially in learning vocabulary, in which students hold responsible for getting acquaintance and internalizing to the pronunciation and meaning of the words on the purpose of using them effectively In order to achieving the aim of learning vocabulary efficiently, taking the advantage of the tool of Mind-mapping, which use personal connection with a view to making the process of remembering new information to be more easily and visualizing the thinking process, a helpful method As a result, Mind-mapping is considered to be a very supportive teaching technique to use the vocabulary of a foreign language proficiently Despite the possibility of being timeconsuming to apply the technique, eventually, at the time students recognize and understand the way of using Mind-mapping, the learning process will be speeded up Basing on the viewpoint of Casco (2009), there are some applications of using Mind mapping in teaching vocabulary, including: • Engaging the students When taking a look at the Mind-mapping, students can pay attention to the main topic and recognize what the subsequent piece of information is Additionally, Mind mapping can supply necessary information to decrease the apprehension of the students when getting input data • Activating previous background knowledge