Some solutions to teaching of esp listening to architecture students at ho chi minh city university of architecture

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES -R- LUU HOA LY SOME SOLUTIONS TO TEACHING OF ESP LISTENING TO ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS AT HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF TESOL HO CHI MINH CITY - 2002 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES -R- LUU HOA LY SOME SOLUTIONS TO TEACHING OF ESP LISTENING TO ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS AT HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE M.A THESIS IN TESOL CODE NUMBER: 5.07.02 SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF TESOL Supervisor: PHO PHUONG DUNG, M.A HO CHI MINH CITY - 2002 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: SOME SOLUTIONS TO TEACHING OF ESP LISTENING TO ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS AT HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE in terms of the statements of requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee Ho Chi Minh City, November 2002 LUU HOA LY i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, LUU HOA LY, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s theses deposited in the University Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the University Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, November 2002 LUU HOA LY ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been done and finished without the help and co-operation of a large number of people who now deserve my heartfelt thanks I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Ms Pho Phuong Dung, M.A., who has critically read the thesis and offered her intelligent comments on my thesis at various points in its development in an attempt to ensure that I make sense most of the time though she worked far from here Similar thank must go to Ms Ngo Thi Phuong Thien, M.A., who has inspired me to initial thoughts of the thesis My thanks also go to the organizers of the Master course and other staff members for instructing me to coursework and admitting me to perform the thesis I would like to thank the Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture and the Dean of Applied Science Department and the Dean of Basic Science Department at this University who have enabled me to use both school time and resources while I was doing this thesis My sincere thanks also go to those who have allowed themselves to be observed and surveyed in the class observations, the interview sessions and the questionnaire responses Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my dead mother who used to encourage me to take this Master course and support me with her love; and my affection must also go to my beloved son iii ABSTRACT Teaching English listening has not been paid sufficient attention to in many technical universities and colleges, especially at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, where ESP listening seems to be neglected However, listening plays an important part in communication Many architecture graduates have encountered difficulties with listening comprehension at building sites or civil engineering offices where English is a means of communication The purpose of this study was to identify learners’ problems in learning ESP listening and applicable methods to employ in ESP listening classes A questionnaire was designed to survey these issues and several listening classes were observed To clarify the data from the questionnaire and classroom observations, short interviews were also conducted with architecture students and ESP teachers at Architecture University The findings of the study demonstrate that proper criteria for selecting materials appropriate to architecture students may facilitate their ESP listening learning In addition, the study concludes that the harmonious combination of applicable methods can improve ESP listening teaching at Architecture University iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Theoretical background 1.3 Overview of the thesis .3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The importance of listening .5 2.1.1 The nature of listening 2.1.2 Listening competence 2.1.3 Purposes of listening 2.2 Listening stages 10 2.2.1 Pre-listening stage 10 2.2.2 While-listening stage 11 2.2.3 Post-listening stage 13 2.3 Learners’ potential problems in learning listening 14 2.3.1 Learners’ lack of experience in listening .15 2.3.2 The factors of a listening text 15 2.3.2.1 Sounds and pronunciation as obstacles to learners’ listening acquisition 15 2.3.2.2 Vocabulary 17 2.3.2.3 Grammatical structures 17 2.3.2.4 Information structures 18 2.3.2.5 Reduction 19 2.3.2.6 Colloquial language 19 2.3.2.7 Background knowledge 20 2.3.3 Distractors 20 2.4 Materials .21 2.5 Methods for teaching listening 22 2.5.1 Grammar-Translation Method .23 2.5.2 Audiolingual Method 24 2.5.3 Communicative Language Teaching Method .25 2.6 Summary of literature review 26 v CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Aims of the study 28 3.2 Hypotheses 29 3.3 Methods for the study 29 3.3.1 Questionnaire 29 3.3.1.1 Purpose 29 3.3.1.2 The subjects of the study 30 3.3.1.3 The description of the questionnaire 31 3.3.2 Classroom observation 32 3.3.2.1 Purpose 32 3.3.2.2 The subjects 32 3.3.3 Small interviews 34 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 35 4.1 Experience of the students’ learning of listening 36 4.1.1 The background of architecture students 36 4.1.2 Issues concerning the experience of learning listening 36 4.2 Issues concerning listening learning at HCMC University of Architecture 38 4.2.1 Learners’ difficulties in learning listening .38 4.2.2 Issues concerning the three stages of learning listening .43 4.2.2.1 Pre-listening stage 43 4.2.2.2 While-listening stage 46 4.2.2.3 Post-listening stage 49 4.3 Suggested solutions to teaching and learning of ESP listening via the questionnaire and focus group discussion 51 4.4 Approaches to teaching of ESP listening via the classroom observations and the small interviews with the three ESP teachers 54 4.4.1 The first class observation .54 4.4.1.1 Primary comments 54 4.4.1.2 Suggestions 55 4.4.2 The second class observation 56 4.4.2.1 Primary comments 56 4.4.2.2 Suggestions .56 vi 4.4.3 The third class observation 56 4.4.3.1 Primary comments 56 4.4.3.2 Suggestions .57 4.4.4 Summary 57 4.5 Lesson plan for teaching ESP listening 59 4.5.1 A lesson plan for teaching ESP listening 59 4.5.2 Comment on the lesson plan 64 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND SOLUTIONS 67 5.1 Conclusion 67 5.2 Suggested solutions 68 5.2.1 Suggested criteria for selecting listening materials 68 5.2.1.1 Identifying suitable topics while selecting listening materials 69 5.2.1.2 Considering grammar structures and specialized terms or unfamiliar words 69 5.2.1.3 Choosing authentic and up-to-date materials 70 5.2.1.4 Choosing recorded materials with high quality 70 5.2.2 Suggested methods for teaching listening 71 5.2.3 Appropriate techniques for teaching of listening 72 5.3 Limitation of the study and recommendations for future research 73 REFERENCES 74 APPENDICES 79 APPENDIX A 80 APPENDIX B 86 APPENDIX C 90 APPENDIX D 91 APPENDIX E 96 APPENDIX F 99 APPENDIX G 105 APPENDIX H 106 APPENDIX I 107 APPENDIX K 113 vii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 4.1 37 FIGURE 4.2 43 FIGURE 4.3 44 FIGURE 4.4 47 FIGURE 4.5 48 FIGURE 4.6 49 FIGURE 4.7 50 FIGURE 4.8 51 FIGURE 4.9 52 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 3.1 29 TABLE 3.2 30 TABLE 4.1 65 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESP TESOL English for Specific Purposes Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Hochiminh City HCMC viii Appendix F APPENDIX F CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS I THE FIRST CLASS OBSERVED ƒ Teacher’s name: A • sex :Female • age : 48 ƒ Class: K2000A1 (Architecture Department) ƒ Lesson: American Architecture ƒ Objective: presenting the listening text ƒ Time: 45 minutes ƒ Date: 15 April 2002 ƒ Teaching methods: Audiolingual and Translation methods Grammar- Presentation : ‰ Warm-up: - the teacher shows some color pictures and photographs of different kinds of high-rises One picture is about a skyscraper in Chicago, second one in Malaysia, others in Hanoi and HOCHIMINH City -The teacher gives some questions about those photographs, students answer cheerfully ‰ Giving Model: -The teacher played the cassette tape three times Then students listened to teacher reading the text again ‰ Listening: -The whole class repeated each sentence after her twice Then she asked students to read two paragraphs silently and try to find new words they did not understand, and students had to write some new words on the blackboard The teacher helps students find out the main idea of each paragraph after listening ‰ Presenting new vocabulary: -The teacher explains each new word which students wrote on the board The teacher used synonyms, antonyms, simple explanation of the words in English and equivalent words in Vietnamese 99 Appendix F -The teacher bordered the new structures, underlined the new expressions by color chalks -The teacher asked students to translate some examples using the new words and structures -Students created their own sentences with new words in their chosen contexts ‰ Checking answers: -True / false questions are given (in order to check students’ understanding) -Then she asked students to translate two paragraphs into Vietnamese ‰ Consolidation: -The teacher asked students to gap-filling exercise using the words they had learnt -Then the teacher asked students to multiple-choice exercises Tape scripts: Class was over 100 Appendix F II THE SECOND CLASS OBSERVED ƒ Teacher’s name: B • sex : female • age : 28 ƒ Class: K2000A3 (Architecture Department) ƒ Lesson: Dinner party ƒ Objective: presenting listening to a conversation ƒ Time: 45 minutes ƒ Date: 16 April 2002 ƒ Teaching methods: Audiolingual method Communicative methods and Presentation : ♦ Dialogue one: ‰ Presentation: -The teacher showed the picture and she made students think the possible situations -The teacher asked students some questions about the picture -The teacher introduced some vocabulary items in the dialogues ‰ Practice: -The teacher played the cassette tape three times: the first and the last time without any pauses; the second time with pauses after each sentence At this stage, if students did not understand, the teacher explained the meaning of the words again -The teacher also helped students to recognize linking sounds or final sounds -The students listened and repeated after each sentence The students practiced drills: Drill Continue For example: Umbrella Teacher (T): coats Hats T: Shall I take your coats? Bag T : umbrella Students (Sts): Shall I take your umbrella? T : coats Sts: Shall I take your coats? 101 Appendix F Drill Continue : T: house room T: What a lovely house! garden T : room picture Sts: What a lovely room! table T: house carpet Sts: What a lovely house! -Students practice in pairs ♦ Dialogue two: -The teacher followed the same procedure as in dialogue 1, but the practicing work included these drills: Drill Continue : you (singular gesture) T : we he T: We can help ourselves I T : you She Sts: You can help yourselves You They -Students carry out their practice Tape scripts: The class was over 102 Appendix F III THE THIRD CLASS OBSERVED ƒ Teacher’s name: C • sex: female • aged: 50 ƒ Class: K2000 A4 ƒ Lesson: ƒ Objective: presenting modal verbs: must, have to, need to ƒ Time: 45 minutes ƒ Date: 17 April 2002 ƒ Teaching methods: Audiolingual and Grammar– Translation methods Presentation: ‰ Checking homework: ‰ Presenting new materials: -Introducing the lesson, she wrote on blackboard the structure of modal verbs and put it in box (made a frame): should S + have to + V (simple form) + O need to -She wrote some examples on the board and the students wrote down in their notebooks -Teacher explained when “should”, “have to”, and “need to” are used -Students had to listen to some sentences with modal verbs ‰ Activities: a The students worked in pairs, on the basis of listening tasks and gave the partner some advice when he / she was going to business in Japan For example: • You should • You shouldn’t • You must • You have to 103 Appendix F b The teacher made students complete the sentences by choosing the most appropriate alternative I must go to the bank I have to go to the bank a I’m going a training course there b I’ve got no money left You mustn’t arrive early You needn’t arrive early c your host won’t be ready d the other won’t I must get more because exercise I have to get more exercise e it’s doctor’s order f it makes me feel so much better I have to finish this report I must finish this report g I’ve already spent too long on it h the company directors need it You mustn’t pay for the meal 10 You don’t have to pay for the meal i I invited you this time j the restaurant will charge company account c The students worked in pairs -The teacher asked students to use modal verbs they had just learned via listening to the teacher’s situations The lesson was over 104 Appendix G APPENDIX G INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH THE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH AT HCMC UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE Why did you use Audiolingual method in your listening class? Could you please tell me how effective the Communicative method was in your teaching of ESP listening? Grammar - Translation was employed primarily in your teaching of ESP listening Could you please tell me more about the effectiveness of this method compared with Audiolingual and Communicative methods? I see that many students in your class failed to take part in communicative activities assigned by you Why were these activities unsuccessful? Most of the students seemed to approve of Grammar Translation method in their learning of ESP listening According to you, is it necessary to use this approach in teaching ESP listening? 105 Appendix H APPENDIX H FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH STUDENTS What were your school books and tapes? What listening texts through radio, T.V or Internet did you use? You said that you have some difficulties in the process of learning listening in class at HCMC University of Architecture Could you please tell me about your listening difficulties in details? What you think about your listening materials at school? Do you like them? In listening tasks, you pay attention to the pre-listening stage? When you have difficulties with understanding a listening text, you ask your teacher for help? Why or why not? Do you think that transcripts are useful to your listening comprehension? Why or why not? You like up-to-date materials Our current listening materials need to be changed, don’t they? Which factors of a listening text you think are important? (For example, familiar words, simple grammatical structures, up-to-date materials, quality of tapes…) Why you think that the small class size may help to improve your listening? 10 Do you think that English native teachers may familiarize you with native accents? 106 Appendix I APPENDIX I SUGGESTING LISTENING EXERCISES FOR ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS Exercise 1: * Listen to the following text, then answer the questions: Six months after completing Ross’s Landing, SITE was commissioned to develop a concept and design approach for an environmental center to be situated on Kirkman Hill, adjacent to the landing The intention is to create a facility that will expand upon the marine science theme of the Aquarium The SITE proposal is for an Aquatorium to serve as an exhibition, research, and recreation building dedicated to the subject of water and people Its purpose is to explore the earth’s most precious resource in terms of science, culture, education, ecology, and health The building is designed as a circular structure to conform to the crest of its hillside site, and is composed of a series of narrative walls the separate the functions of the center- exhibits, study, library, theater, health club, and restaurant Its shape suggests the theme of water and earth, and connects this image to the earliest origins of cosmological symbolism The main architectural innovation is the use of lateral walls as the principal sources of information Rather than treat them as neutral elements that merely support exhibited artifacts, these walls tell the story of water and civilization by means of structural engineering, natural phenomena, and electronic technology The divisions also create an inside/ outside dialogue with the hillsides, using interplay of garden, small plazas, and earthsheltered rooms to increase the fusion of building and landscape.The centerpiece of the main entry hall is a glass-enclosed rain forest garden under a domed skylight atrium The interior is divided by a massive, undulating, waterwall and river that separates the exhibitions from the study center, library, and theater (Source: Michael Jcrosbie 1994 Green Architecture Rockport) 107 Appendix I Questions: What is the purpose of the Aquatorium? What is the shape of the building? What does the shape of the building imply? What is the main architectural innovation in the building? What increases the fusion of building and landscape? The main entrance showing the integration of the vegetation xono-metric of interiors spaces (Source: Michael Jcrosbie 1994 Green Architecture Rockport) 108 Appendix I Model showing the integration of the building with topography (Source: Michael Jcrosbie 1994 Green Architecture Rockport) 109 Appendix I Exercise 2: *Listen to the following text, then discuss the topic “Designing for change” In designing LLOYD’S OF LONDON, the center of world insurance since the seventeenth century, the Richard Rogers Partnership decided to design for the needs of the twenty-first century They expressed the overall concept in these words, “ The building is designed as a series of 16m wide concentric galleries overlooking a central atrium Each gallery may be used either as part of the underwriting Room or as optimum office space All normal fixed obstructions, i.e., toilets, stairs, entrances, lifts and columns are placed outside the building in six vertical towers.” This concept of placing all potentially obsolete functions on the exterior of the building allows the areas to be easily remodeled without disturbing the integrity of the basic structure A novel and forward looking approach in a structure for a very traditional firm The building materials themselves - reinforced and pre-cast concrete, steel framework, triplelayered solar control glass (incorporating part of the ventilating system), and stainless steel sandwich panels for cladding the service towers- are what one might say are “traditional technology”, but the way in which theses materials are combined and configured clearly speaks of the twenty-first century At the same time that this innovative structure shouts of the future, it pays careful attention to the past - the existing historic buildings - by stepping down the 12 -story building to stories on the South to keep the building in the scale of the neighborhood The resulting terraces also provide planting and outdoor areas on the upper levels The shining center, this marketplace for the new century, hints of rockets to the farthest corners of the galaxy and reminds us that in technology, as in all innovative progress, nothing is static and all inventions should make way for the future (Source: Margaret Cottom - Winslow 1995 Architecture and Technology - The best of environmental design Showcase Edition and PBC International; INC.) Discussion: What is “Tranditional Technology”? How does ““Tranditional Technology” express the twenty-first century? How you understand “high-tech” in designing buildings? 110 Appendix I Working drawings of “Lloyd’s of London” (Source: Margaret Cottom - Winslow 1995 Architecture and Technology - The best of environmental design Showcase Edition and PBC International; INC.) 111 Appendix I Existing “Lloyd’s of London” building Comprehensive plan of the “Lloyd’s of London” 112 Appendix I (Source: Margaret Cottom - Winslow 1995 Architecture and Technology - The best of environmental design Showcase Edition and PBC International; INC.) 113