the use of note taking skill in english listening

Table 1: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take noteswhile listening to English...17 Table 2: Tips or techniques of students to abbreviate...18 Table 3: Reasons

The purpose of the graduation paper is to study the use of note-taking of thesecond-year English major students at ThuongMai University The author has alsocultivated in his mind the idea of providing the students with a rich source ofinformation and future research priorities concerning the theme "the use of note-taking skill in English listening" Methodologically, note-taking studies wereresearched by survey questionaires and interviewing students The search notesfocused on the theory underlying note-taking and the findings of the previousstudies Note-taking performs a crucial function in improving English listeningskill

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Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Mrs.Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc for her continuous support for my study, for her patience,motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge Her guidance helped me in all thetime of research and writing of this graduation paper

Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank ThuongMai University andEnglish Faculty of ThuongMai University for creating favorable conditions for me

to do my graduation paper

I’d like to send my sincere to my family for their support during thedevelopment of this graduation paper

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii

Chapter 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous studies 2

1.3 Aims of study 3

1.4 Research subjects 3

1.5 The scope of study 3

1.6 Research Methology 3

1.7 Organization of the study 4

Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 5

2.1 Listening comprehension 5

2.1.1 Definition of Listening comprehension 5

2.2 Note-taking 6

2.2.1 Definition of Note-taking 6

2.3 The importance of note-taking while listening 7

2.4 Effective note-taking techniques while listening 8

2.4.1 Learn to abbreviate and use symbols 8

2.4.2 Use mind maps in taking note 11

2.4.3 Two - column method to take notes 12

2.4.4 Review and edit your notes 14

Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS 15

3.1 Discussion about English listening skill of the second-year English majors of ThuongMai University (Q1, Q2, Q3) 15

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3.2 Discussion about note-taking skill while listening to English of the second-year

English majors of ThuongMai University (Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9) 17

3.2.1 Using abbreviations 17

3.2.2 Using Mind map (Q6) 19

3.2.3 The two-column method (Q7) 20

3.2.4 Other techniques 22

Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES 24

4.1 Improve English listening skill 24

4.2 Use symbols and abbreviations 25

4.3 Use Mind Maps 28

4.4 Use Cornell method to take notes 31

4.5 Review and edit the notes 32

4.6 Other tips 33

4.6.1 Make clear and accurate notes 33

4.6.2 Use Colors 33

4.6.3 Write phrases, not full sentences 34

4.6.4 Take notes in your own words 34

4.6.4 Organize the notes 34

4.6.5 Underline, circle the notes 35

4.6.6 Think while you take note 35

CONCLUSION VIII REFERENCES IX APPENDICIES XI

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Table 1: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take notes

while listening to English 17

Table 2: Tips or techniques of students to abbreviate 18

Table 3: Reasons of not using mind map to note while listening 20

Table 4: Frequency of students in using two-column method to take notes 21

Table 5: Frequency of students in leaving a space between entries to fill in it 22

Table 6: Reasons of not review and edit your notes 23

Table 7: Reasons of not review and edit your notes 23

Figure 1: Prestyn Kylie (2015, April19) some abbreviations for taking note 9

Figure 2: Mind mapping information and advices, how to make a mind map 12

Figure 3: Two - column method to take notes 13

Diagram 1: English listening level of second-year English majors at ThuongMai University 16

Diagram 2: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take notes while listening to English 18

Diagram 3: Using mind map while listening to English 20

Figure 4: List of Abbreviations 27

Figure 5: List of Internet Acronyms 28

Figure 6: An example of a mind map 30

Figure 7: An example of a mind map 30

Figure 8: An example of the Cornell note-taking method 32

Figure 9: Using different colors to take notes 34 Y

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Chapter 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

1.1 Rationale

Today, English is the most commonly used language in the world It is thelanguage of science, technology, technology, commerce and information across theglobe English has become a compulsory subject in most schools in Vietnam,especially in universities During the course of learning English at Thuong MaiUniversity, especially in the field of listening in the second year, I myselfdiscovered that if Vietnamese people can master the listening skills, the problem ofsettling listening to English will be overcome

Listening is an important part as well as an essential means of language

acquisitions In the mid twentieth century, Bloomfield (1942) ever declares that:

“One learns to understand and speak a language primarily by hearing and imitating native-speakers” Although this saying a little looks down on the written

language, it is true to assume the indispensable role of listening skills in learning

English Lundsteen (1979) also affirms that listening is the first language skill to

appear In chronologic order, children listen before they speak, speak before theyread, and read before they write From this point of view, the importance ofteaching listening can well be seen and it is now regarded the first and foremostskill to be acquired in learning a new language

In fact, English Faculty of ThuongMai University offers listening courses toall the students of English Faculty However, the second-year students are notprofessional listeners, so obviously they do not have a wide knowledge about note-taking skill Furthermore, they do not know how to take note fast, what to note, etc.They tend to write as much as they can This not only takes long time but also gotoo far from the main idea Sometimes, they note the less important information andleave behind the main purposes of the speaker All of problems above lead to anunexpected result

Together with many others skills in listening skill, note-taking plays veryimportant role because this stage supplements memory to have a better listeningskill However, note-taking is not a simple skill It requires very high requirements

Students have to analyze, choose information and note down while listening forspeaker Besides, the speed of speaking is faster than the speed of writing, studentmust be fast to catch up with the speaker's idea Thus, it seems harder work for thesecond-year English majors at ThuongMai University.

All the above reasons have inspired me to choose the subject: A study on theuse of note-taking skill in listening skill of the second-year English majors atThuongMai University and suggested solutions

1.2 Previous studies

 “Note-taking and Information Retention and Recall” - A thesis submitted

to the College of Communication and Information of Kent State University inpartial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts by GaryE.Meacher (May, 2012) This thesis offers a framework for the development ofNotable He supposed that notable is a versatile tool that functions in varied note-taking environments Considerations for different learning styles and activities thataid in information retention and recall are uniquely utilized throughout theapplication Ethnographic research was conducted on middle school students to gaininsight into their learning environments, including the classroom, lecture styles,note-taking tools, organizational methods and social interactions amongst teachersand classmates

 "Notes on Note-Taking: Review of Research and Insights for Students and Instructors" by Michael C Friedman (Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching

Harvard University) This literature overview is designed as a resource for bothstudents and instructors to gain insight into what education research reveals aboutnote-taking He said that note-taking is an acquired skill that improves studentlearning and retention of information in a variety of domains and subjects.Importantly, comprehension and production processes (which both require workingmemory resources) are needed simultaneously for optimal learning to occur, makingeffective note-taking difficult to accomplish The methods of assessment for notescan be relatively subjective or inconsistent from one study to the next, which makes

it difficult to uniformly capture what makes for high-quality notes

1.3 Aims of study

The study has purposes:

 To find out the use of note-taking skill in listening skill by second yearEnglish majors in improving note-taking skill in listening class

 To suggest some techniques to improve note-taking skill of the second-yearEnglish majors of ThuongMai University

1.4 Research subjects

 How to take note while listening to English by the second year Englishmajors at ThuongMai University?

1.5 The scope of study

English listening is a big theme However, because of the limited time and myknowledge, in this graduation paper, I only focus on the use of note taking skill inlistening of the second year English majors at ThuongMai University and sometechniques to improve note-taking skill for them The study limits itself atpresenting how to take note while English listening of the second-year Englishmajors of ThuongMai University Moreover, I concentrate on improving notetaking skill in listening class accessed in the view of students

1.6 Research Methology

 With a hope that I could research successfully the topic "A study on the use

of note-taking skill in listening skill of the second-year English majors at ThuongMai University and suggested solutions" the following methods are used in theresearch process:

 Firstly, interviews 300 second-year English majors of ThuongMaiUniversity

 Secondly, survey questionnaires for 300 second-year English studentsMajor of ThuongMai University

 Finally, in order to accomplish the graduation paper, a flexiblecombination of methods is used, which embraces collection, categorizing andanalyzing of data, and description of result

1.7 Organization of the study

The study is divided into four parts:

 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION presents the rationales, aims, researchsubjects, scope, methodology and organization of the study

 Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND - deals with the conceptsincluding listening and note taking skill in listening skill, types of listening, and theroles of note taking skill in listening skill

 Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS – shows the results of the survey and acomprehensive analysis on the data collected

 Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES

Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Listening comprehension

2.1.1 Definition of Listening comprehension

Listening is considered as one of the most important parts of the oralcommunication The term is used in order to make oral communication effective.There was an idea that “Students spend 20 percent of all school related hours justlistening If television watching and one-half of conversations are included, studentsspend approximately 50 percent of their waking hours just listening For those hoursspent in the classroom, the amount of listening time can be almost 100 percent”.Obviously, it is believed that listening is a significant and essential area ofdevelopment in a native language and in a second language, therefore, there havebeen numerous definitions of listening and listening skill

According to Howatt and Dakin (1974), listening is ability to identify andunderstand what others are saying This process involves understanding a speaker’saccent and pronunciation, the speaker’s grammar and vocabulary andcomprehension of meaning An able listener is capable of doing these four thingssimultaneously

Rubin (1995) conceived listening as an active process in which a listenerselects and interprets information, which comes from auditory and visual clues inorder to define what is going on and what the speakers are trying to express

Purdy (1991) defined listening as “the active and dynamic process of attending, perceiving, listening, remembering and responding to the expressed verbal and non-verbal needs, concerns and information offered by the human beings”.

Carol (1993) described listening as a set of activities that involve “the individual’s capacity to apprehend, recognize, discriminate or even ignore”.

Wolvin and Coakley (1985) points out that listening is “the process of receiving, attending to and assigning meaning to aural stimuli” This definition

suggests that listening is a complex, problem-solving skill The task of listening ismore than perception of sound This view of listening is in accordance with second-

language theory which considers listening to spoken language as an active andcomplex process in which listeners focus on selected aspects of aural input,construct meaning, and relate what they hear to existing knowledge (O’Malley &Chamot, 1989).

Recently, Imhof (1998) stated that listening is “the active process of selecting and integrating relevant information from acoustic input and this process is controlled by personal intentions which are critical to listening”.

Rost (2002) confirmed, “Listening is experiencing contextual effects‖ which can be translated as ―listening as a neurological event (experiencing) overlaying

a cognitive event creating a change in a representation”, etc

2.2 Note-taking

2.2.1 Definition of Note-taking

Note taking is to record and capture the essence of information, Moreover,recording the key points of information from another source, such as an oraldiscussion, lectures, books, and other sources in a systematic way In other words,learners have to gather the information together in a way that makes sense to them,and choose the appropriate method that suits their needs

According to Shelley O'Har, "Taking notes involves active listening, as well as connecting and relating information to ideas you already know It also involves seeking answers to questions that arise from the material.”

And Walter Pauk and Ross J.Q Owens supposed that "Taking notes doesn't simply mean scribbling down or marking up the things that strike your fancy It means using a proven system and then effectively recording information before tying everything together."

According to Monereo,C , note-taking is the hegemonic study activity at

university and the main ground for education interaction between teacher andstudents This observation has given rise to an increasing and interest in studyingstudents' note-taking and its impact on learning

So in my opinion, note taking is an essential skill for university students, buttaking notes and integrating information from many sources, including textbooks,labs, online discussions, lectures, and/or seminars, can be challenging Take time to

explore different note-taking methods in order to determine which method worksbest for you and your course requirements.

2.3 The importance of note-taking while listening

Taking notes is a skill we all use, to some extent, recording useful information,and identifying key points within it, as a part of organizing the daily life Hence,learners need to develop this skill Good notes should be accurate, clear andconcise Taking notes helps the learner to maintain a permanent record of what theyhave listened to

K Dietsche, submitted these tips for a project in 2000 –DGJ“As an adult student, and mother of three college-aged children, experience has taught me the importance of good study skills and habits Not only can a student “survive” college with these skills, they can actually do quite well I took the opportunity to write this paper with my children in mind Learning how to take lecture notes effectively is the first step college students need to make the transition from high school to college easier.”

According to Walter Pauk, people lose their retention at the following rates:

College academic and learning skill centers actively promote the use of taking in lectures to improve a student’s learning capabilities:

note- Note-taking is one way to enhance listening, and using a systematicapproach to the taking and reviewing of your notes can add immeasurably to yourunderstanding and remembering the content of lectures (Berkeley College)

 Effective note taking is an essential part of any successful academic studyprogram It is a high level skill, involving such complex cognitive processes asanalyzing, synthesizing, writing, evaluating, and reviewing But more than anythingelse, it requires active listening (University of Texas at Austin)

2.4 Effective note-taking techniques while listening

2.4.1 Learn to abbreviate and use symbols

Another important thing that should be taken into account in taking notes isthe use of abbreviations and symbols Wallace (1984) indicated that this strategycan save a lot of valuable time Learners should avoid the counterproductive effect

of using abbreviations and symbols that they would not be able to understand later.Learners should be careful in the use of this aid to quick note taking

Fisher and Harris (1994) found that students perform note-taking moreefficiently when they are allowed "to encode information" using abbreviations.McKeachie (1994) suggests that abbreviating of spoken information leads to anincrease to the number of words in working memory and improvement of subjectretention Boyle (2001) concluded that use of abbreviations decreases hands andeyes engagement and enable to record spoken information more efficiently

Moreover, abbreviating the spoken word increases the attention andconcentration span, and provides more time for students to comprehend classmaterial They can process spoken information into written form faster and itenhances retention of the information and can lead to improvement in overallorganization of their notes In addition, a higher writing speed allows more time topay attention to handwriting legibility and style to make notes legible and readable

Figure 1: Prestyn Kylie (2015, April19) some abbreviations for taking note

To sum up, abbreviations and symbols are, like other elements in notes, “a means to an end, not an end in themselves” (Jones, 2002) What is the use of

abbreviations and symbols, if they do not help students to do his/her work better?For the students to fully get benefits from note-taking, a system of abbreviationsand symbols that is logical, connected and unequivocal should be developed on his

or her own

The main method for writing brief notes is to write only the key words thatconvey the necessary meaning that you need These key words can often beabbreviated or symbolized Walter Pauk suggests the following:

 Leave out periods in standard abbreviations.

ISU = Illinois State University

 Eliminate final letters Use just enough of the beginning of a word to form

an easily recognizable unit

 Spell out short words Time won’t be saved by shortening a word that isalready short.

ex.: in, at, to, for, but

 Leave out a, the, and other unimportant adjectives

2.4.2 Use mind maps in taking note

The term ‘Mind-map’ was coined in the late 1960’s by Tony Buzan “A mind map is a graphic technique provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the bran It harnesses the full range of cortical skills: words, images, number, logic, rhythm, color and spatial awareness.”, stated by Tony Buzan (2012) Moreover, a

mind map captures and helps in recording, memorizing and connecting theinformation in a visually expressive manner

In other words, the map involves a combination of words and images.Additionally, Buzan encouraged the use of at least three colors, symbols, and codes

to highlight or represent ideas Furthermore, he argued that the approach works best

if people relax and their minds go free and be unrestrained by conventionalthinking Mind mapping is claimed to be effective in helping people to visualize,structure and classify ideas

Buzan has identified the foundation structures of a mind map, although theyare open to individual interpretation:

 Start in the centre of the page with a keyword or phrase It may also help ifyou can conceptualise the topic as an image

 Then use lines to extend out from the centre in a radiating pattern Thelines closest to the core of the mind map can be thicker than those at the periphery

 Select key words and phrases, and position each word in its own space,separate from others, on one of the extending lines Each line is the same length asthe key word or phrase

 Each line branches off from the earlier line to form another sub-concept orsub-level of detail Nevertheless, all extending lines at the periphery link back to themind map core

 Make effective use of color, incorporating at least 3 colors throughoutyour mind map The colors you select can develop into your own code of meaning

Here a certain color is used to connect key words and phrases in a related topic and/

or sub-topic area within the mind map

 Use images, symbols, and codes, where relevant, throughout your mindmap These may contribute to your own mind mapping style

 Demonstrate emphasis and associations with the use of colour andinterconnecting lines Alternatively, use your own techniques for emphasis andshowing associations between ideas

Figure 2: Mind mapping information and advices, how to make a mind map 2.4.3 Two - column method to take notes

Kathleen T McWhorter said that "This note-taking method is valuable for all learners Draw a vertical line from the top of a piece of paper to the bottom The left-hand column should be about half as wide as the right-hand column In the

wider right-hand column, record ideas and facts as they are presented in a lecture

or discussion In the narrower, left-hand column, note your own questions as they arise during the class When you go home and review your notes, add summaries of major concepts and sections to the left-hand margin This method allows you to quickly review an outline or overview of a lecture by reading the left-hand column and to study specific information and examples in the right-hand column."

Figure 3: Two - column method to take notes

2.4.4 Review and edit your notes

Academic skills centers and other authorities on effective study skills considerreviewing and editing class notes to be the most important part of note taking andessential to increasing learning capacity

 It is extremely important to review your notes within 24 hours

 Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don’t make sense Write outabbreviated words that might be unclear later

 Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote inclass and what you filled in later

 Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column

 Note anything you don’t understand by underlining or highlighting toremind you to ask the instructor

 Consider rewriting or typing up your notes

Ann Dillon supposed that "Leave a space between entries so that you can fill

in missing information Always review your notes after class for accuracy If

something isn't clear, find out what you missed and add it to your notes”.

To sum up, taking note while listening to English plays very important rolebecause this stage supplements memory to have a better listening skill However,note-taking is not a simple skill Students have to analyze, choose information andnote down while listening Besides, the speed of speaking is faster than writing’speed, student must be fast to catch up with the speaker's idea So, it is necessary forthem to improve note-taking skill

Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS

In this chapter, with data collected from the survey questionnaires andinteview, a comprehensive analysis will be presented It is the studying about theuse of notes-taking in English listening through the data from the questionnaire bythe means of pie charts and columns, laid our corresponding to the sequence of thequestions and draws out immediately conclusions at each figure

3.1 Discussion about English listening skill of the second-year English majors of ThuongMai University (Q1, Q2, Q3).

Listening skills are a difficult and important skill for all foreignlanguages learners In fact, when you are a good listener, you will easilyhandle the information that the speaker mentions and help you feel moreconfident in communication However, being a good listener is not easy Wemust cultivate, practice and learn how to handle sensitive situations

For students in the second year of college major in business English,the improvement and cultivation of listening skills is very necessary It is one

of the skills that help them reach their goal of communicating in English.From the result of question 1, I can see that most students in the secondyear of English 60% of students start learning listening English Skill fromHigh school and most of them admit that their level of listening is normal orbad

Very good Quite good Good Normal Bad

Nearly 100% of students find that listening skills is a difficult and verydifficult skill because:

 It requires high concentration while listening This makes them understressful

 They have to perform a lot of skills at the same time while listening forinformation processing: note skills, concentration skills, and so on

 They hardly catch up with the speed of the station and the trainers so it isvery difficult for them to get main information and key words.

 Their pronunciation is a barrier of getting good listening skill

 Their vocabulary is limited

3.2 Discussion about note-taking skill while listening to English of the second-year English majors of ThuongMai University (Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9)

From the result of the question 4a, 4b, I see that almost of the second-yearEnglish majors of ThuongMai University are aware of recording the importantinformation while listening to English They found that recording while listeninggave them many benefits to improve their listening skills However, their writingspeed was slow, their recording still get difficulties

A small part of students do not record while listening to English, the firstreason is that they cannot take notes while listening to the same time, the speed ofthe tapes makes them feel embarrassed when note the key words while this section,the tapes are broadcast to the next The second reason is they have good listeningskills so recording while listening is not very necessary

3.2.1 Using abbreviations

Table 1: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take

notes while listening to English

it Their main reasons is abbreviating while listening help students catch up with thespeed of the tapes or lectures and they can record more information than trying towrite down write full sentences

Usually Often Sometimes Rarely or never 0.00%

Diagram 2: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take

notes while listening to English

Looking at the diagram, we can see that the number of students who often andsometimes use abbreviations to take note accounted for more than 80% Besides,only 1.6% of students usually use abbreviations to record important information orkey word The following tables will indicate the tips or techniques, the second-yearsEnglish majors of ThuongMai University usually apply to abbreviate

Table 2: Tips or techniques of students to abbreviate.

Leave out periods in standard abbreviations (ex: dept = department) 43%Use only the first syllable of a word (ex: cap = capitalism) 75%Use the entire first syllable and only the first letter of the second

Use just enough of the beginning of a word to form an easily

Other ways:

 Leave out a, the, and other unimportant adjectives and unimportant

verbs

 Omit vowels from the middle of words Retain only enough

consonants to provide a recognizable skeleton of the word

(ex: gvt = government)

35%

As can be seen from the above table and the result of question 5b, most of thesecond-years English majors of ThuongMai University have well applied theirabbreviation ways in recording while listening.

There are about 16.7% of students rarely or never use The students who rarely

or never use explained that they tried abbreviating to note key words while listening

to English but they felt it hard for them to understand clearly what those wordsmean when reviewing their notes They are not used to writing off a word

To sum up, a part of students only know a few of abbreviations or symbol andthey have not built their own acronyms yet so they feel confused and unfamiliarwith abbreviating They currently do not know how to abbreviate effectively and theadvantage of using abbreviation and symbols in their taking note They waste a lot

of time for writing everything in words and cannot note the information as much asthey use abbreviation and symbols in note It is one of the main reasons why theycannot get all the main content in each lecture

3.2.2 Using Mind map (Q6)

Mind mapping is one of the most effective methods to record what a listenerhears It also makes it easy for the listener to remember and understand the notes.Actually, the results of the survey question show that as many as 37% ofsecond-year students in the English department of commerce use a memory map torecord what they hear from the tape or teacher The reason for this is:

 They point out that mind mapping helps them a lot in memorizing the textand when they review the notes with the mind map, they easily understand the maincontent of the note as well as key words and important information of listeninglesson

 They also said that using competently mind mapping to note whilelistening to English is a good way to recall the content of listening lessons

However, the remaining 63% do not use mind map to note while listening toEnglish Accordingly, the question 7c was raised to discover the main reason of thefact

Table 3: Reasons of not using mind map to note while listening

They said that the use of mind mapping was not suitable to record whilelistening because it took time and wasted paper The speaking speed of the tape andthe teacher very fast, this way does not help them record the key words effectivelywhile listening

37.00%

63.00%

Yes No

Diagram 3: Using mind map while listening to English 3.2.3 The two-column method (Q7)

Two-column notes are one of many note-taking techniques The purpose forthis technique is to write notes systematically using headings and subheading tostructure the layout of the notes

We can see the frequency of students in using two-column method to record

information while listening in the following table: