the use of note taking skill in english listening

ABSTRACT The purpose of the graduation paper is to study the use of note-taking of the second-year English major students at ThuongMai University The author has also cultivated in his mind the idea of providing the students with a rich source of information and future research priorities concerning the theme "the use of notetaking skill in English listening" Methodologically, note-taking studies were researched by survey questionaires and interviewing students The search notes focused on the theory underlying note-taking and the findings of the previous studies Note-taking performs a crucial function in improving English listening skill ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 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 the time of research and writing of this graduation paper Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank ThuongMai University and English Faculty of ThuongMai University for creating favorable conditions for me to my graduation paper I’d like to send my sincere to my family for their support during the development of this graduation paper 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 Rationale 1.2 Previous studies 1.3 Aims of study 1.4 Research subjects 1.5 The scope of study 1.6 Research Methology 1.7 Organization of the study Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 Listening comprehension 2.1.1 Definition of Listening comprehension 2.2 Note-taking .6 2.2.1 Definition of Note-taking 2.3 The importance of note-taking while listening 2.4 Effective note-taking techniques while listening .8 2.4.1 Learn to abbreviate and use symbols 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 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 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TMU Q = ThuongMai University Question Stand for LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 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 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 Chapter 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale Today, English is the most commonly used language in the world It is the language of science, technology, technology, commerce and information across the globe English has become a compulsory subject in most schools in Vietnam, especially in universities During the course of learning English at Thuong Mai University, especially in the field of listening in the second year, I myself discovered that if Vietnamese people can master the listening skills, the problem of settling 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 they read, and read before they write From this point of view, the importance of teaching listening can well be seen and it is now regarded the first and foremost skill to be acquired in learning a new language In fact, English Faculty of ThuongMai University offers listening courses to all the students of English Faculty However, the second-year students are not professional listeners, so obviously they not have a wide knowledge about notetaking skill Furthermore, they 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 go too far from the main idea Sometimes, they note the less important information and leave behind the main purposes of the speaker All of problems above lead to an unexpected result Together with many others skills in listening skill, note-taking plays very important role because this stage supplements memory to have a better listening skill However, note-taking is not a simple skill It requires very high requirements Students have to analyze, choose information and note down while listening for speaker Besides, the speed of speaking is faster than the speed of writing, student must be fast to catch up with the speaker's idea Thus, it seems harder work for the second-year English majors at ThuongMai University All the above reasons have inspired me to choose the subject: A study on the use of note-taking skill in listening skill of the second-year English majors at ThuongMai 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 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts by Gary E.Meacher (May, 2012) This thesis offers a framework for the development of Notable He supposed that notable is a versatile tool that functions in varied notetaking environments Considerations for different learning styles and activities that aid in information retention and recall are uniquely utilized throughout the application Ethnographic research was conducted on middle school students to gain insight into their learning environments, including the classroom, lecture styles, note-taking tools, organizational methods and social interactions amongst teachers and 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 both students and instructors to gain insight into what education research reveals about note-taking He said that note-taking is an acquired skill that improves student learning and retention of information in a variety of domains and subjects Importantly, comprehension and production processes (which both require working memory resources) are needed simultaneously for optimal learning to occur, making effective note-taking difficult to accomplish The methods of assessment for notes can 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 year English majors in improving note-taking skill in listening class  To suggest some techniques to improve note-taking skill of the second-year English majors of ThuongMai University 1.4 Research subjects  How to take note while listening to English by the second year English majors at ThuongMai University? 1.5 The scope of study English listening is a big theme However, because of the limited time and my knowledge, in this graduation paper, I only focus on the use of note taking skill in listening of the second year English majors at ThuongMai University and some techniques to improve note-taking skill for them The study limits itself at presenting how to take note while English listening of the second-year English majors of ThuongMai University Moreover, I concentrate on improving note taking 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 Thuong Mai University and suggested solutions" the following methods are used in the research process:  Firstly, interviews 300 second-year English majors of ThuongMai University  Secondly, survey questionnaires for 300 second-year English students Major of ThuongMai University  Finally, in order to accomplish the graduation paper, a flexible combination of methods is used, which embraces collection, categorizing and analyzing 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, research subjects, scope, methodology and organization of the study  Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND - deals with the concepts including listening and note taking skill in listening skill, types of listening, and the roles of note taking skill in listening skill  Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS – shows the results of the survey and a comprehensive analysis on the data collected  Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES propose some of the following: First, you should correct the acronyms for clarity Second, review the organization of the notes If they are messy, rewrite them to a new paper Last but not least, use a variety of pen colors to correct information and key words 4.6 Other tips Based on note-taking ability of the second-year English majors of TMU while listening, I also have some other tips to improve note-taking skill for them 4.6.1 Make clear and accurate notes Make sure to take legible and accurate notes because students are rarely to remember the key details after class is end Regularly, student think that they will be remember everything, so they neglect to jot down specific details and only find later that they can't recall what it was they needed to remember Students should keep the notes to review the primary point, the details and the concept that they didn't fully comprehend during the lecture 4.6.2 Use Colors They should use color to highlight major sections and main points This may take a little bit longer but it will be useful for their notes While taking notes, change the color of pen! Don't write in blue or black ink They can also use different colors to classify and link concepts or information by topic Writing in color will help you retain 50% - 80% more of the information without reading it a second time (also highlight in purple) However, don’t focus too much on color coding while you are listening It requires time and concentration, so it’s more useful to most of the highlighting and underlining when revising the notes later on Figure 9: Using different colors to take notes 4.6.3 Write phrases, not full sentences Only record the key words that you need to get the idea of the point made Skip words like “the” and “a” that don’t add additional meaning to the lecture content Retain key technical or discipline-specific terms 4.6.4 Take notes in your own words Try to paraphrase everything except where information needs to be noted exactly If miss something, write key words, skip a few spaces, and get the information later Leave a space on the page for your own notes and comments 4.6.4 Organize the notes It is better if you have the time to so, right after class Notes organized by date, class, and subject make it easier to locate specific lecture details It is also a good idea to keep information from different dates and classes separated or to begin each class with a new piece of paper 4.6.5 Underline, circle the notes Underline, circle or otherwise identify key information, examples, definitions, or other important materials 4.6.6 Think while you take note This means students can’t write down every word their lecture or tape say If they try to transcribe their teacher’s lecture, they have no time for thinking about what they’re writing and how it fits together, and they inevitably fall behind As listening and writing, think about what information is most likely to be of use later, whether on a test, in an essay, or in completing a project Focus on points that directly relate to the listening lesson And during class, listen for verbal cues from the lecturer that indicate important information CONCLUSION In the English listening process, most of the 2nd year English majors have taken notes but we can see from the results that they not know how to take notes reasonably and understandably Firstly, most of the students have been slow note takers It means that they are cannot catch up with the information which speakers say If students are not fast enough to note which the speakers say they will miss the information and note nothing at all Secondly, their notes are not legibility, and sometimes he or she used shorthand or abbreviation to take notes but their notes are not clear, so they understand nothing about what the speakers say Finally, they don’t know how to apply note-taking techniques effectively and how to organize their notes They always try to write down everything they listen from the lectures or tapes My graduation paper show them what they should to take notes effectively in English listening lessons and give them some note-taking techniques which helps the second-year English majors apply easily The findings of this study are practically significant for students and researcher For students, because note-taking is a strong strategy which they may optimize their listening skill For the researcher, the results of the research show the reality of the use of note-taking while listening to English by the second-year students of the English Faculty of ThuongMai University, from which, I can suggest some techniques to improve note-taking skill while listening to English for students in chapter Further research recommendations: In addition to the areas mentioned above, future researchers may explore further the followings:  The relationship between the content of notes and what is recalled by the note takers  The benefits of taking notes in the practice of listening to foreign language students  The impact of notes on the perceptions of English language majors  Note-taking skills while reading English books REFERENCES  Lundsteen, Sara W (1979) Listening - Its Impact on Reading and the Other Language Arts National Council of Teachers of English Urbana Illinois  Bloomfield, L (1942) Outline guide for the practical study of foreign languages Baltimore: Linguistic Society of America, Waverly Press  Howatt, A & Dakin, J.(1974) Language laboratory materials, ed.J.P.B.Allen, S.P.B Allen, and S.P.Corder  J Rubin (Eds.), Learner strategies in language learning (pp 133–144) Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice/Hall International  Purdy,M.(1991).What is Listening? In D Borisoff, & M.Purdy, (Eds.), Listening in Everyday Life: A Personal and Professional Approach (3-19) Lanham: University Press of America  Carroll, J.B.(1993).Human Cognitive Abilities A survey of factor analytic studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press  Coakley,C.G., & Wolvin, A.D.(1986) Listening in the Native Language, In B H  O‟Malley, J & Chamot, A U.(1989).Listening Comprehension Strategies in Second Language Acquisition Applied Linguistics, 10(4): 418-437  Imhof, M (1998).What makes a Good Listener? Listening Behavior in Instructional Settings International Journal of Listening, 13, 81-105  Rost, M (202) Teaching and Researching Listening Malaysia, Pearson Education  Shelley O'Hara, Improving Your Study Skills: Study Smart, Study Less Wiley, 2005  Walter Pauk and Ross J.Q Owens, How to Study in College, 11th ed Cengage, 2013  Castello, M and C Monereo, 2005.Students's Note-taking As a Knowledge construction Tool Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 5(3): 265-285  Kathleen T McWhorter, Successful College Writing, 4th ed Bedford/St Martin's, 2010  K Dietsche, in 2000 –DGJ, My technical writing studentVivinette  Berkeley College A System for Effective Listening and Notetaking 12 October 2000  Pauk, Walter How to Study in College (1984 and 1997) Houghton Mifflin Co Boston, MA  University of Texas at Austin Making the Grade 101 (27 February 1998) 20 October 2000  Wallace Bruce Clift, Jr., Symbols of Transformation in Dreams, 1984  Jones,R, Conference Interpreting Explained, St.Jerome Publishing, 2002  Monereo, C., The peer review process as an opportunity for learning (vol 37, pg 665, 2014)  George Dudycha, professor of psychology at Wittenberg College states, Stimulate recall (179-180)  Fisher, J., & Harris, M (1994) "Effect of note-taking preference and type of notes taken on memory," Part 2, Psychological Reports, 35 (1)  McKeachie, W (1994) Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers Lexington , MA : D.C Heath  Boyle, J R & Weishaar, M (2001) The effects of strategic note taking on the recall and comprehension of lecture information for high school students with learning disabilities, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice  Boyle, J.R (2001) Enhancing the Note-Taking Skills of Students with Mild Disabilities Intervention in School and Clinic Volume 36, pp.221-224  Tony Buzan (2012), “Modern mind mapping for smarter thinking”  Ann Dillon, Get Connected: Study Skills: Study Skills, Reading, and Writing Thomson Wadsworth, 2008  Kathleen T McWhorter, Successful College Writing, 4th ed Bedford/St Martin's, 2010 10  Pauk, W (1989) The Cornell Notetaking Technique The Counseling and Career Center, Brigham Young University Retrieved April 12, 2004 APPENDICIES APPENDIX 1a (English version) SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “the use of notetaking skill in listening skill of the second-year English majors of ThuongMai University” Your responses are very important to the success of the survey The data will be used only for the purpose of the research Please feel free to write down some information about yourself! Answer the questions below When did you start learn English listening skills? A Secondary school B High school C University How you rate your English listening ability? A Very good B Quite good C Good D Normal E Low F Bad Please write down the reason of your choice:……………… How you rank the difficult of English listening skill? A Very difficult B Difficult C Quite difficult D Normal E Easy Please write out the reason of your rank:………………………… 11 12 4a Do you record and capture the essence of information while listening to English? A Yes B No 4b If no, what are the reasons? (you can choose more than answer) A You think it waste your time B It don’t help you much to be catch up with the speaking speed of the lecturers or tapes C It is an unnecessary condition for you to be a good listener D You have a good English listening skill so you can identify the key words and not need to record while English listening E Other reason……………………………… 5a When recording or capturing the essence of information while listening to English, how often you abbreviate for some words? A Usually B Often C Sometimes D Rarely or never Please explain the reason for your choice:……………… 5b Which ways you use to abbreviate? (you can choose more than answer) A Use symbols B Leave out periods in standard abbreviations (ex: dept = department) C Use only the first syllable of a word (ex: cap = capitalism) D Use the entire first syllable and only the first letter of the second syllable (subj = subject) E Use just enough of the beginning of a word to form an easily recognizable unit (ex: assoc = associate) D Omit vowels from the middle of words Retain only enough consonants to provide a recognizable skeleton of the word (ex: gvt = government) E Leave out a, the, and other unimportant adjectives and unimportant verbs D Other ways:…………………… 13 Please, write the reason of your choices:……………………… 6a Do you use mind map to record and capture the essence of information while listening to English? A Yes B No 6b If yes, please give your reason (you can choose more than answer) A The listening is too long and has many main idea, you use it to record the key words B when you your tests or exams, it help me integrate new concepts with older concepts C It is easy to use and enable me to gain enhanced knowledge of any topic and evaluate the information D Other reason…………………………… 6c If no, please give your reason (you can choose more than answer) A It waste your time B You not like to use it C You not how to use it effectively D Other reason:…………………………… 14 How often draw a vertical line from the top of a piece of paper to the bottom (right-hand column: record ideas and facts, left-hand column: note your own questions) to record or capture the important information or key words while listening? A Usually B Often C Sometimes D Rarely or never Please, write down your reason of your choice:………………………… How often you leave a space between entries so that you can fill in missing information while recording? A Usually B Often C Sometimes D Rarely or never Please, write down the reason of your choice:………………………… 15 9a Do you review and edit your notes? A Yes B No 9b If yes, when you review and edit it? (you can choose more than answer) A Immediately the listening ends B After several hours C Only when you need it for my homework or my test D When you are free E Other answers:………………………… 9c If yes, how you edit your notes? (you can choose more than answer) A Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don’t make sense B Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear later C Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in class and what you filled in later D Highlight or underline anything you not understand to ask the instructor E Other ways:……………………………… 9d If no, please give your reason (you can choose more than answer) A It is no need much for you to remember the contents of the listening B You have so many works and you not have enough time to it C The amount of words you record while listening to English is very little, you think it is necessary to review and edit them D Other reasons:……………………………… 16 APPENDIX 1b (Vietnamese version) Bản câu hỏi khảo sát thiết kế cho nghiên cứu “sử dụng kỹ ghi kỹ nghe hiểu sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh năm thứ hai Đại học ThượngMai” Câu trả lời bạn quan trọng thành công khảo sát Dữ liệu sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Xin vui bạn vui lịng trả lời câu hỏi đây! Khi bạn bắt đầu học kỹ nghe tiếng Anh? A Trung học sở B THPT C Đại học Bạn đánh giá khả nghe tiếng Anh bạn nào? A Rất tốt B Tốt C Khá tốt D Bình thường E Thấp F Xấu Hãy viết lý cho lựa chọn bạn: ……………… Bạn đánh giá kỹ nghe tiếng Anh khó khăn? A Rất khó B Khó khăn C Khá khó khăn D Bình thường E Dễ dàng Vui lịng viết lý xếp hạng bạn: ………………………… 4a Bạn có ghi lại nắm bắt chất thông tin nghe tiếng Anh không? A Vâng B Không 17 4b Nếu không, lý bạn gì? (bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời) A Bạn nghĩ lãng phí thời gian bạn B Nó khơng giúp bạn bắt kịp với tốc độ nói giảng viên băng C Nó khơng phải điều kiện cần thiết để trở thành người nghe giỏi D Bạn có kỹ nghe tiếng Anh tốt để bạn xác định từ khóa khơng cần phải ghi lại nghe tiếng Anh E Lý khác ……………………………… 5a Khi ghi thông tin nghe tiếng Anh, bạn có thường xuyên viết tắt số từ không? A Thường xuyên B Thỉnh thoảng C Đôi D Hiếm khơng Vui lịng giải thích lý bạn chọn: ……………… 5b Những cách bạn sử dụng để viết tắt? (bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời) A Sử dụng ký hiệu B Để lại khoảng cách chữ viết tắt (ví dụ: dept = department) C Chỉ sử dụng âm tiết từ (ví dụ: cap = chủ nghĩa tư bản) D Sử dụng toàn âm tiết chữ âm tiết thứ hai (subj = subject) E Chỉ sử dụng đủ từ đầu từ để tạo thành đơn vị dễ nhận biết (ví dụ: assoc = associate) D Bỏ nguyên âm từ Chỉ giữ lại đủ phụ âm để cung cấp khung nhận biết từ (ví dụ: gvt = phủ) E Lược bỏ “a, an, the” tính từ khơng quan trọng khác động từ không quan trọng D Các cách khác: …………………… Xin vui lòng, viết lý cho lựa chọn bạn: ……………………… 18 6a Bạn có sử dụng đồ tư để ghi lại thông tin nghe tiếng Anh khơng? A Có B Khơng 6b Nếu có, vui lịng cho biết lý bạn (bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời) A Việc nghe q dài có nhiều ý tưởng chính, bạn sử dụng để ghi lại từ khóa B bạn làm kiểm tra kiểm tra, giúp tơi tích hợp khái niệm với khái niệm cũ C Rất dễ sử dụng cho phép tơi có kiến thức nâng cao chủ đề đánh giá thông tin D Lý khác …………………………… 6c Nếu khơng, vui lịng đưa lý bạn (bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời) A Nó lãng phí thời gian bạn B Bạn khơng thích sử dụng C Bạn khơng biết làm để sử dụng cách hiệu D Lý khác: …………………………… Bạn có thường xuyên thường xuyên ghi cách kẻ đường thẳng đứng từ mảnh giấy xuống đáy, chia mảnh giấy thành cột (cột bên phải: ghi lại ý tưởng kiện, cột bên trái: lưu ý câu hỏi riêng bạn) để ghi lại thông tin từ khóa quan trọng nghe? A Thường xuyên B Thỉnh thoảng C Đôi D Hiếm khơng Vui lịng ghi lại lý bạn chọn: ………………………… 19 ... note- taking skill in listening skill by second year English majors in improving note- taking skill in listening class  To suggest some techniques to improve note- taking skill of the second-year English. .. listening and note taking skill in listening skill, types of listening, and the roles of note taking skill in listening skill  Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS – shows the results of the survey and... optimize their listening skill For the researcher, the results of the research show the reality of the use of note- taking while listening to English by the second-year students of the English