The reality of teaching and learning english listening skills in grade 10 at yen mo b high school, ninh binh province

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐỖ THỊ NGÂN THE REALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH LISTENING SKILLS IN GRADE 10 AT YEN MO B HIGH SCHOOL NINH BINH PROVINCE THỰC TRẠNG DẠY VÀ HỌC KỸ NĂNG NGHE TIẾNG ANH TẠI KHỐI LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT YÊN MÔ B, TỈNH NINH BÌNH M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi - 2012 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐỖ THỊ NGÂN THE REALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH LISTENING SKILLS IN GRADE 10 AT YEN MO B HIGH SCHOOL NINH BINH PROVINCE THỰC TRẠNG DẠY VÀ HỌC KỸ NĂNG NGHE TIẾNG ANH TẠI KHỐI LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT N MƠ B, TỈNH NINH BÌNH M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: ĐỖ BÁ QUÝ, M.Ed Hanoi - 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Method of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1.Definitions of listening 1.2.Significance of listening 1.3.Listening process 1.4.Micro-skills of listening 1.5.Effective teaching of listening 1.6.Stages of a listening lesson 1.6.1 Pre-listening stage 1.6.2 While-listening stage 1.6.3 Post-listening stage 1.7.Potential problems in listening iv 1.8 Related studies on listening 12 1.9 Summary 13 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14 2.1 Overview of the current situation of teaching and learning English at Yen Mo B high school 14 2.1.1 The school context 14 2.1.2 The new textbook English 10 (the standard textbook) and its listening section 15 2.2 Methodology 16 2.2.1 Research questions 16 2.2.2 Participants 16 2.2.3 Data collection instruments 17 2.2.3.1 Survey questionnaire 17 2.2.3.2 Classroom observation 18 2.2.4 Data collection procedure 18 2.2.5 Data analysis procedure 19 2.3 Summary 19 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 20 3.1 Findings from questionnaires for the teachers and the students 20 3.1.1 The teachers’ and the students’ perceptions of the importance of listening in language teaching and learning at school 20 3.1.2 The teachers’ and students’ opinions about the students’ listening competence 21 3.1.3 The teachers’ and the students’ opinions about the listening sections of the textbook English 10 21 3.1.4 The teachers’ and the students’ ways of teaching and learning English listening skills 22 3.1.4.1 Teachers’ ways of teaching English listening skills 22 3.1.4.1.1 The teachers’ preparation before listening lessons v 22 3.1.4.1.2 The audiovisual support that the teachers use in listening lessons 23 3.1.4.1.3 The teachers’ classroom practices in listening lessons 23 3.1.4.1.4 The factors affecting the teachers’ ways of teaching in listening lessons 26 3.1.4.2 The students’ ways of learning English listening skills 27 3.1.4.2.1 The students’ evaluation of the teachers’ ways of teaching English listening skills 27 3.1.4.2.2 The students’ preparation before listening lessons 29 3.1.4.2.3 The students’ favorite practices in listening lessons 29 3.1.4.2.4 The students’ home practices on listening skills 31 3.1.5 Difficulties in teaching and learning English listening skills perceived by the teachers and the students 32 3.1.6 The teachers’ and the students’ suggested solutions to improve the current situation of teaching and learning English listening skills .33 3.2 Findings from classroom observations 35 3.3 Discussion of the findings 36 3.4 Summary 39 PART C: CONCLUSION 40 Conclusions 40 Recommendations for more effective listening lessons 41 Limitations of the study 42 Suggestions for further research 42 REFERENCES 43 APPENDICES I Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire for the teachers I Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for the students VI Appendix 3: Classroom observations X vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS MOET: Ministry of Education and Training YMBHS: Yen Mo B high school viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: The teachers‟ and the students‟ perceptions of the importance of teaching and learning English listening skills at school Table 2: The teachers‟ and the students‟ opinions about the students‟ listening competence Table 3: The teachers‟ and the students‟ opinions about the listening sections in the textbook English 10 Table 4: The teachers‟ preparation before listening lessons Table 5: The audio-visual support that the teachers use in listening lessons Table 6: The teachers‟ classroom practices in the pre-listening stage Table 7: The teachers‟ classroom practices in the while-listening stage Table 8: The teachers‟ classroom practices in the post-listening stage Table 9: The factors affecting the teachers‟ ways of teaching English listening lessons Table 10: The effects of teaching and learning English listening skills on students‟ language ability Table 11: Students‟ opinions about listening lessons Table 12: Students‟ preparation before listening lessons Table13: The students‟ favorite practices in the pre-listening stage Table14: The students‟ favorite practices in the while-listening stage Table 15: The students‟ favorite practices in the post-listening stage Table 16: The students‟ home practice on listening skills Table 17: The teachers‟ difficulties in teaching English listening lessons Table 18: The students‟ difficulties in learning English listening skills Table 19: The teachers‟ and the students‟ suggested solutions to improve the current situation of teaching and learning English listening skills ix PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study It is undeniable that English has become a common means of communication all over the world today Being aware of its importance, Vietnam has felt an urge to train its citizens to have greater competence in the use of English for communication That is the reason why the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has implemented a curricular change in schools since 2002 The new curriculum aims to enable school students to communicate in English at the basic level in all modes of communication i.e listening, speaking, reading, and writing (Van et al, 2006, p 3) In order to achieve this aim, a set of textbooks has been issued for students from grade to grade 12 The textbook is claimed to be themebased and skill-based, with the adoption of the “two currently popular teaching approaches, i.e the learner-centred approach and the communicative approach A focus is on task-based teaching as the leading methodology” (Van et al, 2006, p.12) Obviously, the ultimate goal of the textbook is to develop students‟ communicative competence However, as a teacher of Yen Mo B high school (YMBHS), I find that the teaching and learning here still focus too much on grammar, vocabulary and structures Although the teachers and the students follow the English course book issued by MOET, in which each unit is designed to be composed of five parts reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus; assessment and testing focus on grammar, vocabulary, reading and partial writing Therefore, listening skill is paid less attention to Consequently, many students who may have mastered the basic elements of English grammar and vocabulary are weak at listening The above situation has inspired me to the research entitled “The reality of teaching and learning English listening skills in grade 10 at Yen Mo B high school, Ninh Binh province” with the hope of making some contributions to improving the teaching and learning of English listening skills in grade 10 at YMBHS Instead (v) cinema (n) Picnic (n) - Ask students to repeat in - Ask two Ss read the word WHILE YOU LISTEN Task 1: Listen and answer - Explain the requirement o 8’ - Let Ss listen for one time - Check the answer with whole class - Let Ss listen again - Call two Ss read out t answer - Give the correct answer Key: They are planning to go t “the Titanic” Task 2: Complete the table 16’ - Explain the requirement o - Have Ss read the informa the table - Play the tape twice XV - Ask Ss to compare their a in pairs - Call some Ss to give t answers - Give the correct answers 5’ Task 3: Answer - Explain the requirement o - Ask Ss to listen again and out the day they can meet - Ask Ss to give their answ - Give the correct answer Key: On Tuesday (becau are both free on Tuesday) AFTER YOU LISTEN - Ask Ss to look at the table task and raise the questio + What is Lan going to do? + What is Huong going to 2’ - Call two Ss to answer the questions orally HOMEWORK - Assign homework +Learn new words by hear +Prepare the next lesson XVI Key for Task 2: Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun XVII Classroom observation Unit 14: The World Cup (Class: 10 A11 – From 8:10 to 8:55, April 16th, 2012) Time Teacher’s activities HOMEWORK CHECKING - Ask S to write down the n 6’ words of previous lesson o black board - Ask her some questions: + What kind of film you l see? + Have you ever seen the “Titanic”? - Check the words and give m BEFORE YOU LISTEN - Let Ss open the books and ask who are in the pictures 10’ - Call some Ss to answer question -Raise another question: which football player you like best? - Introduce the listening: XVIII lesson, we will hear a talk about a famous football player - Write the new words on the board and give equivalent words Goal-Scorer (n): Hero (n) Ambassador (n) Kick (v) Retirement (n) Promote (v) Championship (n) - Read new words aloud and ask Ss - Listen and repeat in chorus to listen and repeat - Call two Ss to read the words - Two Ss read the words aloud aloud WHILE YOU LISTEN Task 1: Complete the table - Explain the requirement of task - Let Ss read the information given - Read silently in the table 15’ - Play the tape the first time for the Ss to complete the table - Let Ss listen the second time - Have Ss work in pairs to compare XIX their answers - Call one S to write the answer the board - Give the correct answers: Key: 1940 joined a Brazilian footb club 1962 1974 retired Task Answer the questions - Explain the requirements of ta - Explain the questions - Play the tape for the Ss to liste 14’ and write down the answers to questions - Check whether the Ss h answered all the questions or no - Play the tape again - Call some Ss to read out t answers - Give and write the correct ans on the board As a football player, Pele famous for his powerful kicking controlling the ball XX He participated in three World Cups He played for an American football club before he retired He became an international ambassador for sport, working to promote peace and understanding through friendly sport activities HOMEWORK +Learn new words by heart + Prepare the next lesson XXI Classroom observation Unit 14: The World Cup (Class: 10 A2 - From 10.00 to 10.45, April 16th, 2012) Time Teacher’s acti HOMEWORK CHECKIN - Ask S to write down the 6’ previous lesson on the blac - Ask another S to tell abou that she knows - Comment and give marks BEFORE YOU LISTE - Let Ss open the books and the picture -Ask Ss to work in groups 12’ about the football player th - Go around to check and s - Call some Ss to tell the w the football player they like - Ask Ss to guess the topic text - Introduce the background the listening text: We are g XXII one of the greatest football play time Do you know who it is? - Give the answer: It‟s Pele An work in groups of four to tell ea what they know about Pele - Call two Ss to tell the whole c they know about Pele - Let Ss read the new words in repeat and explain their mean Vietnamese goal-scorer (n): hero (n) ambassador (n) kick (v) retirement (n) promote (v) championship (n) - Read new words aloud - Ask one S to read the words a - Ask Ss to read through the com questions - Explain the requirements of th XXIII WHILE YOU LISTEN: Task 1: Complete the table - Let Ss read the information given in th table - Play the tape the first time for Ss to list 15’ and complete the table - Let Ss listen the second time - Check whether the Ss have completed the table or not - Have Ss work in pairs to compare their - Work in pairs to compare the answers answers - Some Ss read out their - Call some Ss to read out their answers answers - Play the tape the third time and pause for - Listen again to check the Ss to check their answers the answer - Give the correct answers - Copy the correct 1940 answers in their joined a Brazilian football club notebooks 1962 retired Task True or False - Deliver the handouts of task - Ask Ss to read the sentences and underline - Read and underline key words key words XXIV 9’ - Check the key words with the Key words: biggest, player, all time famous, powerful, kickin participated, three, Worl played, Brazilian club, r retirement - Play the tape again - Call some Ss to give out t - Give the correct answers Key: F AFTER YOU LISTEN 3’ - Ask Ss to tell what they k based on the information in HOMEWORK - Assign homework: write Handout: Listen to the passage and decide whether the following statements about Pele are true (T) or false (F) Pele is one of the biggest football players of all time He was famous for his powerful kicking and controlling the ball He participated in three World Cups He played for a Brazilian club before he retired XXV He worked as an international ambassador for the sport after his retirement Classroom observation Unit 16: Historical Places (Class 10 A4 – From 7.15 to 8.00, May 4th, 2012) Time Teacher’s activities HOMEWORK CHECKING - Ask S to write down the n 5’ of previous lesson on the black board - Remark and give marks BEFORE YOU LISTEN - Ask Ss to look at the pictures on page 171 of the textbook and answer the questions in pairs 8’ - Go around and observe Ss working - Check the answers with the whole class - Raise the question: What town these places belong to? - Call some Ss to answer the question - Introduce: We‟ll listen to a text about the ancient town Hoi An - Present some new words and explain their meanings in Vietnamese XXVI  New wo - merchant ( - vessel: big ship (n) - ornamenta - certified (a - destination - heritage (n - Read the words aloud and listen and repeat in chorus WHILE YOU LISTEN Task : Multiple-choice q - Explain the requirement o - Ask Ss to read through th to identify what informatio 12’ to concentrate on while listenin - Read the text aloud once listen and the task - Check whether the Ss hav answers - Read the text again - Ask Ss to work in pairs to their answers - Call some Ss to read out t answers - Give the correct answers Key: B A C C XXVII 20’ Task Answer the questions - Explain the requirement of task - Explain the questions in Vietnamese - Read the listening text for Ss to listen and answer the questions - Check Ss‟ answers - Read the text again - Read the text once more - Ask two Ss write the answers on the board - Correct Ss‟ answers on the board and give keys: It lies on the Thu Bon River, 30 km south of Da Nang It was known as a major trading center in Southeast Asia Hoi An is now famous for its old temples, pagodas, small tile-roofed houses and narrow streets They were made of wood and their pillars were carved with ornamental designs It was built in 1855 It was built nearly centuries ago XXVIII The house now looks almost exactly as it did in the early 19th century In 1999 HOMEWORK - Assign homework + Learn the new words by heart + Prepare the new lesson XXIX ... 10 at Yen Mo B high school, Ninh Binh province? ?? with the hope of making some contributions to improving the teaching and learning of English listening skills in grade 10 at YMBHS Aims of the. .. Discussion of the findings This study aims to investigate the real situation of teaching and learning English listening skills in grade 10 at YMBHS, Ninh Binh province Based on the 36 findings and analysis... skills in Grade 10 at YMBHS The investigation of teaching and learning other skills will be beyond the scope of this study This study is a detailed survey at YMBHS in Ninh Binh Province Therefore,