AN INVESTIGATION INTO SOME TECHNIQUES USED TO TEACH VOCABULARY 6TH GRADERS AT VIET ANH SCHOOL submitted as the final paper for academic writing

BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY NGUYEN HUYNH MAI AN INVESTIGATION INTO SOME TECHNIQUES USED TO TEACH VOCABULARY 6TH GRADERS AT VIET ANH SCHOOL Submitted as the Final Paper for Academic Writing MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: CH19AV02 BINH DUONG PROVINCE - 08/2020 Contents APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRES FOR TEACHERS APPENDIX 2: BẢNG KHẢO SÁT CHO GIÁO VIÊN CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Problem identification 1.1 The importance of vocabulary in learning English It is reasonable to assume that vocabulary plays a vital role in English learning process of each learner Lewis (1993) once stated that “ lexis is the core or heart of language” First, lexical items help learners develop four crucial skills of English: reading, listening, speaking and writing Obviously, these important language skills all require an identical material that is a wide variety of English vocabulary items In terms of reading and listening skills, vocabulary is considered as the basic foundation of comprehension that assists learners develop awareness and firmly grasp the main viewpoints and contents of spoken and written texts such as television programs, journals, articles, works of literature,etc Regarding speaking and writing skills, lexical items are supposed to be the productive kind of vocabulary in English In other words, learners equiped themselves with the large number of common words to be able to transmit on their own the opinions and thoughts to other people through speaking and writing Second, vocabulary is also mainly used as an essential tool to help people from all over the world communicate with one another in spite of their language barrier The exploitation of vocabulary size can support learners in developing critical thinking, expressing their ideas and emotions It is strongly believed that vocabulary is much more important than grammar as learners are not able to exchange information and interact with other people without using lexical items For instance, if you say to foreigners a sentence with incorrect grammar like this “ police station where?”, they will even understand thay you would like to ask the way to the police station Thus, Wilkins (1972) proclaimed that “ without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” Indeed, vocabulary is an indispensible component in English language learning 1.2 The reality of teaching and learning English at Viet Anh School Viet Anh School including kindergarten, primary school and high school was established in March 2008 With the primary aim is to create and supply students with a friendly, active and effective educational environment, all of the staff and teachers at Viet Anh School have always made efforts to find out and apply the best methods to teach learners from different levels Especially, the school has been attaching very great importance to English teaching and learning programme In particular, all students of this school have chances to approach and learn with foreign and Vietnamese teachers However, there still exist some problems from both learners and teachers in learning and teaching English lexical items Basing on the observation and teaching experience at Viet Anh School,the author realize that students in 6th grade frequently encounter a lot of various difficulties during their learning process Firstly, a large number of sixth graders not memorize or acquire the vocabulary that they have learned One of the obvious illustration of this are the bad results of their weekly tests Secondly, most students in th classes usually have troubles in practicing and improving four English skills In particular, they find it hard to read, write, listen and communicate in English due to a lack of necessary vocaabulary Thesis statement Due to the above-mentioned problems, the researcher decide to make an investigation into some techniques used to teach English vocabulary for th graders at Viet Anh School The study is conducted to find out (1) some vocabulary-teaching techniques used most by teachers, (2) several difficulties when teachers teach vocabulary for learners and (3) and suggestions to overcome the problems Research questions (1) What techniques are used to teach vocabulary effectively for th graders? (2) What are some difficulties in teaching vocabulary for 6th graders? (3) What suggestions can be offered to overcome difficulties in teaching vocabulary for 6th graders? Significance of the study The study is conducted as an investigation into some techniques used to teach vocabulary for students in graded Furthermore, the author of the study also points out some difficulties in presenting new lexical items and offer several suggestions to overcome these problems Thus, the teachers who are in charge of teaching English for th graders can make use of this study as useful teaching material or reference to have a deeper understanding about the vocabulary-teaching process CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW Definitions 1.1 Vocabulary Vocabulary, as defined by Kamil and Hiebert (2005,2), is “the knowledge of meanings of words” which is concerned with at least two main forms: oral and print Vocabulary are defined as a term which deals with meanings, word uses, word formation and word grammar.(Harmer, 1991,158) According to Hatch and Brown (1995), there are two kinds of vocabulary which includes receptive and productive vocabulary 1.2 Teaching techniques The Academia website defines teaching techniques as the unique ways of each different teacher to carry out a particular task in the teaching process (http://academia.edu) 1.3 Vocabulary teaching techniques According to Brewster, Ellis and Girard (1992), there are some techniques to teach vocabulary for learners 1.3.1 Using objects Using objects is a teaching technique in which pictures, real objects and demenstration are used to help learners memorize words better Thus, it is suitable for presenting new lexical items to beginners and young leaners.(Grain & Redman,1986) 1.3.2 Using games Games may be used as instrument in teaaching and learning languages (Azimov & Shchukin, 2009) According to Hadfield (1999), there two types of language-teaching games including linguistic and communicative games Particularly, linguistic games concentrate on the accuracy of words while communicative one focus on the ability of exchanging information or ideas of the speakers 1.3.3 Using synonyms or antonyms Using synonyms or antonyms may be defined as a vocabulary-teaching technique in which semantic meanings of words can be presented clearly by other synonyms or antonyms Moreover, learning vocabulary via synonyms or antonyms offer learners the chance to compare ansd contrast new words and their collocations (Martin, 1984) 1.3.4 Using music The Dictionary.com defines music as “an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color” (http://Dictionary.com) in which vocabulary is transmitted to students easily and smoothly Learning languages through music provides learners with motivation, positive atmosphere, cultural, historical and linguistic knowledge.( Kuśnierek, 2016) Related literature 2.1 The relationship between teaching approaches, methods, strategies and techniques The website Educational Research Techniques (http://Educationalresearchtechniques.com) points out the definitions and relationship between teaching approaches, teaching methods, teaching strategies and teaching techniques Teaching approaches are defined as theories about language and how it can be learned The cognitive, behaviorist and constructivist appraoches are some good illustrations of this term Teaching methods may be defined as the application of teaching appraoches in specific context of language teaching For instance, some teaching methods are The Grammar – Translation Method, The Communicative Method, Total Physical Response Method, etc Teaching strategies can be defined as a plan of teaching activities designed to achieve the specific goals in teaching process The above-mentioned definitions of four terms related to teaching process depict the relationship between them “Teaching approaches provide a basis for the development of teaching methods, teaching strategies also evolve to define the components of each teaching method and the teaching techniques provide the unique ways of going about a strategy.” ((http://academia.edu) 2.2 Several methods of teaching vocabulary: 2.2.1 Using visual aids: It is thought that using visual aids is one of the most effective techniques to teach lexical items for language learners According to Holden (1980), visual aids can become an useful device in every phase of teaching process including presentation, practice and production Visual aids in classroom consist of a multitude of diversified types which vary from pictures, video clips, flashcards, real objects to handouts, posters, graphs,ect Teachers usually depend on the topic of vocabulary sets and learners’ characteristics to make decisions to flexibly integrate two or more different forms of visual aids in teaching and organising practice tasks Furthermore, taking advantage of the images can help learners swiftly visualise the concepts in lexical items, which makes them understand new vocabulary clearly without translating them into their mother tongue With this kind of techniques, teachers are able to exploit students’ senses of sound and sight to make connecction between the images and texts to facilitate their vocabulary memorization 2.2.2 Using gestures: Another helpful vocabulary – teaching method that is widely used by the large number of teachers is utilizing gestures, facial expressions and miming Participating in this kind of teaching techniques, learners are required to combine lexical items with their body movements so as to support their words acquisition According to the Lexical Approach developed by Michael Lewis (1993), it is better for very young learners to react to teachers’instructions and model of vocabulary by non-verbal activities Additionally, the utilization of gestures can motivate all students to engage in class activities during the lesson, which also boosts their learning process actively In fact, this way of teaching and learning does not put children under the pressure of memorizing the pronunnciation and spelling of words as they just need to follow teachers’instructions and try to imitate their gestures This benefit of the technique is obviously proved in one of the most well-known teaching methods called Total Physical Response written by James Asher (1977) He stated that using body movements to follow the guidelines and gestures of teachers is the fastest and simplest way to comprehend vocabulary in another different language 2.2.3 Using contexts: According to an American psychologist and psychometrician- Robert J Sternberg (1983), providing specific vocabulary attached to contexts is the most relatively effective method in teaching English words for learners During the English teaching and learning process, there are some words that cannot be presented directly by visual aids or gestures since these kinds of words not contain specific meaning, which sometimes confuses a large number of students Hence, teachers supply students with several contexts which comprise the target vocabulary items Some typical genres of contexts can be dialogues, stories, passages or just simply imperative sentences which are carefully designed to be suitable with the acquired words Exploiting various contexts in learning, learners cannot only deepen lexicon comprehension but also understand the forms in which words are applied into practical sentences CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY Population There are totally 18 teachers invited to become the participants in the survey The proportion of Vietnamese and foreign teachers joining the questionnaire is similar with 50% as all of the students in grade at Viet Anh School are given opportunity to study with a Vietnamese teacher and a native one Because the study focuses on vocabulary-teaching techniques used for 6th graders, all the participants are teachers who take responsibility to teach grade classes Thus, basing on real teaching experience, they can provide reliable and essential data for the study Instrument Questionnaires are utilized as the principal instrument to collect the essential data and opinions With the forms of closed-ended and open-ended questions, the participants can offer their viewpoints, difficulties and suggestions In particular, Question 1,2 and requires the participants to choose vocabulary teaching techniques they used; Question asks about some difficulties they usually encounter in teaching new words; Question orders them to choose the suggested solutions they use to overcome difficulties and Question is for other problems and suggestions offered by themselves 10 REFERENCES Asher, J J (1977) Learning another language through actions: The complete teacher's guidebook Azimov, E G., & Shchukin, A N (2009) New Dictionary of methodological terms and concepts (the theory and practice of language teaching) M.: IKAR, 448 Brewster, J., Ellis, G., & Girard, D (1992) The primary English teacher's guide Penguin English Grain, R., & Redman, S (1986) Working With Words: A Guide to Teach and Learn Vocabulary Melbourne Cambridge University pres Hadfield, J (1999) Intermediate vocabulary games: a collection of vocabulary games and activities for intermediate students of English.[Contains photocopiable material] Pearson Longman Harmer, J (1991) The Practice of English Language Teaching Harmer J.–Harlow Hatch, E., & Brown, C (1995) Vocabulary, semantics, and language education Cambridge University Press Kuśnierek, A (2016) The role of music and songs in teaching English vocabulary to students World Scientific News, 1(43), 1-55 Lewis, M (1993) The lexical approach (Vol 1, p 993) Hove: Language teaching publications Longman Holden, S (1980) Visual Aids for Classroom Interaction Modern English Publications Martin, M (1984) Advanced vocabulary teaching: The problem of synonyms The Modern Language Journal, 68(2), 130-137 Sternberg, R J., Powell, J S., & Kaye, D B (1983) Teaching vocabulary-building skills: A contextual approach Classroom computers and cognitive science, 121-143 Wilkins, D A (1972) Linguistics in language teaching E Arnold, 1973 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRES FOR TEACHERS My name is Mai and I am a teacher of English at Viet Anh School I am attending the course of Master Degree in English Language at Thu Dau Mot University I am doing a study entitled “An investigation into some techniques used to teach vocabulary for 6th graders at Viet Anh School” Thus, this questionnaire is designed to collect your viewpoints about some techniques applied to teach vocabulary for th graders at Viet Anh School Could you please read the questions carefully, follow the instructions and give your answers? I ensure that all of your responses and information will be kept confidential and anonymous Thank you so much for your participation What techniques you use to teach vocabulary for students in grade 6? (You can choose more than one answers) □ Using synonyms or antonyms □ Using games □ Using objects (pictures, real objects) □ Using music Do you use other vocabulary – teaching techniques? (If “Yes”, answer Quesion 3; if “No”, move to Question 4) □ Yes □ No What other techniques you use to present vocabulary for th graders? (please write your answer below) What difficulties you have when teaching vocabulary for students in grade 6? (You can choose more than one answers) □ The number of vocabulary is large; therefore, you have insufficient time to teach □ There are various meanings of words; thus, students cannot remember all □ Your students cannot memorize the spelling of new words □ Your students have mispronunciation of vocabulary □ Your students are not interested in learning vocabulary □ Your students cannot use new words in some other contexts What solutions you use to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties? (You can choose more than one answers) * The number of vocabulary is large; therefore, you have insufficient time to teach □ Choose some of the most essential words to teach students □ Organize brief and effective classroom activities to save time in teaching vocabulary □ Skip and neglect some words that you not have enough time to teach * There are various meanings of words; thus, students cannot remember all * Your students cannot use new words in some other contexts □ Choose some widely-used meanings of words to teach students □ Use contexts to explain clearly the words’meanings □ Use other simple synonyms and antonyms to explain the meanings of vocabulary □ Ask students to use new words to make their own sentences at the end of the lessons □ Choose one meaning to teach students and skip other ones * Your students cannot memorize the spelling of new words □ Require students to write down and copy the new words in their notebooks □ Give them handouts with exercises to apply new vocabulary more frequently □ Organize some games (crosswords, missing letters, bingo,etc.) to help them memorize the words’spelling □ Use tests to check their word acquisitions regularly * Your students have mispronunciation of vocabulary □ Let students listen to the pronunciation of foreigners through CDs or video clips □ Check dictionary and try to pronounce vocabulary by yourself □ Ask students to pronounce new words more regularly □ Ask them to check dictionary and correct their pronunciation by themselves * Your students are not interested in learning vocabulary □ Organize games or use music to catch students’ attentions in learning vocabulary □ Make use of pictures and video clips to make your lessons more lively and interesting □ Organize groupworks or discussions to motivate students during vocabulary lessons □ Be friendly, enthusiastic and willing to support students when they need help What other difficulties and solutions you have? (If yes, write your answer below; If not, please skip this question) APPENDIX 2: BẢNG KHẢO SÁT CHO GIÁO VIÊN Tôi tên Mai Tôi giáo viên dạy Tiếng Anh Trường Trung Tiểu học Việt Anh Hiện tơi theo học khóa Cao học ngành Ngơn ngữ Anh Đại học Thủ Dầu Một Tôi làm nghiên cứu vấn đề cách dạy từ vựng cho học sinh lớp Trường Trung Tiểu học Việt Anh Vì thế, bảng khảo sát thiết kế nhằm mục đích thu thập ý kiến giáo viên vấn đề Bạn vui lòng đọc kĩ câu hỏi, làm theo hướng dẫn chọn đáp án phù hơp với bạn Tôi xin đảm bảo thông tin bạn cung cấp bảo mật nhằm vào mục đích nghiên cứu Xin cám ơn Bạn sử dụng phương pháp dây đẻ dạy từ vựng cho học sinh lớp 6? (Có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) □ Sử dụng từ đồng nghĩa/trái nghĩa □ Tổ chức trò chơi □ Sử dụng đồ vật, hình ảnh □ Sử dụng âm nhạc Bạn có dùng phương pháp khác khơng? (Nếu có, trả lời câu 3; khơng, chuyển đến câu 4) □ Yes □ No Những phương pháp khác bạn dùng để dạy từ vựng cho học sinh lớp 6? (vui lòng ghi câu trả lời bạn vào bên dưới) Những khó khăn bạn thường gặp phải trình dạy từ vựng cho học sinh lớp 6? ( Có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) □ Bạn khơng có đủ thời gian để dạy số lượng từ vựng nhiều □ Học sinh nhớ hết nghĩa khác từ vựng □ Học sinh áp dụng từ vựng vào ngữ cảnh sau học □ Học sinh không nhớ cách viết từ □ Học sinh phát âm từ vựng sai □ Học sinh không hứng thú tiết học từ vựng Bạn sử dụng cách để khắc phục khó khăn trên? * Bạn khơng có đủ thời gian để dạy số lượng từ vựng nhiều □ Chỉ chọn từ vựng quan trọng để dạy □ Tổ chức hoạt động cách hiệu để dành thời gian dạy từ vựng □ Bỏ qua từ không đủ thời gian * Học sinh nhớ hết nghĩa khác từ vựng áp dụng từ vựng vào ngữ cảnh sau học □ Dạy cho học sinh nét nghĩa phổ biến, thường dùng từ vựng □ Đặt từ vựng vào ngữ cảnh để hoc sinh hiểu rõ nghĩa cũa từ □ Dùng từ đồng nghĩa trái nghĩa để giải thích nghĩa từ vựng □ Yêu cầu học sinh dùng từ vựng học để đặt câu □ Chỉ chọn nét nghĩa từ để dạy * Học sinh không nhớ cách viết từ □ Yêu cầu học sinh ghi chép viết copy từ vựng vào tập □ Cho học sinh tập vận dụng từ vựng vừa học □ Tổ chức trò chơi (bingo, ô chữ) giúp học sinh luyện tập cách viết từ □ Kiểm tra từ vựng học sinh thường xuyên * Học sinh phát âm từ vựng sai □ Dùng CD video cho học sinh nghe cách phát âm người xứ □ Tra từ điển để cố gắng tự phát âm xác cho học sinh nghe □ Yêu cầu học sinh phát âm từ vựng thường xuyên □ Yêu cầu học sinh tự tra từ điển tự điều chỉnh cách phát âm * Học sinh khơng hứng thú tiết học từ vựng □ Tổ chức trò chơi dùng âm nhạc để thu hút ý học sinh □ Tận dụng nhửng hình ảnh video sinh động để làm giảng trở nên thú vị □ Tổ chức hoạt động thảo luận nhóm để tạo động lực cho học sinh □ Thân thiện, nhiệt tình sẵn sàng hỗ trợ em cần giúp đỡ Bạn cịn có khó khăn biện pháp khác khơng? ( Nếu có, vui lịng ghi câu trả lời bạn vào bên dưới; Nếu khơng, vui lịng bỏ qua câu hỏi này) ... vocaabulary Thesis statement Due to the above-mentioned problems, the researcher decide to make an investigation into some techniques used to teach English vocabulary for th graders at Viet Anh School The. .. in teaching vocabulary for 6th graders? Significance of the study The study is conducted as an investigation into some techniques used to teach vocabulary for students in graded Furthermore, the. .. entitled ? ?An investigation into some techniques used to teach vocabulary for 6th graders at Viet Anh School? ?? Thus, this questionnaire is designed to collect your viewpoints about some techniques