Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm THPT: The effect of using mind mapping technique on enhancing Nguyen Huu Vanh high school students’ reading skills

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Research objectives The study is conducted to examine the effectiveness of mind-mapping on Nguyen Huu Canh High school students (Grade 12)’ reading skills, following are the two research questions: Does mind-mapping have an effect on students of Grade 12’s reading skills? What’s students’ attitude towards the use of mind-mapping on reading skills?

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Nội dung Text: Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm THPT: The effect of using mind mapping technique on enhancing Nguyen Huu Vanh high school students’ reading skills

1 TRƯỜNG THPT NGUYỄN HỮU CẢNH Mã số: ................................ SÁNG KIẾN THE EFFECT OF USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUE ON ENHANCING NGUYEN HUU CANH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS Người thực hiện: Nguyen Phan Van Anh Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu: - Quản lý giáo dục  - Phương pháp giáo dục  - Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn: Tiếng Anh ☒ - Lĩnh vực khác: .......................................................  Có đính kèm:  Mô hình  Đĩa CD (DVD)  Phim ảnh  Hiện vật khác Năm học:2019-2020 Người thực hiện: …………………………........................ Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu:
2 TRƯỜNG THPT NGUYỄN HỮU CẢNH Mã số: ................................ SÁNG KIẾN THE EFFECT OF USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUE ON ENHANCING NGUYEN HUU CANH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS Người thực hiện: Nguyen Phan Van Anh Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu: - Quản lý giáo dục  - Phương pháp giáo dục  - Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn: Tiếng Anh ☒ - Lĩnh vực khác: .......................................................  Có đính kèm:  Mô hình  Đĩa CD (DVD)  Phim ảnh  Hiện vật khác Năm học:2019-2020
3 CONTENTS 1. Introduction 5 2. Literature review 6 2.1. Definitions of mind-mapping 6 2.2. Characteristics of mind-mapping 6 3. Methodology 7 3.1. Research context 7 3.2. Participants 7 3.3. Research instruments 7 4. Some basic types of mind maps 8 5. Stages of using mind map in teaching reading 11 6. Results 13 7. Discussion and Recommendation 15 8. Evaluation 16 8.1. The novelty of the research 16 8.2. The effectiveness of using mind-mapping technique on enhancing students’ reading skill 16 8.3. The applicable practices of the research 17 9. Conclusion 18 Appendices 19 References 20
4 THÔNG TIN CHUNG VỀ SÁNG KIẾN 1. Tên sáng kiến: THE EFFECT OF USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUE ON ENHANCING NGUYEN HUU CANH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’READING SKILLS 2. Lĩnh vực áp dụng sáng kiến: Ngoại ngữ 3. Tác giả: - Họ và tên: Nguyễn Phan Vân Anh. Nam (nữ): Nữ - Trình độ chuyên môn: Cử nhân - Chức vụ, đơn vị công tác: Giáo viên Tiếng Anh-Trường THPT Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh - Điện thoại: 0933095858 Email: vananh@nhc.edu.vn Tỷ lệ đóng góp tạo ra sáng kiến (%): 100%
5 THE EFFECT OF USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUE ON ENHANCING NGUYEN HUU CANH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS 1. INTRODUCTION According to Barnett (1989), reading comprehension is considered as an essential part of the teaching and learning process in second language acquisition. Not only does it serve the important purposes in after the students’ completion language study at school, it also promotes the literacy skills later. Moreover, the ability to analyze and interpret written materials is an integral element of success at tertiary level (Ntereke & Ramoroka, 2017). Nevertheless, in high school’s context, study about reading comprehension suggests most students find it hard when dealing with reading texts. They almost do not understand the texts and cannot complete the tasks due to their ineffective and inefficient strategies (Wood, et al., 1998). L2 research also shows that one effective comprehension strategy is the use of mind-mapping (Liu, Chen & Chang, 2010). Generalizing the main ideas of the reading passage and vocabulary acquisition are somehow struggling for high school students. Teachers, conventionally, ask students to highlight new vocabulary and they will explain the meaning of the words, make students learn by heart. The students have to memorize new words immediately and follow the reading text, simultaneously. Therefore, I have thought of a new way to help students to not only memorize new words in context but have a thorough understanding of the reading text. This study investigated whether mind-map is an effective learning tool to Nguyen Huu Canh High school students’ reading skills and their perception towards the use of mind-map. Research objectives The study is conducted to examine the effectiveness of mind-mapping on Nguyen Huu Canh High school students (Grade 12)’ reading skills, following are the two research questions:
6 1. Does mind-mapping have an effect on students of Grade 12’s reading skills? 2. What’s students’ attitude towards the use of mind-mapping on reading skills? 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Definitions of mind-mapping Mind-mapping refers to a cognitive tool which can be used to organize or summarize information while people are learning (Hillar, 2012). The fathers of mind-mapping, Buzan and Buzan, (1995) defined the Mind Map as an expression of Radiant Thinking and is therefore a natural function of the human mind. They claim that mind map is an influential graphic technique which can provide people with a unique key to unlocking the potential of the human brain (Buzan & Buzan, 1995). In general, those definitions consider mind mapping to be the application of graphic or visual images to help our brains capture knowledge effectively. Mind map’s rules are based on the fact that human beings can memorize the graphic or visual information much more easily than the information presented in the form of words or numbers. 2.2 Characteristics of mind-mapping Buzan and Buzan (1995) described mind-mapping to be a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of human brain. Moreover, they also have emphasized that the Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. According to Buzan and Buzan (1995), mind-mapping has four important features. Firstly, the subject of attention is crystallized in a central image. This image concisely reflects the theme of the whole mind map. Secondly, the main subject matters radiate from the central picture like tree branches. Thirdly, on these branches or associated lines grow various phrases carrying information directly relating to the central image. Information of lesser importance will be presented on branches radiating from high-level ones. The Buzan brothers also noted that mind maps’ liveliness and beauty can be enhanced by adding pictures, signs or colors,
7 which is believed to encourage the process of information recall. Finally, branches associated with a specific mind map will create a connected nodal structure. (p.59) 3. METHODOLOGY Research context I chose to work with students of grade 12 since they are not only in need of being equipped themselves with an effective learning technique before entering GCSE but acknowledging about mind mapping skill before they are university students. They also have a shortage of a good building repertoire of words. This is the reason why they might acquire new lexis through the use of mind mapping technique. Participants The subjects involved in the research include 73 grade 12 students from Nguyen Huu Canh High School. I chose class 12A2 and 12A10 for investigation. They are my students, so it was convenient for me to ask them to complete the questionnaires in class. All participants from class 12A2 and 12A10 are pre-tested to assure that 90% of the target words are unknown. Research instruments In this study, the quantitative data is gathered through the pre-test, post-test and a questionnaire. Teacher piloted the test and selected the reading part only to have the final score in both tests. After finishing the test, the students are then distributed a questionnaire to ask about their attitude towards the given learning tool- mind- mapping for the reading skills. The three subscales of the questionnaire are: The importance of mind-mapping in promoting students’ reading skills, The Students' Roles in mind-mapping, Students' responses related to their attitude towards mind- mapping. In this study, the questionnaire is in both English as the original version and Vietnamese as translated version. The qualitative data is to gain an insight towards the student’s attitude, and the questions of the interview are built based on these thee subscales. For the interview, 3 students are chosen based on their academic performance from the test: 1 from the
8 low level, 1 from the average level and 1 from the advanced level. The interview questions were developed based on the questionnaire with detailed questions to gather in-depth information from the students for the effectiveness of mind- mapping. 4. SOME BASIC TYPES OF MIND MAP 4.1. Venn maps A Venn map is used to describe the possible logical relationship among different components and compare the information. It might include two or more circles, depending on the content. Teachers might use this kind of map for unit 2: Culture Diversity or unit 12: Water sports. For instance, as it can be seen from unit 2, there are 2 different points of view about marriage between Asian and American. Asian's viewpoint American's viewpoint - Believe in contractual marriage. - Believe in romantic marriage. - Much concern with physical - Less concern with physical attractiveness. attractiveness. - Think that husband and wife - Think that it is unwise to should share all the thought. share all the thoughts. - Agree that marriage is a - Agree that women should partnership of equal. sacrifice more in marriage. - Wife trusts her husband to do - Wife can demand a record the right things because he loves of her husband's activities. her 4.2. Tree maps A tree map, with its branches, stimulate readers to move from general information to the specific one, systematically. It starts with one central element and branches out more information till the lines are exhausted. We can use this tree map in unit 16: The association of Southeast Asian nations. According to author, it helps learners easily memorize the information, especially numbers and events.
9 Made by Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu’s group- 12A10 (school year: 2019-2020) 4.3. Buzan maps It is voted for not only its popularity but its flexible usage as well. By mapping out key words as well as colored pictures or lively photos for all the relevant knowledge about a specific topic, leaners could easily memorize the lesson. For example, we can use this kind of mind map in unit 10: Endangered species or unit 14: International organizations. The following works are made by students from class 12A2 and 12A10
10
11 5. STAGES OF USING MIND MAP IN TEACHING READING To accompany students with using mind map, teachers might follow the following steps 5.1. Step 1: Set up the topic/ theme/ key words Teacher should build up the topic or key word since memorizing key words helps students to frame the content of the lessons. Moreover, key words / topic help students to avoid a wandering from the subject. 5.2. Step 2: Set up the location of the topic/ theme/ key words Teacher and students should always put the key words in the center of the mind map no matter what shape it embraces; the main thought will be easier to discover if it
12 lays at the core. The central idea should be represented visually (using short phrases in extensive mind maps or replacing words with symbols, emoji or illustrations) in a way that grabs attention and makes it clear what you want to describe/ present. 5.3. Step 3: Add top-level themes (Set up the content of the reading) Top-level themes mean the main information we have to remember from the text. For example, in Unit 1 Friendship, there are 5 characteristics of friendship so we have 5 main branches which are the top-level themes. We should start with the big items, and then move into the detail. Generally, the users might take advantage of “WH-question” in mind maps. “WH- question” helps to build, memorize and connect information much easier in the palaces of memory. 5.4. Step 4: Sub-branches and notes This is where teacher and students outline the smaller details of the reading by answering the abovementioned questions in details. Teacher and students should add more colorful pictures or drawing as well as sketch notes to illustrate the mind maps. Curvilinear branches are recommended to use. 5.5. Step 5: Presentation and Comment A finished mind map should be outlined in the way the audiences could obtain the main content of the reading, especially new vocabulary at the center of the map. When teacher draws a mind map to present a content of a reading, she should involve her students ‘ideas in the lesson and then compare their own ideas with the paragraph in the textbook. When students are asked to make a mind map, a representative of each group will make a presentation in front of the class, which helps the students to better their public speaking skills. After that, the other students will discuss and comment on the presentation with teacher’s support.
13 6. RESULTS 6.1. The research sites This study is conducted in Nguyen Huu Canh High School in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. 6.2. Result In the first research question, the researchers wanted to find out if there is a significant difference in the pre- and post- test score. The results indicate that there is a significant difference in the pre and post-test score, the null hypothesis is therefore rejected and mind-mapping is shown to have effects on students’ performance. I have divided each class into two groups for the tests. Group 1 accessed to the reading in conventional way and Group 2 had to make some kinds of mind map before learning a new lesson. After every unit, a test was delivered to the students to check how much they could remember the lesson. Group Under Average Average Over Average (0-5 mark) (6-7 marks) (8-10 marks) 1 16,7 % 55,5% 27,8% 2 0% 72,97% 27,03% The table suggests that there is a higher mark for those who used mind map to systemize the lesson. 6.3 Further explanation in the questionnaire The questionnaire emphasized on three main themes: The importance of mind- mapping in enhancing students’ reading skills, students’ responses related to their
14 attitude towards mind mapping and their roles in mind-mapping. According to the data collected after the questionnaire, the majority of respondents show positive attitude towards mind-mapping as it is a useful tool for them to acquire the reading skills easier and more thoroughly in terms of organizing the ideas and summarizing the reading content. 6.4. Findings in qualitative data. The findings from questionnaire were supported and clarified by using a structured interview. The interviews were conducted with three students as samples. In this part, the discussion of the data is about students’ perceptions and attitude towards the use of mind-mapping in learning reading skills. Based on the interview, most of the students generally had positive perceptions and attitudes towards the use of mind-mapping in improving their reading skills. The specifically analyzed elaborations, based on the students’ proficiency level, are as follows: The first question related to the importance of mind-mapping in promoting students' reading skills. The students were asked whether they found mind-mapping an effective tool to improve their reading skills and whether it helps motivate them to further practice reading skills. Most of the students generally had positive perceptions towards the use of mind-mapping while some of them also raised a few concerns. The second question is about the students' roles in mind mapping. The students were asked whether they interacted with other group members and whether this interaction benefited them. The last question is concerned with the students’ attitudes towards mind-mapping. Most of the students affirmed that mind-mapping made reading lessons more interesting to learn besides the traditional teaching method of translation and “ask and answer question” style. Nevertheless, a few have expressed their negative attitudes. Specifically, one student (lower-level) said that:
15 “I think I need more training on how to make mind-map more effectively. I cannot identify the keywords and how to take note.” One student (higher-level) said that: “I think mind-map is useful for learning vocabulary instead of reading skills. For reading, I think it just helps me memorize the gist, not the details. So, I still need to go back to read the text.” 7. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION In general, using mind-map in teaching reading can help to enhance student motivation in teaching reading. To be more specific, students can apply this method to summarize the ideas of the reading passage, and to acquire new vocabulary. Moreover, this application makes the lessons more exciting thus stimulating the students to emerge in the lessons. Hence, this technique is considered to be useful for students if they want to review their lesson later. However, whether we should apply it in a team or individual remains unclear, as some students still do not prefer drawing mind-map in groups, as they do not know how to work effectively with their peers. Another drawback is that students do not know how to draw a mind-map effectively to remember the information in the reading passages. From the above results, there are some implications that teachers should consider when applying this technique for their students in reading classes. First, teacher should encourage students to draw mind-map for their reading texts, in order to remember the texts better as well as the new vocabulary presented in each lesson. This, therefor, can motivate students to read more. Second, as one of the students’ concerns is the grouping method, it is better to be aware of group work. If teachers wish to let students work in groups, it is recommended that teachers should be the one to supervise and ask students to work together. Another method is to ask students to work in pairs or individual. In this
16 way, they can create their own mind-map with their own choice and at their own pace. Last but not least, as how to draw a mind-map can pose some difficulties for students, it is suggested that teachers should train students on how to draw a mind- map. To be more specific, they should instruct students the basic notions and organizations of a mind-map. Then they encourage students to select the essential information drawn on the mind-map. Doing this can erase the initial confusion when students encounter mind-maps and helps them to be more confident when employing this technique in their reading lessons. 8. EVALUATION 8.1. The novelty of the research Mind-mapping technique has been applied on every field, especially on education by many teachers and I am not an exception. No matter how hard the topic is, mind map helps to systemize the ideas, which enable my students to see a bigger and clearer picture. This is the first time my students have experienced using mind map in enhancing reading skills. 8.2. The effectiveness of using mind-mapping technique on enhancing students’ reading skill Regarding the effectiveness of mind-mapping on reading skill and motivation, 3 students from all levels agreed that mind-mapping has effectiveness in their studying reading skills. One student said that: “Using mind map helped me get the overall understanding of the text. It made it easier for me to remember the main points and learn new words.” They also expressed that their motivation in reading has improved thanks to mind- mapping. One student stated that: “It helps me to review the lesson much faster and I like this about mind map. I can also be creative in the way I design my mind-map, so it helps me remember the information much longer.” Nevertheless, a few students are uncertain of the effectiveness of mind-map and thus are not strongly motivated. Two students (one from higher- and one from middle- level of proficiency) expressed that:
17 “Well, I think the texts are quite short and the information is easy to understand, so there is no need to use mind-map. For short simple texts, I think I have been used to the traditional method and I can learn better this way. I think mind-mapping is more suitable for longer and more condensed information-packed texts.” In addition, one student (low-level) said that: “I think mind map is useful but I found it difficult to identify keywords and which information I should note. I need more training on using mind-map.” A few expressed that they did learn new vocabulary from their peers. One student (lower-level) said that: “When I don’t understand the words, I ask my classmate for help. My friend also helps me how to make mind-map.” On the other hand, most of the students raised concern about the idea of pair- work/group-work in mind-mapping. One student (higher-level) stated that: “I think it requires all the members to know how to work in groups. Otherwise, this is not effective - only one student does all the work while others are not involved.” Similarly, one student (middle-level) expressed that: “I think I work alone better than in group. I can look up words on the internet if I want to know the meanings. If the text is difficult, I will ask my friends for help.” 8.3. The applicable practices of the research Mind-mapping technique can be applied for every field as well as every subject. Moreover, learners do not need any modern facilities but at least paper and pen. After applying this technique for Grade 12 in Nguyen Huu Canh High School, I find it effective for my students. They could memorize the reading easier and longer, which helps them do better in tests.
18 9. CONCLUSION In conclusion, finding reveals that using mind-map in reading can help students grab the general idea of the reading text, review the text and new words as well as enhance motivation in reading. However, the fact that whether we should apply it in a team or individual remains unclear. Moreover, using mind-map as teaching reading raises some problems for students, such as ideas selection and creativity when creating a mind-map. Therefore, teachers should be aware of this issue when applying this technique. This research 100% belongs to the author.
19 Appendices Questionnaire Dear all learners, I am Van Anh – an English teacher of Nguyen Huu Canh High School. I am conducting a survey to see if mind-mapping could help students to better their reading skills and students’ attitude towards mind-mapping. I would be most grateful if you could take some time to answer the following questions. Thank you very much for your help and cooperation. PART 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION Gender: ☐ Male ☐ Female PART 2: Please read each statement and fill in the square of the response (1, 2) that tells YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS USING MIND MAP 1. Agree 2. Disagree Answer in terms of how well the statement describes you. Do not answer how you think you should be, or what other people do. There are no right or wrong answers to these statements. Questionnaire 1 2 1. Teacher gives lecture of reading by using mind map. ☐ ☐ 2. Students are assigned to make mind map as their HW. ☐ ☐ 3. Mind map is equipped with illustrations, picture and colors. ☐ ☐ 4. Using mind maps helps students to understand words in context. ☐ ☐ 5. Using mind maps helps students to understand ☐ ☐ and memorize the content of reading text longer THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION!
20 Reference: Barnett, M. (1989). More than Meets the Eye: Foreign Language Reading. Language in Education: Theory and practice, no.73. CAL/ERIC Series on Language and Linguistics. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Buzan, T., & Buzan, B. (1993). The mind map book: how to use radiant thinking to maximize your brain's untapped potential. New York: Plume. Mind maps as classroom exercises Journal of Economic Education, 35 (1) (2004), pp. 35-46 XMind software (2015). http://www.xmind.net. Biên Hòa, ngày… tháng … năm….. HỘI ĐỒNG CÔNG NHẬN SÁNG TÁC GIẢ SÁNG KIẾN KIẾN TẠI CƠ QUAN, ĐƠN VỊ (Ký, ghi rõ họ tên) NƠI TÁC GIẢ CÔNG TÁC (Xác nhận: công nhận hoặc không công Nguyễn Phan Vân Anh nhận sáng kiến) (Ký tên, đóng dấu)