VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LƯU THỊ MAI THANH DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT INTELLIGENCES – AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (Phương pháp dạy học phân loại học sinh theo những kiểu trí thông minh khác nhau – một nghiên cứu thực nghiệm tại một trường tiểu học ở Hà Nội. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI, 2018 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LƯU THỊ MAI THANH DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT INTELLIGENCES – AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (Phương pháp dạy học phân loại học sinh theo những kiểu trí thông minh khác nhau – một nghiên cứu thực nghiệm tại một trường tiểu học ở Hà Nội. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Quỳnh HANOI, 2018 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES. iv PART 1: INTRODUCTION. Organization of the thesis.
7 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW. Different views of intelligence. The theory of Multiple Intelligences. Critiques of Multiple Intelligence Theory.
Mixed ability classrooms. 17 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. The setting of the study .A description of the students and their learning program:. 19 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
A description of the teachers. 27 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Scores of multiple intelligence survey. The results of pre-test and post –test.
The result of interviews. 34 PART III: CONCLUSION. Limitations of the study. Recommendation for further research.
I LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION Formatted: Header distance from edge: 0,98" I certify that the thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution. Where other sources of information have been used, they have been indentified and acknowledged. Hanoi, December 2018 Formatted: English (United States) Luu Thi Mai Thanh i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh for her helpful suggestions, comments and continuous support of my study.
I am also grateful to her for reading my manuscript and helping me make necessary changes. I would also like to all of the members in Post-graduate Department of University of Languages and International Studies (Hanoi) for designing a very useful syllabus of my Master program. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents and my husband for their continuous support and encouragement throughout my study time. Hanoi, December 2018 Luu Thi Mai Thanh ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT According to Ellis (1985) second language learners are different in speed and results.
So the purpose of this study was to find the best way for teachers to cater much better for every single student. The research investigated Gardner’s “Theory of multiple intelligences” in a sample of forty eight students and they were all in grade four at a primary school in Hanoi. This research is an experimental study with the target group. The instruments included multiple intelligence survey form; typical activities for different multiple intelligence types; one pre-test and one post-test; interviews and observations.
The one experiment group design was used with subject. Meanwhile, percentage and index were used to analyze the collected data. There is a variety of learning activities created to develop students in all aspects. Keywords: intelligence, multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS MI: Multiple intelligence(s) SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Science iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1.
Multiple intelligence domains by McKenzie (2002, p. Reliability Statistics of Multiple Intelligence survey. Distributions of Multiple Intelligences. Mean scores of MI preferences.
Mean scores and Standard deviation of MI frequencies. 29 Figure 5: Paired samples statistics of Class 1. A score comparison between pre-test and post-test of Class 1. Paired samples statistics of Class 2.
A score comparison between pre-test and post-test of Class 2. 32 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the research area and outlines the background and rationale for the present study. It also provides a chapter by chapter overview of the thesis. Rationale Differentiation seems to have become a very familiar term that many teachers have heard.
However, it can be difficult to define. The concept comes from the idea that there are a large number of children with mixed abilities in classes, and those activities are needed to be varied based on student’s levels of understanding, readiness to learn, learning needs, or interest. According to BBC active (2010), differentiation is defined by the Training and Development Agency (TDA) for schools as “the process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of learning”. In recent decades, it has been considered as a key skill for any teacher, especially those with mixed ability classes.
However, according to Stradling and Saunders (1993), differentiation is a pedagogical, rather than an organizational approach. Differentiation shapes an approach to teaching in which teachers proactively modify curricula, teaching methods, resources, learning activities, and student products. This is done to address the diverse needs of individual students and small groups of students, and to maximize the learning opportunity for each student in a classroom (Berne, 1999; Tomlinson, 1999). When teachers follow differentiated instruction, they become instructors, not speakers in the class.
Therefore, they give their students a higher chance of practicing and sharing their ideas in every lesson. Thus, 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com there is a close relationship between the differentiation approach and the learner – centred class theory. Jean Jacque Rousseau (1712-1778), a Swiss born French theorist confirmed that teachers should begin an instruction by considering what the learner is capable of learning, and what he is interested in learning. The learner-centred approach is therefore strongly advocated, based on the conviction that all are capable of learning and enhancing self-development to their highest potential.
There exists a very popular saying: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This saying is frequently misquoted as Albert Einstein, however, I believe it is a great quote. In fact, there are a lot of teachers who have been using the same activities for different students in a class and evaluate them with the same criteria. The research which I have focused on has since made me reflect on my own teaching in my classroom.
Thus, I have been asking myself: “Have I considered my students’ needs before teaching? Have I given them equal evaluations and opportunities?” Mixed ability classes are widespread among schools, even though students in Vietnam are tested, and organised and grouped on academic ability. However, this is based on their first language, rather than in English. Therefore, a wide range of abilities is a common occurrence in many classrooms, and one that many teachers are struggling with in our own staffroom. This has enhanced my own reflections: “How do I meet the needs of all my students?” Teachers are aware, more than ever, that a one-size-fits- all lesson plan will not meet the needs of all their learners.
In the paper named “Teaching English in Primary Schools in Vietnam” (2007), Dr. Nguyen Mai Hoa introduced Moon’s (2005) finding of the teaching methodology. Moon (2005) pointed out that in many primary schools the teaching methods are “adult-oriented”. In my experience, one of 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com the most dominant features of teaching methodology used in ESL is repetition.
This is done through drills and whole class choralling. This is meant to help children to learn vocabulary and grammar word perfectly. And this context is not fair to all of students. In fact, students come with varied backgrounds, home life, experiences, motivation and abilities, not to mention different learning styles.
While teachers are aware of this phenomenon, they are often unsure how to deal with it (Tobin & McInnes, 2008). If educational practice is to progress teachers need to find a way to deal with diversity and the needs of individuals, while teaching a group of students (Visser, 1998). In my personal experience, the greatest satisfaction that an instructor can have each time students come out of their class is that they gain an understanding of the lesson and an appreciation of their teacher. However, in a classroom with many students of different levels of knowledge, skill and attitude, this is quite difficult.
How do we ensure that we are applying a suitable teaching strategy and a proper assessment method to detect learning? To answer this question, we should build an ideal learning environment where students are eager to learn and express their ideas confidently. I have taught English to primary students at a big school in Hanoi for nine years. This is a private school where students have seven English classes per week. During this time, I worked very hard and tried my best to update useful teaching methods.
I have noticed a tremendous difference in ability in each of groups of students. This diversity, added to the amount of exposure to English via multimedia outlets, interests, and learning styles, all play a role in the vast ability gap in English among students. I quickly came to realize that it is better to have a variety of text levels available, as well as assignments. As a way to differentiated instruction, a teacher may implement the theory of multiple intelligences (MI).
The theory was developed by Howard Gardner in the early 1980s and states that each person has several distinct 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com intelligences correlating with a specific part of the brain. Utilizing the MI theory, teachers can organize learning activities to be relevant each of the intelligences in their classrooms. This means that students will have targeted learning experiences, resulting in higher levels of achievement. The theory of MI recommended that teaching strategies for a group of children may not be suitable for another group.
Objectives This research presents the effect of a new teaching strategy “Differentiated instruction for students of different intelligences” with the hope of caring for every student in a class. So it will help teachers to organize class activities in a more effective way and improve the present situation by unleashing students’ sleeping potentials. This experimental study also gives a meaningful answer to the question “How do I meet the needs of all my students?” The objective totally matches one of the purposes of teaching English as an elective subject in primary schools: “Building positive attitudes to English, and better understanding and love for Vietnamese through learning English. Furthermore, students’ intelligence, personality, and learning method will have also been gradually formed” (Ministry of Education and Training, 2003).
The research aims to build up motivations for the students in their learning progress. So that a variety of activities designed for different groups will be organized in every lesson. All of the students who took part in the study can be informed about what their dominant intelligence(s) are so that they can adjust their learning strategies to get improvement. Hence, this research one more time confirms the statement: “Everybody is a genius.
Subjects The research was conducted on two Grade 4 classes in a primary school in Ha Noi.