VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES DƯƠNG TRÀ MI THE USE OF PICTURES IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING IN AN ENGLISH CENTER (Ứng dụng của tranh ảnh trong dạy nói tiếng Anh tại một trung tâm Anh ngữ) MINOR PROGRAM THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 HANOI–2011 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES DƯƠNG TRÀ MI THE USE OF PICTURES IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING IN AN ENGLISH CENTER (Ứng dụng của tranh ảnh trong dạy nói tiếng Anh tại một trung tâm Anh ngữ) MINOR PROGRAM THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 SUPERVISOR: VŨ MAI TRANG, M. HANOI –2011 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENT Chapter I: Introduction ……………………………………1 1. Rationale for the study ……………………………………1 2. Research aims and objectives ……………………………………2 3.
Research site and subjects ……………………………………2 5. Significance of the study ……………………………………2 Chapter II: Literature review ……………………………………3 1. Background of the study ……………………………………3 2. Teaching English speaking ……………………………………3 2.
The notion of speaking ……………………………………3 2. The notion of teaching speaking ……………………………………3 2. The components of speaking skill ……………………………………4 2. The activities to promote speaking skill ……………………………………5 3.
Definition of action research ……………………………………8 4. Picture processing and memory models ……………………………………9 Chapter III: Research methodology ……………………………………12 1. Method of research ……………………………………12 3. Analysis of the research ……………………………………13 3.
Class observations ……………………………………25 Chapter IV: Conclusion ……………………………………27 1. Limitations and suggestions for future research ……………………………………31 Chapter V: References ……………………………………32 Appendix ……………………………………I LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 Chapter I Introduction 1. Rationale for the study The support of pictures in teaching English is pervasive owning to their proliferation in instructional materials. They penetrate into every way of our life and are even included in textbooks.
Thus, it would be a big mistake if teachers do not find ways to investigate their effects on student learning. However, the question arises as to the contribution of pictures make in assisting learning, which seems to be taken for granted by those who produce the resources and triggers studies implemented with increasing frequency in recent years about this issue. Students in the investigated English center enjoy many benefits regarding the learning environment, which profits this study a lot. First, class size is small with only 10-15 students.
Manageable class size saves teachers a lot of time in organizing extra educational activities to discover the lessons in depth. Second, students are not randomly put in a class or grouped according to age but they have to do a placement test before their enrollment. Students in a class are always of the same level, depriving teachers of pains and exhaustion when scouring the Internet and other sources for various materials fitting various levels or for the best ones among thousands. Another advantage is that classes are well-equipped with computers and projectors that teachers, who have certain computer techniques, can organize any kind of activities using pictures as they wish.
This benefit also erases the problems pertaining picture sizes and colors, as teachers manage to make them clear and large enough for students to look at, and teachers‟ effort in searching and cutting tasks from old newspapers and magazines. Pictures, when used, are included in PowerPoint slideshow. Among four practical English skills, speaking makes use of pictures the most. They are both found in textbooks and other resources.
Teachers also use additional pictures to complement their teaching. This reliance on pictures reflects an implicit assumption by practitioners that these visual representations are intrinsically effective in supporting learning English speaking. However, as the nature of an English center, students go to class in the evening and often feel unmotivated or too tired to learn; this raises questions of the usefulness and the applications of pictures in teaching English speaking. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Research aims and objectives As pictures are considered as something indispensable in teaching speaking by most instructors, how to use them effectively is a worth answering question whose answer is of great importance to teachers. The major purpose of the study is to find out ways to use pictures in teaching English speaking. It also seeks to discover their impacts on speaking lessons and consider factors that can influence their effectiveness. Research questions The study revolves around the following guide questions: 3.
What are the functions of pictures in teaching English speaking? 3. Which activities using pictures can be organized in teaching students of the center? 3. Pictures with or without text materials, which is more facilitative? 3. Which issues need to be addressed in using pictures in the center? 4.
Research site and subjects The research was conducted in an English center in Hanoi, Vietnam. The subjects were drawn from beginning to proficient levels of learners as well as EFL teachers with at least 1 year's teaching experience, specifically 5 classes consisting of totally 68 students and 20 teachers. Among these 20 teachers, 3 of them are highly experienced with more than 5 years teaching English speaking. (See Chapter III for more details.
Research methodology This research was carried out in qualitative way, which involved a teacher survey questionnaire designed to get both quantitative and qualitative information and class observation sessions accompanied by records of students‟ responses. It also made use of lesson plans for various lessons of different English levels that were provided by the teachers participating in this study. Significance of the study This study will be of considerable interest to teachers and students in this language center and others because it opens the door to initiatives as well as to students' attitude and perceptions of language learning. This investigation of the influential factors that concern picture uses while learning to speak will hopefully broaden the insight into the issue and will help language teachers avoid problems and make classroom environment less stressful.
Chapter II LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3 Literature Review 1. Background of the study There has been a lot of research on the use of the pictures in language teaching, specially speaking skill. It is proven that the use of picture enhances the quality of language lesson, and the interaction among students, as well as between students and teachers. As Hill (1990) points out, the conventional classroom may not be the best or suitable environment for language teaching.
That is why teachers search for various aids and stimuli to improve this situation. Pictures are one of the most valuable aids for a teacher. They bring “images of reality into the unnatural world of the language classroom.” (Hill 1990) Pictures bring not only images of reality, but can also function as a fun element in the class. Even if only employed in additional exercises or just to create the atmosphere, sometimes it is surprising how pictures can change a lesson.
Wright (1990), through examples, shows that pictures have great effect in teaching structure, vocabulary and all four basic skills. Several advantages of pictures include availability (one can access to pictures through any magazine, internet an etc), they are cheap, often free; they are personal (teacher selects them), they come in different formats and styles, and they can raise learners‟ curiosity. The notion of speaking According to Nunan (1991), speaking is the most important aspect of learning a second or foreign language, which involves the process of producing, receiving, and processing information. English speaking classes are used to provide students with chances of learning English speaking through interaction with other students or native speaking.
The notion of teaching speaking The main objective of a language course is to enable students to communicate in foreign language; speaking, therefore, needs a special attention. This is due to the fact that in daily life, most of us communicate by speaking more than writing. Many language learners and teachers regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. To them, fluency is the ability to communicate with others much more than the ability to read and write.
Speaking is the most important skill that a student can acquire, LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 and is the benchmark to assess one‟s progress or accomplishments in spoken communication In general, students need to recognize that speaking involves three areas (Burnkart 1998). Mechanics: Using the right words with correct pronunciation in the right order b. Functions: Knowing when the clarity of messages is essential, and when exact understanding is not required. Social and cultural norms: Understanding how to take into account who is speaking to whom, in what circumstances, about what, and for what reason.
In language teaching, the teachers help to develop students‟ knowledge by providing genuine or authentic practices and prepare them for realistic communication circumstances. In other words, they help students acquire the ability to produce logically connected sentences which are relevant to specific contexts, and use accurate pronunciation and grammar. The components of speaking skill Speaking is very complex, and it is the language art that is most frequently used by people in the world. It often requires the simultaneous use of number of abilities/components developed at different rates and level.
Syakur (1987) established 5 components of speaking skill, consists of comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency. In short, mastering these components will allow speaker to perform effectively and comfortably in actual communication. Comprehension Oral communication certainly requires a subject to respond to speech and to initiate a dialogue. Grammar It is essential that students are able to arrange a sentence in correct grammar structure.
They need to be able to differentiate appropriate grammatical form in specific contexts. Mastering grammar is to gain the expertise in a language both in oral or written form. Grammar is the foundation for students to be able to communicate effectively and accurately. Using incorrect grammar often obscures the meaning that the speaker wants to convey.
On the other hand, good grammar can make the speech more intelligent. Vocabulary LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5 Without grammar very little information can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed (Wilkins, 1974). If one does not have sufficient vocabulary, he/she can not communicative effectively or express their ideas both oral and written form Hence, vocabulary means the appropriate diction which is used in communication. Usually, although a student has good knowledge of grammar, he/she will not be able to communicate effectively with limited vocabulary.
The lack of vocabulary might hinder the speaker's ability to understand a conversation, which in turn leads to a misunderstanding and does not allow he/she to respond correctly. Pronunciation Pronunciation is more important than it may seem, but students often neglect this part, and some of them even underestimate it. Your pronunciation is the first and most important thing native speakers notice during a conversation. It deals with the phonological process that refers to the component of a grammar made up of the elements and principles that determine how sound vary and pattern in a language.
A speaker who constantly mispronounces a range of phonemes can be extremely difficult for a speaker from another language community to understand. Fluency Fluency is the ability of speaker to speak fluently and accurately. Fluency in speaking is the aim of language learners. Fluency can be measured by the extent to which speaker use the target language quickly and confidently with few hesitations or unnatural pauses, false starts.
These signs indicate that the speaker does not have to stop to search for words or items during his/her speech. The activities to promote speaking skill In traditional classrooms, speaking practice normally involves one person asking the question and another giving answer. The process of question and answer are often predictable and there is only one correct answer. In contrary, in real communication speakers normally have to deal with uncertainty of what the other person will say.