A number of tips to create excitement in teaching listening english skills for students at luan thanh secondary school

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT
THUONG XUAN EDUCATION AND TRAINING DIVISION
EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE
A NUMBER OF TIPS TO CREATE EXCITEMENT 
IN TEACHING LISTENING ENGLISH SKILLS FOR STUDENTS AT LUAN THANH SECONDARY SCHOOL.
 Implementer : Duong Thi Huan
 Position : Teacher
 Place of work: Luan Thanh Secondary School
 Subject : English
 THANH HOA, 2019
Năm học: 2013-2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDEX
Sections
Page
Index
1
1. Preamble.
2
1.1. Reasons for choosing the theme
2
1.2. Research purposes.
2
1.3. Research subjects.
2
1.4. Research methods.
2
2. Contents.
3
2.1. Basis of issue
3
2.2. The reality of the problem.
3-4
2.3. Solutions and implementation
4-12
2.4. Achievements.
13
3. Conclusions and recommendations.
13
3.1. Conclusions
13
3.2. Recommendations.
14
References
16
A list of teaching experience initiatives.
17
1. Preamble
1.1. Reasons for choosing the theme.
The grower the society becomes, the more educators, parents are aware of the importance of learning a foreign language in general, especially learning English in particular.
English is an important key for young generation to open the future, the needed site to step out into the world and serve their future career. It is also a mean for today young generation to exchange, learn with young people in all over the world, study about the customs, traditions, cultures as well as the progress of science and technology of many other countries.
According to the innovative method, English is no longer taught grammar but concerned more about the communication which is the main purpose in learning English. Learn English in order to communicate with foreigners.
However, in the four skills of learning English, the listening skill must be said the most difficult. In fact, most students are not interested in learning listening skill.
As a perennial English teacher, exposed to many students in many different locations, I really worry about the quality of learning English in general, how students learn English listening skill in particular. So with the passion for my job, desire to learn, I'm researching solutions to improve the quality of learning English, especially the method of causing the excitement for students in learning listening skill. 
So how to help students apply vocabulary and grammatical structure to listen effectively? How to teach listening to every school pupil to help them feel fascinated and loved the subject more? How to find some positive, simple, easy to understand, practical methods? Especially for students in grades 8 and 9 when the listening program has been classified into separate lessons with increasing difficulty level every day. That’s the reason why I choose the topic: "A number of tips to create excitement in teaching listening English skills for students at Luan Thanh secondary school".
1.2. Research purposes:
With the successful research these ideas will help teachers acquire the following experience: 
1. Organize to teach listening effectively. 
2. The steps to conduct a more effective listening teaching. 
3. Instruct students to practice, practice skills and techniques to listen to English.
1.3. Research subjects:
The subject of this experience initiative revolves around the study of the teaching and learning English listening courses of teachers and students at Luan Thanh secondary school.
1.4. Research methods:
1. The method of observation. 
2. The method of exchange, discussion: 
3. Experimental methods: 
4. Methods of investigation
2. Contents.
2.1. Basis of issue.
In current socialization, learning English is a huge demand of students, especially in the period of integration, the need to communicate in English is essential. The goal of education is currently focused on the development direction of the dynamism, creativity and positive in order to enable students to identify and solve the problem themselves. How can students confidently apply an effective way the knowledge they have learned in their life? This is the goal that the education is always towards to.
Stemming from the above requirements, we may find that the importance of offering courses taught in English in education is undeniable. But how can students acquire language in the most effective way, especially when catering facilities for teaching and learning this subject has not yet been fully met? This requires a lot of factors but the most important is still students’ passion to English and teachers must have appropriate, attractive and charismatic teaching methods to students.
English language teaching and learning is not just about "learning to learn", which is to be thinking, there is depth. We not only aim to achieve significant grammar but also aim to reach and develop skills to use that language.
Grasp the essence of communication and be able to communicate as needed is what we desire. Listening skill is considered as a more passive skill, but listening skill is often harder than reading skill as language through listening is the speech which has characteristics quite different from text.
2.2. The reality of the problem.
English is a difficult subject with a huge amount of knowledge. So, in the process of listening, students can't control everything they will hear. The words in the tape are fast and unfamiliar. The tapescript has many new words, the word stress, the accent is the negative sentence, the word association, the intonation They are very different and difficult to understand, so students cannot understand all the content of the listening text.
These are the earlier survey results of the 2018- 2019 school year at Luan Thanh secondary school.
Order number
class
Number of students
The number of students are interested in listening English
The number of students are not interested in listening English
Number
%
Number
 %
1
7A
36
6
16,7
30
83,3
2
8B
38
5
13,2
33
86,8
3
9A
35
7
20,0
28
80,0
4
9B
34
4
11,8
30
88,2
The most basic perspectives on innovation methods is how to promote positive be charged, the initiative of the learner, creating optimal conditions for learning and practice, developing the ability to use language to communicate rather than providing pure language knowledge.
With this perspective, the tricks and activities on campus were changed and diversified development. The teacher needs to grasp the main principles of the method and learn the tricks and teaching activities from the standpoint of communication so that he or she can apply to be a flexible, consistent and effective.
2.3. The solutions and implementation.
Basing on the above concerns, I have thought and found out a number of measures for the implementation of the project.
2.3.1. The concept of teaching listening skills:
Active listening is the most complicated language; it incorporated the constituent elements of the gain the awareness and knowledge of languages. Listening is one of the primary purposes of teaching foreign languages. Consists of two levels:
- Level 1: (identify or discern): awareness of sounds, words, groups of words in relation to their structure. Only when this possibility became automation, can the listeners regenerate, behave and respond to what is heard in the audio chain that. 
- Level 2: (selected): listeners learned useful elements to understand the speaker. At first listening comprehension, verbal sentences are short, simple then longer sentences.
2.3.2. Studying of the listening activities: 
a. Listening in everyday life: 
Listening not focus: is the acts listen to entertaining in nature, like when I listen to the radio, watch TV ... which still can proceed at the same time with doing another job. 
Listening to focus: is the deliberate player, wants to capture the information of content would do. For example, hearing the news on the radio, the television, listen to the instructions, instructor lecture, interpretation, etc. In this case, the listeners are primarily focused on the important points, needed for his intention. Regular listeners know yourself what wanted to hear. This helps the listener directs the attention to the right content should know, because so often capture the issues more effectively.
b. Listen in the environment: in the environment, mostly listening activities that focus, and aims to develop different skills. The type of hearing in learning foreign languages as follows:
- Listen to main ideas. 
- Listen to find the necessary information. 
- Listen to affirm the previous conjecture. 
- Listen to perform communication tasks are laid out. 
- Listen to details (Both the contents and the structure of the language).
* Note: students can reset the amount of information based on the following basis: - knowledge of the language (vocabulary, grammar, semantics, style, etc.)
- The familiar with the topic being addressed. 
- Observation, interpretation, communication context, including what happened before.
- Knowledge that they possess the same said. 
- Understanding, the personal preference, speaker’s attitude. 
- An understanding of the context, culture in communication. 
- An understanding of the external signal language like: speed says, stop, gestures, looks 
2.3.3. Conduct the tips taught listening:
a. Building trust (Confidence building). 
b. Identify the sentence accent (Sentence stress reception). 
c. Resolved topics (Topic interpretation).
d. Listening comprehension for the main idea (Listening for gist). 
e. Identification details (Recognising details). 
f. Listen to capture the necessary information (Listening for wanted 
 information). 
g. Copy the spell (Dictations). 
h. Event chain diagrams (Sequencing chart). 
i. Grammar spelling. 
j. Listening and note-taking.
2.3.4. Organize the different listening activities: 
a. Help students listen effectively: in fact, listening skill still is a difficult one for today's school students. To overcome these difficulties while listening, teachers can use the following measures:
- Introduce the topic, the related content to hear; explain the concept if necessary.
- Questions help students anticipate the content will play.
- Introducing new words, reinforcing the vocabulary necessary for hearing. 
- Question guide when listening. 
- Divide the process of listening into each step, for example.
+ The first time to listen: listen main ideas and answer questions.
+ The second time to listen: listen to more details etc. 
- If the listening lesson is too long, the teacher can simplify it or make it other specific listening requirements, so that students can hear it more easily.
Especially for difficult listening lessons, teachers can replace them by designing other lessons which are appropriate to the topic so as to create excitement for students.
For example 1:
When teaching listening to unit 10- Life on other planets (English 9 - page 86), teacher should ask suggestive question about the moon: What do you know about the moon? Then the teacher instructs the students to listen to the tape and choose the correct option.
After receiving feedbacks from students, the teacher gives more questions and gets the students to answer to make sure that they have heard clearly through the tapescript.
 Comprehention questions:
1. Why are there no sounds on the moon?
2. How many craters are there on the moon?
3. How much will you weigh on the moon if you weigh 50 kilos on the earth?
4. Will you sleep very well on the moon? Why? Why not? 
For example 2:
When teaching unit 8 - Celebrations (English 9 - page 68), teachers can remind students to listen to the song "Happy new year" at home. Because the song "Auld Lang Syne" is not as popular as the "Happy new year" song and the melody is not really catching the listeners, replacing this song with "Happy new year" will make students enjoy it. Even students can learn to sing this song, too.
b. Getting things predictable, listen to: (predicting) the skills needed when listening is the ability to predict what is about to be heard. So when teaching listening to students, teachers should give students guess things about to listen in a certain context. This activity may proceed with listening to a plot or a conversation. For example, when listening to a conversation, the teacher may stop following a sentence by a character in the conversation and ask students to watch the other characters will respond like? Will behave like? Agree or not? 
For example 1: Tapescript: 
At 6.30 in the morning, the bus collected Ba and his family from their home. (Where did they go?). After picking everyone up, the bus continued to the north on Highway Number 1. It crossed the Dragon Bridge and stopped at the gas station (What happened? Why did it stop there?) to get some more fuel. Then, it left the highway and turned left onto a smaller road westward. (Please imagine the direction here: Which is the East? the West? the North? the South?). This road ran between green paddy fields, (What can you see though the bus window?) so the people on the bus could see a lot of cows and buffaloes. The road ended before a big store beside a pond. Instead of turning to the left towards a small airport, the bus went in the opposite direction. (Did it stay there for a long or a short time?). It did not stay on that road for very long, but turned left onto a road which went though a small bamboo forest. Finally, the bus dropped everyone off at the parking lot ten meters from a big old banyan tree. It parked there (What for?) and waited for people to come back (When did they come back?) in the evening.
(English 9 - Unit 3: A trip to the countryside - page 25)
For example 2: Tapescript: 
Tim: Mom, I’m tired.
Mrs. Brown: All right. You go back to the hotel and we’ll go and look at the 
 pagoda.
Tim: Okay, but how do I get to the hotel? (What does he want to find?)
Mrs. Brown: Let me check the map. Oh, yes. It’s Phong Lan Road, just off the 
 high way. (Where is the hotel?) 
Tim: I remember. See you later.
Mrs. Brown: Bye.
Shannon: I’m hungry, Mom. (How does she feel?)
Mrs. Brown: Can you wait until after we’ve seen the pagoda, Shannon? The 
 restaurant is in Ho Tay Road. (What’s on Tay Ho Road?) It’s in 
 the opposite direction from the pagoda.
Shannon: Please, Mom. I’m starving!
Mr. Brown: I’ll take you to the restaurant and get something to eat, Shannon. 
 We’ll let your mother go to the pagoda.
Shannon: Thanks, Dad. Perhaps we can get some food at the restaurant and 
 eat it beside the river. 
Mrs. Brown: As you are going in the direction of the bus station, can you book 
 seat on tomorrow’ bus to HCM City? (What does Mrs. Brown 
 want Mr. Brown to do?) The bus station is just opposite the tourist 
 information center. (What is just opposite the tourist information 
 center?)
Mr. Brown: All right.
Mrs. Brown: I’ll see you back at the hotel.
Shannon: How are you going to get to the pagoda, Mom? (Where does Mrs. 
 Brown want to go?)
Mrs. Brown: I’m going to walk over the bridge and take the first road on the 
 left. If I have time, I’ll also visit an old temple, which is just past 
 the pagoda on the same road. (Where is the old temple?)
Shannon: Bye, Mom. Have a nice time.
Mrs. Brown: I will, bye.
(English 8 - Unit 11: Traveling around Viet Nam- page 102)
c. Listen to confirm his speculations about article content, listen: this is the same truth applies to reading comprehension skills: before listening/reading teacher exploits suggestions of what students already know about the content issue would listen/read, what is unknown, what is known. Then listen and relate the understanding with the content should look. 
For example 1:
When conducting a post about the media (English 9 - Unit 5: The media-page 43), the teacher would ask, suggest what students already know about the media, such as: name, birth, source, origin... Then the request or questions to the students hear, find answers.
For example 2:
When conducting a post about the festivals/public holidays (English 7 - Unit 7: The world of work - page 43), the teacher would ask, suggest what students already know about the festivals/public holidays, such as: name, birth, source, origin... Then the request or questions to the students hear, find answers.
d. Listen to retrieve required information: as mentioned, when conducting active listening, teachers have to send out the request, the task of listening; focusing on the primary content, it's important to let the listeners have the specific purpose. The form of missions, diverse requirements, be it the form to answer the question or complete the tables.
For example 1:
Listen and complete this pilot’s schedule with the correct place name.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
(English 7 – Unit 16: People and places– page 156)
For example 2: 
Listen to the report on how our oceans are polluted. Then complete the notes.
HOW THE OCEAN IS POLLUTED
Firstly 
raw sewage is pumped directly into the sea
Secondly
---------------------------dropped into the sea
Thirdly
oil spills-----------------------------------------
Next 
---------------------------------------------------
Finally
---------------------------------------------------
 (English 9 – Unit 6: The environment – page 51) 
e. Listen to capture the main ideas: (Listen for gist, for main ideas), in many cases the student should be listening to understand the main ideas, essential items without the need for attention to detail.
For example 1: 
Listen to see the process how people make the compost.
What is compost made from?
Where should we place the compost heap?
Should we water the compost?
How long does it take before we can use the compost?
(English 8 – Unit 10: Recycling – page 91)
For example 2: 
Listen to the conversation and find information about Tim Jones and Carlo:
- The food they ate?
- The bus they went? 
- The sign they saw?
 (English 9 – Unit 1: A visit from a pen pal – page 9)
f. Listen to the next communication activities: the listening activities, usually in the form of filling out tables or put the pictures in order you here for a communication activity that followed.
For example 1: 
Listen to a passage describing Hoa’s day then put the pictures in order you here. (After ordering the pictures, teacher can ask students to retell Hoa’s day again).
 (English 7 – Unit 10: Health and hygiene– page 100)
For example 2: 
An expert is giving a talk on how to live with earthquakes. Listen to the talk, then complete the table.
Living with earthquakes
Heavy fixtures, furniture, and appliances:
Place heavy books on the ------(1)------
Block the rollers on your ------(2)------- and ------(3)------
______________________________________________________
Flying glass:
Check the ------(4)------
Don’t put your bed near ------(5)------
______________________________________________________
Earthquakes drill:
Stay ------(6)------
Sit ------(7)------ or ------(8)------
Stand in the ------(9)------
 (English 9 – Unit 9: Natural disasters – page 77)
After completing tables for posting listen on, the student can continue to work with the next communication activity is talking back and/or said more about how to survive an earthquake.
2.3.5. Practicing various forms of listening comprehension exercises:
Listening comprehension exercises has various forms. The popular exercises were:
- Defining true – false questions
- Checking the correct answer / information
- Matching
- Filling in the chart
- Filling in the gap
- Answering comprehensive questions
2.3.6. Assumes some basic principles when conducting active listening: 
 Listening activities so as to achieve the desired goal, teachers need to implement some basic principles when conducting a listening post as follows:
 a. Lead-in as mentioned above, when focused, listeners often have unintended, toward a focus on the need to