Some methods to improve the efficiency of teaching listening skill in grade 8 at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HOANG HOA COMMITEE DIVISION OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCE
SOME METHODS TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF TEACHING LISTENING SKILL IN GRADE 8
AT NGUYEN VAN TROI SECONDARY SCHOOL
 	Implementer: Nguyen Thi Lan
 	Position: Teacher
 	Working unit: Nguyen Van Troi secondary school
 	Innovative experience belongs to the subject: English
THANH HOA, NAM 2019
Table of Contents
Contents
Pages
1 - THE OPENING
1.1 -The reasons for topic :
1.2 - Research purpopes:
1.3 -Research objects:
1.4 - Research methods:
2 - THE CONTENT OF THE INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCE
2.1 – Rationale
2.2- The reality of problem:
2.3- Solutions and implements:
1.Solutions
2.Implements
2.4 – The results achievements after application of themes
3 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 - Conclusions.
3.2 - Recommendations.
 Reference material
 1-2
 1
 2 
 2
 2
 2-15
 2
 3
 6
 6
 7
 14
 15
 15-18
 15
 16-17
 18
 1. THE OPENING 
1.1 .The reasons for topic:
Today the economy of the countries in the world is growing the politics of cultural exchange, between the national society is increasingly expanding. To communicate with the others, requiring different countries in the world have to know the proficient use a common language apart from their mother tongue. In the popular language of communication in the world, English is a common one which is considered to be the most popular language.
 	For years, learning foreign language is increasingly popularized and this subject has become a compulsory subject in all schools. Therefore, the requirements set out how to achieve quality teaching hours and high efficiency. This requirement requires the teachers to improve themselves not only on the qualification but also on teaching methods and teaching techniques.
 	Comprehending and understanding a language is necessary when students are learning a new language due to the fact that people always need to communicate and interact with others in different moments or situations in their lives. This paper will focus on listening, but always combined with grammar, as a way of helping learners to understand the language system and to develop their ability by using it to communicate successfully inside and outside the classroom. Communication skills comprise receptive skills and productive skills. Listening and reading are receptive skills while speaking and writing are productive skills. Receptive skills are these in which students receive and process the information but do not need to produce a language to do this, while productive skills require the production, for instance, a speech .
 Listening, as we know, is the skill of understanding spoken language. Listening is an essential skill, present in most of the activities we carry out throughout our lives. We listen to a wide variety of things, for example; what someone says during a conversation, face to face or on the telephone; announcements giving information, for example, at an airport or railway station; the weather forecast on the radio; a play on the radio; music; someone else’s conversation; a lecture; professional advice, for example, at the doctor’s, in the bank; instructions, for example, on how to use a photocopier or other machinery; directions; a taped dialogue in class.
  	In fact, to get good listening skill , the English language learners need to have a process of regular exercise daily, weekly and monthly with the content and form of different technologies. Teaching Listening and learning skills in English, though not new, but it is a very difficult skill for both teachers and students at secondary school level.That's the reason why the actual situation like this, I figure research ideas into this subject partly in the hope of helping the English teachers and students gradually overcome the difficulties to carry out implementation of teaching and learning in English Listening carefully horizontal effective better help students learn English more positively, more proactively in acquiring, perceiving knowledge of the lesson. 
     	For these reasons above, as an English language teacher in Dong Luong secondary school and I always wonder how to help students reach English easily through four basic skills: Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing. However, They find listening skill the most difficult skill though some of them are very good in the application of grammar exercises. They are interested in learning English in Grade 6, 7, but over time they feel afraid, decreased interest, learn and lead his people to the quality department increasingly decline in the grade on, especially because of their listening skill in grade 8. Through practical research and teaching to remedy this situation, I boldly launched an innovative experience “Some methods to improve the efficiency of teaching listening skill in grade 8 at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school.”
1.2. Research purpopes:
 	My purpose in writing this initiative experience was to find out what the most common and effective methods in developing listening skill and improve the quality of teaching English at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school, help students understand the importance of listening skill in learning English. Beside that I can cultivate myself the professional capacity in teaching, improve the teaching methods appropriately for each positive post, each subject students to improve the quality of teaching and learning English at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school.
1.3. Research objects:
 	Initiative experience focused on teaching methods to improve the efficiency of listening hours and improve the quality of English 8 at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school .
1.4. Research methods:
 In the process of implementing initiatives I have used the following research methods:
	- Research methods build the theoretical basis through of the search documents on teaching listening skills.
- Survey method, comparative. analysis and synthesis
- Research method the tables
2. THE CONTENT OF THE INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCE
2.1. Rationale:
 	During the process the teaching, the application of teaching methods to guide students perceive knowledge as quickly as possible, the best use of knowledge that is both a big issue for the cultural subjects in general and English subject particularly. The use of some tricks in the organization of English teaching activities is both a success to help students develop positive perceptions of students in learning and eloquence, helps students focus mentality to grasp the knowledge and help students use English in a foreign language environment with real situations and vivid.
 	I remembered someone said that : “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”
There is no doub that listening skill is the skill that learners must go towards the first. Listening is the most often used skill of communication and good listening is an integrated part of the communication process.
 	Through the above situation and causes I saw: as a teacher to teach subjects in these two classes, I need to give them the pleasure of learning passion and love in English in order to improve school quality and the quality of subject.
   	To improve the quality of subject we should improve the quality of teaching hours which content of listening because listening is one of the important skills to help them acquire knowledge.
   	Like reading skill, listening skill as well as a receptor, but listening often harder to read because the receptive language through listening to the words, there are other characteristics with the written text.
 	In grade 8 listening activities are used widely -are important means to introduce target language or new contents, listening skills are trained and developed through different listening exercises : listening for the main idea, listening out details or listening guess means, guess through contextual comprehension exercises .Listen is relevant to the topic, on the one hand aims to strengthen structure, vocabulary, on the other hand in order to help the children initially train listening comprehension skills to obtain information for the purpose of service of daily life.
 	There are many listening activities in daily living like : listen to the radio, watch television, but carried out other work at the same time (which is listening not focused). The focused listening activities are activities listening intentionally. The listener focuses on the important points, necessary for its deliberate. The listener knows what he wants to listen. This helps the listener's attention towards your content into the right to know, so it is necessary to grasp problems with more effective learning. In the learning language environment, activities listening are mainly concentrated listening and to develop kinds of different listening skills. There are some kinds of main listening: listening the gist, listening for instructions necessary information, listening to confirm earlier conjectures, listening to accomplish the tasks set forth communication, listening the details ....
 	Listening is generally defined as a conscious, cognitive effort involving primarily the sense of hearing and leading to interpretation and understanding. We listen with our senses to understand the communication being uttered. Our goal is to understand what is being uttered. We want to understand the words and sentences and through this understanding retrieve the intent the speaker had while he or she communicated. In other words, we try to identify speaker’s views and analyze his or her views to work out a coherent picture of the communication we face. It is a difficult process, in which what is heard is weighed, analyzed, sorted, related, classified, evaluated as well as judged. Moreover, English Listening skill is the ability to use language knowledge and listening comprehension purposes conversations daily communication in English
2.2. The reality of problem:
Nguyen Van Troi Secondary School is a school which belongs to Hoang Hoa district, with 8 classes and only one teacher of English. Although our school is facing a lot of difficulties, we always strive the movement of good teaching - good learning, the movement for improving the quality of education, the facilities for teaching, learning are more be applied fully.
 	Especially the English subject. This is an important subject decides quality comprehensive education of the school. In recent years competition achievements of gifted students at district and province level, the school always has students who are in high levels. Get it is because the school has the physical infrastructure investment.
 	But besides that there are still some limitations:
 	As a secondary school belongs to a mountainous district, spirit is weak, many traditions are backward, less exchange exposure. The majority of parents of students are less interested in the education of children mainly mercy only for school education and some also have a Vietnamese perspective is also not all learn how to learn English. Some want attention, but the level is still inadequate, unreasonable method. So there are many lazy students.
* Toward the teachers:
- Still some teachers have difficulty in performing tasks , vocational-technical , it is still difficult in the selection of technical vocational training to suit each lesson content, to suit each pupils and each stage of the listening lesson.
- A few teachers untapped or not fully utilized proficient use of teaching aids , lesson listen to serve in English .
*Toward Students:
- Motor learning , practice English listening skills of students is limited .
- Many students have few opportunities to hear English, they have very little chance of access to the mass media modern, advanced to the last bared that can understand English .
- Some students in school longer afraid, yet strong in listening and speaking in English, they are also afraid of making mistakes in the process heard English .
- Train new skills and technology was difficult for students, especially for students of grade 8.
- Many students have not used speed reading and speaking English very fast native, made in the tape drive.
 *Means and teaching aids :
- Teaching aids for teaching serves Listening skills are very much lacking , not many illustrations, and English recordings.
- Tape recording quality is not good, the voice is not clear, much noise
*Investigators specifically:
- I have taught English in secondary school for 15 years since. I myself have been assigned to teach English across the school grades 6,7,8 and 9. With the knowledge, experience in these years. Although I have had valuable experience in the process on the teaching all grades for many students, I also have difficulty in finding the most suitable way to teach the students effectively, especially in listening skill. I really found it very important to change my approach so I confidently did it. At the school year 2018-2019, I was assigned to direct professional teaching English of grade 8 at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school. Through investigation, I realized that most uncertain vocabulary, English vocabulary was not large, English Listening skill is limited, failing to meet the requirements and objectives set out for education in general subjects and listening skills in particular.
 	In the second semester of the school year 2017-2018, I let the students of grade 8 at Nguyen Van Troi secondary do 15-minute listening test.
I. Listen to the weather report and fill in the missing words. (6 points)
1. It will be a dry day in Sydney today, and windy. For the (1), the low will be twenty and the high will be twenty six degrees.
2. Tokyo will be dry and windy, with a low of fifteen and a (2). of twenty two.
3. London is going to have a (3). day. It will be very cold with a low of minus three and a high of seven.
4. Bangkok will be warm and dry, with a low of twenty four degrees (4) and a high of thirty two.
5. New York is going to have a windy day. It will be (5).. with a low of eight and a high of fifteen.
6. In Paris it will be cool and dry today. The low will be ten (6).. and the high will be sixteen.
II. Listen to the passage and number the sentences you hear. (4 points)
A. This is my classroom.
B. There are twenty desks and benches.
C. There are 40 students.
D. There is a clock on the wall. It is big.
Key:
I. Listen to the weather report and fill in the missing words. (6 points)
 1. temperature 2. high 3. humid 	4. centigrade 5. cloudy 6. degrees
II. Listen to the passage and number the sentences you hear. (4 points)
A. 2 B. 4 C. 3 D. 1
Here are the survey results quality listening skill of students of grade 8 at Nguyen Van Troi secondary school - school year 2017-2018:
Table 1:
The school School year
Class
Amounts
Excellent
Good
Medium
Weak
poor 
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
2017-2018
8A
31
2
6,5
8
25,8
16
51,6
5
16,1
0
0
8B
29
0
 0
3
10,3
18
62,1
8
27,6
0
 0
 	Besides, I also tested the students’ interest before applying some of my methods and techniques in teaching English listening at my school.
Table 2: Check the students’ interest. ( At the beginning of the school year.)
School year
Class
Amounts
Very interested
Interested 
Normal
Less interested
Not interested
Number
%
Number
%
Numbers
%
Numbers
%
Number
%
2017
-2018
8A
31
5
16,1
10
32,2
11
35,5
3
9,7
2
6,5
8B
29
2
6,9
6
20,7
14
48,3
4
13,8
3
 10,3
 	Starting from the above reality I strongly improved, gradually additional the new teaching method applied to the English periods in genera, in the year after to see the results markedly.
2.3. Solutions and implements:
1. The solutions: 
 To attract the attention of students and improve the efficiency of listening hours,I conducted the following solutions:
 * The equipment needed for the course :
1 . Transceivers cassettes .
2 . Recorders readings and listening textbook .
3 . Pictorial content and textbook lessons 
4 . Computers, Computer speaker .
5 . The illustrations , equipment
 	* The Ten principles of listening:
1. Stop Talking 
2. Prepare Yourself to Listen 
3. Put the Speaker at Ease
 	4. Remove Distractions
 	5. Empathetic
 	6. Be Patient 
7. Avoid Personal Prejudice 
8. Listen to the Tone 
9. Listen for Ideas – Not Just Words
10. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication
 	* Procedures of a general listening:
In fact, listening is still a difficult skill for students. To overcome these difficulties while listening, I often use the following measures:
- Introduce topics which involve listening, explain new words, concepts will listen .
- Give questions to help students predict the content will listen.
 	- Introduce new words or revision, consolidate the vocabulary needed for all to listen.
- Give out guiding questions to listen.
- Divide the process of listening step by step: the first time: listening the main, answers to questions. The second one:listening more details ..
- If the long listening lesson we divide into short-term for the student to listening, there are various specific requirements.
 	As usual the structure of the listening lesson is usually composed of three main parts:
 Pre-listening
 While -listening
 Post-listening
 	Because the listening lessons are difficult, the teacher should require to apply correctly and fully the steps of a listening lesson.In each stage must choose appropriate, always changing methods, teaching tips to attract students, they will be excited, will increase efficiency of the listening lesson.
    	Here I would like to present some of the methods, tricks I normally applied in the teaching in general and especially in the listening lessons.
2. Implements:
 	The first work when the teacher entered the class-opening a school is the general pedagogic purposes to stabilize class, psychological preparation, knowledge of subjects. With foreign language operate on school has a very important meaning, it is as a part of the lesson that without it ,the next step is not or difficult to carry out these activities. Particularly, situations created role, poses with the purpose of teaching activities -this is a necessary condition to have effective lessons. That is:
Prepare plans for an English Listening Lesson .
A-REVISION-WARM UP: 
to focus their attention create excitement by some short game (bingo, pelmanism,
brainstorming ,guessing game, Kim’s game, chain game,crossword puzzle
Ex : 
 * Brainstorming:Unit 1-lesson 2: ask students to think of the adjectives used to describe body build and hair 	 
 tall straight 
 slim
Body build
Hair
 thin
 Fat long
*Bingo: Unit 3 Lesson 5:
- Ask Ss to write down on their notebooks 5 things they can eat.
- Prepare a list of food. Then call out each word in aloud voice.
- Ss listen ti the teacher carefully.If anyone has the same things ,they cross them out.The first person crossing out all 5 things shouts “Bingo” and win the game.
- Suggessted list of food: chicken, beef ,cake, candy, garlic , noodles, rice, ham, peas,...
*Guessing :Guess from context:What actions? (Unit 9-Lesson 3)
- Ask Ss to look at the picture on page 82 and write out all the verbs describing the actions of the people in it.
- Tell Ss the group having the most right verbs is winner.
- Answer key: drive, wheel, move, push, weigh, wait,lie, stand, lean...
*Crossword puzzle: Unit 14-Lesson 3
- Put the chart on the board
L
O
S
E
C
L
U
E
- Ask Ss to draw the crossword in their note books .
- Ask Ss to listen and fill in the crossword.
1. Unable to find sth/so.
2. Something that help you find out an answer to a question.
3. A very thick forest .
4. To make a sugegstion.
Collect Ss’answers and give them good points if they are right .
 	The