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SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ……….
(TÊN CƠ QUAN, ĐƠN VỊ CHỦ QUẢN)
TRƯỜNG THPT ……….
(TÊN CƠ QUAN ÁP DỤNG SÁNG KIẾN)
BÁO CÁO SÁNG KIẾN
IMPROVING
10CÁO
FORM STUDENTS’
LISTENING
BÁO
SÁNG
KIẾN
ABILITIES THROUGH APPLICATION OF SOME
TH
TEACHING TOOLS.
(Tên sáng kiến)
Lĩnh vực (mã)/cấp học: NGOẠI NGỮ (13)/THPT
Tác giả: ……………..
Trình độ chun mơn: ………..
Chức vụ: …………..
Nơi cơng tác: ……………..
Tác giả:...................................................................
Trình độ chun mơn:...........................................
Chức vụ:.................................................................
Nơi cơng tác:...................................................................
THƠNG TIN CHUNG VỀ SÁNG KIẾN
1. Tên sáng kiến: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
…….., ngày 10 tháng10.năm 2020
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. RATIONALE FOR THE INNOVATION
Information technology (IT) has brought about many revolutional changes in the
development of the global society. Education is considered the foundation for the
development, however, IT is used as powerful tools in every subject, especially, in
teaching and learning foreign languages.
It is obvious that English has been taught in Vietnam as an important foreign language
for a long time but due to grammar-translation method of teaching, Vietnamese
students seem to be better at grammar than communicative competence. Therefore,
according to a large project to investigate the English teaching reform in northern
parts of Vietnam, only 5% of students are able to communicate in English after
graduation (Hoang et all, 2005). This fact gives rises to the need for nationwide
innovation in the teaching methodology, as a result, three new textbooks for 10th, 11th
and 12th form students were designed and used in the light of communicative
approach.
However, to use the new textbooks effectively, teachers and students need approach
various types of IT tools such as some popular softwares in teaching like: Power
point, Word processor, Window media... The powerful tools, which can help teachers
to expand the four walls of the traditional classroom and rebuild the class with many
useful controlled and free activities for communicative competence, are increasing in
both quality and quantity.
Many articles have discussed the effectiveness of IT tools in SLT in the world. In
Vietnam, the application of IT tools in ESL was set forth by Nguyen Lan Trung and
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Ngo Van Nghiem (1997) who suggested the use of CD-ROM. The recent focus on
technology in language study has been on the use of MPS ( Multimedia Presentation
softwares), emails, Internet, Class websites ... ( Nguyen Thi Lan Huong (2004),
Nguyen Thu Hoai (2005), Pham Thi Ngoc Phuong (2006), Nguyen Thi Anh Nguyet
(2008), Nong Thi Khanh Van (2008), Duong Thi Hong An (2009)). Despite many
useful researches on IT tools in teaching and learning English, there is limited number
of studies on the authoring softwares which help teachers to design activities in their
classroom.
As a teacher of English in a small high school in My Loc, Nam Dinh, the author
would like to carry out this innovation called “Improving 10 th students’ listening
abilities through application of some teaching tool” to help herself and her colleagues
in foreign language teaching.
IT tools, which are mentioned in this innovation, are two softwares: HotPotatoes and
Question Tools Editor. The author is introduced the way of using and applying these
softwares in the course of applying IT in foreign language teaching.
II. THE INNOVATION
1.The description of the context before the innovation
The innovation took place at My Loc high school, which is situated in the suburb of
Nam Dinh province, Vietnam. As most other high schools in Vietnam, English is a
compulsory subject in the curriculum approved by Ministry of Education and Training
(MOET). Students in Vietnam are supposed to study English over their three years at
high school. Students often have four class hours per week. The teaching of English
subject must follow the syllabus and the course book released by MOET. Teachers
have to make sure that all content in the course book is covered so that students can
have sufficient knowledge to take the final examination for the subject. As for the
teaching approach or techniques, it is optional for teachers to adopt the approach that
they think is the most effective to students. Therefore, with the innovation of
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Improving 10th students’ listening abilities through application of some teaching tool,
it is teachers’ right to choose any teaching method to implement, provided that the
content of the lessons in the course book is not skipped.
Students at My Loc high school mostly come from the rural areas, where the chances
to meet and talk and listen to foreigners are rare. Recently, listening is tested in the
final examination, so both teachers and students begin to pay attention to this skills.
Although students in Vietnam start learning English from grade 3, which means when
they enter high school, they have almost 7 years of learning the language, the ability
to use the language in communication is restricted and Most of them can listen and
understand few English words.. Students often learn by heart the grammar structure to
do the written tests, but are incapable of using those structures in expressing their
ideas orally and apply them to understand English conversations or talks.
Furthermore, they also have little motivation in learning listening skill as the chances
for practicing is few. The application of information technology is hoped to find
solutions to these problems.
2. The description of the context after the innovation
2.1. How is technology integrated into education?
2.1.1. What is educational technology?
There are many definitions of educational technology. Some educators use the term to
refer to any media that the teacher can use for classroom instruction, such as visual,
audio, or digital media. Other educators use it to refer to the use of a computer or
other mechanical or electronic device for teaching and learning (Muffoletto,1994).
The most general one, used by the Association for Education Communications and
Technology (AECT): “ Educational Technology is the theory and practice of design,
development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for
learning”. In this definition, we can include a wide array of technology including
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computers, softwares, slides, photographs, e-mails, CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs, the
Internet, videotapes, and instructional television.
2.1.2. How is computer intergrated into education?
Technology pervades all of our lives. People arround us are using cell phones, surfing
the Net, and storing data in PDAs... Even 15 years ago, it was rare for people to have
computers in their homes, however, today, if you do not have a computer, you are at
somewhat of a disadvantage. Computers have emerged as fascinating technological
tools in the educational arena.
The computer has become an indispensable tool for science simulations. Computers
can motivate students to learn and help build math skills. Students can use the Internet
as a library source, investigating everything from a lot of materials. Computers can
link students at schools arround the world. Students can use computers to write
research reports, conduct experiments and creat electronic portfolios for job
applications.
Using the computer, a teacher can provide students with different kind of learning.
Teachers can visit websites to access lessons plans and activities to enhance learning
in any subject area. Teachers can use Powerpoint to create presentations to help
explain different topics. They can have students visit specific Websites and answer
questions. They can use drill and practice software programs to help students who are
having problems in a particular academic area. Teachers can consult technical chat
rooms for help or information about pertinent topics. They can use the computers to
create certificates for students and class newsletters.
Administrators can use the computers to create presentations for their planning
meetings. They can then display these presentations on a school’s Websites for teacher
viewing and comments. Administrators can create their own Websites, to provide
information to students, teachers and parents. They can send teachers email messages
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about meeting and school programs. Administrators can store important information
in electronic databases such as students absenteeism data, current school supply
inventories, substitute teacher name and contact information, and access electronic
school resources such as CD-ROMs, books, and videotapes. They can create
newsletters for teachers, parents and staff...
III. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INNOVATION
1. Aims and objectives of the innovation
This study aims to measure the effectiveness of utilization of the authoring softwares
Hot potatoes and Question Tools Editor in teaching listening skill in Tieng Anh 10 at
My Loc school in Nam Dinh.
Firstly, to investigate the influence of utilizing those softwares in teaching and
learning listening skill at My Loc school in Nam Dinh.
Secondly, to investigate the teachers and learners’ opinions about advantages and
disadvantages of those softwares in teaching and learning listening skill.
Thirdly, to find out the difficulties that teachers and students meet during the course
and the solutions to advance the effectiveness of the authoring softwares in teaching
listening skill Tieng Anh 10 at My Loc school in Nam Dinh…
2. The participants
The innovation was conducted on two groups of participants: They are 10 th form
students and teachers of English at My Loc high school.
Students:
The researcher chose 50 students in 5 classes: 10A1, 10A2, 10A3, 10A4 and 10A5 to
carry out the research because of their good consciousness of study which is not
affected by examination pressure. The questionnaires were delivered to these students
to get the reliable data. Among 50 students selected for the survey, the male students
outnumbered the female with 29 and 21 respectively. All of them are from the grade
10 so they are the same age: 16 years old.
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These participants were not randomly selected, however, from their listening results in
the first semester, they proved to be of different levels at listening English, ranged
from marks 3-4 to marks 9-10:
Table 1: Students’ marks in the previous listening test
Number of
Students’ marks in the previous listening test
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
0
13
17
15
5
students
Percentage
0
26
34
30
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Although some students get low marks in listening test, in fact, they had from four to
nine years experience in learning English at primary or secondary schools (from the
1st or the 6th class) which was considered to be rather long time.
Table 2: Students’ learning English experience
Number of
students
Percentage
Teachers
4 years
18
36
Students’ learning English experience
5-6 years
7 years
8 years
2
20
4
4
40
8
9 years
6
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Five teachers who are teaching Tieng Anh 10 take part in the research. All of them are
female. They are aged from 27 to 42. Among them, only 1 teacher has 20 years of
teaching experience, four of them have from 4 to 10 years of teaching experience. In
general, they were very eager to apply IT in teaching listening despite the fact that
there was no training course about computer - assisted learning and teaching.
Table 3: Teacher’s teaching experience
Number of
teacher
5 years
Teachers’ teaching experience
10 years
Over 10
20 years
over 20
1
years
4
years
0
1
1
8
Percentage
14
14
57
14
0
3. Scope of the innovation
The present study operates within the following scope:
1. A study on the application of IT tool in ELT is a broad topic, therefore, in this
research, the author decides to choose one of specific IT tools, that is applying
authoring softwares in teaching listening skill in Tieng Anh 10. From this study, we
can apply the softwares in teaching all skills in Tieng Anh 11, Tieng Anh 12.
2. By the time constraint, making a research with a large number of participants was
out of the author’s reach, the participants for the study was 50 students from 160
students in class 10 and 5 teachers of English at My Loc high school in Nam Dinh.
4. Method of the innovation
The subjects for this study are two authoring softwares: HotPotatoes and Question
Tools Editor. The writer together with 5 teachers, who created activities using the
softwares to teach listening skill and then, collected the data for the study from pretest and post-test and observation. The methods used in this study are: comments,
remarked, comparisons, suggestions and conclusions are based on factual research,
observation, experience and discussion.
4.1. Computer as an IT tool in language teaching and learning.
The main uses of computers in language teaching and learning can be generated as
follow (Hammer,2001):
- Reference tool: through CD, DVD-ROMS or Internet, teachers and students can
search for all sources of information related to their language teaching and learning.
Especially, Internet is considered the most convenient reference tool.
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- CMC ( Computer mediated communication): This is the process of using computers
to facilitate authentic communication between two or more people such as email,
electronic bulletin board, real internet chat or instant message...
- websites: Almost websites have great potential for students of English in getting in
touch with the authentic language. They can search for any information in various
forms such as text, audio, video.. There are also many websites designed for EFL
students to do exercises, play games... and for teachers download activities and make
lesson plans...
- word processor: has been mainly used in writing skill, including personal and group
writing. It can also be used to create an endless number of exercises in English. Doing
exercises in a word processor implies giving traditional exercises a new format.
However, this way of working in the English language classroom results in a quite
successful experience, since students enjoy the mere fact of being manipulating
computers.
- MPS ( Multimedia presentation softwares): “Multimedia is the exciting combination
of computer hardware and software that allows you to integrate video, animation,
audio, graphics and test resources to develop effective presetations on an affordable
desktop computer” Fenrich (1997). MPS is defined as the use of computer software to
create slides similar to those used on an overhead projector, except that the display
can include text, sound, still and moving images. Slides are prepared in advance, can
be edited and are stored in the correct sequence.
- teaching and learning programs: There are two types of programs: tutorial and
authoring programs.
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Tutorial programs with short introductory notes are followed by a series of questions,
to which the students respond at the keyboard. Discrete comments can be built in, and
error, review routines are automatic. If required, a set of help notes can also be called
up during the question – answer sequence in order to understand the student who has
not fully understood the point of the exercise. The result of students’ attempts at each
exercise are stored on the computer. Language teaching software is currently much
available on CD-ROM to meet the demand of learners at different levels and various
learning purposes.
Authoring programs allow teachers to create their own different exercises or units
unlike as in ready-made “dedicated” programs, where the contents, questions and
texts come with the program and cannot be changed. The applications of authoring
softwares in EFL teaching and learning are various; however, we should choose the
most suitable to apply in our language teaching. Below are two popular CALL
authoring packages:
Hot potatoes
Hot Potatoes is a suite of programs published by Victoria University and Half-Baked
Software. Teachers use the Hot Potatoes programs to create educational materials,
especially exercises and tests. All these materials can be produced in the form of web
pages, and the web pages can be uploaded to hotpotatoes.net very simply, from within
the Hot Potatoes programs.
The Hot Potatoes suite includes six applications, enabling you to create interactive
multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and
gap-fill exercises for the World Wide Web. On September 1, 2009, Hot Potatoes was
released as freeware.
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The purpose of the Hot Potatoes is to enable us to create interactive Web-based
teaching exercises which can be delivered to any Internet-connected computer
equipped with a browser. The exercises use HTML and JavaScript to implement their
interactivity. There are five basic programs in the Hot Potatoes suite:
The JQuiz program creates question-based quizzes. Questions can be of four
•
different types, including multiple-choice and short-answer. Specific feedback can
be provided both for right answers and predicted wrong answers or distractors. In
short-answer questions, the student's guess is intelligently parsed and helpful
feedback to show what part of a guess is right and what part is wrong. The student
can ask for a hint in the form of a "free letter" from the answer.
The JCloze program creates gap-fill exercises. Unlimited correct answers can
•
be specified for each gap, and the student can ask for a hint and see a letter of the
correct answer. A specific clue can also be included for each gap. Automatic
scoring is also included. The program allows gapping of selected words, or the
automatic gapping of every word in a text.
The JCross program creates crossword puzzles which can be completed online.
•
You can use a grid of virtually any size. As in JQuiz and JCloze, a hint button
allows the student to request a free letter if help is needed.
The JMix program creates jumbled-sentence exercises. You can specify as
•
many different correct answers as you want, based on the words and punctuation in
the base sentence, and a hint button prompts the student with the next correct word
or segment of the sentence if needed.
•
The JMatch program creates matching or ordering exercises. A list of fixed
items appears on the left (these can be pictures or text), with jumbled items on
the right. This can be used for matching vocabulary to pictures or translations,
or for ordering sentences to form a sequence or a conversation.
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In addition, there is a sixth program called the Masher. This is designed to create
complete units of material in one simple operation.
Question Tools Editor
Question Tools Editor is a fully-functional, free, integrated suite of e-learning tools
used in 121 countries. Programming, scripting and HTML skills are not required. If
you can use Microsoft Word you can use Question Tools Editor.
Question Tools Editor Suite comprises Editor — for visually laying out and testing
your screens, SimpleSet — for quick text editing and converting existing materials,
and the Exam application — a secure alternative to a web browser. We can create
exciting, interactive e-learing, exercises, tests and lessons for delivery using the free
Question Tools Exam software, or any modern web browser.
•
Question Types: Select (multiple choice), true/false, hotspot, menus, text
answer, long-answer, and drag.
•
Ready-to-use templates, effective styles feature.
•
Create interactive lessons, exercises and tests.
•
Open & test multiple screens within the editor.
•
Handles pictures, sounds & video in a variety of formats including MP3 and
MPEG.
•
Multiple feedbacks can be included in screens
•
Wide variety of test and lesson options.
•
Multiple undo facility, comprehensive help.
•
Support for a wide variety of charactersets, and available in English, Spanish,
Portuguese and Dutch.
•
Spell-checking as well as Find and Replace.
•
Pasteboard for quickly dragging text into place.
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•
Built-in facilities for packaging and zipping source files.
In the scope of this study, I would like to apply these two authoring softwares in
teaching and learning listening skill Tieng Anh 10.
CALL & listening skill
As multimedia technology (interactive videodisc, CD-ROM, CD-I, etc.) becomes
more accessible to teachers and learners, its potential as a tool to enhance listening
skills becomes a practical option. Multimedia allows integration of text, graphics,
audio, and motion video in a range of combinations. The result is that learners can
now interact with textual, aural, and visual media in a wide range of formats.
The enormous amount of specific software that has been created for learning English
includes the possibility of teaching and training the skills of listening. However, the
problem is that, rather than being truly interactive, the activities designed for
improving listening are mainly based on drills. Thus, learners have the possibility of
enacting dialogues but these are indeed closed dialogues; that is, learners cannot ask
or answer whatever they want, but they have to limit themselves to predetermined
texts. Nevertheless, despite the lack of real interaction, this experience has been
proved to be highly motivating, since many of the graphic environments that
programs offer turn out to be quite realistic. Thus, if learners concentrate on the
activity, they may feel -up to a certain extent- just as if they were really in that
context.
As a medium for learning language, multimedia represents a myriad of instructional
possibilities. As a tool for listening skills development, there is a logical match of
system characteristics (combining text, audio and video) and the goal of listening
skills development in a second or foreign language. Careful consideration on the part
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of teachers and software developers of the range of possibilities for combining input
modalities and tools that empower student manipulation of them is essential.
4.2. The application of the authoring programme in teaching listening Tieng Anh
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4.2.1. Procedure of a listening lesson
Listening plays an important role in second-language instruction for several reasons
(Rost, 1994). First, listening provides comprehensible input for the learner which is
essential for any learning to occur. Second, listeners need to interact with speakers to
achieve understanding. Third, listening exercises help learners draw their attention to
new forms (vocabulary, grammar, interaction patterns) in the language. Thus listening
comprehension provides the right conditions for language acquisition and
development of other language skills (Krashen, 1995). A listening lesson consists of 3
stages: Pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening.
Pre-listening
Pre-listening
activities,
in
particular,
facilitate
second-language
listening
comprehension (Herron, 1994; Berne, 1995). They help students develop background
knowledge and improve their understanding of the spoken text. Students will be able
to generate ideas about the topic and such information will help them activate relevant
schema for the listening text. Students become able to connect new information with
prior knowledge schema. In this way processing the new language becomes feasible
as it becomes connected with concepts and words students have already used.
In this stage, teachers often introduce general content of the listening passage, practise
designed warming-up activities in the textbook, make use of pictures (if any) to
present new vocabulary, presenting more words/phrases from tapescripts, get students
to pronounce words/phrases carefully, review already-presented grammatical patterns,
present new grammatical patterns (if any), ask students to predict content of the
listening. Below are some main activities in the stages:
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. Discussion: Discussions to elicit information about the topic. Select certain words,
difficult grammatical structures and expressions to be explained through the
discussion.
. Prediction:Ask students to predict the content or what speakers are going to say,
based on the information they have already got through the preliminary discussion.
. Questions: Pre-setting questions to be answered upon listening to the text.
While-listening
While-listening acivities help students to have deeper understanding about the spoken
text.
However, in this stage, teachers should give clear instructions for the listening task
(rephrasing textbook instructions if necessary), play the tape once (non-stop) for
students to get general content of the listening, providing other activities from
textbook for slower classes, moving from simpler tasks (listening for getting key
words/phrases, listening for main ideas, matching, deciding on true/false information,
numbering pictures, sequencing events…) to more complicated ones (answering
MCQs, gap-filling, table/graph completing, answering information questions…)
Some times, teachers should play the tape several times (non-stop or with pauses if
students need help) and break long tapescripts into sections to facilitate the listening.
And here are some activities in this stage:
. Identifying the gist: Students note down main points and key words to work out the
gist of the talk.
. Identifying features of natural input: Students listen to natural spoken discourse.
They are asked to identify stress patterns, stress contrasts,weak forms, etc.
. Dictation: Teacher dictates sentences which include features of natural discourse,
contractions, weak forms, elision, assimilation, etc.
. Prediction:Teacher plays half a sentence, learners try to predict the rest of it.
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. Classification: Students listen to the text, select specific information and classify it
using the table provided with the text.
. Written Support: After their initial listening, students are provided with the transcript
of the spoken text to make sure that they have listened to everything on the tape. They
look at the transcript as they listen to the spoken text.
. Questions: Students answer comprehension questions while listening to the
text.
Post-listening
Post-listening is the time students can apply what they have learnt to practise
communicating. The aim of this stage is practising designed post-listening activities in
textbook, summarising listening passages in spoken or written form, relating to
students’ own experience and extending the topic to oral or written presentations.
Therefore, what students should do in this stage are:
. Evaluation: Students answer true–false questions or multiple-choice questions as an
evaluation of their understanding.
. Speaking: Students act out a dialogue, interview or discussion on topics related to
the text.
. Writing: Students write messages, postcards, letters, etc. on topics related to the text.
4.2.2. The application of the authoring programmes in designing activities
As a high school teacher, the author always tries to exploit the functions of the new
softwares in teaching English, expecially in teaching listening skill. Not only the
author, all teachers in My Loc High School try to learn to design listening activities
with these two softwares. Below are some activities used in three stages of listening
lesson: Pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening. Pre-listening:
The aim of this stage is to help students to get familliar with the topic of the spoken
text, understand the background knowledge and stimulate students’ interest by setting
the scene.
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Teachers can give them a context by pre-teaching some of the most difficult language
(new words/difficult grammar points/ structures), encourage them to make predictions
about the content of the text by using games, crossword, or matching activity.
Below are some activities used to pre-teach listening skill with HotPotatoes and
Question Tools Editor
To draw students’ attention, a crossword game about the objectives or people or
places is designed with the software Hotpotatoes. It is very easy, simple and timesaving. Students guess words down or across and think about what are related to these
words. Students can know some main features them.
Picture 1: Screenshot of the pre-listening crossword designed with HotPotatoes
We can use Hotpotatoes to create matching activities to motivate students to talk
about a famous person and his/her life, talent and sucessful career. This helps students
understand much about a famous person. It is much easier for them to listen to the
tape.
Picture 2: Screenshot of pre-listening picture matching designed with HotPotatoes
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we can use Question Tools Editor to design pre-listening activities to draw students’
attention to the famous places, countries, continents etc... Students look at somes
pictures and guess the names of places in the pictures then talk something they know
about those places.
Both Hotpotatoes and Question Tools Editor are simple and easy to use in designing
activities, however, Question Tools Editors is for more creative activities. Teachers
can design any kind of activities they want as long as they obey the rules of this
software. Hotpotatoes is less creative, it is used for some certain types of exercises.
We can design crossword with this software quickly and effectively.
Picture 3: Screenshot of pre-listening picture matching designed with Question
Tools Editor
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While –listening
Teachers allow students to listen to the text twice or several times and do the tasks or
answer questions; allow them to co-operate and help each other after listening, check
their listening comprehension by using different tasks, activities or questions.
Activities in this stage are : gap fill, matching, answering questions, true-false
statements, multiple choice...With Hotpotatoes, we can design many types of gap fill (
word level, phrase level or sentence level), we needn’t use the original tasks in the
textbook, we can create the new tasks basing on the level of our students from easier
ones to difficult ones. Below are gap-fill exercises made with Jclose of Hotpotatoes
and Question Tools Editor
Picture 4: Screenshot of while-listening gap fill designed with Hotpotatoes
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Picture 5: Screenshot of while-listening gap fill designed with Question Tools
Editor
Picture 6: Screenshot of while-listening gap fill designed with HotPotatoes
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Post-Listening
In this stage, teachers might practise designed post-listening activities in textbook,
summarise listening passages in spoken or written form, relate to students’ own
experience, and extend the topic to oral or written presentations. With those aims,
teachers can design activities to help students consolidate what they have learnt and
apply it in their life. Sentence building, role play, discussion, or writing a composition
can be used in this stage. Basing on the level of students, teachers can design suitable
post-listening activities.
For example:
Picture 7: Screenshot of post-listening sentence building designed with Hotpotatoes
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Picture 8: Screenshot of post-listening sentence building designed with Question
Tools Editor
Above are some pictures illustrating what teachers use thes two softwares to design
listening activities in three stages. However,due to the limited time, the author only
chose some typical ones which are useful for this innovation..
IV. DATA ANALYSIS
1. The instruments
Class observation
According to Arthea & Verna (2005, p.22), observation is 'the act or practice of
paying attention to people, events, and/or the environment'. Therefore, observation
serves as a useful tool in doing research. It helps observer to watch people do and
listen to what they say without asking them about their views, feelings or attitudes
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(Robson, 1993, p.191). It is also an appropriate technique for getting at 'real-life' in
'the real world'. This clarifies the validity of the observed words. Moreover, by
utilizing the observation instruments, the researcher will maximize the usefulness of
the hours he/ she spends in classroom observation and participation (Arthea & Verna,
2005, p.19) to get data.
Classroom observation is a suitable method to obtain data for this study. First, it is
helpful to investigate the students' responses in the survey questionnaires if what they
do in practice is congruent with what they say. Second, through observation, the
researcher actually knows the way of cooperation and interactions between students
and students and between teacher and students, then to have a complete picture of
teaching and learning language at the university. Therefore, classroom observation
was conducted to help doing the study.
Table 4: Students’ listening habit relating to computers
Habits
Number of students Percentage
Listen the tapescript once in advance at home
5
10
Listen the tapescript again and again at home
11
22
Only listen the tapescript three times in the class 34
Use some listening softwares
0
68
0
From the table 4, most of the students spent their time of studying listening in class
(68%) while the number of students who can study listening skill by theirselves at
home is much fewer ( 32%). It can be seen that no student can use listening softwares
to study listening skill at home. Therefore, teaching listening in class is very important
for developing students’ listening skill.
Table 5: Teachers’ teaching listening habit relating to computer
Habits
Number of
Percentage
teachers
prepare the full presentation on computers
and present it at the end
2
28
24
prepare the draft then present at the end
using computer, screen and the blackboard if
0
3
0
44
necessary
using computer and screen instead of the
2
28
blackboard
Figure 1: Students’ assessment of the effectiveness of the authoring softwares in
sub-skills of listening ( from sub-skill 1 to sub-skill 5)
sub-skill 1
sub-skill 2
sub-skill 3
sub-skill 4
Prediction ( guessing ahead what is going to be listened)
Extracting specific information ( recognition of isolated words)
Getting the gist ( having general understanding of the text)
Extracting detailed information (students gain a deeper
sub-skill 5
understanding of the text)
Guessing meaning from content. (unfamiliar words from the
contextual background and scenario can be guessed at)
+ Post-test and Pre-test.
25
All students of the two class were tested at two points in form of achievement tests
which cover and focus on measuring what language the learners have learned as the
results of teaching (Mcnamara: 2000) before the intervention began (pre-test), and
again after all students had received the program (post-test). The purposes of the pretest and post-test were:
- Pre-test – to establish a benchmark of the subjects’ listening which was to be used as
a covariate in the statistical analysis of post-test results;
- Post-test – to detect whether the first cohort maintained any gains or even continued
to make progress, or whether there was any tendency for their gains to wash out; also
to see whether the second cohort made gains similar to those of the experimental. The
post-test scores were then compared with the pre-test scores to identify the
statistically significant difference, if any, for the acceptance or rejection of the
research hypothesis.
Table 6: Students’ marks in the post listening test
Number of
1-2
0
students
Percentage
0
Students’ marks in the post listening test
3-4
5-6
7-8
0
20
20
0
40
40
9-10
10
20
V. THE EFFECTIVES OF THE INNOVATION.
1. As for teachers
Together with suggestions to the administrators are those to the teachers, which are
presented as follows:
Teachers should take a course of computer and using two softwares. Using the
sofwares is not so difficult. Teachers should have certain ability about computer and
technical issues, which helps the teachers to control classroom facilities more
effectively and solve technical errors happening during the lesson.