(Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm) BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES IN WRITING LESSONS

THANH HOA TRAINING AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
THIEU HOA UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE

TOPIC:
BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES
IN WRITING LESSONS

Performer: Trần Xuân Diệu
Position: Teacher
Subject: English

THANH HOA 2019


INDEX
I. INTRODUCTION.

Page

1.1. The reason for choosing the theme.

2

1.2. The purpose of study.

2

1.3. The object of study.

2-3

1.4. The methodology of research.

3

II. CONTENT.
2.1. Theoretical basis.

4

2.2. Real basis before applying this innovation.

5-6

2.3. Problem solving.

7 - 21

2.4. Result Analysis.

21 - 22

III. CONCLUSION AND PETITION
3.1. Conclusion.

22

3.2. Petition.

23

REFFERENCE MATERIALS

24

I. INTRODUCTION.

1


1.1. The reason for choosing the theme:
We are living in the 21st century – the century of modern civilization and
information technology. Our nation is currently in a development period whose
foundation is knowledge economy and a policy with the focus on education,
particularly on innocation of teaching and learning qualities, as a top priority, for
the purpose of training the human resources for the industrialization and
modernization of Vietnam. In order to survive and develop to keep up with other
developed countries, we must master the latest achievements.
Thus, the curricula in schools today should aim at such practical issues.
English as a subject in school curricula was popularized later than other
subjects, but it is the key to the human beings’ treasure of knowledge. It can lead
us to the world, cooperate with other nations and help us acquire the best
knowledge available.
Currently at high level, English program has been renewed in terms of
content, form and methods of teaching. The purpose of foreign language
teaching in general and English in particular is not aimed at students in the study
of the language system, but to help them use the system language as a
communication tool, meant to train students communicative competence. This
communication capability is represented by two production skills: speaking and

writing skills. In the two mentioned skills, the writing skill is considered
difficult for students. It requires learners not only to have extensive knowledge
about the topic you want to write, but also to have vocabularies, master the rules
of grammar and sentence structures to be able to express their ideas.
One difficulty students encounter when writing is that they often lack the
necessary ideas to write. So we need to help students apply their knowledge
available, exchange each other to share the good ideas or knowledge to the
article which contains full, rich content.

2


To meet actual demand, every teacher needs to find an optimal teaching
methods, matching each real object of each student to achieve good results that
is the problem, the purpose for which each teacher has to concern, to think.
Through the process of teaching, exploring learning, referring to many types
of books, apply many different teaching techniques, I bravely choose and write
up the experience initiative "Brainstorming activities in writing lessons."
1.2. The purpose of study:
With researching this experience initiative successfully, it will help teachers
get the following experiences:
1. Using appropriately and exploiting effectively the teaching writing
techniques.
2. Finding out the way to boost the students so that they have motivation to learn
writing skills.
3. Accumulating the methods when conducting an effective writing lesson.
1.3. The object of study:
The research topic focuses on designing writing skill lectures for some
writing sections in 10, 11, 12 grades of high school program, mobilizing
students’ background, developing dynamics for student in writing skills,

designing lessons at each stage to be able to apply the appropriate teaching
techniques to the circumstances of each classroom, each object type so that they
can write effectively.
The objects of the study are students in10, 11, 12 grades.
When researching this topic, I had to perform the following tasks:
- Look at the documentation of teaching and learning English, the teaching
techniques in writing skills.
- Remove the faculty, teaching experiment.
- Exchange professional knowledge with colleagues, learn from experience.
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- Inspect and assess the results of all students in holding knowledge, so that
there is a reasonably additional adjustment.
1.4. The methodology of research:
- Observational method.
- Experimental method.
- Exchangeable and discussible method.
- Investigational method.
II. CONTENT
2.1. Theoretical basis:
As soon as students learn English, they have to get in touch with four basic
skills of language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. These are teachers’
important skills in transmitting knowledge to students. All in all, writing skill is
difficult for learners. Teachers are expected to find out effective teaching
methods and to practice well the rule "Learning accompanies with practicing."
Starting from the opinion “learners are the centre”, learning and teaching
methods have basically changed. Teachers are not the only to seize the
knowledge and to transmit. They are the guiders, supporters, consultants and
inspectors. Learners are not passive ones in acquiring knowledge. They are the

centre of the teaching and learning process. Learners are always active in
learning with a view to gaining high results in learning as well as making use of
in real life.
In teaching foreign language in general and English in particular, teaching
method innovation is a matter of great importance. Besides mastering the
language knowledge, practicing listening, speaking, reading well; writing skill
plays an important part as well. Teaching writing skill is one of the basic
contents and it is really a subtle combination in teaching other language skills.
From the above theoretical point, how to apply teaching writing methods to
help students practice a good English writing (making sure that it is accurate in
writing request, grammar and creation) is very important.
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2.2. Real basis before applying this innovation:
High schools have been using new textbooks, students are expected to
develop four skills equally in a textbook and writing skill is the one that learners
need spend much time practicing in order to get a coherent and clear article.
To make sure the right and sufficient teaching and learning according to the
curriculum, and widening to practice the four basic skills, especially writing
skill for students, teachers need study, collect and use a variety of practical
forms in accordance with each school’s material facility condition so that it can
improve students’ English standard.
English is a quite interesting subject but learners are required to be highly
labourious or the knowledge is easily interrupted and forgettable. On the way to
look for the experience, collecting materials and studying colleagues’
experiences, taking part in Thanh Hoa training and education department’s
professional training courses, I have integrated modern learning methods into
the periods, especially in arid writing lessons. During empirical progress, my
students have gained some relatively encouraging results; the writing classes are

less boring; students are more active and better at writing; many students’
compositions are highly creative.
Advantages and disadvantages at Thieu Hoa high school when this
innovation is applied:
* Advantages:
- The school managing board always care about and create favourable
conditions in terms of material facilities and professional documents for
teaching: CD players, overhead projectors ..
- The local government and other associations inside and outside schools always
support teachers in the their job..
- The teachers of English always receive support in the same professional group
and colleagues.

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- Most pupils in class like learning English and properly prepare books,
notebooks and other learning tools.
- Almost all pupils’ parents always provide necessary care and good conditions
for their children’s learning.
* Disadvantages:
- The majority of pupils do not know effective writing learning methods. Their
parents find it difficult to check or instruct them in their self-study at home,
because not all parents know English.
- They are not fully aware of the significance of English, and it is a difficult
subject, so some become fed up with it.
- They rarely have chances to write in English, and they tend to be afraid when it
comes to writing in English.
- Most of them are in difficult situations, so they do not have many reference
books to improve their vocabularies, structures or phrases, apart from that

provided in their course books.
* Specific investigation:
In the process of teaching, with the sense of both researching students’
learning situation features and carrying out to learn from experience, from the
beginning of the school year, I've driven myself specific plans and methods in
order to actively investigate the students’ learning situation in the classes I
directly teach. The specific survey results are:
Table 1: General information about students participating in the survey:
Class

The number Good Rather

Mediu

Weak

Bad

11K
10M
11B

of students
45
43
43

m
38,8%
46,5%

52%

6,2%
7,0%
8%

0%
4,7%
2%

4,1%
0%
0%

good
50,9%
41,8%
38%

2.3. Problem solving:

6


To perform an effective writing lesson, each lesson is ensured three main
parts: pre - writing, while - writing and post - writing.
+ Pre - writing: This is the initial phase of a writing lesson, Teachers guide
students the topic, provide linguistic data for students to prepare to write as
words, phrases, and some necessary structures for the later writing. Apart from
the structures, students need to have ideas to complete a good composition. In

the step to find ideas, teachers have students operate in groups such as: speaking
activities to find out the opinions, interviewing and reading ones to get
information. If students are at lower level, teachers can get students to read the
model essays or to write a completed text from the suggested words.
+ While - writing: Teachers have to guide students clearly, briefly specifically
and easily understandable so that students can write the right form of a
composition. Students use the prepared information to rewrite by their own
vocabularies. They can work individually, in pairs or in groups.
+ Post - writing: This is the stage that students complete their compositions.
Teachers have students correct the mistakes themselves before teachers give
feedback.
* The implementation solutions:
- Mind - map method:
In order to help students find out the ideas, I have applied the mind – map
method (spider’s web or branch forms):

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Idea 4

Idea 3

Topic

Idea 1

Idea 2

Spider’s web mind – map

Idea 1

Idea 2

Main ideas
Idea 3

Idea 4

Branch form

8


Depending on the theme and content of the article, teachers can choose
suitable diagrams. For the topic with less main themes and the short auxiliary
parts, the spider’s web mind – map should be used.
And for those with more main ideas, auxiliary parts in phrase forms, we
should use the branch forms.
The topic of the mind – map diagram is the composition’s theme. From the
main theme, teachers will guide students to discuss, exchange to figure out the
main ideas by drawing more branches revolving around themes. From those
branches, students continue drawing the small branches indicating the
supportive idea for the main theme.
Example 1: Unit 13 (English 11) – Writing about a collection
Teachers can use the following diagram for students to brainstorm.

Your collection

9


Example 2: Unit 1 (English 12) – Writing about family rules

Family rules

During the students’ discussion to find the main idea for the theme, the
students’ difficulties is that they will find insufficient ideas or excess necessary
gist for the article. So to avoid this situation, teachers should give the guiding
questions and suggest the main ideas before asking students to brainstorm to fill
the mind – map. For the auxiliary ideas, teachers should let students exchange
themselves, discuss and encourage students to find out as many additive ideas
for each main theme as possible.
Example 1: - When teaching Unit 13 (English 11) – Writing about a collection.
After giving the mind – map, teachers should bring about a suggested question:
- What should you tell when you describe a collection?
Students can answer:
- (We should tell about) the name / how to collect, keep and classify / when and
why to collect and the plan for the future.
For the lower level students, teachers can give more specific questions such as:
- What is the name of your collection?
- How do you collect them?
- When did you start your collection?
- How do you classify them?
- Why do you collect them?
- What is your plan for the future?
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Example 2: Unit 1 (English 12) – Writing about family rules.
Teacher’s questions:
- What rules do you have in your family?
or: - What are ( aren’t ) you allowed to do in your family ?
Students’ answers:
- I have (don’t have) to …..
or:

- I am (not ) allowed to ……

For the lower level students, teachers can give more specific questions such as:
- Do you have to do housework (get up early ….)?
or: - Are you allowed to

use a mobile phone?
go out late at night?
smoke/ drink wine?
play sports after school?
…………………….. ?

After this part, students have basically found out the main ideas and drawn
the following diagram:
Example 1:

Classify

When

Why
Name

Your collection
How to
keep

Future plan
How to
collect

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Example 2:
Have to
Not have
to
Family rules

Allowed

Not allowed

Next, teachers require students to brainstorm to find out the auxiliary ideas
for each main theme by drawing the continued branches around the main one.
In this process, the teacher should go around to manage, test, and help students
as needed.
After brainstorming activities, students will have full thought diagram as
follows:

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Example

1:

5 years ago
Color

Shap
e

Size

When I was…

Type

Classi
fy

Broaden
knowledge

Shelve
s

Whe
n

Know more
about ..

Why

Safe

Book Stamp
Nam
e

Your
collection

Sell

How to
keep
Box

At the age
of…
Last
year
Doll

Coin
Give

Future

plan

Album
Buy

How to
collect
Exchang
e

Collect
more

Donate

Ask friends /
relatives

Example 2:

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Share
housework
Go to bed on
time
Get up
early
Wash clothes

Have to

Not have
to
Family rules

Allowed

Not allowed

Prepare meals
Go out with friends
Use the family
motorbike
Play sports after school
Drink wine /
smoke
Go out late at night

Example 3: Unit 8 (English 10): The story of my village.

14


15


Thus, after brainstorming activities to complete the mind – map, students
have relatively necessary ideas for the composition. Teachers only guide

students some structures, how to verbalize students’ ideas and disposition, from
that students can perform their own articles. The advantage of this method is that
it can bring into play students’ activeness and creation. Due to the
brainstorming, discussion, exchanging the ideas, students will find out more
ideas and their compositions’ contents are not only more sufficient but also
various.
- Using table method:
Aside from the mind – map, table method is also very effective to organise
the brainstorming activities in the writing skill period.
With this method, teachers have to prepare the table (under the learning note
form). It is dependable on the contents for which teachers design the table
suitably. Normally, I use the following table:

Topic
MAIN IDEAS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

CONTENTS

Example 1: Unit 13 (English 10) – Describing a film.
Describing a film
MAIN IDEAS
CONTENTS
1. Name of the film
2. Kind of the film

3. What the film is about
4. Where the film is made
5. What it is based on
6. The main character (s)
7. What you know about the character (s)
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8. Ending
Teachers fill the information in the MAIN IDEAS column (the gist of the
article), the CONTENT column is the one that students have to fill the
information by brainstorming.
After delivering the table, teachers ask students to think about and fill the
missing information in the table.
During the process, students think and exchange the ideas and fill the
information in the table, teachers should go round to help students because they
may have difficulties in vocabularies.
After brainstorming, each group (or individual) will have a table with
different information on the same topic. Students can write about films like
Harry Potter / Tom and Jerry / Romeo and Juliet ... Teachers can ask students to
swap tables together to share information with each other.
Example:
Describing a film
MAIN IDEAS
1. Name of the film
2. Kind of the film
3. What the film is about

CONTENTS
Romeo and Juliet

Love story film
Tragic love between Romeo and

4. Where the film is made
5. What it is based on
6. The main character (s)

Juliet
Italy
A true story in Verona City in Italy
Romeo, a handsome and gentle boy/

7. What you know about the

Juliet, a nice girl.
They fell in love at the first sight /

character (s)

They were not allowed to get
married/ Their parents hated each

8. Ending

other.
Unhappy (They killed themselves to

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keep their love )
After finishing brainstorming activities, students completed information sheet
about the topic you want to write. Next, the teacher guides students structures,
how to verbalize and link that information together and then ask students to
write a paragraph or a complete article.
The use of table method to organize activities aimed at exploiting knowledge
and understanding (knowledge base) of students on the topic posts. Students are
free to write about what they know or they like.
Example 2: Unit 4 (English 10) - Special education.
What were advertised
- Native teachers only

What happened to you
- Only one native teachers / All

- No more than 20 students per Vietnamese teachers
class

- About 50 students in class

- Free books and cassettes tapes.

- Paid 100.000 VND for books and

- All air-conditioned rooms

cassettes

- 5.30 pm – 8.30 pm

- Only one ceiling fan in classroom
- Start late but finish early, teacher

*

The

arrived late.
implementing

measures:

- Organizing group activities (Work in groups)
In a class, students’ level of knowledge, thinking cannot absolute uniformity.
This requires teachers to organize appropriate activities and forms of learning to
create an interaction between the students. Operating group activities during the
brainstorming ones is a really effective measure.
Group activity creates the environment for discussing and debating in
community. Each individual’s reviews are revealed, confirmed or rejected,
thereby learners can improve to a new level. Group activity increases learning
efficiency, reduces dependent phenomenon. The character and the capacity of
each member are shown. For the method of using diagrams to organize learning
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activity, teachers should organize group activities. The teacher divides the class
into small groups (4-5 students) and asks the groups to act to complete the mind
– map according to the topic.
Teachers can also split the theme of the article into subthemes, and divide the
class into groups with the corresponding numbers so that each group can

practice and complete a diagram about a topic of small threads.
After brainstorming activity, teachers ask the groups to share the results with
each other and eventually to gather the results of the group for the synthesis of
knowledge about the topic of discussion.
Example 1: Unit 7 (English 10) – Writing about advantages and disadvantages
of the mass media.
Teachers divide the class into six groups to have a discussion about the six
following topics:
- Group 1: Advantages of the Internet.
- Group 2: Disadvantages of the Internet.
- Group 3: Advantages of radio.
- Group 4: Disadvantages of radio.
- Group 5: Advantages of newspapers.
- Group 6: Disadvantages of newspapers.
Example 2: Unit 8 (English 11) – Describing a celebration.
Teachers divide the class into four groups to have a discussion about the four
following topics:
- Group 1: Mid – Autumn Festival.
- Group 2: National Independence Day.
- Group 3: Teachers’ Day.
- Group 4: Women’s Day.
- Organizing to work in pairs or individually:
For the method of using table to organize brainstorming activities, I organize
the class to work in pairs or individually. After guiding the topic of the article,
19


teachers deliver the table (already prepared) and ask the pairs / individuals to
brainstorm to fill in the table.
For the classes that students are rather than average or higher in degree

(selected class), I ask each pair / individual to complete a separate table at their
disposal.
For the classes with less qualified students, I combine the method of
orientation to guide students by asking students to think to complete information
on some of the themes that I made (with images or video clip). Note that these
topics should be very popular and closer to students. In this case, the individuals
and pairs or can freely elect the topic (what they like or understand best) to fill
in the table.
Example: Unit 13 (English 10) - Describing a film
Teachers can take pictures or video clips on 4 movies: Tom and Jerry / Romeo
and Juliet / Happy House / Harry Potter (or 4 any other famous movies).
Note: when organizing activities in groups, pairs or individuals, teachers should
limit time for students. Depending on the content of articles that teachers limit
for a reasonable period (usually no more than 15 minutes). This is done to avoid
losing too much students’ time in brainstorming activity and lack of time for
other activities.
* For “in pairs” activities I also give the game "LUCKY PAIRS" on writing
lesson. The game "LUCKY PAIRS" is applied in two parts: the While -writing
and Post – writing and it is made as follows:
- The teacher writes the names of all students in the class in pairs (the teacher
can arrange themselves or rely on class diagrams) in the small pieces of paper,
then put them in a box.
- When teaching While – writing part, the teacher instructs students how to play:
two students will represent to draw and read out the names of two lucky pairs.
Two lucky pairs will write their articles up the extra tables and theirs will be
checked by whole class and their teacher in Post-writing activities. At the same
20


time the teacher will give marks if the articles are good. The remaining students

will work in pairs to write in their notebooks or in their papers, the teacher can
collect some items to correct at home.
- The teacher provides students with some points to consider when correcting
students’ mistakes such as: the contents have enough ideas or not, grammar,
words, phrases. Then the teacher asks 2 "LUCKY PAIRS" groups to hang the
extra tables on the board to give feedbacks. Finally, the teacher comments the
students’ strengths and weaknesses to overcome in the later articles and have the
students rewrite their posts at home. With the adoption of this game to writing
lesson, it not only helps students interested in the subject, helps all students in
the class become active in working but also helps teachers have enough time to
fix the students, and students are more and more confident and progressive in
learning English in general and improve their writing in particular.
2.4. Result Analysis
* Results:
Through applying the innovation I myself have achieved some positive
results: First of all, these experiences are consistent with the new textbook
program; students are more interested in learning and more proactive and
creative to expand the understanding; also very flexible in perceiving knowledge
and skill development. The academic atmosphere is simmering and soothing.
Students have the opportunity to assert themselves, no longer embarrassed or
frightened when entering school. This is the cause that leads to the relatively
positive results of the second term:
Table 2: Achieved results:
Class

The number Good

Rather

Medium

Weak Bad

11K
10M
11B

of students
45
43
43

good
61,2%
65,1%
52%

28,6%
30,2%
42%

0%
0%
4%

10,2%
4,7%
2%

0%

0%
0%

21


* Experience drawn
Through successfully applying the innovation, I myself have drawn out some
experience as follows:
- Teachers must always create foreign language environment in school and must
use English as the main language for communication.
- Depending on the grades and students that teachers can use English sentences
which are short, simple, easy to understand, easy to remember, catchy.
- Teachers should integrate written English activities with the form "playing learning".
- Teachers should appeal, attract students to the article content in the forms of
activity, teaching writing techniques that are appropriate to each stage of a
writing lesson.
- Teachers need to choose, use and flexibly combine the methods and techniques
in the writing teaching process of a writing lesson.
- Teachers must innovate lectures to suit each student's level, create conditions
for weak students so that they can confidently participate in exciting classes.
III. CONCLUSION AND PETITION:
3.1. Conclusion:
What I have presented above is my teaching methods and experience. I
realize that in the teaching process, teachers should try to apply methods flexibly
so as to make them suitable with the content of the lesson and their students.
Besides, teachers should also wisely use pedagogical techniques to stimulate
students’ interest in their study and help them have good study results.
To promote the originality and activeness of pupils in studying, we need to
organize the teaching process in the direction of positivizing learners’ activities,

and during this process, teachers are only those who transmit knowledge to
pupils. Students should learn such knowledge through their own activities if they
wish to acquire and master it.
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Regarding students, apart from some good ones, there are also some who do
not learn much. Therefore, teachers should encourage them to actively
participate in the teaching and learning process.
To satisfactorily answer the need for renovating educational methods at the
secondary level, besides objective factors, such as the curriculum, time, levels of
students, teachers’ professional capabilities, the most important element is the
way teachers organize their lessons.
To respond to the movement of renovating teaching methods at primary and
secondary schools, as a teacher of English, I really wish to contribute my part to
improve teaching methods in general, so they can become more effective, and
pupils can enjoy learning English and communicate in English. I look forward to
getting the leaders’ and colleagues’ contribution and comments.
3.2. Petition:
From the achieved results, I have the following petition:
- Teachers have to well organize activities involving in the lessons.
- Power point should be used in order to have a lively lesson.
- The leaders take more interest in this specific subject.
CONFIRMATION OF THE HEAD
MASTER

Thieu Hoa, May 26th 2019
I HEREBY COMMIT THAT THIS
PAPER IS MY ORIGINAL IDEA
AND IS NOT COPIED FROM ANY

SOURCES

Trần Xuân Diệu

23


REFFERENCE MATERIALS
1. New English textbook and teachers’ book (Ministry of Education and
Training).
2. How to teach English.
Jeremy Harmer – NXB Longman.
3. The Methodology Course.
(English Language Teaching Training Project).
4. Teaching Writing Skills in a language.
Christine Nuttall – Oxford University Press – 2001.
5. Book “Some problems on renovating the teaching methods in English of high
schools" (Ministry of Education and Training).

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