The Research

Improving  Matthayomsuksa 2 Students’ Writing Skill by Using Comic Strip

                                    Faculty of Education, Mahasarakham University

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to (1) designs the effectiveness of English writing activities by using comic strips with a required efficiency of 70/70. (2) examine the effectiveness indexes of using comic strips to improve writing  skills. (3) compare the English writing skills  before and after using comic strips . The samples were 50 Mathtayomsuksa 2 students selected by cluster random sampling. The instruments used in the experiment  were 3 lesson plans which were emphasized on improving English writing skills by using comic strips and pre-test and post-test. The data were statistically analyzed by mean, percentage, standard deviation and t-test.

 The results of this study revealed that English writing activities by using comic strips reached its efficiency of 64.07/61.33. It was lower than the criterion (70/70). The effectiveness index was 0.43indicated that the students could improve their learning at 0.43%.The post-test scores of the students were significantly higher than pre-test scores of the students at the .05 level.

 It shows that using comic strips to improve writing skills has achieved goal. Comic strips could help the teachers explore a variety of topics, engender useful grammar and vocabulary exercises, provide a humorous and familiar escape for pupils. And comic strips could help the students improve their writing skills. It was not only sparked the students to write but inspired them to study English.

Listening Skill

     Teaching listening skills is one of the most difficult tasks for any ESL teacher. This is because successful listening skills are acquired over time and with lots of practice. It's frustrating for students because there are no rules as in grammar teaching. Speaking and writing also have very specific exercises that can lead to improved skills. This is not to say that there are not ways of improving listening skills, however they are difficult to quantify.

     One of the largest inhibitors for students is often mental block. While listening, a student suddenly decides that he or she doesn't understand what is being said. At this point, many students just tune out or get caught up in an internal dialogue trying translate a specific word. Some students convince themselves that they are not able to understand spoken English well and create problems for themselves.

    

      They key to helping students improve their listening skills is to convince them that not understanding is OK. This is more of an attitude adjustment than anything else, and it is easier for some students to accept than others. Another important point that I try to teach my students (with differing amounts of success) is that they need to listen to English as often as possible, but for short periods of time. 

     Students need to apply the same approach to listening skills. Encourage them to get a film, or listen to an English radio station, but not to watch an entire film or listen for two hours. Students should often listen, but they should listen for short periods - five to ten minutes. This should happen four or five times a week. Even if they don't understand anything, five to ten minutes is a minor investement. However, for this strategy to work, students must not expect improved understanding too quickly. The brain is capable of amazing things if given time, students must have the patience to wait for results. If a student continues this exercise over two to three months their listening comprehension skills will greatly improve.

power point
http://cid-5e523fecbdfadd3a.office.live.com/view.aspx/.Public/Seminar/listening/listening.ppt

Reading Skill

Teaching EFL Reading

Teaching Reading in the EFL Classroom

We have created a podcast to complement this page.  You can download it from our podcast page.
Basic Concepts:
Teaching reading in EFL is a bit different than the way native speakers are taught to read.  While vocabulary is an important part of reading, teaching the reading skills of surveying, skimming, scanning, inference, predicting, and guessing are just as important.
Research tends to indicate that a student’s reading comprehension can be improved by focusing on teaching students skills in the following areas:

Vocabulary
Many languages do not have the word building concepts that English does. In teaching vocabulary, the idea of “root” words, and prefixes and suffixes helps students build a larger vocabulary quickly.  Affixes (prefixes and suffixes) help us create a variety of words from one base word.  many EFL students won’t recognize that contain is the root word of container and containment; or that desire is the root word of undesirable and desirability. When teaching new vocabulary it is important to point out these connections and we can quickly help students expand their vocabulary with the base words they already know.  Teaching affixes is only one of several strategies for teaching vocabulary.  See the links below for more.

Surveying, Scanning, Skimming
In an academic setting we rarely read an entire text word for word.  More typical is that we look at the contents of a book, the chapters, headings, subheadings, sidebars, pictures, illustrations, words in italics and bold type – and dive in to find the information we need. These are the concepts of surveying, scanning and skimming: moving from the big ideas of a reading down to the specific details.  These are skills that EFL students don’t usually have and must be taught.  The linked readings below will give you more specifics on these skills.
Guessing and Predicting from Context
Students also need to be taught to guess the meanings of words based on the context of the reading and to draw from the reading an ability to predict what might happen in the next paragraph.  Links below will lead to more information on these skills.

http://teflbootcamp.com/teaching-skills/teaching-efl-reading/

power point for teaching

http://cid-5e523fecbdfadd3a.office.live.com/view.aspx/.Public/Seminar/reading/ppp%20reading%20m5.pptx

Speaking Skill

Teaching Speaking

Many language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. These learners define fluency as the ability to converse with others, much more than the ability to read, write, or comprehend oral language. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments in spoken communication.

Language learners need to recognize that speaking involves three areas of knowledge:

Mechanics (pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary): Using the right words in the right order with the correct pronunciation

• Functions (transaction and interaction): Knowing when clarity of message is essential (transaction/information exchange) and when precise understanding is not required (interaction/relationship building)
• Social and cultural rules and norms (turn-taking, rate of speech, length of pauses between speakers, relative roles of participants): Understanding how to take into account who is speaking to whom, in what circumstances, about what, and for what reason.

In the communicative model of language teaching, instructors help their students develop this body of knowledge by providing authentic practice that prepares students for real-life communication situations. They help their students develop the ability to produce grammatically correct, logically connected sentences that are appropriate to specific contexts, and to do so using acceptable (that is, comprehensible) pronunciation.

http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/speaking/spindex.htm

lesson plan

http://cid-5e523fecbdfadd3a.office.live.com/view.aspx/.Public/Seminar/speaking/speaking%20skill5.doc

Writing Skill

Teaching Writing Skills

Writing, while natural talent helps, is primarily a learned art, with students being taught all the formal and technical aspects and relying primarily on their own creativity to create.  Teaching writing skills can be difficult for any teacher, since the approach will be different for almost every student.  Some will learn quickly, while others will need some encouragement and more attention to ensure they understand what they are being taught.  There is a general learning arc that most students will go through, regardless of their age.

• Learning basic sentence structure.
• Increasing vocabulary and spelling,
• Increased knowledge of grammatical rules.
• Introduction of new forms of writing.
• Perfecting the language used in each of these new forms.

There's the basic in a nutshell, but how do you create writers using these basis for teaching?  One thing excluded from this is actually knowing script and print writing.  You can use a cursive writing chart to learn the basics of script writing, while print should already be known.

Learning Basic Sentence Structure

You have to crawl before you can walk, so this is where every student will begin, giving they know how to read and write.  Start with basic sentences, then advance to longer, more complex sentences.  In order to make sure they will have it easier down the road, students should know the parts of a sentence forwards and backwards.  Grammar, one of the most complex parts of writing, is learned much easier if this is understood.  Make sure your students know;

• Subjects and Nouns- be able to identify the subject of the sentence.  Also, they should know formal nouns and pronouns.
• Verbs and adverbs- the actions words and the words that modify them.
• Adjectives- words that modify nouns.
• Predicates- the part of a sentence where the action occurs.
• Prepositions- a word that comes before a noun to help explain action.
• Conjunctions- words that join other words together.
• Interjections- a phrase that shows surprise.

If students can identify these easily in a sentence, you are ready to move them on.  Make sure they have all of these correct, otherwise you will develop issues later in their teachings.

Increase Vocabulary and Spelling

This is where you start to build them up from the basics.  Teaching them new words, including proper spelling rules and definitions will make them more versatile writers, and will help them to develop their craft on their own.  Don't just teach them how to properly spell words and what they mean, but teach them how to find it themselves.  People learn new words everyday, no matter how old they are.  Teach your students how to use a dictionary and thesaurus at this point in time, both online and offline. 

At this point in time, they should be writing more complex sentences.  Start getting them to write small projects, including short stories, essays, letters, and poetry.  This will provide them will an application for their knowledge, and will also teach them how to put their ideas and thoughts logically on the page.  Do not overwhelm them though, start small.  Make their first projects easy, like a letter to their mother, a few paragraphs on what they did yesterday, or even just a quick story t hey can make up.  Anything to help them develop structure in their writing. 

Practice with them, and get them working on developing longer form ideas, showing them where things don't make sense and how to improve them.

Increased Knowledge of Grammatical Rules and Introducing New Writing Forms

Grammar, much like spelling, is something everyone will learn as they grow as a writer, but they will need guidance in this process the ensure they learn things write.  Grammar is the most difficult part of writing to learn.  Introduce rules slowly while helping them to develop the range of their writing.

You should also be introducing them to other forms of writing, and showing them the differences.  Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, letters, notes, narratives, book reports, and even e-mails all have a different structure and purpose.  They should be taught about these and many other writing styles and when to use them.  This will make them all well-rounded writers who are prepared for any situation.  Everyone should at least understand the basics of these to be able to function in most walks of life, including upper level education. 

Have them work on project with each style, and the more they work with a specific writing style, the better they will get.  Start them off easy, then increase their requirements. 

Tips For Teaching Writing Skills

Learning how to write can be difficult, especially if you are trying to learn both the rules of writing, writing styles, vocabulary, and grammar all at the same time.  These tips can help you to both teach writing skills and help your students to learn.

• Have students write about familiar subjects.  Things like what they did over their Christmas vacation, about the pets they own, and what kind of food they like are great ways to start.  Over time, start making it more specific.  Things like what Native Americans lived in Montana or what did you do for Christmas last year will start to help them develop analytical thinking skills while still developing their writing skills.
• Teach them brainstorming techniques early.  This will help them to develop clear thoughts and stay organized in their writing.
• Have students write letters and stories to each other.  Note passing may become a problem, but if you build it into your lesson plan, where's the issue.  This will show students how others are writing and bring give them new ideas on how to develop their writing.
• Revision is the best way to learn spelling and grammar.  Those who can edit writing can write, and the other way around.
• Start to introduce different styles of writing and tones, giving young writers a more dynamic range they can build on later.
• Encourage Reading.  This is very important.  Students will gain a more diverse pool of examples they can draw from in their own writing.  Students who read will become students who write well.
• Be patient with students.  If you become frustrated with them, they will become discouraged.  Some people learn faster than others, but all students will learn more from a calm teacher than and angry one.
• Writing does not just include one medium.  Make sure your students are familiar with both electronic writing and handwriting.  Even with the advances in computer technology, handwriting is still a key skill to have.

http://teachingwritingskills.com/

power point for teaching

http://cid-5e523fecbdfadd3a.office.live.com/view.aspx/.Public/Seminar/writing/writting%203.ppt

CLIL

CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning

'CLIL refers to situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language'. (Marsh, 1994)

This approach involves learning subjects such as history, geography or others, through an additional language. It can be very successful in enhancing the learning of languages and other subjects, and developing in the youngsters a positive ‘can do’ attitude towards themselves as language learners. (Marsh, 2000)

http://www.isabelperez.com/clil.htm#what

CBI Model

Introduction

Content based instruction (CBI) is a teaching method that emphasizes learning about something rather than learning about language. Although CBI is not new, there has been an increased interest in it over the last ten years, particularly in the USA and Canada where it has proven very effective in ESL immersion programs. This interest has now spread to EFL classrooms around the world where teachers are discovering that their students like CBI and are excited to learn English this way. What Types of Content Based Instruction Are There?

The Sheltered Model

Sheltered and adjunct CBI usually occurs at universities in English L1 contexts. The goal of teachers using sheltered and adjunct CBI is to enable their ESL students to study the same content material as regular English L1 students. Sheltered CBI is called "sheltered" because learners are given special assistance to help them understand regular classes. Two teachers can work together to give instruction in a specific subject. One of the teachers is a content specialist and the other an ESL specialist. They may teach the class together or the class time may be divided between the two of them. For example, the content specialist will give a short lecture and then the English teacher will check that the students have understood the important words by reviewing them later. This kind of team teaching requires teachers to work closely together to plan and evaluate classes. It has been used successfully at the bilingual University of Ottawa, where classes are taught in English and French, (Briton, 1989).  

The Adjunct Model

Adjunct classes are usually taught by ESL teachers. The aim of these classes is to prepare students for "mainstream" classes where they will join English L1 learners. Adjunct classes may resemble EPA or ESP classes where emphasis is placed on acquiring specific target vocabulary; they may also feature study skills sessions to familiarize the students with listening, note taking and skimming and scanning texts. Some adjunct classes are taught during the summer months before regular college classes begin, while others run concurrently with regular lessons.

The Theme Based Model

Theme based CBI is usually found in EFL contexts. Theme based CBI can be taught by an EFL teacher or team taught with a content specialist. The teacher(s) can create a course of study designed to unlock and build on their own students' interests and the content can be chosen from an enormous number of diverse topics.

How Does Theme Based CBI Differ from Sheltered and Adjunct Models?

Theme based CBI is taught to students with TEFL scores usually in the range 350 to 500. These scores are lower than the TEFL 500 score which is often the minimum requirement for students who want to study at universities in English L1 contexts. Because of the lower proficiency level of these students, a standard "mainstream" course, such as "Introduction to Economics" will have to be redesigned if it is to be used in a  theme based  EFL class. For example, complicated concepts can be made easier to understand by using posters and charts, (Mercerize, 2000, p.108).

Syllabus Design for Theme Based CBI

Here is the syllabus for a theme based CBI psychology class that I team taught with a psychologist:

• Unit 1 Introduction to psychology
• Unit 2 Types of learning
• Unit 3 Advertising and psychological techniques
• Unit 4 Counseling
• Unit 5 Psychological illnesses
• Unit 6 Project work

Each unit took from two to three weeks to complete. The students had two classes per week and each class lasted for two and a half hours. The syllabus that we used is clearly different from a conventional Introduction to Psychology class. Our aim was to allow the students to explore various aspects of psychology rather than attempting to give them a thorough grounding in a subject which, we believed, would have been too difficult for them to understand at this stage. In fact one of the strengths of theme based CBI is its flexibility; teachers can create units with specific learner needs in mind. For example, Unit 3 began with some textbook readings followed by questions and written work. After this the students were given some advertisements to analyze and also brought in their own examples for use in group discussions. Finally, for a small group project, they designed their own advertisements and then presented their work to the other class members with a rationale for why they had chosen their product and who the target customers would be. Among the products they designed were a genetically engineered cake tree and a time vision camera.

Materials for Theme based CBI

There are textbooks that can be used for theme based CBI classes which usually contain a variety of readings followed by vocabulary and comprehension exercises. These can then be supplemented with additional information from the Internet, newspapers and other sources. However, another approach is to use specially constructed source books which contain collections of authentic materials or simplified versions. These can be about a particular theme such as drug use or care of the elderly, or about more general topics. It's possible to create some really interesting classroom materials as long as the need for comprehensibility is not forgotten.

Readability

The Flesch-Kincaid test is one method of measuring the readability of writing. Difficulty is assessed by analyzing sentence length and the number of syllables per word. Put simply, short sentences containing words with few syllables are considered to be the easiest to read. The Flesch-Kincaid test can also be used to assess the difficulty of texts for EFL students.  For students with scores below TOEFL 500, Flesh - Cinched scores in the range 5.0- 8.0 are appropriate. (By way of comparison this paper has a Flesch-Kincaid rating of 11.1). However, far more detailed research needs to be done in the area of assessing student responses to the readability of adapted materials. For example, the Flesch-Kincaid test assumes that passive constructions are more difficult for students to understand than active ones; however my own preliminary investigations have shown that removing passive verbs and replacing them with active ones does not necessarily make the students feel that the text is any easier to read.

 

 

 

 

 

How Can Theme Based CBI Be Assessed?

A theme based CBI course should have both content and language goals.
Student progress can then be assessed when classes are underway. Continuous assessment is effective.  Daily quizzes can be used to check that content information is getting through to the students and that they are remembering important vocabulary.  Longer tests may also be given at mid-term and at the end of the term.
Journals are also a useful diagnostic tool. Students can be given time at the end of each class to write a summary of the content of the lesson or to answer a specific question given by the teacher. Another useful exercise is to allow the students to write freely on any topic; teachers can then read their work and assess their progress indirectly.
Direct oral feedback during the classes can be useful as long as we are mindful of the proficiency level of the students; it's all too easy to forget how difficult it is to speak a foreign language in front of classmates.

Summary

CBI is an effective method of combining language and content learning. Theme based CBI works well in EFL contexts, and I believe its use will increase as teachers continue to design new syllabi in response to student needs and interests. As I said at the beginning, I believe that learner motivation increases when students are learning about something, rather than just studying language. Theme based CBI is particularly appealing in this respect because teachers can use almost any content materials that they feel their students will enjoy. What can be better than seeing our students create something and learn language at the same time?

power point

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lession plan

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