Workshop on Teaching vocabulary

Last week we learned how to teach grammar effectively through 3 different approaches

▪ Test-teach-test / task – teach – task

▪ Text-based approach

▪ Context-build / Situational Presentation

We learned that presently the teaching of Grammar is like VERB, not NOUN anymore.

We need to make sure that students use the grammar thru constant repetitions so that the language is automatized as shown in the video.

Vocabulary is an essential building block of language.

Without grammar little can be conveyed, but without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. (Thornbury, 2002).

Vocabulary is gaining importance in langaugeteaching recently.

When teaching vocabulary, students need to know the form both in spoken and written, the meaning, and other aspects such as its grammar, its collocation links, connotations, and appropriateness. Using dictionary is a good way to teach all of these aspects of vocabulary.

Reading skill correlates with students’ amount of vocabulary. Research has suggested that in order to understand a text well, learner should be able to understand 95-98 % of its words (Schmitt, 2008 as seen in Ur, 2012).

The implication of the research above is that in order to understand an authentic text such as magazines or novels, learners should be able to know at least 5000 word families.

Research has also suggested that learners need to re-encounter the words at least 8 times in order for it to be learned properly (Thornburry, 2002; Zahar et al., 2001 as seen in Ur, 2012)

Words are better remembered if they are taught as a set. It is also helpful to relate the words to students’ life, words with personal significance can easily be remembered.

Build the context

Add as much interest as

possibleElicit

Teach form and meaning

Teach how words are

pronounced

Teach how words are

writtenTeach meaning

Check understanding

Ask ss to use the word in

sentence

Use concept question

Practice the vocabulary

Controlled practice

Freer Practice

Review

Do a short review game at the beginning

of the class

Recap at the end of the

lesson

Test Feedback Retest if needed

Show or draw Pictures Use flashcards Use a diagram tree for related words Bring real objects or realia to the class Synonyms / antonyms Definitions Example in sentences Mime / Gestures Use facial expressions Concept question -> see video Translations

Say the words clearly and write it on the board

Get students to say as well as write those words on their books for better retention

Get the class to repeat in chorus Use dictionary Use fingering techniques for pronunciation

practice

Compose a sentence and try to link the words to students’ real life

Compose a story Do a vocabulary game such as snatch it! Do any vocabulary practice activities from

resource books Set a task that will incorporate the use of the

target items in writing or speaking.

For the words to be ‘stuck’ on learners’ long-term memory, students need to have the words repeated at least 8 times (Thornburry, 2002)

A quick review game can be done at the start of the game such as: Hangman - Brainstorm how many can ss remember? Bingo - Guessing game, back to the board

A recap at the end would also provide learners opportunity to re-encounter the words

Use word cards or display the new vocabulary on classroom wall.

Learners are asked to respond by labeling the pictures, or part of a picture.

It’s relatively easy to design but limited to testing only concrete nouns.

Learners are asked to write words that correspond to the given definition

They provides a wider range of vocabulary to test, but not all words can be uniquely defined.

A ____________ is a person who teaches in your class.______________ is a loud noise that you hear after lighting, in a storm.______________ is the first day of the week.

There are many ways where translation is used in measuring vocabulary.

One of them is to ask learners to provide the translation for each word in a list.

Note that the test may be reversed

Useful when testing a large sample of items Candidates are asked to only mark words that

they know To eliminate the possibility of guessing /

dishonesty, non-words can be included.

One of the most common test formats, where learners respond by choosing one possible correct answers in the options.

Can be used to test learners’ word knowledge of synonyms, meanings in context, or expressions.

Known also as completion, or gap-fill Learners respond by filling in the missing words in a text. More demanding because they must use the word (active

vocabulary) by making use of the context in the text.

Not a vocabulary test on its own but forms a larger construct of the four language skills.

In reading, learners may be asked to infer the meaning of a word from a reading passage.

In listening, vocabulary knowledge may be demonstrated through learners’ spelling.

In writing and speaking, learners may be assessed on the quality of vocabulary, also referred to as ‘lexical source’ (Combee, 2011).

There are two known issues: the nature of vocabulary teaching, and the tough English National Examination (ENE).

The teaching of vocabulary is not given the same prominence as grammar, it is only used as a part of reading comprehension exercises. Words learned are seldom repeated, and practiced in a meaningful use.

These same words do not even come in the ENE.

The test employs selective, embedded, and context-dependent vocabulary measure.

Although it may appear as if it was context-dependent, a close look reveals that it is not.

In contrast to ENE’s exam, here learners are forced to use context in order to come up with the correct response.