| Vocabulary is clearly an essential part of language | | | | only singular or plural verbs, e.g. people (plural), the |
| learning and teaching vocabulary in a productive way | | | | news (singular). |
| is something which must be at the forefront of our | | | | Register: |
| minds as teachers of English. Teaching new words to | | | | Register refers to a particular style of language |
| learners of English as a Foreign Language at first | | | | relevant to a particular situation or context. For |
| seems quite a straightforward proposition. You provide | | | | example the way a doctor talks to a patient about a |
| the appropriate word and meaning much like an | | | | prognosis/diagnosis will differ in style from the way the |
| automatic dictionary and move on. However, the | | | | same doctor will relate the same information to a |
| teacher is far more than merely a speaking dictionary. | | | | fellow colleague. Similarly, the way we speak in a job |
| There are many things to think about when teaching | | | | interview will differ from the style of language we use |
| vocabulary. | | | | in conversation with close friends. Students need to be |
| How many words should you try and teach students | | | | aware how certain words fit into different registers. |
| in one class? How do you decide which new words | | | | When explaining vocabulary, bear in mind that |
| you should teach to your students? What criteria do | | | | explanations need to include relevant aspects of |
| you use to decide which words are most useful? How | | | | context and usage, e.g. 'mate' is a synonym of friend |
| do you guide the students themselves in recognising | | | | but is used colloquially typically for males. |
| which words are most useful for them? What is the | | | | Topic Area Words: |
| importance of active and passive vocabulary? Why | | | | You could select a theme such as 'weather.' The |
| are frequency and coverage important? Why is | | | | ensuing vocabulary would include: rain, sunny, cold, |
| register important? Do all students need to learn the | | | | windy etc. This is particularly useful if the student is |
| same words? | | | | interested in a particular topic or if a topic area has a |
| How many new words should you think about | | | | direct relation to their life or job. Not all vocabulary or |
| teaching in a class? | | | | topic areas are of equal importance to every student. |
| There is no definitive figure here of course, as every | | | | Passive and active Vocabulary: |
| student is different, but lower level students can | | | | New words enter the Passive Vocabulary of students. |
| generally manage about 5-8 new words of vocabulary | | | | Students may understand meaning, especially in the |
| a day. At higher levels usually a few more. | | | | specific context where they see a new word used |
| What new words should you teach to your students? | | | | but as yet cannot use the word independently |
| Even if you wanted to, you clearly can't teach | | | | themselves. To ensure words enter the students' |
| students every word in the English language. There | | | | Active Vocabulary, regular revision in meaningful |
| are upwards of 500,000 words in English so you | | | | situations is essential. It is estimated that a student |
| clearly only know a fraction of them yourself. A typical | | | | needs to encounter a word 10-12 times before it fully |
| B2 (Upper Intermediate) learners' dictionary contains | | | | enters their Active Vocabulary. Vocabulary, in the |
| about 55,000 words of vocabulary. The average | | | | same way as Grammar, is learned through use. It is |
| native speaker probably uses less than 20,000 words | | | | therefore very important to give students opportunities |
| actively. Reducing huge quantities of words to | | | | within the classroom to use the new vocabulary |
| manageable learning is a significant challenge for ELT | | | | themselves. Students remembrance of words is |
| and one of the great challenges for teaching | | | | relative to the degree which they have used the word, |
| vocabulary is which words to choose. | | | | thus the more we get students to use words in a task |
| What criteria do you use in choosing what words to | | | | of some sort - finding opposites, transformation etc - |
| teach? | | | | the better they will remember them. Similarly, if we |
| Frequency and Coverage: | | | | involve students in presenting new words the better |
| Choose words to teach that are frequently used. | | | | they will remember them. Hence, acting out definitions |
| Telling students about how often words are used or in | | | | in a dramatic way - trip, stagger etc - should lead to |
| what situations you might use them (formal, informal, | | | | deeper learning of the words. Sense memory |
| academic, spoken or written English etc) is something | | | | becomes involved, taste, smell, touch etc, which further |
| invaluable that they often can't get from a dictionary. | | | | enhances recall. Discovery techniques where students |
| Clearly, the most frequently used words will be the | | | | have to find out the meanings of words themselves |
| most valuable to learn. The words taught also need to | | | | will be more effective than standard teacher |
| be assessed in the light of topic, function, structure, | | | | presentation of new vocabulary. |
| teachability, needs and wants. | | | | There may be many words that students will not need |
| Polysemic Words and Word Building: | | | | to use actively themselves at a particular stage in their |
| In English, many words are polysemic - have more | | | | learning career and therefore they can remain in the |
| than one meaning - and can be used as nouns, verbs | | | | students' Passive Vocabulary. For example, at |
| or part of a phrasal verb. It is important to bear in mind | | | | Beginner level it is enough to know 'big' and 'small'. At |
| these alternative meanings and uses when teaching | | | | Intermediate levels, you might begin to use 'huge' |
| new words. It would appear logical to learn these | | | | 'massive' 'tiny' 'minute' etc. At Advanced levels, you |
| polysemic words as a priority. The important point to | | | | might use words like 'vast' or 'miniscule' to give a |
| remember when explaining meaning is that context will | | | | different shade of meaning or to adopt a more formal |
| show which of the various meanings and uses is | | | | or academic tone. The point is that at Beginner level it |
| intended. | | | | is clearly not practical or useful spending time trying to |
| Word formation is an essential part of vocabulary | | | | get the student to use a word like 'vast'. |
| teaching, for example, the way that root forms of | | | | Vocabulary Testing: |
| words change to form adjectival and adverbial forms | | | | Vocabulary testing has several forms, and as with all |
| with the addition of prefixes and suffixes. Learning | | | | techniques in ELT the more variety in the classroom |
| about word formation raises students' awareness of | | | | the better. |
| the language they use. Teach students word building | | | | Examples include: |
| skills. For example, if you teach the verb 'to advance', | | | | 1. Multiple choice Questions |
| you might also teach the adjective 'advanced' and the | | | | 2. Matching (opposites/complements) |
| noun 'advancement.' This gives the student extra | | | | 3. Odd one out |
| vocabulary immediately but it also indicates broader | | | | 4. Writing sentences |
| patterns within the language. For example, you can | | | | 5. Dictation |
| point out that 'ment' is a common noun ending. (Others | | | | 6. Close/gap-fill (with and without wordlist) |
| include 'ness' 'ence' 'ation' 'ism' etc.) Typical adjective | | | | 7. Sentence completion |
| endings would include 'ed' 'ing' 'ent' 'ive' 'ical' etc. | | | | Conclusion: |
| How do words lead onto other words? How can you | | | | In the classroom, the teacher remains central to the |
| point students towards patterns in the language? | | | | effective acquisition of new vocabulary. Every student |
| Another important aspect of teaching vocabulary is | | | | is different so their language learning needs and |
| 'word grammar', some words trigger/collocate certain | | | | vocabulary requirements are different too. As a |
| grammatical patterns. Countable/uncountable nouns | | | | teacher, you are interacting with students face to face |
| are an example of this, the former can be used with | | | | on a human level. You have an expertise about who |
| both singular and plural verbs, while the latter with only | | | | the student is and what is useful for them to learn that |
| singular verbs. Other nouns are neither countable nor | | | | no dictionary or computer programme could ever |
| uncountable but have a fixed form and collocate with | | | | have. |