Once target words have been identified, employ a combination of the exercises below which are grouped according to some of the key criteria for what it means to 'know' a word. Select words that you believe are important for students to know. Select words that have appeared in classwork and materials in the last week or two.ģ. On a rotational basis, appoint a special vocabulary secretary whose job is to identify difficult words encountered in class for future attention.Ģ. Before using these exercises, he offers some advice on how to select target words for these exercises.ġ. Below, he suggests some useful vocabulary learning exercises that require little or no preparation. What are some useful approaches to teaching vocabulary?Ī good place to start is by using some simple but effective ideas suggested by Paul Nation, a widely respected expert on the subject of vocabulary teaching. The article begins by introducing some simple but effective exercises for teaching vocabulary, and then continues by discussing the issue of vocabulary acquisition, the needs of learners according to level, learning through context, and the use of two well known word lists. This article aims to introduce some useful and practical ideas to help make this important area of language teaching a little easier. Teaching vocabulary is a broad and complex topic. This aids deeper and more permanent acquisition. It is also useful to focus on practice that requires students to use target vocabulary through the productive skills of speaking and writing. While these have their place, other approaches such as exposure to target vocabulary in context can be more effective. Teaching vocabulary should go beyond a focus on the direct teaching of vocabulary through common methods such as using word searches, crosswords, gap-fills, and vocabulary journals where students write definitions of new words. Conversely, having a limited vocabulary can negatively affect how students are able to communicate. Through building vocabulary, students can express themselves more fully and with more confidence. Words are the building blocks of a language, and as such, the acquisition of vocabulary is extremely important.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |