Transcript Vocabulary

Teaching Techniques and
Strategies
(TTS)
Session 6
Teaching Vocabulary
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• provide your own definition of the term
vocabulary;
• describe the strands of a well-balanced
course and learning techniques and
strategies across the four learning strands
in a language course;
• apply the principles to the teaching of new
vocabulary items in our context.
Procedures
A. Checking reading
B. Observing
C. Performing
A. Checking reading
Questions:
1. What do we mean by ‘vocabulary’?
2. What is the core meaning of a
vocabulary item?
3. Can you give your own examples of
multiword units?
4. Can you give your own examples of a
word family?
Core meaning
e.g.: Neutral (I. S. P. Nation, in Nunan 2003:132):
• a country that does not officially support either
side in a war
• a position not supporting either side in an
argument
• not showing emotions or preference
• a neutral voice does show emotions
• not causing change because it’s equal on both
sides
• a position between the gears of a car
• …
CM: Not taking a particular side or position
Multiword units & word family
• Multiword units/lexical phrases/chunks/词
块、词汇短语
groups of words like
absolutely fantastic, at once, in a minute,
portable TV, the United States of America, etc.
• Word family:
– different forms of the same word belong to
one word family:
walk, walks, walking, walked
Background to the teaching of
vocabulary
• What are the four strands of a language
course, the broader framework of which
vocabulary teaching and learning should fit
into?
• What do you think the key words are for
each strand?
The four strands
of a language course
•
•
•
•
Learning from meaning-focused input
Deliberate language-focused learning
Learning from meaning-based output
Developing fluency
Learning from
meaning-focused input
1. What language skills does the strand
involve? (listening and reading)
2. How many percent of the running words
do learners need to know? (98%)
3. How can a learner learn a new word?
(through guessing from context. The new
word should not stop comprehension of
the text.)
4. What kind of source should be provided
for learners to learn? (Simple written and
spoken texts. Graded readers.)
Learning from
meaning-focused input
1. What language skills does the strand
involve? (listening and reading)
2. How many percent of the running words
do learners need to know? (98%)
3. How can a learner learn a new word?
(through guessing from context. The new
word should not stop comprehension of
the text.)
4. What kind of source should be provided
for learners to learn? (Simple written and
spoken texts. Graded readers.)
Deliberate language-focused
learning
1. Any other terms for this? (form-focused
instruction, language focused learning, or
language study)
2. What does deliberate learning involve? (It
involves paying deliberate attention to
language features such as sounds, spelling,
vocabulary, grammar.)
3. How much time should be given to this strand?
(no more than 25% of the course time)
Deliberate language-focused
learning
1. Any other terms for this? (form-focused
instruction, language focused learning, or
language study)
2. What does deliberate learning involve? (It
involves paying deliberate attention to
language features such as sounds, spelling,
vocabulary, grammar.)
3. How much time should be given to this strand?
(no more than 25% of the course time)
Learning from meaning-based
output
1. What language skills does the strand involve?
(speaking and writing)
2. What is the learners’ main attention on?
(communicating messages)
3. Why should learners learn vocabulary
through using vocabulary productively
according to Swain (1985)? (Using
vocabulary productively can strengthen
learning and can push learners to focus on
aspects of vocabulary knowledge that they
did not need to attend to when listening and
reading. )
Learning from meaning-based
output
1. What language skills does the strand involve?
(speaking and writing)
2. What is the learners’ main attention on?
(communicating messages)
3. Why should learners learn vocabulary
through using vocabulary productively
according to Swain (1985)? (Using
vocabulary productively can strengthen
learning and can push learners to focus on
aspects of vocabulary knowledge that they
did not need to attend to when listening and
reading. )
Fluency development
1. What does this strand aim at? (It aims at
helping learners make the best use of what
they already know. )
2. What language skills should it be related to?
(It should be related to each of the four skills
of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.)
3. What should fluency development activities
involve? (should involve only known
language items, should be messagefocused, should involve substantial
quantities of input and output, and should
involve some pressure to perform faster
than usual.)
Fluency development
1. What does this strand aim at? (It aims at
helping learners make the best use of what
they already know. )
2. What language skills should it be related to?
(It should be related to each of the four skills
of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.)
3. What should fluency development activities
involve? (should involve only known
language items, should be messagefocused, should involve substantial
quantities of input and output, and should
involve some pressure to perform faster
than usual.)
Principles for teaching vocabulary
(I. S. P. Nation, in Nunan 2003: 135-41)
1. Focus on the most useful vocabulary first.
2. Focus on the vocabulary in the most
appropriate way.
3. Give attention to the high frequency
words across the four strands of a
course.
4. Encourage learners to reflect on and
take responsibility for learning.
B. Observing
Task 1
Observe Extract 1 and 2(p. 145), and then
brainstorm:
• What difference(s) can you see?
Task 2
Observe Extract 3 (p. 146), and then
brainstorm:
• What do you learn from the extract?
Task 3
Watch the clip (0-11:40) of 深圳外国语学校梁洁文
老师示范课(The old man and death):
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjYzODg3NzM
2.html
(Pw: scnusfs)
and think:
1. What vocabulary items did the students learn?
2. How did the teacher get the students to learn
these words?
3. What was the nature of the input? Did the
teacher present the new words in an isolated
way, or did she provide any context?
C. Performing
• Look at the following example, and
• practice your own teaching in your
microteaching:
例子：高中英语模块六第五单元的
词汇教学
单元教学中的生词教学：
分散教学，语境教学。
1. Presentation （呈现阶段）
2. Consolidation （巩固阶段）
3. Extension （扩展阶段）
Presentation
Stage 1:
• Ice-breaker (Cold today, isn’t it?)
• Warming up (Could you name some
natural calamities?)
• Prediction (What will happen if a volcano
erupts?)
• Listening/Reading for the main idea. (What
is Christine talking about?)
Words that could be handled
at this stage
• volcano, earthquake, hurricane, tornado,
cyclone, typhoon, thunderstorm,
snowstorm, tsunami, fire, flood,
• erupt, tremble, swallow …
• eruption, peak, lava, ash, bungalow, wave,
fog, rainbow,
• molten, spectacular,
Presentation
Stage 2:
• Listening/Reading for specific messages
Words that could be learned:
Those that hinder the students from
getting/understanding the messages
e.g.:
An example
Trapped by the Flood (p. 72)
T: What did Sara see when she looked at
the back door?
… She looked at the back door. Water was
flowing in underneath. Turning round she
saw dirty brown water fountaining out of
the drain and filling the sink. …
Presentation
Stage 3:
• Listening/Reading for language focus
Words that could be handled:
All the new words and expressions occurring
in the material could be listed together for
the students to have a deeper impression.
Consolidation
• The listed vocabulary items could be
drilled.
• Related exercises could be done.
• Categorization could be used for the
words already learned.
• The form should be focused based on the
understanding of the meaning.
Extension
• small contexts: Single sentences could be used.
• Association
– Synonyms: absolutely, definitely, certainly, completely;
spaceman, astronaut; …
– Antonyms: precious, valueless, worthless, …
– Derivatives: volcano, volcanic, volcanology,
volcanologist; ash, ashy; evaluate, value, evaluation
– multiword units/lexical phrases/chunks,
– word family: erupt, erupts, erupted, erupting
– word network:
Word
network
?
molten, hot,
scorching,
blazing; burning
burn down to the ground
?
?
lava
volcano
eruption
?
ash
ashy, like a
fog/cloud,
swallow
Reading assignments
1. Read Chapter 4 of Success in English
Teaching by P. Davies and E. Pearse
(2000)
2. Read Chapter 8 Grammar by D. Nunan
(2003)
Next issue: Grammar