DiscussHowtoTeachVocabularyEffectivelytoImproveStudents

Vocabulary is the foundation of language.“Without grammar very little can be conveyed， without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.”（Wilkins， 1972， cited in Lewis， 1993， p115） Without a proper amount of vocabulary， it is difficult to express meanings and opinions freely and appropriately. Therefore， vocabulary teaching should be an important element in language teaching （Michael， 1993）， especially under the circumstance that the new Leading Outline of NMET （National Matriculation English Test） （anon.， 2015） demands a larger amount of vocabulary than before. The importance of vocabulary is undeniable and teachers as well as students do spend a lot of time and energy on it. However， the consequence seems to be unsatisfactory. The reasons could be as follows： 1.English teachers tend to teach vocabulary separately rather than in lexical chunks and in context as well as combine other elements like phonetics. 2. English teachers always teach vocabulary by translation， which is dull and boring. 3. Teachers may neglect the revision and recycling use of vocabulary for students. Therefore， in order to teach vocabulary effectively， it is necessary to consider the following aspects： presenting vocabulary in a range of ways， practicing using vocabulary in different methods and reviewing vocabulary regularly.

The common practice of vocabulary teaching in secondary school is that teachers read the new words and explain the meanings in Chinese， which is criticized to be boring and ineffective.“Translation is an economical way of presenting meaning but may not be the most memorable.”（Thornbury， 2002， p.92） Therefore， it is necessary to present vocabulary in different ways depending on different situations and factors.

Firstly， according to Thornbury （2002）， some visual help could be used to present some concrete words， which is also supported by other experts such as Scrivener （2011）， Gairns and Redman （1986）. It is acknowledged that pictures， flashcards and realia are good ways to teach the names of objects and that gestures and mime are good ways to present vocabulary related to movement （Thornbury， 2002； Gairns and Redman， 1986）. For example， when teachers teach vocabulary like food， furniture， plant， etc， pictures and realia may be used instead of translation， which could be interesting as well as impressive.

However， not all vocabulary can be presented with visual aids. Some words are abstract and also difficult to find a Chinese equivalent. On account of this， it is necessary to teach vocabulary in context （Thornbury， 2002）. Teachers may create possible situations to present vocabulary in sentences， anecdotes or conversations and then give some clues to motivate students to guess the meaning in context， which can help students gain a better understanding of the use of the vocabulary.

Another important way of teaching vocabulary is to make students observe and learn some word formation skills. It is widely accepted that English has a large number of words and it seems impossible to master all the vocabulary. However， there are many words sharing the same root. Thus it is vital to teach students some word formation skills， which include mainly derivation， conversion and compounding （Thornbury， 2002）. For example， when teachers teach “agree”， they can add prefix“dis-”and suffix“-ment”；“green”and “house”can be combined as“greenhouse”， etc. Making use of word formation skills can make teachers as well as students get twice the results with half the effort.

Last but not the least， it is also important to combine sounds and spelling together in the presentation of vocabulary. As Gairns and Redman mentioned，“Sadly， it is not uncommon for learners of a foreign language to find that their lexical knowledge is rendered almost useless by their inability to make themselves intelligible when they speak.

”（1986， P50） Therefore， it is important to make use of phonetics in vocabulary teaching to improve not only the pronunciation but also the spelling skills. Although there are different sounds pronounced within one single letter or letters combined together， there are some regulations which could help students to learn the pronunciation and spelling of the vocabulary more easily， so it is necessary for teachers to make students observe the rules between sounds and spelling. Gradually， with the correct pronunciation， it is easier to spell the words if students know the rules and in turn， if students have a good knowledge of phonetic symbols and stress， it is also easier to pronounce the words. On the one hand， it can improve students’ speaking and listening skills； on the other hand， it can build up students’confidence and motivate students’ autonomous learning （Gairns and Redman， 1986）.

There are complex features in vocabulary and therefore the presentation of vocabulary shouldn’t be restricted within only one set of techniques. On the contrary， vocabulary could be presented in a range of ways according to different situations and teachers can incorporate different techniques in order to make teaching more effective. However， it is far from enough to teach vocabulary only by presentation. Students need more opportunities to consolidate the use of vocabulary. To help students consolidate the words and expressions， teaches may use various forms of practice. As Thornbury （2002） pointed out， the new words and expressions should be integrated into the learners’ existing network of word association through a range of integration activities. According to Thornbury， after presenting vocabulary， teachers can create some“decision-making tasks”including“identifying， selecting， matching， sorting， ranking and sequencing”（Thornbury， 2002， P93-94）. For example， students could match new words with pictures or definitions；students could sort out different vocabularies and put them into categories， etc. In addition to these receptive tasks， it should follow some production tasks including completion and creation （Thornbury， 2002）. For example， teachers can make students do some gap-filling exercises as well as motivate students to use the words or expressions to make up a dialogue or story， which helps the process of vocabulary personalization. In order to engage students into the activities， teachers may design some games related to the practice of vocabulary. （Thornbury， 2002）As the old saying goes，“Practice makes perfect.”O(jiān)nly by being exposed to an adequate amount of practice can students master the use of vocabulary well.

It seems that even if some students can understand and use the words and expressions in classes， they still have difficulty remembering them. It is acknowledged that memory system could be divided into“short-term store”and“l(fā)ong-term memory”（Thornbury， 2002， p23）. Therefore， in order to help students gain a long-term memory of words， it is necessary to review and recycle the vocabulary regularly. As Gairns and Redman mentioned，“Developing effective retrieval systems may not require lengthy practice and can easily be incorporated into the lesson by way of ‘warmer’ activities at the beginning.”（1986， p94） That means teachers can review what has been learned at the beginning of each new lesson. In addition， teachers may also have a word test every week or every month to achieve a further recycling， which is considered to be“the easiest and most practical way of ensuring some check on previously learned lexis”（Gairns and Redman， 1986， p94）. In order not to make it a great burden for students or not to make students feel bored， teachers could select different methods such as games or competitions. For example， teachers may organize word relay contests regularly instead of vocabulary dictation， which could arouse students’ interest as well as motivate students to memorize words. Furthermore， it is also a good way to encourage peer review of words and expressions regularly out of class. Although it seems time-consuming， it is worthwhile to make the effort. A systematic and regular revision may yield double results.

As vocabulary is one of the basic elements of language， teachers can never put too much emphasis on vocabulary teaching. In contemporary language teaching in China， there is a widely accepted view that vocabulary may be acquired through a large amount of reading. However， without a certain amount of vocabulary， it is difficult for students to read and understand articles （Michael， 1993）. The process of vocabulary acquisition is long and difficult， which urges teachers to try different ways of vocabulary presentation， create a variety of practice and have a regular review of the vocabulary in vocabulary teaching.

References：

[1]Gairns，R.And Redman，S.，Working with Words：A guide to teaching and learning vocabulary[M].Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，1986.

[2]Michael，L.，The Lexical Approach：The State of ELT and a Way Forward[M].London：Commercial Color Press，1933.

[3]National Education Examinations Authority，The Leading Outline of National Matriculation Test[M].Beijing：Higher Education Press，2015.

[4]Scrivener，J.，Learning Teaching：The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching[J].Oxford：Macmillan Education，2011，3rd ed.

[5]Thornbury，S.，How to Teach Vocabulary.Harlow[J].Person Education Limited，2002.

[6]Wilkins，D.A.Linguistics in Language Teaching.In Michael，L.， 1993.The Lexical Approach：The State of ELT and a Way Forward[M]. London：Commercial Color Press，1972.

【作者簡(jiǎn)介】吳麗娟，安徽省合肥市肥東一中。