FOUR TOP TIPS TO TEACH EFL VOCABULARIES
Many EFL students tend to be quite in class as the teachers conduct speaking activities. Dealing with this, many studies on the students’ contribution and communication in classroom activities have been conducted. Many of them showed that one of the reasons for the students not to be active in class is because the lack of vocabulary. Besides, students’ lack of vocabularies in English also makes them have lower comprehension on reading. Here are four areas in the teaching of English vocabularies:
1. Explicit
This method requires you to teach the vocabulary words independently and directly. Choose some vocabularies that will be used and engaged in your teaching materials. Write each word for the students to independently try to read. If the word given is a derivative word, you can then ask for a volunteer to indicate the base word or root word. Don’t directly give the meaning of the words to the students. Encourage them to guess the meaning of the words. You can show pictures of the word or give some sentences using the words as the clues. Vocabulary games can also be a good choice to have your teaching more memorable.
2. Indirect
indirect vocabulary teaching
In this method, vocabulary words are taught along with reading activity. Expose the students to the new words by having them read independently. Select the stimulating text that can engage the students in the individual reading activity. The clues given for the new vocabulary words can be given as contextual clues to vocabulary definitions and or with in-text definitions. As the students complete their reading, have a discussion on the text read. You can ask them to retell and teach each other how they determined the meaning of the new vocabulary words provided.
3. Association
teaching vocabulary using association
In association, you challenge the students to recognize parts of unfamiliar words they may already know. Present an isolated unfamiliar word to the class. Then, ask them if there is part of the word that sounds familiar. You can remind them of a word they have already learnt before; help them to associate the words. Make a chart on the board and write the list the unfamiliar words, ask the students to look for the base words of the unfamiliar words presented. This will help them deduce the words’ definition. As the students familiar with association technique, give them more practices using reading texts. Practice the skill of association with isolated words regularly to allow students the scaffolded practice to grow as independent, successful readers.
4. Multimedia
vocabulary teaching using multimedia
Encourage the students to memorize the new vocabulary words using multimedia presentation. Exposing vocabulary words in a multimedia setting will help many students commit the words to permanent memory. It will be much better if you are able to attach a representative sound to the word that will initiate when the image is clicked. As the students get a multimedia stimulation, ask them to design a corresponding chart for the vocabulary word by writing the word and drawing an image representing its definition.
Check other tips on: teaching pronunciation, teaching writing
