谈中学英语词汇教学技巧

1、On Skills of English Vocabulary Teaching in Middle School谈中学英语词汇教学技巧AbstractWords are the basic element of language. With the new English curriculum standards, vocabulary has become one of the important standards for measuring English levels. Mastering a certain amount of vocabulary is the key to le

2、arn English well. However, the obstructions of learning vocabulary still exist. In many teachers and students mind, English vocabulary has large quantity, changeable and complicated styles and few principles to follow. According to students psychological features, the author discusses fresh and flex

3、ible ways of English vocabulary teaching. It makes vocabulary teaching vivid and easy to understand and memorize. This paper discusses some methods on how the teachers learn to teach words and how the students learn to grasp words, based on the importance and the current situation of vocabulary teac

4、hing in middle school.Key word: vocabulary teaching; middle school; skillOn Skills of English Vocabulary Teaching in Middle SchoolI. IntroductionEnglish is a kind of language which has a long history, rich vocabulary, complex meanings and concise grammar. People all over the world are willing to lea

5、rn and use this language. It is like a vast ocean. In order to learn it well, learners should not only swim in the English vocabulary ocean, but also master the skills of learning vocabulary. Vocabulary plays a core role in language teaching and learning. It lays a foundation for listening, speaking

6、, reading and writing.When students are learning a foreign language, and do not know its inner rules, it will affect students understanding and practicing. Vocabulary is the basis of improving learners language ability. Perhaps the most common way for Chinese learners of English to learn vocabulary

7、is through memorization of a list of words and their Chinese equivalents with a lot of oral repetitions of each word. Many learners may have found this kind of vocabulary learning very ineffective as they often find that they still cannot understand the meaning of the text they had read although the

8、y know the Chinese meaning of each word. Without vocabulary, language will lose itsmeaning. To many English learners, English vocabulary learning is one of the most difficult problems in English study. Unlike the controversial role of grammar in foreign language learning, the role of vocabulary seem

9、s to have received more consistent understanding. However, uncertainty still remains regarding what constitutes a vocabulary item, which vocabulary items should be taught and learned, and how vocabulary can be taught and learned most effectively and efficiently.Wilkins (1792) said, “Without grammar,

10、 very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed”. McCarthy (1990) said, “No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully he masters the sounds of L2， without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in that language cannot happen in

11、 any meaningful way”. Xiao Xi (2003) said, “English vocabulary teaching is in accordance with English words, phrases, idioms, collocations and usages and basic word formation. Words are the basic material of language and one of the three key elements of language. Certain amount of words is the basis

12、 of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Teaching vocabulary lively and efficiently, and letting students form the right habit of word learning can make students develop their English level as soon as possible. The teaching task is quite hard and permeates from beginning to end, so teaching sk

13、ills appears very important.In China, English education is an indispensable part of the curriculum designated by the educational authorities. Although they have studied English for many years and passed a lot of examinations, students are still considered weak in using English correctly. Reasons var

14、y from the unreasonable education system, to schools management, and even to families effects. Average English teachers can do very little to change those macro situations, but they can polish up their micro teaching skills, for instance, the skills of vocabulary teaching. Based on previous research

15、es about English vocabulary, this paper intends to help English teachers improve their skills of vocabulary teaching so that students can master more words in limited time.II.The problems of English vocabulary learning and teaching in middle school The successful acquisition of a language involves a

16、t least two main aspects: the students perspective and the teachers perspective, which indicates that learning and teaching are equally important and interrelated. Therefore, the problem of vocabulary acquisition is supposed to be explored from these two aspects.2.1 The problems of English vocabular

17、y learningIt is very common to see this situation: in an English class, the atmosphere is very hot. Some students can talk about literature. However, if they are asked to write some English sentences or short essays, their passages are full of mistakes, especially misused words. Where does the probl

18、em lie?2.1.1 Students psychological factorsSome students think that learning vocabulary means reciting it. In fact, mastering a word contains many things, not only reading and writing it right, but also knowing its usage and using it proficiently. Because of not knowing the real importance of vocabu

19、lary learning, students underestimate it. They do not work hard on learning and accumulating vocabulary. Moreover, they do not know how to study vocabulary efficiently. At the very beginning of learning English, students are curious and interested in English. As the accumulation of English knowledge

20、, some students are unable to do as much as they would like to. After a certain time, a certain number of students find it dry and dull and are tired of studying. They beat a retreat in the face of difficulties. Finally, they give it up.2.1.2Students carelessness in their studySome students do not h

21、ave a rigorous learning approach. They are always careless when they read and write words. They do not pay enough attention to those words which have familiar word-style but different pronunciation and meaning, such as “polite” and “police”. They also do not distinguish those words which have the sa

22、me pronunciation but different word-style, such as “so”, “sew” and “sow”. As a result, those students cannot remember words clearly and tend to mix them up.2.1.3 Students failure in reviewing words Due to limited class time, students will not be able to learn all the vocabulary simply from class tea

23、ching. They usually find that it is very easy for them to memorize many new words in a short time, but they will forget them in a shorter time. That is because they do not know how to review words effectively. They do not follow the principle of the memory to review words. Ebbinghaus, a world-famous

24、 psychologist, had a great research, the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. It states clearly that the process of forgetting is not balanced. At first, people forget things fast, but some time later, the speed of forgetting slows. After a certain time, people will not forget anything. So in order to memor

25、ize more words, students should review them in time to overcome forgetting. Students must strike while iron is hot.2.2 The problems of English vocabulary teachingIn language teaching, the understanding of how to teach vocabulary has been a focus of controversy for quite a long time and today is stil

26、l going on. New English Curriculum Standards for Nine-Year Compulsory Education and Senior High School have been issued and carried out, but in many middle schools, traditional teaching methods are still the mainstream. How to develop vocabulary efficiently and effectively has become a very importan

27、t task for teachers. Today there still exist some wrong notions in English vocabulary teaching. Vocabulary teaching is an indispensable part of English curriculum. But some traditional vocabulary-teaching methods seem to isolate the words from the context or break away from the scientific rules, whi

28、ch cannot help students develop a language competence in the long run but cause them to lose interest in English. Middle school English teachers should take great responsibility for this, since they are the premier ones who introduce students to the field of English.2.2.1 Not distinguishing the prim

29、ary and secondary wordsWhen students learn a new text, they will meet at least ten new words. One of teachers tasks is to be a bridge to connect students and knowledge. If they do not do so, students load will increase. In fact, many teachers only ask students to memorize vocabulary mechanically in

30、morning reading time, and never supervise their students in memorizing and reviewing words.Another kind of teachers pay attention to all the new words. They do not know which one is the primary and which one is the secondary. Students load will increase, too.2.2.2Reviewing words in simplistic and me

31、chanical waysThe method of reviewing words for nearly all the students is reciting. The method of testing words for nearly all the teachers is dictation. Some students can memorize the vocabulary list thoroughly, but they cannot get high marks in examinations. They usually use Chinglish in oral or w

32、ritten expressions. Teachers should tell students that the vocabulary list is a tool to help them understand texts well, not the only means to accumulate new words. Otherwise, they cannot make themselves understood in many kinds of communication. For example, if students are asked to translate a Chi

33、nese sentence “天安门广场上是人山人海” into English, lots of students will translate it like this: Tiananmen Square is people mountain people sea. In fact, the right answer is that There are huge crowds of people on Tiananmen Square. Another example, someone was busy carrying books into the house because it wa

34、s raining. At that time, he said to his friend, “It rains cats and dogs. Can you give me a hand?” Students will be puzzled though there are no new words in these two sentences.2.2.3Ignoring the pronunciationA lot of teachers think that their teaching aim is to let students get high marks in examinat

35、ions, and the college entrance examinations do not test students pronunciation, so they ignore it. Having taught English for several years, the author has found that most students memorize new words mechanically, not according to the pronunciation. They usually missed or added letters or wrote lette

36、rs in a wrong order. Take the word “first” and “quiet” for example. They may write them like this: “frist” and “quite”. If they can pronounce words right and read them silently while writing, these faults can be avoided.2.2.4 Stressing grammar teachingMost language learners begin another language le

37、arning by starting with vocabulary and the learning of vocabulary seems to accompany a learner throughout the learning process even after all the basic grammatical rules have been learned. Because of the influence of traditional English methods, grammar teaching still occupies most time of a lesson,

38、 especially in the rural areas. Many teachers believe that analyzing grammar points is much more important than teaching vocabulary. In some schools, teachers spend more than half of the total periods in explaining grammar points. They leave a little time for students to read the new words one or tw

39、o times. Students are not talented enough to remember all the new words in such a short time.III. Skills of English vocabulary teaching3.1 Ways of vocabulary presentationVocabulary can be presented in many different ways and different teachers may prefer to present vocabulary in different ways. For

40、effective teaching of vocabulary, it is always useful for a teacher to have a repertoire of techniques so that he can choose a technique according to the type of vocabulary and different age level of the learners.3.1.1Presenting picturesGenerally speaking, most people think that English teachers onl

41、y know English. If an English teacher shows some other skills in the class as a teaching means, students curiosity will be brought into play. In their mind, their teacher is skillful and knowledgeable. They will admire him and show great interest in his lesson.The teacher draws some simple pictures

42、on the blackboard which can make the lesson full of wit and humor and motivate students interest of learning. For example, if the teacher teaches some words about animal, he can draw a pig and tell the students, “This is a pig”, and then draws some other animals and tells them what they are. However

43、, he must draw quickly, because time is limited.PPT is also widely-used in teaching. It is very convenient to show the speakers thoughts. It can be used to present new words by showing pictures, short films and so on. All the materials teachers choose should be lively. For instance, when the teacher

44、 teaches the phrase “open the door”, he had better present a dynamic picture to show the whole process of opening the door.3.1.2Presenting objectsThe teacher can prepare some objects which are correlated with the new lesson, and take them to the classroom. For example, if the teacher wants to introd

45、uce the new word “telephone”, he can prepare a dialogue like this:Teacher: Whats this in English? (point to the telephone) Do you know?Students: No.Teacher: No? Listen to me, please. Its a telephone. Telephone. Repeat.Students: Telephone.Teacher: How do you say telephone in Chinese?Students: 电话Teach

46、er: Yes. Thats right.3.1.3Using interdisciplinary knowledgeNothing can exist in isolation. Sometimes, English teaching also needs the help of other subjects. For instance, many students do not know how to use three positions: “on”, “to” and “in”. This problem is a headache for both teachers and stud

47、ents. The teacher tries his best to explain it in details, but students are still unclear. Introducing three math conceptions: tangent, disjoint and inclusion, can solve the problem perfectly. “Tangent” means “on”. “Disjoint” means “to”. “Inclusion” means “in”. We can draw some pictures as follows t

48、o help students understand and remember. Tangent Disjoint Inclusion on to in 3.1.4Paying attention to pronunciationIn the teaching of English as a foreign language, discussions on pronunciation are not so much around how to teach pronunciation as around the value of teaching pronunciation. There are

49、 people who claim that students do not need to learn pronunciation because pronunciation will take care of itself as the students develop overall language ability. However, there are people who assert that failure in pronunciation is a great hindrance to language learning. Learning a word involves m

50、ore than just the word itself. Literary language is the unity of pronunciation, word-style and meaning. Pronunciation plays a very important role in language learning, especially in vocabulary learning.English teachers must speak standard English, or they cannot teach students to pronounce words cor

51、rectly, and correct their wrong pronunciation. Students should read words while writing them. In this process, they can join the word-style, pronunciation and meaning together. If students can pronounce words exactly, they can write many mono-syllabic words and bi-syllabic words, such as ask, desk,

52、cup, mother, communicate and so on.Many groups of English letters have fixed pronunciation. We often pronounce “ay” /ei/, such as day /dei/, pay /pei/, may /mei/ and play /plei:/. “Oo” has two kinds of pronunciations. One is /u/, such as book /buk/, cook /kuk/, and look /luk/.The other one is /u:/,

53、such as zoo /zu:/,too /tu:/, and food /fu:d/. Mastering basic phonetic rules helps students spell words according to the pronunciation. They can get twice the result with half the effort.3.1.5Using word formationThe expansion of vocabulary in modern English depends chiefly on word formation. There i

54、s a variety of means being at work now. The most productive are affixation, compounding and conversion. According to Plyles and Algeo (1982), words produced through affixation constitute 30% to 40% of the total number of new words; compounding yields 28% to 30% of all the new words; conversion bring

55、s 26% of the new vocabulary into modern English. Therefore, teachers can use word formation rules and common affixes to build new lexical knowledge on what is already known. This is a good way for students to enlarge their vocabulary.As English teachers, they should introduce some everyday prefixati

56、ons to students. For example, “pre-“means “before” and “in advance”. Students can guess the meaning in accordance with the prefixation and the root they know. They can infer the new word “prehistory” (“period before recorded history”), and “prejudge” (“make a judgment about a person or case before a

57、 proper inquiry has been held”). There are many other prefixations in common use, such as “un-(not; the converse of)”, “super-(more than; beyond; very special)” and so on.In order to enlarge vocabulary, knowing something about suffixation is also necessary. It is very common to see that a lot of wor

58、ds end up with the same suffixation, such as popularity, similarity and morality. The same as prefixation, suffixation also has fixed meaning. For instance, “-ese” means “member of” or “language of”, such as Chinese. It means “of China, its language or its people”.Compound cannot be ignored, too. Mo

59、st compounds consist of only two bases but are formed on a rich variety of patterns and the internal grammatical relationships within the words are considerably complex. Take the words “blackboard” and “daybreak” for example. Students must know the meanings of black, board, day and break. It helps them guess the meaning. They can infer