5

Teaching vocabulary

WHAT NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT:

·         form

·         grammar

·         coolocations;

·         meaning: coonotation, denotation, appropriateness;

·         meaning: synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms, translation, co-hyponyms, superordinates;

·         word formation: how ‘bits’ of a word are put together, e.g. untranslatable.

J. Harmer`s criteria for selecting vocabulary to teach:

1.       Frequency= knowing how frequently the word is used, we should teach first those most commonly used;

2.       covarage= the more meanings the word posseses the better;

3.       expediency= usefulness for a given purpose;

4.       appropriateness= choosing the words according to the level of advancement of Ss;

5.       needs and interests of the Ss= it depends on who we are teaching, what kind of group; advanced, businessmen, children, etc.

6.       choice= teacher`s choice of what topic to present and which words would be useful.

One way of teaching new vocabulary is by using DISCOVERY TECHNIQUES. This techniques let Ss discover words on their own. In this way Ss are force dto think about what they are doing, that makes new vocabulary easier to memorize. Teaching vocabulary in a memorable way is the best what a lg teacher can ever do. Some of discovery techniques are as follow:

·         matching

·         categorizing

·         guessing the meaning from the context

·         ordering

·         gap-filling activities.

TYPES OF VOCABULARY:

-          active vocab

-          passive vocab

-          throw-away vocab.

TESTING TECHNIQUES USED FOR VOCABULARY:

·                                                          multiple choice

·         matching

·         odd one out

·         gap filling

·         dictation

·         translation

·         dictation-translation

·         writing sentences

·         sentences completion.

Teaching the lg: the “how”

Lg proficiency can be defined in terms of ACCURACY and FLUENCY.

When the objective is accuracy, T and Ss are chiefly concerned with ‘getting the lg right’: forming correct sounds, words, sentences.

When fluency is, they are concentrating on the ‘message’: communicating or receiving content.

The teaching of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar will tend to be accuracy-oriented.

In teaching the so-called ‘four-skills’ – listening, speaking, reading and writing- the emphasis will usually be firmly on fluency.

ACCURACY AND FLUENCY ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM TYPICALLY DIFFER:

a c c u r a c y – o r i e n t e d:

-          texts composed of sentences and words;

-          pce assessed on how few mistakes  are made;

-          texts used in any mode;

-          tasks do not stimulate real-life situations.

f l u e n c y – o r i e n t e d:

-          texts: conversations, stories;

-          performance is assessed on how well ideas are expressed or understood;

-          texts: dialogues are spoken, articles are read aloud;

-          tasks often stimulate real-life situations.

Teaching listening

The objective of listening comprehension practice is that Ss should learn to function successfully in real-life listening situations.

CHARACTERISTICS OF REAL-LIFE LISTENING SITUATIONS:

1.       Informal spoken discourse:

-          brevity of ‘chunks’;

-          pronunciation;

-          vocabulary;

-          grammar;

-          noise;

-          redundancy;

-          non-repetition.

2.       Listener expectation and purpose.

3.       Looking as well as listening.

4.       Ongoing, purposeful listener response.

5.       Speaker attention.

LEARNER DIFFICULTIES IN LISTENING:

1.       Trouble in catching the actual sounds of the L2;

2.       In undrestanding every single word;

3.       If the speech is fast it is unclear;

4.       To hear things only once is too less.

5.       Keeping up all the info I get.

6.       Getting tired if it is too long.

Types of listening activities:

·         no overt response:

-          stories;

-          songs

-          entertainment: films, theatre, video.

·         short responses:

-          obeying the instructions;

-          ticking off items;

-          true/false;

-          detecting mistakes;

-          cloze

-          guessing definitions;

-          skimming and scanning.

·         longer responses:

-          answering the questions;

-          note-taking;

-          paraphrasing and translating;

-          summarizing;

-          long gap-filling.

·         extended responses:

-          problem-solving;

-          interpretation.

Teaching speaking

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL SPEAKING ACTIVITY:

-          learners talk a lot (STT>TTT);

-          participation is even (all get chance to speak);

-          motivation is high (Ss eager to speak);

-          lg is of an acceptable level (accurate and easily understood).

PROBLEMS WITH SPEAKING ACTIVITIES:

1.       Inhibition= real-time exposure to the audience: Ss feel worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticizm, or shy.

2.       Nothing to say= Ss have no motive to express themselves;

3.       Low or uneven participation= one speaker at a time, very little talking time, some Ss dominate.

4.       Mother tongue use= it is easier, seems unnaturral, Ss feel less exposed, small motivation.

WHAT THE TEACHER CAN DO TO HELP TO SOLVE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS:

·         use group work;

·         base the activity on easy lg;

·         make a careful choice of topic and task to stimulate interest;

·         give some instruction or training in discussion skills;

·         keep Ss speaking the L2.

TOPIC AND TASK-BASED ACTIVITIES:

topic= a good topic is the one that Ss can easily relate to their own experience and knowledge.

task= essentially goal-oriented, requires a group or pair to achieve an objective...

THE POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:

-          describing pictures;

-          picture differences;

-          things in common;

-          shopping list;

-          solving a problem.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF INTERACTION:

·         interactional talk;

·         long turns;

·         varied situations, feelings, relationships.

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