There are three principles involved in teaching and learning vocabulary in context: practice, understand, and infer (going beyond the text). ESL vocabulary activities, read alouds and games are all art of this vocabulary learning

As a general rule of thumb, vocabulary can be taught inductively (through some process of discovery) or deductively (example: providing a picture - ‘this is a _________’ )

For young ESL learners, this is pretty hard to do, but when vocabulary is taught routinely and creatively, it can be a fun and enriching experience.

Another general rule of thumb is that the discovery process has a general appeal to learners especially when the words have been previously taught.

Next steps: Putting learned words through context. Teachers use a listening comprehension story to present the words in another context.

Fun Vocabulary Techniques

Students use pictures to relate it to specific words. For younger kids for example, students can talk about the animals on Old McDonald’s farm in context with the animals.

• Personalize: Teacher can ask students: “Do you have a dog at home?” or, “What animal do you like the best?”
• Teacher numbers each picture: students say the number of each word as it is called or show the number of fingers if the teacher wants to keep the noise level down.
• Students can describe the colors of Old McDonald’s farm.
• Interactive: students come and put the dog in a place the teacher says.
• I’m thinking of a word: teacher describes the word and students guess the meaning.
• Use imagination: for example, imagine you are in a cabin. Students have ten minutes for creating a story using as many words as possible.

Important Teaching Tips

What are some of the aims of the teacher. How many of the things listed does the teacher expect the learner to be able to do? With which words?

• How many new words per lesson? (5-7 words is ideal)
• What is the ongoing need?
• Provide frequent exposure and repetition.
• Presentation in Context

Dorit Sasson

How do you know if your students have aquired a high level of proficiency? The debate of how to teach grammar for EFL students has great implications for second and foreign language learning. The silent learners in the efl classroom who are quietly absorbing a language may indicate deep learning of grammatical rules and strcture, but when required to apply their knowledge and understanding, the signs might paint a different pcicture of where they are in terms of their languge learning abilities.

Teaching Grammar Inductively vs. Deductively

Teaching grammar can be an inductive experience for students. This means students are given the context and then are presented with the grammar rules afterwards. Some learners learn better this way while others need the rule in order to understand the rationale for the new grammatical structure.

Teaching grammar inductively has favorable implications for communciative competence, which involves a selection of the right grammatical terms to that of the appropriate setting. Learners need to also know how to use language in context:

• when, where and to whom to use these grammatically correct sentences. An example could be:
• how to begin a conversation
• how to address people in different situations
• how to respond to different speech acts involving requests, invitations, compliments, and apologies.

Whatever method for teaching grammar you ultimately choose, each method provides a ‘recipe’ for various practical classroom ideas and procedures. Obviously a good method that stems from a good theory can produce a number of ideas. These ‘recipes’ can be found in various Internet sites for ESL and EFL grammar teaching.

Some sites are: Dave’s ESL cafe and the tesol resource center. Obviously, there is a plethora of information just by visiting these two sites alone and the options for teaching grammar are endless.

Here are some last minute tips to help you with preparing those final touches on your grammar lessons.

• Make sure you make use of the mother tongue. Many students have what is known as language interference between two language as the new language the learner learns is constantly changing.
• The turning point of second language acquisition is when students feel comfortable not having to resort to exact meanings in their native tongues so allow for a certain level of mother tongue interference.
• Do not overdo the teaching of too many tenses in one grammar lesson. Actually, it’s best to keep it to just one.

Now over to you: What kind of grammar method do you prefer using? What method have you already experimented with? What problems have you already encountered in your teaching? Feel free to start a disucssion. You may email me with any questions you may have.

Dorit Sasson

I have come to the conclusion that the role of grammar needs to be demythisized in today’s ESL/EFL classroom. There is too much speculation that pupils will gain a new grammatical structure simply by noticing it and writing down its rules. Learning to understand its complexity is part of the problem. The other part is how to go about teaching it.

First ask yourself, What is the purpose of teaching grammar for my students?

Depending on the level of the class, teaching grammar can either be an inductive or deductive experience. Sometimes I elicit the rules and forms and uses for those classes I think can handle it, or give the example sentence with a few basic explanations for the weaker classes.

How Should it be Done?

Strong grammarians don’t necessarily make better teachers. Personally, I don’t make a big thing out of grammar lessons in terms of teaching it as a set of rules. However for ESL/EFL students, the neat order of rules and forms gives students something to hold unto to and they feel that they are actually learning a language. But, learning a bunch of grammatical rules is not learning English. The approach is communicative: working to be effectively understood. Memorizing rules will not necessarily help us with that.

Lately, I worked on the past simple as it was introduced in the chapter on Violence of their book Spotlight for my ninth graders. Right before the lesson, there was actually a fight. It was helpful in writing their news reports. The pupils knew already lexis such as: to threaten, to attack, to hit, to hurt. We had actually a constructive discussion of what happened and tried to sensationalize it into news report:

• What? Two boys got into a fight
• When? Before English class
• Who? Two ninth grade boys

Since it was a topic right off the fire, I decide to work with the class and deal with the regular and irregular forms deductively. When they made a mistake, I directed them to the rule. They then learned where to look if the ending was not regular.

I took then their news reports, graded them (after two drafts) and turned them into a jigsaw activity. They had to complete the other student’s news report. It was communicative, they had to practice using the forms, and refer to pages in the book to help them.

This experience reveals that that teaching discrete grammatical items may not necessarily be a complete waste of time providing that there is: enough language ability and a balance between fluency and accuracy oriented activities. The goal in my opinion, should be on meaningful communication!

It is always easy for us teachers to teach students to learn a nice neat set of rules however it is much more difficult to encourage them to use forms to communciate. Many suddenly have ‘cold feet’ or simply get lazy. They suddenly find themselves unable to produce a meaningful sentence either about themselves or something that interests them.

Final Words

The grammar debate is an ongoing one that only facing ESL/EFL classrooms today. But it is a particular one that needs rethinking and restructuring as the globalization of English continues.

Dear James,
Please could you help me with the present simple tense? I have many problems with this tense.
Yours truly and sincerely,
Fast Song (by e-mail)

Here is my reply:

Dear Fast Song,
Thank you so much for your e-mail. Actually, the present simple is one of the most complicated tenses in English, so don’t worry if you are having problems – it’s only natural.
The hardest thing is to remember to add the “s” with “he/she/it”, and to remember to use “do/does” with questions and negatives.

In general, we use the present simple to express our opinions about things. For example:
a) She loves football.
b) He thinks this is the best football team.

We can also use the present simple for facts. For example:
a) Water boils at 100ºC.
b) London is the capital of England.

We can also use the present simple to describe our habits. For example:
a) She reads the newspaper every morning.
b) They get up late every day.

Grammar exercise

Complete each sentence with the correct word/s.
1. She (work) ________________________ in a big office.
2. He (take) ________________________ the car to work.
3. They (not like) ________________________ to go out much.
4. She (not watch) ________________________ much television.
5. We (not go) ________________________ more than once a year.
6. They really (want) ________________________ to see you again.
7. I (not know) ________________________ what to do.
8. She (not have) ________________________ her own house.

Answers

1. Works
2. Takes
3. Don’t like
4. Doesn’t watch
5. Don’t go
6. Want
7. Don’t know
8. Doesn’t have

Language learning is like falling in love. In fact you have to be in love to learn a language well. I mean in love with the language. You have to have a love affair with the language. You do not have to marry the language. You can have an affair and then move on to another language after a period of time. But while you are learning the language you have to be in love with it. And you will learn faster if you are faithful to the language while you are studying it.

Just as when you are in love, you want to and need to spend as much time as possible with the object of your love. You want to hear its voice and read its thoughts. You want to learn more about it, the many words and phrases that it uses to express itself. You think of the language wherever you are. You start to observe the object of your love closely. You notice all the little things it does, you become familiar with its peculiar behaviour patterns. You breathe it. You hear its voice. You feel it. You get to know it better and better, naturally.

Just as in a love affair, there are things about the object of your love that you do not like. You ignore these. You only think about the things that you love. You do not question the object of your love. You just accept it. You do not ask why. You do not ask why it behaves a certain way. You do not seek to understand the secrets to its structure. You just want to be with it, and even to imitate it, the highest form of appreciation.

Loving a language is a one-sided love affair. You love the language. It does not love you back. But the good thing is that it is not jealous of you, of your other previous love affairs. It really does not care if you carry on another love affair at the same time. But, as with people, doing so can create problems…..The language does not criticize you. You can use it however you want, as long as you enjoy yourself.

You are not jealous of other people who love the language you love. In fact you like to meet people who love the language you love. It is a lot less bothersome to love a language than to love a person, Because the love of the language is its own reward. You do not care what the language thinks of you. You are enjoying your affair with the language and do not expect anything in return. As long as you have that relationship, you will learn and improve in the language.

If you just use a language without loving it, you will not improve. If the goal is only to get a better job, or to pass a test, you will not improve. People are the same way. You cannot have a love affair with someone just to get a better job, although……….

This has been my approach. So when I learn a language I spend most of my initial time just listening and reading and building up my words and phrases. I just want to get to know the language, enjoy its personality and get used to it. I do not want anyone to question me, or explain my love to me. I do not want to speak in the language before I have really gotten to know the language, because I know that I will not do justice to my love. I only speak in the language when I want to, when I am ready.

I practice what is known as the “silent period” approach to language learning. Right now I am learning Russian and have been doing so for one year. I read and listen to many different kinds of content, including simple stories, podcasts and Tolstoy. I love it. I do not yet speak Russian. I could if I wanted to. I have been using the latest version of our language learning system, LingQ, which enables people to learn any language they want.

http://thelinguist.blogs.com/how_to_learn_english_and/2007/05/language_learni.html

* Have desire –Want to learn a new language. Learning English requires a lot of study and dedication. Only true desire will keep you motivated.
* Know your motive –Why do you want to learn English? Is it to help you in school, your business or something else? Identify your reason and remember it when you are having a hard time.
* Set goals –Set goals for yourself whether it be learning twenty words a week or giving a presentation in English at work next month. Goals will keep you motivated.
* Study a little each day –Studying formally for at least 30–60 minutes a day will help you retain what you learn. At the beginning of each study session, review what you learned in the lesson before.
* Make a set study schedule –Set aside a specific time for study each day. That way you are less likely to skip your lessons.
* Study out loud –Pronounce the words out loud to yourself as you study. You will remember them more easily and you will be able to practice your pronunciation at the same time.
* Use different learning methods –Language can be learned through different activities such as speaking, reading, writing, and associating pictures with words. Find out which method works best for you and use a variety of other methods for practice.
* Practice speaking –Practice the language you have learned as much as possible.
* Don’t be afraid –Never be afraid to try speaking to other people even if you don’t know everything. They will appreciate your efforts.
* Surround Yourself –Surround yourself with English. Read it, listen to it, watch it and speak it with others.
* Listen to native speakers –Pay careful attention to native speakers using English. Observe the way they pronounce the words and how they use them.
* Pronunciation is key –Imitate native English sounds as closely as you can. The more closely you pronounce words like native speakers, the better you will be understood.
* Use good resources –Use dictionaries, workbooks, software and any other resource that will allow you to practice and expand your language.
* Use what you know –Even if you know relatively little English, you should use what you know. You will be surprised at how much you can communicate with a few words or phrases.
* Speed it up –Get used to listening to the language at normal speed. It will seem fast at first, but the more you know, the more it will sound normal.
* Don’t get stuck –If you don’t know a certain word, work your way around it. Use different words and actions to explain it, but don’t give up.
* Have fun! –Learning a new language is fun and exciting. Recognize your progress and use your language for ultimate enjoyment.

These tips will help you on your way to English fluency. Enjoy your study and remember to use the language you have learned in as many circumstances as possible. Full immersion in the language is the fastest way to learn and learn well.
References

* Summit Tutoring, Ten Tips for Learning English as a Second Language. Retrieved July 5, 2006, from Summit Tutoring Web site: http://www.summit-esl.com/ten.tips.html
* AskOxford.com, Language Learning Tips. Retrieved July 5, 2006, from AskOxford.com Web site: http://www.askoxford.com/languages/takeoffin/language_tips/?view=uk
* Zozanga.com, How to Learn English!. Retrieved July 5, 2006, from Zozanga.com Web site: http://www.zozanga.com/learningtips.htm

Tips for Beginners

1. You are like a new baby
   Babies learn their language slowly.
   First they learn to listen.
   Then they learn to talk.
   Finally, they can read and write.
2. Listen to English every day
   Listen to English radio.
   Watch English TV.
   Go to English movies.
   Use online lessons.
3. Make an English/ESL friend
   Make up conversations.
   Practise dialogues.
   Use beginner textbooks.
4. Read English stories
   Start with children’s storybooks.
   Try ESL readers.
   Read advertisements, signs and labels.
   Try EnglishClub.com for Young Learners.
5. Write down new words
   Start a vocabulary (new word) notebook.
   Write words in alphabetical order (A…B…C…).
   Make example sentences.
   Always use an English-English dictionary first.
6. Keep an English diary
   Start with one sentence.
   How do you feel?
   How is the weather?
   What did you do today?
   Write another sentence tomorrow.
7. Visit an English speaking country
   Learn English more quickly.
   Stay with an English family.
   Hear native speakers talk.
   Have a fun experience.

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Two: Improve your context skills. Research shows that the vast majority of words are learned from context. To improve your context skills pay close attention to how words are used. Doing a search on a word using dejanews.com (for searching newsgroups) will give you many examples of how that word is used in context. Play our Daily Context Vocabulary Quiz.

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Three: Practice, practice, practice. Learning a word won’t help very much if you promptly forget it. Research shows that it takes from 10 to 20 repetitions to really make a word part of your vocabulary. It helps to write the word - both the definition and a sentence you make up using the word - perhaps on an index card that can later be reviewed. As soon as you learn a new word, start using it. Review your index cards periodically to see if you have forgotten any of your new words. Also, do a search on a word using dejanews.com (for searching newsgroups) to get many examples of how the word is actually used.

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Four: Make up as many associations and connections as possible. Say the word aloud to activate your auditory memory. Relate the word to words you already know. For example, the word GARGANTUAN (very large) has a similar meaning to the words gigantic, huge, large, etc. You could make a sequence: small, medium, large, very large, GARGANTUAN. List as many things as you can that could be considered GARGANTUAN: Godzilla, the circus fat lady, the zit on your nose, etc. Create pictures of the word’s meaning that involve strong emotions. Think “the GARGANTUAN creature was going to rip me apart and then eat me!”

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Five: Use mnemonics ( memory tricks). For example, consider the word EGREGIOUS (extremely bad). Think EGG REACH US - imagine we’ve made a mistake so bad that they are throwing eggs at us and a rotten EGG REACHes US. Such funny little word pictures will help you remember what words mean, AND they are fun to make up. Also, find out which learning style suits you best. Everyone learns differently!

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Six: Get in the habit of looking up words you don’t know. If you have a dictionary program on your computer, keep it open and handy. America Online and other internet services have dictionaries and thesauruses on their tool bars. Find them and look up any word you are not absolutely sure of. Use a thesaurus when you write to find the word that fits best.

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Seven: Play with words. Play Scrabble, Boggle, and do crossword puzzles. These and other word games are available for the computer, so you are not dependent on a partner to play. Also, try out the Franklin Electronic Dictionary that features built-in word games.

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Eight: Use vocabulary lists. For the serious vocabulary student, there are many books that focus on the words most commonly found in standardized tests, such as the SAT and GRE. There are also many interesting word sites on the Internet, many of which will send you a word a day by email.

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Nine: Take vocabulary tests. Playing games, such as the ones on this site, that test your knowledge will help you learn new words and also let you know how much progress you’re making. Offline sources for vocabulary tests include SAT prep books (we recommend “10 Real SATs” by ETS), and the Reader’s Digest Wordpower section. For more, check out Amazon.com or your local bookseller.

Go Play Our Vocabulary Games

* Vocabulary Learning Tip Ten: Get excited about words! Come to appreciate the sometimes-subtle differences between them. Do you know the difference between something that denotes something else and something that connotes something else? If not, go look it up. Learn to say what you really mean and discover the joys of being able to express yourself in writing. Your future can depend on how rich your vocabulary is. A good vocabulary will make a difference on the standardized tests, like the SAT and GRE, that could determine whether or where you go to college. It will also determine the quality of your communication. So be in it for the long pull. Let building your vocabulary be a lifelong proposition. Remember: “In the beginning was the word.” Until you have a word for something, it does not exist for you. Name it, and you have made your reality richer.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/vocabulary_tips.htm

Read the lyrics first and try to understand them. You don’t have to translate the lyrics word by word, just try to find out what the song is all about. (Note: ‘Rap’ might not be practical as those songs usually contain slang words that not even ‘ordinary’ English native speakers know.)

Pick some words or phrases from the song that you would like to learn. If necessary, look up their exact meaning in a dictionary. A dictionary might also be useful to find other interesting phrases with the word.

Now, to learn the vocabulary, all you have to do is listening to the song again and again (that shouldn’t be a problem if it’s one of your favourite songs).