2017-11-01
1460Gulmira B. Izbassarova
“Orleu” Professional In-Service Training Institution, South Kazakhstan Branch,
the Senior Lecturer
Moldir B.Abdukarimova
the teacher of the English language, School No.72,
According to the Address of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev to the people of Kazakhstan all developed countries have a unique high – quality education system. We have a great deal of work to do to improve the quality of all parts of national education. By 2020 we expect all Kazakhstan’s children from three to six years to be in preschool education. Therefore it is important to provide these children with modern education methods and qualified personnel. In the secondary education, it is necessary to improve the standard of teaching in all schools to the level of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools. High school graduates should speak Kazakh, Russian and English. The result of teaching should be mastery of critical thinking skills, independent research and in – depth analysis of information [1].
Vocabulary teaching and learning are the constant challenge for teachers as well as students because historically there has been minimal focus on vocabulary instruction in the ESL classroom. Due to this, an increased emphasis on vocabulary development is crucial for the English language learner in the process of language learning. Stahl found that vocabulary instruction improves comprehension. He points out that, as the difficulty of words in context increases, understanding of a text decreases; therefore it is critical for students to have a deep understanding of academic vocabulary in order to understand new concepts. He also states that we use academic vocabulary to communicate to the world what we know [2]. Therefore, without some knowledge of vocabulary, neither language production nor language comprehension would be possible. Thus the growth of vocabulary is one of essential pre – requisites for language acquisition and growth of vocabulary knowledge can be possible when teachers use effective vocabulary teaching and learning methods.
Nowadays, there is more freedom in choosing the methods to be used during English classes. The English updated programme is organized around both vocabulary and grammar structures in context. Since there is a certain number of classes allotted for each item in the programme, teachers usually have the necessary time to insist on teaching and practicing vocabulary. Vocabulary is no longer treated as an add-on and teachers become more aware of the importance of vocabulary and attention is paid to the grammar of words, to collocations and to word frequency. Nevertheless, teachers still have difficulties in teaching vocabulary as students in expressing themselves fluently and still consider speaking tasks exhausting.
According to Jeremy Harmer, researchers into the domain of memory distinguish three types of memory: short-term store, working memory, and long-term memory. The short-term store is “the brain's capacity to hold a limited number of information items for periods of time up to a few seconds” [3]. Consequently, it is the kind of memory that does not help students too much in their attempt to learn vocabulary items, because successful vocabulary learning involves something more than just holding words in your memory for some seconds. The working memory focuses on holding words long enough in your memory so that to be able to operate with them. It is the kind of memory that relies on reasoning and logic. Thus, if a student comes across a new word such as “to acknowledge” which means “recognize the importance or quality of something”, he will be able to easily memorize it by comparing it with another word from his long-term memory, for example, “knowledge”. Using such an association will certainly help students keeping words in their memory for longer periods of time. Finally, the long-term store is the most trustworthy kind of memory. Unlike the working memory which has a limited capacity of holding words in the brain, the long-term memory has a tremendous capacity and its contents are durable over time. However, the fact that students forget vocabulary from one lesson to another, demonstrates the fact that it is not enough to have a long-term memory. It implies students’ efforts and teachers’ witty method when learning and teaching vocabulary. The great challenge for language learners and teachers is to transform the material from quickly forgotten to the never forgotten [3, 15 p.].
A number of methods were designed to help learners efficiently memorize vocabulary and to help teachers make the process of learning easier for their learners. Not only repetition is an important technique in learning vocabulary. Also, it can be overwhelming to think about creating new games to use in your classroom. After all, there is a lot involved in that process. However, by modifying some existing games to include a focus on vocabulary words, the game-making process is easy. Let's take a look at how the following popular games can be used to teach vocabulary words.
- Spoons.
In this classic card game, participants race to collect four similar cards and then grab a spoon before they are all taken.
To modify this game, simply make a set of four cards for each vocabulary word. For each set of four, one card should have the definition of the word and the other three should name the vocabulary word. In order to get four of a kind, students need to collect the definition card and the three word cards. Once students collect four of a kind, they grab a spoon. If students see a spoon being taken, they also need to grab a spoon before they are gone!
- Concentration.
Concentration is a great game for students to play individually or with a group. To create a game, write one vocabulary word on a notecard and its matching definition on another notecard. To play, turn all the notecards upside down. Taking turns, students flip over two notecards at a time to try to match the vocabulary word with the correct definition.
- Draw, Act, or Sculpt.
Divide your class into teams. Write the vocabulary words on notecards and place into a hat. To play, you should pick one vocabulary per round. Each team sends one player to view the vocabulary word. These students have the option to draw the vocabulary word, act it out, or sculpt it using clay for their team. The first team to guess the vocabulary word wins the round.
- Taboo.
In the classic Taboo game, players try to have their team guess the word they are describing without using any of the forbidden words. To modify, write each vocabulary word on the top of a notecard and list three or four forbidden words underneath. Students need to describe the vocabulary word to their teams without using any of the forbidden words.
Furthermore, other imaging can be taken into consideration to teach and learn vocabulary. Learners will easily learn new words if they are taught to associate them with one image. Hence, it is extremely important for the students to visualize the words they must learn.
Moreover, teachers must u se rich vocabulary in their own grading and feedback. For instance, “Great work!” and “Way to go!” are nice, but using higher-level vocabulary when giving written feedback will motivate students to learn more-sophisticated words as well as their usage. Connecting the language to their work is the ultimate motivation for kids to learn and remember the meanings of new words and phrases [4].
In conclusion, vocabulary is the central to communicative competence and to the acquisition of the second foreign language. Vocabulary is the most required skill when learning a foreign language. Due to vocabulary all the skills reading, writing, speaking, and listening are based and developed. To sum up, an attempt is made to review the trends in the area of teaching vocabulary through various methods of teaching and learning teachers can use when teaching. Before presenting the meaning or form of vocabulary items teachers should notice the type of vocabulary, the learners’ level, and also the value of the chosen method for the learners. In other words, before applying selected method teachers must be aware of the next differences: learners’ age, as well as the level of English proficiency. They can further provide their learners with vocabulary learning strategies with opportunities to encounter words repeatedly and in more than one context.
References:
1. www.strategy2050.kz
2. Mukoroli Joseph “Effective vocabulary teaching strategies for the English for academic purposes Esl classroom” 2011, MA TESOL Collection. Paper 501
3. Harmer L. Teaching and learning vocabulary. Herefordshire: UK. Prentice Hall international. 1990
4. Mofareh Alqantani “The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught”. International journal of teaching and education. Vol III., No 3/2015
