For better vocabulary teaching and learning, I decided to carry out an action research to find out difficulties students encounter when learning vocabulary and to find the solutions to t
Trang 1A: INTRODUCTION
1- Basic of theory:
It is undeniable that English is one of the major languages in the world It links people in many fields: science, technology, business, communication, education,etc Nowadays, English is popular enough to be spoken at every corner
of the world Therefore, teaching and learning English have become the necessity
in every country
For a long time English reading ability has been the focus of high school English teaching In the calendar year college entrance exam, read also acomplish large proportion The absence of some students to master a certain amount of vocabulary, culminating in the examination of the article that is not understood, resulting in lost of points The reason is because students in vocabulary learning have not been full attention, and the students lack the necessary capacity to train There may be the problems in their ways of revising vocabulary, but problems in teaching are undeniable
It is clear that mastering the meanings, especially the use of a word has an important role in learning a foreign language in general and in leaning English particular Vocabulary learning is not an end itself A rich vocabulary makes the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing easier to perform For better vocabulary teaching and learning, I decided to carry out an action research to find out difficulties students encounter when learning vocabulary and to find the solutions to the difficulties I have chosen the theme for my own seminar on
Trieu Son 5 High School and some solutions” I hope that this minor research can
give a few benefits to teachers, students and people concerned about this field
2- Basic of practise:
General situation of teaching and leaning English at high schools
Thanks to the relevant policy and the implementation of specific steps, English is considered more and more important in Vietnamese schools English becomes the dominant language at present It is not only a compulsory subject at upper secondary level but is chosen as a subject for the final-exam at the higher-secondary educational level
Trang 2However, there remain limitations of foreign language teaching and learning
at schools, such as: lack of a strategic and synchronized direction; programmes are inconsistently organized Contents and teaching methods do not yet concentrate on the development of communicative skills Moreover, the contingent of teachers is unqualified against the programme's requirements Many students haven’t realized the significances of Eng lish at the age of globalization Therefore, they don’t have enough motivation to learn English effectively Infrastructure and facilities for foreign language teaching remain poor and simple As far as the form of testing and assessing of foreign language qualification of pupils at present is concerned, writing test is the most common method
II AIMS OF THE STUDY
First of all, the research aims to find out all difficulties students meet when they learn English vocabulary and get the students to express their preferences of techniques in the process of learning vocabulary
Second, the research aims to give tips for students to self-study English vocabulary
Lastly, based on the students’preferences, the study aims at testing out the effectiveness of some communicative techniques to present and practise vocabulary
B DEVELOPMENT
I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1 The importance of vocabulary
This part can start with Scrivener’s initial conclusion of the role of
vocabulary in the classroom: “Vocabulary is very important and need to be dealt with systematically in its own right; it is not simply an odd-on to grammar or skills lessons” (Scrivener 19994:75)
In addition, Mac Carthy adds: “It is the experience of most language teachers that the single biggest component of any language course is vocabulary” (Mc
Carthy 1990: viii)
Allen contributed that: “Vocabulary is a powerful carrier of meaning and one point on which teachers and learners agree is the need of vocabulary” (Allen 1983:
1-5)
These statements indicate the great importance of vocabulary A good knowledge of vocabulary will help learners develop four skills: speaking, listening,
Trang 3reading and writing Therefore, teaching and learning vocabulary are significant in learning a foreign language, especially in the light of the communicative approach
2 Vocabulary teaching techniques in combination with communicative activities
Students of Grammar- Translation Method often learn vocabulary through the “look and remember” technique Perhaps this technique is the least effective way Based on communicative activities, students can acquire vocabulary through more effective techniques such as visual techniques, verbal techniques, games or role-play, etc
II LITERATURE REVIEW
Previous studies on vocabulary teaching and learning:
1 Previous studies on vocabulary teaching and learning in the world:
There are strong reasons for which the vocabulary component of a language course needs to be carefully planned Due to the great importance of vocabulary, up to now we can find a wide range of books and researches about it Among valuable books about teaching and learning vocabulary, we can find the most common ones
such as: “New ways in teaching vocabulary” written by Paul Nation (1994),
“Techniques in teaching vocabulary” written by Allen (1983), “Teaching English vocabulary to children with specific learning ” by Srivener (1994),etc.
2 Previous studies on vocabulary teaching and learning in Thanh Hoa
Province:
Recently, Thanhhoa Education and Training Department has focused on teaching and learning English Annually, a lot of conferences and workshops are organized to reform teaching methods Especially, the seminar on methodology is organized in order to discuss about professional knowledge In the field of
researching about vocabulary, we can find a lot researches such as : “Using Microsolf Powerpoint solfware in teaching and checking English vocabulary at Phu Hai Toai secondary school, Ha Trung ” written by Pham Thi Hau or: “Some methods of practicing English vocabulary for the classes at The Educational Centre, Thanh Hoa Province” written by Nguyen Quang Huy.
My study, making full use of these books and researches, focuses on giving tips for students to self- study and applying effective techniques in vocabulary teaching for four skills
Trang 4
III METHODOLOGY
1 Research questions:
To achieve the objective of the study, the following questions were raised:
1 What typical difficulties do grade 11 students have in learning vocabulary?
2 What should teachers do to help students overcome the difficulties?
2 Participants:
The research was pursued at Triệu Sơn 5 High School in the school year 2020-2021, among 125 students with pre-intermediate/ intermediate level from grade 11
3 Proceduces and data collection methods:
Data collection instruments:
In order to collect data for the study, I used three kinds of instruments: questionaires, evaluation sheets and class observation
Procedures:
In order to find out the answer to the research questions, I designed a mini-action research First, I handed out a survey questionaire to my students (N=125) to get their responds of difficulties and their preferences in vocabulary learning activities Then I applied communicative techniques for teaching and leaning English vocabulary during this school year
IV DATA ANALYSIS, AND DISCUSSION
1 Results from the questionaire:
Which of the following statements do you agree with ?
It is no use in learning vocabulary because I an not good at English 8%
As shown in the table, most students lack of confidence, they don’t believe in themselves, many of them learn vocabulary because they have to cope with their teachers or exams Moreover, they don’t review vocabulary regularly and lack of the necessary vocabulary leaning strategies For these reasons, I decided to give them tips for self-studying English vocabulary at home
Trang 52 Results from tests:
Following is the convey on the quality of English of 3 classes: 11B5, 11B6, 11B7 at the beginning of the first term in school in 2020-2021
clas
ses
Well applied
Badly applied
Well applied
Badly applied
Well applied
Badly applied
Well applied
Badly applied
(Note: Q: quantity)
It can be seen from the table that the rates of the students who badly applied four skills are rather high It has shown that students meet difficulties both in their learning and their teachers’ teaching method
V RECOMMENDING SOME SOLUTIONS TO HELP STUDENTS WITH THEIR VOCABULARY LEARNING
1 Giving tips for students to self- study English vocabulary
Educational psycholoy research shows that, in the learning process, we must first stimulate cognitive subject (students) interest in learning in order to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of students to participate in and enhance their awareness of the subject Therefore, teachers must help students to establish clear learning objectives
in English, recognizing the importance of learning English and improving English vocabulary learning tips
1.1 Time and place for self- studying:
Place: try to find out a place that is quiet and spacious to concentrate on learning by heart new words
Time: - It is better to learn in the early morning
- Study vocabulary several time a day (5- 10 minutes at times)
1.2 Use dictations to help students memorize spelling
Make a dictation Simply follow this process:
1 Write the words (usually no more than ten at once) on a piece of paper Use two columns: one for English and one for the translation in Vietnamese
2 Fold in the piece of paper so that students can only see the translation in Vietnamese
Trang 63 Take another piece of paper and write the English words that match the translated words The point is remembering by heart so try not to look at the answers
4 When finished, compare the English words have just been written to the ones
on the original paper
1.3 Write the words on flashcards and practice daily.
Vocabulary flashcards are special cards that are used to memorize the data They are called that way because the cards are flashed (shown quiclkly) to the learners There are several things students can have on a flashcard:
a word in English, a word in Vietnamese, a photo or an illustration For example, students can prepare a set of cards with "food words" Write the English word on one side of the card, and on the other side put a picture, or write the translation in Vietnamese
Vocabulary flashcards are good tools to use while learning a new language The bonus in using them is that students turn it into a game
1.4 Associate the familiar with the unfamiliar:
Try to find word or phrases in Vietnamese which sound like and if possible have a similar meaning to words in English Build mental images or draw pictures based on the connections
For example, the Vietnamese for the verb "cắt" is "cắt” , which sounds like
“cut’’ in English This is an enjoyable method because many of the associations students think up will be silly, absurd or bizarre
1.5 Make up as many associations and connections as possible
Say the word aloud to activate students’ auditory memory Relate the word
to words they already know Besides, it is better to find synonym, antonym, etc
When learning about the word “spacious”, for example, think about the antonym “cramped” or think of a house or a space that is spacious
1.6 Learn words in context
Learning long lists of unrelated words is boring, difficult and doesn't help students much when they come across those words in a different context If students focus on learning words in the context they're most likely to find them, they're more likely to recognize them when they encounter them or need to use them again
Trang 7When learning food words, for example, think about when students would be most likely to use them, i.e when cooking, eating, shopping, etc, and learn other words related to those situations Then try constructing sentences using the new words Good dictionaries contain examples of usage which students can use as models for their own sentences
1.7 Practice reading as much as possible
A great way to build up students’ vocabulary is to have a go at reading books, magazines, newspapers or comics written in English Ideally look for reading material covering topics they find interesting When reading, try to guess the meanings of any words students don't know and then check them in a dictionary
to see if their guesses were correct They don't have to look up every unfamiliar word as long as they can get the gist of the text
2 Communicative techniques for teaching English vocabulary
2.1 Choose vocabulary to teach:
According to The Comunicative Approach, vocabulary is learnt through “real life” communication in the classroom and interaction in the target language Moreover, it is learnt through an enhancement of the learners’ own experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning and through an attempt to link classroom language activation outside the classroom To achieve this aim, teachers should focus on teaching “active vocabulary” rather than “passive vocabulary”
( Passive vocabulary: With passive vocabulary, students can listen and understand.
Hearing the vocabulary used prompts them to recall its meaning In other words, they are being made to recall it
Active vocabulary: Active vocabulary, on the other hand, is vocabulary that
students can recall and use at will when the situation requires it They are choosing
to use the word and actively retrieving it from memory.)
2.2 The aspects of vocabulary need to be taught
The Communicative Approach indicates that knowing a word does not mean knowing the meaning of the world only New words must be taught in combination with:
Trang 8 Gramatical form
This should be focused on in order to help students catch proper and effective use
of vocabulary This is the most crucial principle that teachers should bear in mind when teaching vocabulary
2.3 The effective techniques of presenting new vocabulary:
It is communicative techniques that determine success or failure in language teaching and learning vocabulary That is the reason why teachers have to understand well about different techniques of presenting new vocabulary so that they can choose the best ones for their students There are many communicative techniques used in presenting new vocabulary such as: using visual aids, explaining vocabulary in contexts, using body language, means of verbal teachniques, etc
Personal experience:
For me, the technique I use the most effectively is to combine explaining vocabulary in contexts with using body language This teachnique is easy to apply without any other teaching aids Moreover, this teachnique attract students’ attention and help them to remember vocabulary faster
For example: English 11 (Basic curriculum) Unit 2- Part A: Reading
(page 22)
To teach the phrase: “to turn round”, I give a situation: “Lan stood behind
me She called me then I turned round” For explaining this phrase, I use body language showing the act of turning round Thanks to this technique, my students find its meaning easily and remember it longer
For checking vocabulary, I follow two steps:
Step 1: Read aloud the phrase and using body language at the same time Step 2: Using body language only and ask students to read aloud the phrase
Note: This technique is often used for explaining verb phrases when other
techniques are not suitable
2.4 The techniques for checking vocabulary:
Personal experience:
There are many effective techniques but three games that I often apply include:
- Rub out and remember
- Slap the board
Trang 9- Matching
Game: Rub out and remember
Level: pre- intermediate and intermediate
Aims: to help students memorize new vocabulary
Class time: 5 – 10 minutes
Preparation time: 3-5 minutes
Resouces: List of words
Procedure:
+ Build up a list on the blackboard
+ After each word put the Vietnamese translation
+ Get the students to copy into their books and then ask them to close their books
+ Rub out the new words one at a time
+ Each time teacher rubs out a word in English, point to the Vietnamese and ask “What’s this in English?”
+ When all the English words are rubbed out, go through the Vietnamese list and get the students to call out the English word
For example: English 11 (Basic curriculum) Unit 3- Part A: Reading
(page 32)- Vocabulary about Party
After presenting, I build up a list on the board including the following vocabulary and ask students to play the game “Rub out and remember”:
1 Birthday cake 5 Anniversary
2 Candle 6 Married couple
3 Blow out 7 Celebrate
4 Present 8 Milestone
Game: Slap the board
Level: pre- intermediate and intermediate
Aims: To get students recognize new vocabulary through listening
To check students understanding the meaning of new vocabulary Class time: 5- 10 minutes
Preparation time: 3-5 minutes
Resouces: List of words
Procedure:
Trang 10+ Ask three or four students to be observers and ask them to follow teacher’s steps and say why it is a useful technique
+ Put the new words all over the board – not in a list
+ If teacher wants to check understanding, put the Vietnamese translation of the new words or pictures on the board
+ Call 2 students or call 2 teams come to the front of the class
+ Ask them to stand at an equal distance form the blackboard
+ Call out one of the new words in a loud voice
+ The two students must run forward and slap the words on the blackboard + The one who slaps the correct word first is the winner
+ If students are playing in teams, the winning team gets a mark
+ Then ask two more students to come forward, etc
For example: English 11 (Basic curriculum) Unit 6- Part A: Reading
(page 66)- Vocabulary about competitions
After presenting, I put the following vocabulary all over the board and ask
1 Representative 6 completion
2 Annual 7 Announce
3 Stimulate 8 Score
4 Sponsor 9 Judge
5 Participate in 10 Award
Game: Matching
Level: pre- intermediate and intermediate
Aims: to get students to match the new vocabulary with definitions, translations of pictures
Class time: 5- 7 minutes
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Resouces: List of words, pictures
Procedure:
+ Write the new words in a list on the left hand side on the board
+ Write definitions, translations, or draw pictures, on the right hand side of the board
+ Get students to come up to the board and “match” items in the left hand list with the item in the right hand list by drawing a line between them