SKKN TOPIC BASED VOCABULARY TEACHING TO STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH

More and more researchers have realized the importance of vocabulary acquisition in second language teaching.. David Wilkins cited in Thornbury, 2002, when mentioning the shift of focus

Tổng Hợp Hơn 1000 Sáng Kiến Kinh Nghiệm Chuẩn

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐỒNG NAI Đơn vị: Trường THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh

Mã số:

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM TOPIC-BASED VOCABULARY TEACHING TO STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH Người thực hiện: HỒ THỊ THẢO TRINH Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu: Quản lý giáo dục 

Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh 

Phương pháp giáo dục 

Lĩnh vực khác 

Có đính kèm:

Năm học 2011 - 2012

SƠ LƯỢC LÝ LỊCH KHOA HỌC

I THÔNG TIN VỀ CÁ NHÂN

1.Họ và tên: HỒ THỊ THẢO TRINH

2.Ngày tháng năm sinh: 28 tháng 11 năm 1973

3.Chức vụ:

Đảng:

Chính quyền:

4 Đơn vị công tác: Trường THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh

II TRÌNH ĐỘ ĐÀO TẠO

Trình độ: Thạc sỹ

Tốt nghiệp: Victoria University

Đã trực tiếp tham gia giảng dạy: 16 năm

Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm trong 5 năm gần đây:

o Using role-play to encourage students’ active

participation during speaking activities at LƯƠNG THẾ VINH HIGH SCHOOL

o Teaching grammar in light of communicative

language teaching

o Applying communicative activities in english reading class

SỞ GD&ĐT ĐỒNG NAI CỘNG HOÀ XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

Biên Hoà, ngày 03 tháng 05 năm 2012

PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT ĐÁNH GIÁ SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

Năm học: 2011 – 2012

Tên chuyên đề: TOPIC-BASED VOCABULARY TEACHING TO

STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH

Lĩnh vực:

Quản lý giáo dục  Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh  Phương pháp giáo dục  Lĩnh vực khác 

- Có giải pháp hoàn toàn mới 

- Có giải pháp cải tiến, đổi mới từ phương pháp đã có 

2 Hiệu quả

- Hoàn toàn mới và đã triển khai áp dụng trong toàn ngành có hiệu quả cao 

- Có tính cải tiến hoặc đổi mới từ những giải pháp đã có và đã triển khai áp dụng trong toàn ngành có hiệu quả cao 

- Hoàn toàn mới và đã triển khai áp dụng tại đơn vị có hiệu quả cao 

- Có tính cải tiến hoặc đổi mới từ những giải pháp đã có và đã triển khai áp dụng tại đơn vị có hiệu quả 

3 Khả năng áp dụng

- Căn cứ được các luận cứ khoa học cho việc hoạch định đường lối chính sách:

- Đưa ra các giải pháp khuyến nghị có khả năng ứng dụng thực tiễn dễ thực hiện và

dễ đi vào cuộc sống:

I Introduction

Nowadays, it is widely accepted that vocabulary plays an important part in language teaching and should be at the centre of language teaching More and more researchers have realized the importance of vocabulary acquisition in second language teaching According to McCarthy (1990), without words a learner cannot communicate

or read David Wilkins (cited in Thornbury, 2002), when mentioning the shift of focus from grammar as the central anchor of language teaching to the lexicon, emphasizes the importance of vocabulary acquisition as follows, “ without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.”

Traditionally, the teaching of vocabulary was mostly incidental, limited to presenting new items as they appeared in reading or sometimes listening texts This indirect teaching of vocabulary assumes that vocabulary expansion will happen through the practice of other language skills, which has been proved not enough to ensure vocabulary expansion.

Today, it is widely accepted that vocabulary teaching should be part of the syllabus, and taught in a well-planned and regular basis Some authors, led by Lewis (1993) argue that vocabulary should be at the centre of language teaching, because

“language consists of grammaticalised lexis, not lexicalized grammar.” Read (2004) emphasizes that a more direct and organized study of vocabulary and vocabulary instruction will be helpful for second language learners although they certainly acquire word knowledge incidentally while engaged in various language learning activities The more their word knowledge increases, the more their other language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) will develop With this thought in mind, many

researchers conducted their research dealing with vocabulary They inspired me to continue with this topic for my vocabulary teaching to students majoring in English.

There are two main approaches to teaching vocabulary: incidental learning often known as implicit learning and intentional learning often referred to as explicit learning (Rieder, 2002) Incidental vocabulary acquisition can be defined as a “by-product” of any language learning, whereas intentional vocabulary learning is defined as “any activity geared at committing lexical information to memory” (Hulstijn,2001 p.271) Incidental vocabulary learning could be attained by extensive reading, whereas intentional vocabulary learning could be attained by implementing a lexical syllabus based on word lists In a case study, Pigada and Schmitt (2006) indicated that vocabulary acquisition is possible from extensive reading The authors asserted that extensive reading leads to enhancement of knowledge about the spelling, meaning and grammatical behaviour of words in the text They concluded that extensive reading leads to substantial vocabulary learning, but it is not consistent across all word knowledge types (i.e., form, meaning, and use) All three word knowledge facets were enhanced in only 6% of the cases studied This seems to justify the suggestion of many researchers that incidental learning should be followed up with intentional learning (Hulstijn, Hollander and Greidanus, 1996) and explicit vocabulary teaching (Nation, 2005).

A study of EFL Indonesian students by Nurweni and Read (1999) verified that given that students had little access to resources for acquiring English outside the classroom, direct teaching of high-frequency words was an efficient way to expand their vocabulary knowledge and thus to achieve better coverage of the running words in academic texts The authors pointed out one of the reasons of the limited vocabulary

knowledge of the students was little attention to vocabulary teaching, thus they assumed that more focused in-class vocabulary teaching would bring about positive outcomes.

Another argument in vocabulary teaching is whether or not vocabulary should be taught in or out of context Qian (1996) conducted research to test which approach to vocabulary teaching is more effective in terms of retention of target words His results, as well as other research on the same subject, imply that learning words out of context results in better retention than learning words in context However, Qian concludes that both approaches should be integrated in the classroom Tozcu and Coady (2004) also conducted research with two groups of students, the treatment group studied frequent vocabulary explicitly through CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), whereas the control group studied the same vocabulary implicitly by reading texts and doing reading comprehension exercises Both groups showed gains in vocabulary acquisition However, the treatment group showed significantly greater gains There is no doubt that both methodologies need to complement each other for best results.

A combination of both implicit and explicit approaches is introduced in Hunt and Beglar’s (2005) framework for EFL vocabulary development In this framework, implicit instruction and learning strategy includes “meaning- focused reading” which is aimed at increasing learners’ vocabulary size through extensive reading and development their fluency Explicit strategies include “studying decontextualized lexis”, “using dictionaries”, and “inferring vocabulary meaning from context.” The main purpose of explicit instruction are learners’ acquisition of new vocabulary knowledge In applying both explicit and implicit pedagogical approaches in the framework, Hunt and Beglar (2005) demonstrated their belief that such a combination is mutually beneficial and offers the most effective means for promoting lexical acquisition in EFL contexts.

III Aims of the research

This research aims to find answers to the following questions:

1 Is there significant vocabulary development if topic-based vocabulary is taught?

2 Is there improvement in the students’ attitude towards learning English if they are taught topic-based vocabulary?

IV Rationale and justification of the research

Krashen (1989) believes that vocabulary is best attained through a large amount

of extensive reading A learner has to be exposed to a tremendous amount of reading for incidental learning to occur, and relying only on reading would mean that it would take too long for learners to acquire the lexis needed to reach higher vocabulary thresholds (Laufer, 2003) This could be done by implementing an extensive reading program to encourage learners to read as much as possible For high school students in Vietnam, however, this seemingly couldn’t be done because they have to focus on many subjects Therefore, English vocabulary they acquire is mostly from the textbook

I am teaching English in Luong The Vinh high school, Dong Nai province This

is the seventh year I am performing the new curriculum for high school students Each unit in the new English textbook, which is task-based, consists of five parts in order: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Language focus Compared with the old curriculum, the new has been welcomed by both teachers and students However, it has received many complaints from the students majoring in English In the survey of students’ attitude towards the new English textbook (class 10) at the end of the last school year, more than two-thirds of 10th grade students majoring in English said that

teachers should focus more on teaching vocabulary to help them have more word knowledge, be able to use vocabulary appropriately in writing and speaking, and understand the messages more deeply from advanced reading and listening texts Especially, if they master more vocabulary, they will be more confident to participate in many examinations for good students.

Through the survey, we teachers find it necessary to implement topic-based vocabulary teaching with careful compilation to help them concentrate on learning English more enthusiastically and confidently.

There is no doubt that vocabulary acquisition is one of the most important needs

of any ESL learners Therefore, topic-based vocabulary teaching in classrooms should be carried out to help students acquire vocabulary and have positive attitude towards four language skills: reading, speaking, listening, and writing.

Previous studies have been done much valuable work in the field of vocabulary teaching The present study, which is being implemented in my class (11 English 2), aims to examine the effect of topic-based vocabulary teaching on students’ vocabulary acquisition and their attitude towards studying English.

Two main research instruments are used The first is a questionnaire whose aim is

to discover students’ attitudes towards studying English This questionnaire is completed

on the first day of the school year Another questionnaire is filled out on the last day of the school year to test their attitude towards studying English after a period of learning topic-based vocabulary The second is a multiple-choice vocabulary test.

V.3 - Materials

20 lessons with up-to-date topics: Leisure activities, Travel and movement, News events, Places, Media and advertising, The natural world, Work, Business and money, People and relationships, Social problems, Entertainment, Government and society, Health and the body, World issues, Thinking and feeling, Technology, Quality and quantity, Education, The energy crisis, The Green revolution, Urbanisation are compiled

from some sources such as Advanced Language Practice ( Michael Vince), Vocabulary for IELTS (Paulyne Cullen)…

V.4 - Procedure

a 20 students of grade 11 English 2 are given a multiple-choice vocabulary pretest before learning topic-based vocabulary They do the test for 45 minutes The

contents of the test are from the sources mentioned in V.3 The first questionnaire

is given out prior to the pretest and only after the subjects complete the questionnaire are they able to begin the test

b The papers are graded and are never given back to the students Any type of feedback are not provided.

c At the end of the school year, the same test are administered After the test, the students fill out another questionnaire to test their attitude towards studying English.

V.5 - Results

For the pretest, there are 5 papers got from 8 to 8.5 marks, 7 papers got from 6.5

to 7.5, and 8 papers got from 5 to 6 Most of them showed their attitude that the teacher should teach them more vocabulary which is based on interesting topics

For the test at the end of the schoolyear, 4 papers got 10 marks, 15 papers got from 8 to 9.5, and 1 paper got 7.5 All of the students felt more active in learning English and confident in participating in English tests and examinations.

Research question 2: Is there improvement in the students’ attitude towards

learning English if they are taught topic-based vocabulary?

Without a careful compilation of vocabulary, students will have difficulty in reading, speaking, writing and listening and then become tired of learning English By learning topic-based vocabulary, they find out many interesting things about meanings and usage of words Their attitude towards learning English is, therefore, more

enthusiastic Concerning students’ participation and attitudes in the classes, it is proved that students’ motivation rises when they get engaged in every activity during the classes That is to say, they become active participants in the whole process.The reason for increased motivation is that they learn vocabulay based on interesting topics, helping them pay more attention to the use of words in right contexts and remember vocabulary more easily What is more, the fact that they are given the opportunity to do more practice tests about vocabulary that they have learnt is an effective way to keep them more confident of learning English and participating in the exams for gifted students.

It is obvious that the students’ scores on the posttest are significantly improved The result suggests that topic-based vocabulary teaching leads to significant vocabulary development that, according to the students, makes reading, speaking, listening, and writing easier and more enjoyable Topic-based vocabulary teaching also makes students more confident in performing tasks given in each part It is hoped that the more words they know, the more interested they are in learning English.

1 Decarrico, J S (2001) Reading for academic purposes: Guidelines for the ESL/EFL teacher In M Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp 285-299) Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

2 Hulstijn, J.H (2001) Intentional and incidental second language vocabulary learning: a reappraisal of elaboration, rehearsal and automaticity In Robinson, Peter

(ed.) Cognition and second language instruction Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 258-287

3 Hulstijn, J., Hollander, M., & Greidanus, T (1996) Incidental vocabulary learning

by advanced foreign language students: The influence of marginal glosses, dictionary

use, and reoccurrence of unknown words The Modern Language Journal, 80,

327-339.

4 Hunt, A., & Beglar, D (2005) A framework for developing EFL reading

vocabulary Reading in a Foreign Language, 171 (1).

5 Krashen, S (1989) We acquire vocabulary and spelling by reading: Additional

evidence for the input hypothesis The Modern Language Journal, 73, 440-464.

6 Laufer, B (2003) Vocabulary acquisition in a second language: Do learners really

acquire most vocabulary by reading? Canadian Modern Language Review 59(4),

565-585.

7 Lewis, M (1993) The Lexical Approach Hove, UK: Language Teaching

Publications

8 McCarthy, M (1990) Vocabulary Oxford: Oxford University Press

9 Nation, I.S.P (2005) Teaching vocabulary The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 7(3),

http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/September_2005_EBook_editions.pdf

10 Nurweni, A., & Read, J (1999) The English vocabulary knowledge of Indonesian

university students English for Specific Purposes, 18, 161-175.

11 Pigada, M., & Schmitt, N (2006) Vocabulary acquisition from extensive reading: A

case study Reading in a Foreign Language, 18(1).

12 Qian, D.D (1996) ESL vocabulary acquisition: Contextualization and

decontextualization The Canadian Modern Language Review, 53, 120-142.

13 Read, J (2004) Research in reaching vocabulary Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 146-161.

14 Rieder, A (2002) Implicit and explicit learning in incidental vocabulary acquisition.

VIEWS 12 (2), 24-39.

15 Thornbury, S (2002) How to teach vocabulary Essex: Longman

16 Tozcu, A and Coady, J (2004) Successful Learning of Frequency Vocabulary

through CALL and Benefits Reading Comprehension and Speed Computer Assisted

Language Learning 17(5), 473-495

1 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

It is now generally recognised that stress is a major (1) C of heart disease,

and contributes to many other illnesses Stress is increased by (2) such as worry, overwork and lack of exercise or relaxation For it is just as important from a psychological point of (3) to relax as it is to (4) physical exercise Relaxing does not necessarily mean just lazing about and doing nothing The benefits of

a weekend away or the diversion of sporting activities are considerable If you are suffering from high stress (5) , or wish to (6) after a trying day, it

is generally advisable to have a change of (7) Although there are some individuals who (8) on stress, for most of us, it can lead to exhaustion, mood swings and even severe depression

2 Choose two items from the box which are used in each activity (a-h).

a) Gymnastics horse bars

b) Scuba Diving

c) Fishing

d) Walking

e) Photography

f) Do-It-Yourself

g) Swimming

h) Cycling

3 Both options make sense Underlin e the one which forms a common collocation.

Last week well over a thousand people (1) took place in/took part in our local round-the-city 10-kilometre fun run This kind of race doesn't normally (2) appeal to me/amuse

me, as, frankly, I'm not really (3) cut out for/right for long distance running But I've got

two friends who are dead keen runners and who keep going on about the (4)