SKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabulary

SKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabularySKKN Using context to improve high school students’ vocabulary

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐỒNG NAI Đơn vị : THPT Ngô Quyền Mã số: ……………… SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM Đề tài :Using context to improve high school students’ vocabulary Người thực hiện: Trần Văn Nghĩa Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu: Quản lý giáo dục Phương pháp dạy học môn  Phương pháp giáo dục Lĩnh vực khác: Có đính kèm: Mô hình Phần mềm Phim ảnh Hiện vật khác Năm học: 2016-2017 SƠ LƯỢC LÝ LỊCH KHOA HỌC I THÔNG TIN CHUNG VỀ CÁ NHÂN Họ tên: Trần Văn Nghĩa Ngày tháng năm sinh : 20-11-1963 Nam/Nữ: Nam Địa chỉ: B 28-Khu Phố 6- phường Tam Hiệp- Biên hòa Điện thoại: 0913130131 Cơ quan: 0613829029 Nhà riêng: Fax E-mail: johnnghia5@yahoo.com.vn Chức vụ: Tổ trưởng Tổ Tiếng Anh Đơn vị công tác: THPT Ngô Quyền II TRÌNH ĐỘ ĐÀO TẠO Học vị (hoặc trình độ chuyên môn, nghiệp vụ) cao nhất: Thạc sĩ - Năm nhận bằng: 2001 - Chuyên ngành đào tạo: Giảng dạy tiếng Anh III KINH NGHIỆM KHOA HỌC: - Lĩnh vực chuyên môn có kinh nghiệm: - Số năm có kinh nghiệm: 26 năm - Các sáng kiến kinh nghiệm có năm gần đây: Making speaking tasks more effective and easier for high school students How to increase high school students’ oral communication Improving High School Students’ Written Competence Through teaching Grammar in Context Improving High School Students’ Speaking Skill Through Role- play Teaching vocabulary through collocations Research title: Using context to improve high school students’ vocabulary OUTLINE OF CONTENTS No Contents Page Introduction Rationale Aims of the study 2- Literature review 3-4 Ways to make effective use of context to get meaning Anticipated outcomes 5-6 Significance of the proposed study Conclusion References Introduction We all are aware of the importance of English to international communication nowadays In fact, English is one of the essential tools for students, teachers, businessmen, doctors or technicians in Vietnam and throughout the world English is used to communicate in different situations or environments By using English, people can express their ideas, exchange their emotions and collect information about the world However, linguistic communication, such as sounds, words or sentences is not enough People often use combinations of these language units to express a whole idea in verbal communication Text ( written text and spoken text), as a linguistic term, is used to refer to the abovementioned combinations In theory, a text can express the whole idea of the communicator In Discourse Analysis, Brown and Yule (1983) define text as ―the verbal record of a communicative act They also say that “text” is produced and interpreted between two people in a certain contextual situation, because people use language to communicate with others According to the traditional view on context, context can be divided into co-text, situational context and cultural context, about which many linguists have done a lot of research projects on the relations between text and context In the linguistic communication, context determines text and text reflects context in the same way People have to know how to say and what to say in order to achieve effective communication People also have to understand why others say what they say and how they say it in a specific situation according to different aspects in the context Different people and other factors will have an impact on the production and interpretation of the text At high schools, we often assist our students with developing the four English skills through spoken and written texts One more important aspect of real-life communication we must take into consideration is lexical knowledge However, how to improve students’ lexical knowledge in an effective way is a concern for many English teachers; and many research findings prove that vocabulary is of great importance for the process of English learning and teaching because students cannot promote the four language skills without enough vocabulary In real communication, the greater number of words and phrases our students have, the better they can convey meaning, interpret ideas from others for transaction, interaction and information Besides, vocabulary plays a vital part in developing reading comprehension and speaking competence The more words, phrases and lexical bundles students acquire, the better they are able to understand written and spoken texts In this study, we would like to emphasize that teaching vocabulary in context can help students get message across By using this method, I think we can encourage the students to meaningfully acquire vocabulary without translation or rote memorization Rationale Most Vietnamese teachers claim that vocabulary is a difficult area to deal with Teaching English vocabulary effectively is a hard job for all teachers from elementary schools to secondary schools or high schools Many famous linguists and teachers say that context plays a very important role in learning and acquiring vocabulary Without context, isolated words cannot convey meaning in spoken and written communication Teaching vocabulary without context fails to help students communicate meaning or get message across In reality of teaching, we have recognized that vocabulary is central to English learning and is of great significance to English students Words and phrases can facilitate the four English skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing because words label objects, actions, ideas Without words, our intended meaning would not be conveyed Therefore, the main role of vocabulary in second and foreign language learning must be taken into account by all teachers and researchers In recent years, a number of approaches, techniques, exercises and tasks have been introduced into the field in order to teach vocabulary in an efficient way (Hatch & Brown, 1995) They suggest that teaching vocabulary should not only consist of teaching specific words but also aim at providing students with strategies necessary to enhance their vocabulary competence Moreover, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training requires all teachers of English to focus on students’ communicative competence The Ministry also asks teachers to assess students’ communicative competence with all the four language skills and vocabulary in use so that they can meet the needs of international communication One solution to the improvement of students’ English vocabulary in the Vietnamese high school system must be teaching and learning vocabulary in context Aims of the proposed study As an attempt to enrich students’ vocabulary, I will give careful consideration to the ways we teach and the ways our students learn or acquire vocabulary It is my hope that I can make improvements in the teaching and learning of English , particularly teaching and learning vocabulary at Ngo Quyen High School The purpose of this study to explore the impact of using context on the development of students’ vocabulary enrichment Besides, the study aims to identify students’ problems, their learning habits with the belief that context does help them understand the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases As a result, context will be included in all lessons for vocabulary practising and the four English skills The proposed study consists of an introduction, a review of current literature related to the definition of context and text, their benefits The last parts of the research paper are sections which have an discussion on the significance of the study, anticipated outcomes and minor problems with a short conclusion and some expectations of the research paper writer Literature Review -The importance of context to the learning of vocabulary: Teaching vocabulary in context is particularly important This method of teaching allows students to comprehend the use of words in authentic context and understand the relationship between forms and meaning( Nunan 1998, 105) Teaching vocabulary in context also encourages students make use of words and phrases they have just learnt to negotiate meaning By using this method of teaching, we are able to help students focus on real communication for meaning In explaining the way to enrich students’ vocabulary, (Nation, 2001) mentions that vocabulary learning strategies are one important part of language learning strategies which in turn are part of general learning strategies He also says that language learning strategies encourage greater overall selfdirection for learners Self-directed learners are independent learners who are capable of taking responsibility for their own learning and gradually gaining confidence, involvement and proficiency (Oxford, 1990) Context and text: In defining text and context, Harmer (2004) states that building the writing or speaking habits (with activities) is of great importance but without experiencing examples of various text types to see how they are constructed, students are unlikely to become effective writers or speakers Richards(1992) points out that a text is a piece of spoken or written language and a text may be considered from the point of view of its structure or its function, such as, warning, instructing, carrying out a transaction He also emphasizes that a full understanding of a text is often impossible without reference to the context in which it occurs In my own definition, the teaching of text type is the process of familiarizing students with a great variety of generic conventions and linguistic properties This provides students with knowledge of the social context within which texts are situated as well as their social functions As the teaching of texts should be based on good scaffolding and explicit teaching, students benefit from the large exposure to a variety of text types Therefore, students have a sense of flexibility when they are asked to construct their own written and spoken work In genre-based teaching approach, the introduction of text type comprises of the two phases namely building the field and modeling the text (Derewianka, 1990) Before learners are ready to produce their own written or spoken work, it has always been better for learners to be fully exposed to text construction and language mechanics used to express certain purposes (Paltridge, 1996) In the definition of context, Richards and Platt(1992) states that context is the word which occurs before or after a particular word, a phrase or even a longer utterance or a text They also say that the context often helps in understanding the particular meaning of the word, phrase and text Ways to make effective use of context to get meaning: 1.The application of vocabulary: The ultimate goal in teaching unfarmiliar words and phrases is the application of the words the students have already learnt Teachers should supply students with opportunities to make use of new vocabulary at sentence and text levels (cloze passages), while the teacher’s job is to make sure that students are using the word correctly and commucatively in context Synonym/ antonym context clue ( a word or phrase that helps us guess another word/phrase): (Macmillan English Dictionary- page 259) It is necessary for teachers to encourage students to recognize context clues in order to comprehend the meaning of words A synonym should be used to help students understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word, as it means the same as or nearly the same as the word that is unfamiliar to the students E.g: ‘My elder sister was highly ambitious It was her strong desire and determination that made her become the expert in her accounting’ E.g: My brother still behaves like a child I wish he’d grow up.( behave like a child # grow up) E.g: The trouble with Frank is that he never turns up in time for a meeting He always arrives late ( turn up = arrive) ( English 12- pages 161,187) Context clue: Definition or restatement - In teaching reading comprehension, teachers should provide students with strategies to comprehend the meaning of unfamiliar words In many cases, the meaning of the word is in the sentence itself, usually following the word students want to understand We should consider the following examples: E.g: Some of the plays were tragedies, but most were comedies There were also many satires Satires are plays that make fun of someone or something in order to highlight a problem.( Satires = plays that make fun of sb/sth ) E.g: Nam's duplicity – dishonesty – caused him to steal his colleagues' pensions by sending their money to an offshore account.( duplicity= dishonesty) -Teachers should also give a sentence which contains an unfamiliar word and is followed by another sentence saying the same thing in a much simpler way Students can understand the unfamiliar word/phrase without looking it up in a dictionary E.g: Her uncle was very dexterous and became one of the most fantastic sculptors He was able to use his hand skilfully He was so good with his hands that every piece he carved was wonderful ( dexterous = able to use his hand skilfully) (Macmillan English Dictionary- page 881) Visual context clue: When we use visual context clue, we rely on pictures, or other types of image, along with some kinds of related texts to help students to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words For example, a picture of a furious man and its caption (words printed on a picture) will help students understand the word “furiously” in the sentence: “The manager of the company reacted furiously to the television reporter’s questions” Therefore, we not need to have students translate the word “furiously” into our native language Anticipated outcomes When we teach reading comprehension, especially helping our students to deal with standardized tests or passages, we need to help students know some strategies to get message across I am in the belief that understanding different types of context clues can help students get the meaning of difficult words Context clues are expected to be helpful when students are working to determine the main idea of a passage Students are also expected to use this strategy to comprehend the writer’s implied meaning and to make inferences when they cope with difficult and long reading passages like TOEFL readings When writing this proposed research project, I am also in the hope that I can receive both the teachers and students’ positive attitude toward the new teaching method I also anticipate some improvements in the students’ vocabulary acquisition If successful, I can actually generalize the implement of teaching vocabulary in context on a larger number of students in other schools Significance of the proposed study The study of the impact of context on the development of students’ language competence is very significant for a number of reasons The first important thing is that understanding the relationship between students’problems of learning vocabulary and the exploitation of context helps to enrich their vocabulary One more crucial thing is that the teacher has opportunities to set up members of reflective teachers who can help teachers in other schools to offer a solution to students’ vocabulary problems at the same levels Last but not least, the proposed plan can help the school principals have a new policy in teaching and learning English at the school The research project on using context in teaching English can be easily managed and will support teachers’ professional development The results of the innovative study will be able to supply high school teachers with valuable recommendations so that they can make improvements in their teaching English It is advisable that context be included in all vocabulary exercises, tasks or lessons It is the teachers who need to know that acquiring a lot of vocabulary and knowing how to use vocabulary accurately in a variety of situational contexts can facilitate the four language skills: speaking, reading writing and listening At an attempt to conduct this research project, I am in the expectation that the proposed plan will make an improvement in teachers’ teaching practices at all high schools in the province Conclusion I have described the ways of carrying out the proposed innovative plan about the effect of context on the development of students’ lexical competence at Ngo Quyen High School The literature review makes clear of the benefits of context and text together with a number of effective ways to make use of context clues in English tasks, exercises or activities The research paper includes the aims of the study, its rationale, a number of exercises designed to make an innovation in teaching vocabulary and to apply context to the lessons at my school with the significance of the study In my final analysis, I think that teaching English for communication of meaning is impossible without context REFERENCES Brown, G & Yule, G (1983) Discourse Analysis New York: Cambridge University Press Derewianka, B (1990) Exploring how texts work Australia: Primary English teaching Association Harmer, J (2004) How to teach writing UK: Longman, Pearson Education Limited Harmer, J (2007) The practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.) Longman, Pearson Education Limited Hatch, E and Brown, C (1995) Vocabulary, Semantics and Language Education New York: Cambridge University Press Hedge, T (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom Oxford: OUP Hyland, K (2003) Second Language Writing Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Nation, I.S.P (2000) Vocabulary In M Byram (ed.) Routledge Encyclopaedia of Language Teaching and Learning: Routledge Nunan (1998) Language Teaching Methodology A Textbook for teachers: CUP 10 Paul Gee, J (2005) An Introduction to Discourse Analysis, London: 11 Paltridge, B (1996) Genre, text type, and the language learning classroom ELT Journal, 50(3), 237-242 12 Richards, J C and Platt, J, H (1992) Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics: Longman Group UK Limited _ I would be very grateful for any comments and suggestions regarding possible improvements May, 15th 2017 The writer of the research paper Tran Van Nghia ... for high school students How to increase high school students’ oral communication Improving High School Students’ Written Competence Through teaching Grammar in Context Improving High School Students’. .. Students’ Speaking Skill Through Role- play Teaching vocabulary through collocations Research title: Using context to improve high school students’ vocabulary OUTLINE OF CONTENTS No Contents Page... improvement of students’ English vocabulary in the Vietnamese high school system must be teaching and learning vocabulary in context Aims of the proposed study As an attempt to enrich students’ vocabulary,