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Friday, September 24, 2010

Tips for Teachers: Introduce Vocabulary Clearly

Vocabulary, even if it will possibly be a review for some students, should be introduced clearly, after which students' comprehension should be tested through TPR activities, and finally their ability to produce the vocabulary can be challenged.

What is meant by clearly?  What I mean by clearly, is that the teacher/ native speaker says each vocabulary word with annunciation, demonstrates what is meant by the word (through pictures, movement, explanation using words which are familiar to the students, etc), and repeats these steps preferably several times before the students are required to produce the words themselves.

The introduction of new vocabulary in a language class should never be a guessing game for students.  When vocabulary introduction is made into a guessing game, students are forced to rely on their other languages or on dictionaries in order "discover" the vocabulary.  This interferes with natural language acquisition and further encourages a mental dictionary approach to comprehending and speaking.

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