Teach English in Baolin Zhen - Chengdu Shi

Vocabulary learning is an inseparable part of a language learning process because without it a learner will not be able to comprehend a language or produce it. Hence, when teaching a new language, the first thing teachers should do is introduce new vocabulary and phrases since vocabulary development is crucial for a language learner. Teachers should focus on employing effective strategies that will enable students to build up the required vocabulary, improve their comprehension, empower them, make them feel confident in order to succeed, master all the tasks, and be able to communicate on different topics. There is a great variety of activities that educators use to help students learn the new glossary. However, when teaching different age groups, teachers face some challenges because not all the methods work equally well. In this paper I am going to present the vocabulary activities and techniques that work better in each particular age group. Pre-schoolers (7 Y.O and less) This group is definitely very active, full of energy, and enjoys playing. Taking this factor into account, a teacher should think about the activities for students to be able to sing or move while learning new vocabulary. Introducing new themed words through songs and movements will help the students grasp the new words and expressions. For instance, when teaching students farm animals, the teacher could show the Puppet Theater using animal sounds. Kids will enjoy repeating the sounds farm animals make and at the same time learn their names. Since learners at this age have short-term memory, the students will benefit by drilling the words regularly, practicing them through sorting or categorizing activities. Also, at this age young learners like colorful pictures. It would be useful to put up the images of the farm animals on the wall, play bright flash card games and of course, engage students into drawing and coloring activities. Pre-puberty learners (8-12 y.o) Many ELL teachers like to work with this age group because the students are more receptive and focused on the lesson and at the same time are full of energy. The first thing students should do to gain new vocabulary is to read a lot although it might be a bit challenging due to the lack of sufficient vocabulary. To break this vicious circle, educators need to teach students academic vocabulary through various resources: course books, online vocabulary materials, flashcard games and a great variety of other vocabulary games. Moreover, in order to provide students with multiple exposures to the word through various contexts, the learners should constantly complete different assignments enabling them to see the target words in various word usages and contexts. Repetition is another useful method in learning new words. Here the educator could place the words on the wall for students to apply them in their writing and speaking tasks, or ask students questions so that they can use the vocabulary in their answers. Since language learners in this age group like to compete, giving students word puzzles, vocabulary board games, and word search will bring fun to lessons. Moreover, students could implement the knowledge of new words in a role play activity. For example, if they study the shopping unit, students could perform sketches using themed vocabulary or even go to the shopping center and try to use the acquired vocabulary there. Post-puberty (13-plus) Working with this group level, educators should choose activities and teaching methods very carefully. The students at this age are self-concentrated and at the same time care about somebody’s opinion,they are usually unwilling to study, and are reluctant to perform or express their points of view. The first thing the teacher should do to overcome all the barriers on the way is make the classroom a safe and comfortable place for learning. Knowing the students’ interests will also assist the teacher in planning more productive lessons with interactive activities engaging all the students into the learning process. The best way to teach students new words at this age is through various communicative interactions and natural input (such as movies and television, Instagram and some other Apps) to make it allied. Talking about learners' favorite songs, movies or famous people will make them engaged in the activities that are individualized and learner-centered. The students could also apply the new vocabulary while writing captions or making posters related to the theme under study. Adults Adult learners come motivated to class: they are eager to study and usually have some knowledge of the English language. It would be very beneficial if the educator could make a class a neutral place and become a friend to learners. Usually adult learners have certain reasons to improve their English: a necessity in the English language at the working place, traveling or moving to another country. Giving students life related situations such as mock telephone calls, job application, role plays, discussions, improvisations, etc. will help the learners build up the vocabulary through contextualization (gap-filling or story-building activities, role plays, etc.), association (associating the target vocabulary with something meaningful or familiar to learners), personalization (when learners imagine themselves performing a certain job, for example), analogy (finding relationships between similar or unrelated objects), and so on. It should also be taken into account that adults remember better the words that are semantically related, so posters with new words organized according to their semantic relatedness or teacher’s notes on the board will assist the learners in their answers or tasks, and enhance retention of the vocabulary. Reading English books, watching movies or news in English will also make a significant input into increasing the learners' vocabulary level. Playing some interactive vocabulary games will bring a relaxing and learning atmosphere to the classroom and make the students vocabulary learning journey a less stressful and more exciting adventure. In conclusion, I would like to state once again the importance of incorporating vocabulary building activities into language lessons and developing creative methods to have a great input and output.