Developing Teaching Skills :

Suggested Ways of Teaching Vocabulary

（英语课堂技能训练 —— 词汇教学）

张 则 玫

I. About this course

II. Some ideas on teaching vocabulary

III. Some teaching techniques

I. About this course

Current ways of teaching vocabulary

Some reflections on the ways

The New Curriculum

Education reform at home

Education reform abroad

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1. Current ways of teaching vocabulary

- His dream is to be a great musician.- She studies very hard in the hope of going to Qinghua University next year.

(1) “Walt Disney” (Senior Book 2)

1. Current ways of teaching vocabulary

(1) “Walt Disney” (Senior Book 2)

- I don’t think you are right. - Don’t lose heart. I’m sure you’ll be successful one day. - His father used to work on the farm day after day.

1. Current ways of teaching vocabulary

(1) “Walt Disney” (Senior Book 2)

- Put the food in the fridge. You can keep it fresh in this way.

- Children are usually pleased with cartoon films.

(2) Refer to word list: explanation in English

(3) Refer to word list: explanation in Chinese (definition)

1. Current ways of teaching vocabulary

2. Some reflections on the ways

(1) Two things in common:

- Words are separated from the text.

- Only pronunciation and meaning or definition are taught.

2. Some reflections on the ways

(2) The result:- Difficulty in comprehension

- Difficulty in using the language

- Lack in productive ability

- Lack interest in learning

- Higher grades but weaker ability

I suspect him of having stolen the car.

I doubt his honesty.

Do you think he can keep up with other students?

He must work harder to catch up with other students.

The result:- Difficulty in comprehension

The result:- Difficulty in comprehension

The new teacher is very slow to adapt to the rules of the school.

He’s always ready to adopt any new methods of teaching.

He was very careful in whatever he did lest something unfavorable should be written into his records. (Comp. otherwise)

The result:- Difficulty in comprehension

The head office has been transferred from Beijing to Shanghai.

The new furniture transformed the room.

I used to be shy and timid, but the Cultural Revolution transformed me completely.

The result:- Difficulty in comprehension

SARS is transmitted very quickly.

Goods are transported to many European countries by sea.

There is not much point in persuading him since he has already made up his mind to go there.

If you don’t like to play tennis, you may just as well stay at home.

His songs are very popular among people who regard him as superior to other musicians.

The result:- Difficulty in using the language

The result:- Lack in productive ability

“If spelling becomes the only focal point of the teachers’ interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to “play safe” ----- he will tend to write words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language.”

The result:- Higher grades but weaker ability

“This is now also one of the major problems with university students. Those who have passed Cet-6 failed to use the language as skillfully as expected.”

3. The New Curriculum

Requirement:

“ 引导学生建立新的学习方式。学习方式（ learning style ）即学习风格，是人们在学习时所具有或偏爱的方式，是解决其学习任务所表现出来的具有个人特色的方式。”

3. The New Curriculum

The number of words:

五级（ Junior ） : “ 学会使用 1500-1600 单词和 200-300 固定搭配或惯用语。”

七级（ Senior ） : “ 学会使用 3000 单词和360 固定搭配或惯用语。”

3. The New Curriculum

Skills with the words:

教材上不再标明“几会”单词，而只是用星号表明“只需理解”的词语。

4. The national reform in education

（ 1 ）科教兴国 （ 2 ）改变目标

（ 3 ）调整模式 （ 4 ）增加内容

（ 5 ）重新评价 （ 6 ）注重能力

5. The international reform in education

（ 1 ）从学校教育到终身教育

（ 2 ）从精英教育到全体教育

（ 3 ）从围绕教学到围绕学习

Continuing education: continuing studies

program

Learning style

5. The international reform in education

（ 4 ）从以学科、教师为中心到以综合学科、学生为中心

（ 5 ）从单一考试评价到多元评价

（ 6 ）从过多地评价学生到评价教师和 教育体制

II. Some ideas on teaching Vocabulary

Vocabulary & vocabulary item

Idea & definition

Structure & usage

Denotation & connotation

Pronunciation & intonation

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1. Vocabulary & vocabulary item

- must have done (can’t have done)

- may have done (can’t have done)

- might have done (can’t have done)

e.g. Subjunctive mood:

1. Vocabulary & vocabulary item

- should have done

- could have done

- ought to have done

e.g. Subjunctive mood:

2. Idea & definition:

- I’m lost. I’ve lost my bag. My key is missing.

- Excuse me.

- Pardon me.

- Forgive me.

Examples:

3. Structure & usage (Collocation):

- run down / run short / run out / run out of

- to be entitled to do sth. / to be entitled to sth.

- turn on the computer (not “open” )

- the price is very high (not “expensive”)

Examples:

4. Denotation & connotation:

slender thin bonny

stout big fat

quite very rather

Commendatory neutral derogatory

5. Pronunciation & intonation:

ambulance, television, dirty interesting, adjective, hospital

Stress:

Pronunciation & intonation:piano, tomato, factory, schedule, Susan, knew

else, nothing, anything, banana, computer

Meaning in contextSense relations

Denotation & connotation

Figures of speechCollocation

Style and register

Spelling & pronunciationPrefixes & suffixesCompound words

Parts of speech

Meaning

Word use

Word formation

Grammar

Vocabulary item

III. Teaching techniques

Active and passive

Contexts

Interaction with words

Discovery techniques

Ways of some teachers

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1. Active and passive vocabulary:

Words already learned and words just to be recognized ---- frequency

e.g. Former requirement (Junior Books)

2. In context:“The ignoring of contexts in any act of interpretation is at best a stupid practice. At its worst, it can be a vicious practice.” “No word ever has exactly the same meaning twice.”

By S. I. HayakawaI believe in you. I believe in democracy. I believe in Santa Claus.

e.g. I have confidence

in you.

I accept the principles implied

by the term democracy.I believe Santa Claus exists.

Ambiguity is often caused by the lack of context.

- Can you play the piano?

- What are you laughing at?

- She missed it.

- It’s a long day. You must be feeling very tired.

Ambiguity is often caused by the lack of context.

- Could you tell me when we get to the Bell Tower?

- A: Is the coffee sugared? B: Does it taste as if it were?

*** “People in the course of argument very frequently complain about words meaning different things to different people. In stead of complaining, they should accept such differences as a matter of course.”

S. I. Hayakawa:

S. I. Hayakawa:

*** “Such an impasse is avoided when we start with a new premise altogether --- one of the premises upon which modern linguistic thought is based: namely, that no word ever has exactly the same meaning twice.”

S. I. Hayakawa:

*** “To insist dogmatically that we know what a word means in advance of its utterance is nonsense. All we can know in advance is approximately what it will mean.”

S. I. Hayakawa:

*** “An examination of the verbal context of an utterance… directs us to the intensional meanings; an examination of the physical context directs us to the extensional meanings.”

S. I. Hayakawa:

*** “In the study of history or of cultures other than our own, contexts take on special importance….When it comes to very big subjects, the range of contexts to be examined --- verbal, physical, social, and historical --- may become very large indeed.”

3. Interaction with words:

Do something with the words ----- task-based learning, a “deep experience”

e.g. “Find out your partner’s secret”

“The most valuable thing”

4. Discovery techniques:

Let SS work out the rules by themselves, and then make judgment by the rules ----- inductive thinking and deductive thinking

e.g. Subjunctive mood

Prefixes and suffixes

案例 1 ： Revision: Confusing words

1. You didn’t (lend/borrow) my rubber, did you?

2. He sat down (besides/beside) her.

3. Was it (funny/fun) at the party on Friday?

4. The injured man was (laying/lying)by the car.

5. Those who wish to come (rise/raise) your hands.

6. I felt very (lucky/luck), really.

7. Is it all right if I (go with/follow) you to the party?

8. It’s a lot of (job/work) looking after children.

案例 2 ： Classification : verbs --- synonymsleave speak put off call allow see

cry phone enter wear receive

remember mend spell study

1. Being a gentleman, he allowed the women to ( ) first.

2. The meeting has been ( ) until next week.

3. I couldn’t ( ) where I had first met her.

4. No one was allowed to ( ) to her.

go in

postponed

recollect

talk

案例 2 ： Classification : verbs --- synonymsleave speak put off call allow see

cry phone enter wear receive

remember mend spell study

5. Did he ( ) you last night?

6. Time was up. They had to ( ).

7. He ( ) us do it by ourselves.

8. She was alone in the room, ( ).

ring

depart

let

weeping

案例 2 ： Classification : verbs --- synonymsleave speak put off call allow see

cry phone enter wear receive

remember mend spell study

9. I ( ) a letter from my mother yesterday.

10. Did you have it ( )?

11. We go to that school every day to ( ) English.

12. He is too young to ( ) his name.

got

repaired

learn

write

案例 2 ： Classification : verbs --- synonymsleave speak put off call allow see

cry phone enter wear receive

remember mend spell study

13. Let’s go together to ( ) her.

14. The emperor liked to ( ) new clothes.

15. You’d better not ( ) her. It’s late now.

visit

put on

ring

案例 3: Classification : adjectives: antonyms1. hard-working _____________ 2. strong _____________ 3. exciting _____________ 4. quiet _____________ 5. careful _____________ 6. rich _____________ 7. ugly _____________ 8. happy _____________ 9. free _____________ 10. hot _____________ 11. safe _____________

dangerous beautiful cold busy sad poor careless noisy boring weak lazy

lazy

poor

weak

boringnoisycareless

beautifulsadbusycolddangerous

案例 4 ： Classification : verbs: antonyms

1. give _____________ 2. put on _____________ 3. go in _____________ 4. friendly _____________ 5. send _____________ 6. lend _____________ 7. stay _____________ 8. remember _____________ 9. push _____________ 10. buy _____________

take sell pull forget leave borrow receive hostile come out take off

borrow

take offcome outhostilereceive

leave

pullforget

sell

take

案例 5: Classification : Association

blackboard doctor button spoon nurse desks dishwasher date-stamp steering-wheel playground freezer pocket operating-room pupils sleeve patient secretary gear bowl horn seatbelt stapler typewriter

1. On a car 2. In an office 3. In a school ___________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________

steering-wheel date stampgearhornseatbelt

secretarystaplertypewriter

blackboarddesksplaygroundpupils

案例 5 ： Classification : Association

blackboard doctor spoon nurse desks dishwasher date-stamp steering-wheel playground freezer pocket operating-room pupils sleeve patient button secretary gear bowl horn seatbelt stapler typewriter collar

4. On a jacket 5. In a kitchen 6. In a hospital ___________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ____________

button spoons

collar

pocketsleeve

dishwasherfreezerbowls

nurseoperating-roompatientdoctor

案例 6 ： Classification: adjectives: character

friendly bad-tempered shy patient lazy

talkative reliable jealous imaginative

1. My wife is always ______________ in the morning. She gets angry at the slightest thing.

2. What I like about John is that he is so _________. He never makes you disappointed.

3. His girl friend is very ______, isn’t she? She hardly says a word and always looks down when she speaks.

bad-tempered

reliable

shy

friendly bad-tempered shy patient lazy

talkative reliable jealous imaginative

4. Don’t ask Mary to dance with you. Her husband gets so _________, you know.

5. Our new teacher is so __________. She explains it again and again until we understand.

6. Americans are very ____________. They always try to help you even if you’ve never met them before.

jealous

patient

friendly

案例 6 ： Classification: adjectives: character

friendly bad-tempered shy patient lazy

talkative reliable jealous imaginative

7. Bob loves to talk a lot. I’ve never met anyone as _________ as him.

8. His wife never does any housework. I really can’t understand how anyone can be so ____, can you?

9. I wish my husband were as ___________ as Tom. He can make up stories to children at bedtime without the least effort. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?

talkative

lazy

imaginative

案例 6 ： Classification: adjectives: character

Thanks for listening

张 则 玫

wjjpaul@pub.xaonline.com