TESL 0130: Unit 3 Reflection

TESL 0130 Unit 3 Reflection: Word-Learning Strategies 

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Today I’d like to discuss a couple of different approaches to word-learning strategies. To start, I think it’s essential that students are equipped with effective strategies for acquiring new vocabulary, especially when they are on their own outside of the classroom. This is an important point to keep in mind because students will be exposed to many new words wherever they go and will need a way to process all this new information. According to H. Brown and H. Lee, in order for someone to understand something like a newspaper or a novel, a vocabulary of 8,000 to 9,000 words is necessary (2015). That’s a daunting number of words and by no means will all of them will be acquired solely in the classroom. Therefore, it is imperative that students acquire ways to effectively learn vocabulary on their own.

One thing that students must keep in mind when learning new vocabulary is the context in which it is used. This is especially important in determining which definition of the word applies. For example, the word “running” can take on multiple meanings depending on the context. In some instances “running” refers to the act of jogging, while in other contexts it can refer to when a person is participating in an election. You can imagine how confused a reader might be if they interpret “run for mayor” in the jogging sense of the word! A great way students can encounter vocabulary within context is by looking at data from a linguistic corpora. While this may be better suited to more advanced learners, this is a helpful tool that allows students to see the most common ways a particular word is used, and with what vocabulary a word pairs.

Another strategy students can use to learn new vocabulary is to analyze the affixes that attach to words. By looking at a word with the prefix “un-“, a student immediately can recognize that the meaning will most likely be the opposite or negative of what the root is. By teaching such strategies, students can avoid having to do unnecessary memorizing by simply analyzing these patterns. This will allow students to acquire vocabulary at a much faster rate.

To conclude this reflection, I’d like to emphasize that as teachers, it’s just as important to teach good study methods as it is to teach the actual content of a lesson. By enabling students to learn on their own, both inside and outside of the classroom, students can take control of their learning and continue to do so long after they’ve finished studying under you. We must never forget that learning a language is a never-ending process!

References

H. Brown, H. L. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. .