The common problem in my teaching process:

Teacher: Why didn’t you finish your English homework

yesterday?

Student: Well, I’m terribly sorry, Mrs Luo, but I had

so much homework to do yesterday that I

had no time to finish my English homework.

Teacher: Isn’t your English homework part of your

homework?

Student: …I feel frustrated whenever I have such a conversation with my students. I have to try my best to have the students remember as many words as possible in class.

My son always finish his English homework after he has finished all the other subjects’ homework.

Some practices of my teaching of vocabulary learning

1. to force or to choose?

2. It is better to help them find a partner to work with.

I have failed to force them to remember the words after class, so I have to allow them to choose to learn actively in class.

Always remember: we are social creatures. Pairwork is better.

If two students can check with each other, it is better for them to work in pairs than work alone. Because they can supervise each other and help each other.

My topics today:

1.Students’ frequent exposure to the new words

in a given time

2. An insight to strategies of vocabulary learning

I have to find ways to have the students memorize the new words well in class instead of after class.

1. From passive taking notes in class to active exercises

between partners.

Use a three-folded paper in class. Hand it in each day.

Colomn CColumn BColumn A

English phrases

Related Chinese at random order

Match Column A with Column B

Topic 1.Students’ frequent exposure to the new words in a given time

Related English phrases again

Finish this column after class.

Column C

2. “Chunk” is better than a single word.

Always ask them to remember phrases or sentences instead of a single word. For each module, I ask their parents to have a dictation of each single word once a week at weekends when they go back home. But I never do it myself.

Always remember the 7+ 2 principle

The famous psychological experiment:

One single chair on the playground

A row of bright yellow chairs on the playground

Advice: don’t have a dictation of all the single words in a module. Instead, ask them to remember phrases or sentences containing the new words. That’s better.

3. Offer the students adequate opportunities to read and write a lot in class to cope with the new type of test in the NMET.

If possible, ask all the students to read and write. Also, they can do much pairwork in class. Have his or her partner check his or her answers instead of the teacher. This way, they are assessed by their partners in each class. They will try their best to learn the words. If they have any problems, they can ask their partners for help.

Remember: There is only one teacher for the 47 students. You have to have their performance in class evaluated in some way. If you can’t do it yourself, ask their partners to do the work instead of you. I do believe evaluation of their performance in class is a must in class.

4. Make sure the students are exposed to the new words as many times as possible in a given time.

In today’s class, the students are exposed to the new words for

six times in class. Also, they are exposed to the new words again when they write down the English phrases in Column C after class.

Scientific experiments have proved that if you come across a

new word for 16 times, it will be included in your vocabulary.

Frequency is crucial

while the students are learning vocabulary.

Part II 部分的练习是根据这篇文章所学的内容我自己编写的一个新题型的练习，一方面可以练习一下新题型的做题技巧，另一方面又把刚才前面所学的生词在该部分复现一次，让学生增加一次学习新单词的机会，一举两得。

我编写这个练习题总共用了 10 分钟，所以对于教师来讲也不是什么多大的难事，信手拈来。 另外，同头的老师可以合作，这样大家的工作量

4. Make sure the students are exposed to the new words as many times as possible in a given time.

5. From Chinese to English

The film: American Dreams in China

1.ambition 俺必胜

2. pest 拍死它

ambulance 俺不行了噻来救护车

3. diagnose 大夫诊断个大鼻子

4.purchase 购买破车子

5. immigrant 移民过来的

6. mytery 迷死他了

7. comedy 来看喜剧地

8. tradedy 踹着地悲剧

9. not a little 小 “ little” “ 非常”厉害 =very much

not a bit 一点也不 =not at all

……..

10. suburb 郊区成了香饽饽

11. world champion 世界级产品

（世界冠军）12. mental 整天闷头的，精神有问题

6. Use different mathematic symbols:

1. surprise ＜ astonish ＜ shock

2. must ＞ may ＞ might ＞ could ＞ can

3. file

Document 1 English

Document 2 Chinese

Document 3 maths

Document 4 chemistry

Document 5 physics

Document 6 biology

7. Use pictures, lines or arrows to explain some abstract adjectives.

B

A

an efficient way

an effective

way

an effective way

To be efficient means to finish something within the least time.

throw up /bring up your food

have a running nose

have a headache

have a cough

get flu

7. Use the pie chart .

1

2

3 4

5

6

have a temperature feel sick and weak

symptoms of getting flu

8. Use the flow chart.

chew swallow digest

absorb excrete

9. Use actions to learn verbs

Ask the students to demonstrate the meanings of the verbs if possible

identify a murderer

beat the drum

a baby crawling on the floor

paddle a boat

beat the shore

threaten a man

frighten sb

clap/applause

Reflect

cycle

recycle the garbage

complain about sth

melt sth

10. Group words.

e.g. Make a list of the nouns that refers to an occupation.

researcher engineer pilot astronaut ……..

11. Learn the root, prefix and suffix of a word.

If you want to change your behavior, you have to change your way of thinking first.

The book that changed my way of thinking is “Psychology for Language Teachers: a Social Constructivist Approach” 《语言教师心理学初探》 by Marion Williams & Robert L. Burden. It was my professor who recommended it to me while I was preparing for my master’s degree. I benefited a lot from it.

After reading the book, I have changed some of my teaching beliefs, Thus, I have changed my teaching behaviour.

Advice: Change your way of thinking

before changing your behaviour.

Topic 2. An insight to strategies of vocabulary learning

“Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy” by Norbert Schmitt & Michael McCarthy is another good book.

《词汇：描述、习得与教学》

Topic 2 An insight to strategies of vocabulary learning

What’s the meaning of vocabulary learning?

Vocabulary learning

1. Pronunciation （读音和听力训练会辅助记忆，是大脑的另外的输入途径，有别于用眼睛看）2. spelling(Ss’ correct spelling)( 新题型的要求 )

3. word form

4. different meanings in different situations （阅读和完型）

part of speech

root

suffix

prefix

2. An insight to strategies of vocabulary learning

Language learning strategies

Memory strategies

Metacognitive strategies

Rebecca

Oxford

国际知名语言教育学家

Direct strategies

Indirect strategies

Cognitive strategies

Compensation strategies

Affective strageties

Social strategies

Memory

strategies

Direct strategies

Cognitive

strategies

Compensation

strategies

1.Creating mental linkages

2.Applying images and sounds

3.Reviewing well

4.Employing actions

1. practicing

2. Receiving and sending messages

3. Analyzing and reasoning

4. Creating structure for input and output

1. Guessing intelligently

2. Overcoming limitation in speaking and

writing

Indirect strategies

Metacognitive

strategies

1.Centering your learning

2. Arranging and planning your learning

3. Evaluating your learning

Affective strategies

1. Lowering your anxiety

2. Encouraging yourself

3. Taking your emotional temperature

Sacial

strategies

1. Asking questions

2. Cooperating with others

3. Empathizing with others

Oxford provides a list of twelve features of

language learning strategies

1. They contribute to the main goal: communicative competence

2. They allow learners to become more self-directed.

3. They expand the role of teachers.

4. They are problem oriented.

5. They are specific actions taken by the learner.

6. They involve many aspects of the learner, not just the cognitive.

7. They support learning both directly and indirectly.

8. They are not always observable.

9. They are often conscious.

10. They can be taught.

11. They are flexible.

12. They are influenced by a variety of factors.

Her book “What a Language Teacher Should Know”

Advice: Focus on the students’ training of metacognitive strategies and help them regulate their vocabulary learning behaviour.

Teachers’ own conceptions of what is meant by strategy and students’ awareness of learning strategies will largely influence what they do in the classroom. Vocabulary learning outcomes depends quite heavily on the students’ endeavours. Strategy-based model is expected in vocabulary teaching and learning in the classroom. Teachers should help the students acquire appropriate strategies for vocabulary learning, help them learn to learn, control their own learning behaviour and solve vocabulary learning problems by themselves.

本次培训的作业内容是（三个标题任选其一） :

1. 新题型考查形式下课堂词汇教学的重点在哪里？

2. 新题型考查形式下课堂词汇教学之我见

3. 新题型考查形势下如何提高课堂词汇教学的效果