Vocabulary Teaching and Learning

word parts to remember and guessing meaning from context are two important startegies to help the learners in learning vocabulary. Based on the research in Nation 2001, using word cards and dictionaries are also effective startegies in learning vocabulary that is to achieve faster and stronger vocabulary learning results Nunan, 2003. 3. Give attention to the high frequency words across the four strands of a course. The four strands in language course are learning from meaning focused- input, deliberate learning, learning from meaning-focused output, and fluency development. High frequency words need to occur in all four strands of a course. They should be used in communicating messages in listening, speaking, reading, and writing and fluently accessible for receptive and productive skills Nunan, 2003: 139. 4. Encourage learners to reflect on and take responsibility for learning. According to Nunan 2003, the learners should realize that they must be responsible for their own learning. Taking this responsibility requires knowledge of what to learn and the range of options for learning vocabulary; skill in choosing the best options; and the ability to monitor and evaluate progress with those options. If the learners does not take control, the learning process will not be effective for them. Therefore, the teachers should help them by doing these following ways: informing, training, and encouraging the learners to reflect and evaluate their learning that is knowledge, skills, and awareness. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

2.1.5 Assessing Vocabulary

Teaching vocabulary is very important and it obviously seems that words need to be learned in order to be able to use the language well. In this case, vocabulary is the basic elements that should be learned and it is the provision of the people who want to learn a new language. In school level, such as senior high school, the vocabulary needs to be assessed because it can be considered that vocabulary is a particular priority in language learning. The principle which has to be mastered by learners is the ability to memorize perfectly the largest number of common and useful word-groups Palmer, 1925. The strategies that are usually used in assessing vocabulary are multiple choice and matching. These strategies are easy to be done and to be scored. The teachers can easily score the correct answers and through this way, the teachers can measure the students’ mastery of vocabulary. In assessing vocabulary, the teachers have to understand what vocabulary is and then find the purpose of assessing vocabulary. In this case, the teachers should be able to understand that vocabulary knowledge involves knowing the meaning of words. Because of this reason, the purpose of vocabulary test is to find out whether the learners can match each word with a synonym, a dictionary type definition or an equivalent word in their own language Read, 2000. In vocabulary testing, the teachers assess learners’ knowledge of words. Indirectly, it can be said that the teachers measure the learners’ mastery of vocabulary. In assessing vocabulary, the teachers need to master the strategies of assessing vocabulary, such as multiple choice and matching test. According to