Teaching Vocabulary Theoretical Description

2. Teaching Vocabulary

a. The Nature of Teaching Vocabulary Teaching vocabulary is not easy for some teachers. One of the reasons is that vocabulary teaching and learning must fit into the broader framework of a language course. It means there should be a balanced range of learning opportunities. Nation 2003:133-134 suggests four strands to see whether there is a balanced range of opportunities or not in the language course. They are as follows. 1. Learning from meaning-focused input This strand involves learning from listening and reading. The focus of learning vocabulary in this strand is that learners need to know 98 percent of running words already. It means that , at most, there should be only one unknown word in every fifty running words Nation, 2003: 133. 2. Deliberate Learning The deliberate learning strand, which is sometimes called form-focused instruction or language-focused learning, involves paying deliberate attention to language features such as sounds and spelling. Memorizing students’ first language translation is considered as the most obvious deliberate learning technique in learning new vocabulary. 3. Learning from meaning-focused output In this strand, the students’ main attention is on communicating messages through speaking and writing. It means that speaking and writing, which are considered as productive skills, are used as sources of vocabulary learning. Using PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI vocabulary productively can strengthen learning and can push students to focus on aspects of vocabulary knowledge that they did not need to attend to when listening and reading Swain, 1985. 4. Fluency Development The aim of this strand is to help students make the best use of what they already know. It is important to see fluency as being related to each of the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing with fluency needed to be developed independently in each of these skills Nation, 2003: 134. b. Principles on Teaching Vocabulary Nation suggests some principles the language teachers can use for teaching vocabulary 2003:135-141. They are as follows. 1. Focus on the most useful vocabulary first Some words, in English, can be used in a wide variety of circumstances but others have much more limited use. Nation states that teaching useful vocabulary before less useful vocabulary gives learners the best return for their learning effort 2003: 135. The most frequent 1000 word families of English is believed as the most useful vocabulary that every English language students need since it covers around 70 percent of the running words in both printed media such as newspaper, novels and academic books, and audio-visual media such as conversation in the radio. The next most useful list is the second 1000 words of English or it can also be those words which depend on the goals of the students. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 2. Focus on the vocabulary in the most appropriate way This principle gives explanation at how new vocabulary should be taught and learned. There are many learning strategies that can be used to teach vocabulary. Nation suggests four most important vocabulary learning strategies to teach low frequency words, namely using word parts, guessing from the context, using word cards and using dictionaries. The ways of helping students with high frequency words can be simpler that with low frequency words. These ways includes directly teaching the words, getting students to speak and write using the words and getting students to study words and do exercise based on the words 2003: 138-139. 3. Give attention to the high frequency words across the four strands of a course High frequency vocabulary needs to occur in all strands. It should get deliberate attention through teaching and study and should be met and used in communicating messages in listening, reading, speaking and writing Nation, 2003:139. 4. Encourage learners to reflect on and take responsibility for learning Vocabulary learning is a large and continuing task. In the teaching- learning process, the role of teacher should be only as person who provides useful input and support to help students in learning process, while the students are people who have to learn and carry on learning. It is why students need to realize that they must be responsible for their own learning. Students often find it hard and difficult to take on this responsibility. Nation suggests that in order to take PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI responsibility for their own vocabulary learning, students need to choose words that will be useful for them.

3. Task Based Learning