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Tabel 2.1. Student Oral Language Observation Matrix The English Language Learner Knowledge Base, 2004
Aspect 1 2
3 4
5 Pronunciation
Pronunciation problems so
severe as to make speech
virtually unintelligible
Very hard to understand
because of pronunciation
problems. Must frequently
repeat in order to make
himherself understood
Pronunciation problems
necessitate concentration on
the part of the listener and
occasionally lead to
misunderstanding Always
intelligible, although the
listener is conscious of a
definite accent and
occasional inappropriate
intonation patterns
Pronunciation and intonation
approximate that of a
native speaker
5. Teaching and Learning Vocabulary
Teaching vocabulary is among the least important of a teacher’s jobs, and it is important to know about learner’s strategies. Schmitt and McCharty 1997:
p.208 divide the taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies into four groups: 1 Discovery Strategies
In this stage, when learners do not know the words, they must discover their meaning by guessing from structural knowledge of the language, guessing
from L1 cognate, guessing from context, using reference materials, or asking someone else.
2 Social Strategies A second way to discover new meaning employs the social strategy of asking
someone who knows. Teachers are often in this position. They can be asked to help in a variety of ways.
3 Memory Strategies Most memory strategies involve relating the word to be retained with some
previously learners’ knowledge, using some form of imagery or grouping. The strategies used in this stage are pictures imagery, related words, unrelated
words, grouping, etc. 4 Cognitive Strategies
Language strategies in this taxonomy are similar to memory strategies, but are not focused specially on manipulative mental processing; they include sorting,
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classifying, comparing, predicating, repeating and using mechanical means to study vocabulary.
Brown and Payne in Hatch and Brown, 1995: p.372 propose strategies in teaching vocabulary. Brown and Payne say that the teachers have always been
naturally interested in how learners go about learning vocabulary. If they know more about learner strategies and what works and what does not work well, they
can help learners acquire more profitable strategies. Intuitively, they have always given advice about how to learn vocabulary.
Brown and Payne divide the procedure in learning vocabulary into five essential steps: 1 having sources for encountering new words; 2 getting a clear
image, either visual or auditory or both, for the forms of the new words; 3 learning the meaning of the words; 4 making a strong memory connection
between the forms and meanings of the words; and 5 using the words. Different from Brown and Payne, Cross 1991: 11-13 proposes three
stages of procedure of teaching vocabulary as follows: a. Presentation
In this stage, the teachers can use various techniques. However, the teachers have to be careful in selecting the techniques that they use in teaching activity.
Dealing with it, the teachers must consider about the students’s need of vocabulary, the area of vocabulary, which is appropriate to the students’ level
and how vocabulary can be stored in the students’ mind. Therefore, teaching vocabulary is a complex process.
b. Practice It is not enough just to present words and have them repeated. The students
must use words if they are to internalize them. In this stage, the teacher gives exercises to the students in order to practice the subject items being learnt,
making completion, matching, words classification, etc. Those are several of exercise that can be used by the teacher in this stage.
c. Production Production, also known as revision, assists the learning process. It needs to be
done regularly. One way to revise words is to get the class to write. The teacher
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needs to walk around while the students write to ensure they are all trying. Then the students may appoint one of them to write on the board. The other
students can compare this with their own versions. Having copied those illustrative sentences just a few days later, they are unlikely to make mistake,
so they get a sense of achievement. This stage expects the students to apply the newly learnt vocabulary through the speaking or writing activities.
Based on the two theories above, it can be concluded that the procedures of teaching vocabulary are: 1 presentation having sources for encountering new
words and getting a clear image for the forms of the new words; 2 practice learning the meaning of the words and making a strong memory connection
between the forms and meanings of the words; 3 production using the words.
B. YouTube Videos
