Teaching and learning vocabulary

de I. S. P. Nation · Publicada por primera vez en 1987

Based on the premise that a systematic approach to vocabulary development results in better learning, this new research based text takes an intensive look at the the underlying principles of vocabulary acquisition including the most effective teaching and learning techniques currently available. The author draws on the vast research, experimentation, and classroom experience of teachers and researchers over the last 100 years and provides relevant applications to the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skill areas.^ Table of contents: Chapter 1: Introduction (should vocabulary be taught, approaches to vocabulary learning, points to consider in vocabulary learning) Chapter 2: The goals of vocabulary learning and vocabulary size (how many words does a second language learner need, how do we choose what vocabulary to teach, setting goals for your learners) Chapter 3: What is involved in learning a word? (what is a word, what is involved in knowing a word, what features make learning a word difficult) Chapter 4: Communicating meaning (the teaching of meaning, concepts, definitions, communicating meaning and remembering the meaning, investigating learning) Chapter 5: Assessing vocabulary size (measuring total vocabulary size, measuring knowledge of a particular group if words) Chapter 6: Vocabulary and listening (what vocabulary is needed to understand spoken English, how can you test the size of a learner's listening vocabulary,^ what should you do when your learners do not have enough vocabulary to understand spoken English?) Chapter 7: Vocabulary and speaking (what vocabulary is needed to speak English, what should you do when learners do not have enough vocabulary to speak) Chapter 8: Vocabulary and reading (what vocabulary is needed to read English, how do you test learner's reading vocabulary, what should you do when learners do not have enough vocabulary to read their set texts, what should you do when there are some unknown words in a text, what should you do when there are unknown words in an English for Special Purposes text) Chapter 9: Vocabulary and writing (what vocabulary is need to write English, what should you do when learners do not have enough vocabulary to write) Chapter 10: Learner strategies (guessing words in context, using mnemonic techniques, using prefixes, roots and suffixes) Chapter 11: Simplification of reading material (why simplify,^ how to simplify) Chapter 12: Directions in vocabulary studies (vocabulary learning goals, organising vocabulary learning, vocabulary and reading, quality of vocabulary knowledge) Appendix 1: Words from The General Service List which are not likely to be well-known Appendix 2: A university word list Appendix 3: A passage with words of various frequency levels omitted Appendix 4: Words in context Appendix 5: To examine the vocabulary of a textbook Appendix 6: Conjunction relationships Appendix 7: Vocabulary puzzles Appendix 8: A vocabulary levels test.