Hold my hand, if you love me

Come to see gumusservi

Hold my hand, be mine

Come to see the moonshine

1. Illegally

distilled

alcohol

2. Smuggled

whisky

3. Nonsense

4. Moonlight

VOCABULARY TEACHING: IMPLICIT VS EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION

By Mohamed Sujaau

10024

BATEFL / CST305

CONTENT

What is

vocabulary

Why was

vocabulary

teaching neglected

Implicit vs

Explicit

instruction

• Evolution of

vocabulary teaching

• Teaching Implications

• Recommendations

• References

WHAT IS VOCABULARY

• A listing of the words used in some enterprise.

• A language user's knowledge of words.

• The set of all words that are understood by a person or the set of all words

likely to be used by that person when constructing new sentences.

Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary (1989)

WHY WAS VOCABULARY TEACHING NEGLECTED

1. Assumption that L2 vocabulary would take care of itself in L2

acquisition, the same as vocabulary development in L1 (Coady, 1993).

2. Excessive focus on teaching learning strategies, grammar and

sentence patterns over vocabulary (Folse, 2007).

3. Language was perceived as a finite system, whereas vocabulary is

a more open unlimited subsystem (Beltrán et al., 2010).

VOCABULARY TEACHING - EVOLUTION

Period Method Focus

18th century – 1920s Grammar Translation Use of bilingual vocabulary lists

From 1880s Reform movement Phonetics & transcription more

important than vocabulary.

Simple and useful words given /

taught in a context.

End of 19th century Direct method Everyday vocabulary taught with

no translation.

Objects & demonstrations used

to teach simple concrete words.

Abstract words taught using

word associations.

1920s / 1930s Reading method / situational

language teaching

Vocabulary was given

prominence.

Word-frequency lists used.

VOCABULARY TEACHING - EVOLUTION

Period Method Focus

1940s Audio Lingual Simple & similar vocabulary.

Language habits & exposure.

Drilling.

Overemphasis on grammar.

1970s Communicative Language

Teaching

Vocabulary is not primary focus.

Appropriate use of language

varieties.

Emphasis on language as

discourse.

1980s The Natural Approach Contextual, not direct translation.

Like L1, it can be acquired.

From 1980s Current perspectives Role of vocabulary emphasized.

(Espinosa, 2003)

VOCABULARY TEACHING - EVOLUTION

(1) Grammar-Translation,

(2) Direct,

(3) Reading,

(4) Audiolingualism (United States),

(5) Oral-Situational (Britain),

(6) Cognitive,

(7) Affective-Humanistic,

(8) Comprehension-Based, and

(9) Communicative.

Celce-Murcia (2001) classifies the major trends

in language teaching in the twentieth century into nine

approaches, namely,

EXPLICIT VS IMPLICIT INSTRUCTION

Explicit Implicit

focuses attention directly on the

information to be learned

using language for communicative

purposes (Schmitt, 1988)

focuses on making the learner notice new

vocabulary by doing exercises such as

learning vocabulary lists, word building

games and using various strategies

(Nation, 1990).

the meaning of a word is acquired totally

unconsciously as a result of abstraction

from repeated exposures in a range of

activated contexts. (Ellis, 1994:219)

applying metacognitive strategies to

remember new vocabulary, to consolidate

a new understanding by repetition…’ (Ellis,

1994:219).

More contextualized, thus enables learners

to learn more words and can boost their

vocabulary retention (Hunt and Beglar,

2002).

TEACHING IMPLICATIONS – EXPLICIT METHOD

Grade 1

TEACHING IMPLICATIONS – EXPLICIT METHOD

Grade 3

TEACHING IMPLICATIONS – EXPLICIT METHOD

1) L2 learners have to make more

conscious effort to learn words

(Nuttall1988: 70).

2) Because most SS are not aware

that it is possible to understand

new words without being told

what they mean (Bright &

McGregor 1970).

3) Because we need to encourage

the students to adopt a positive

attitude towards new lexical items.

1) Tendency to concentrate on

individual words.

2) The learner may not attempt to

use the context to decode

meaning.

3) Over-frequent use of the

dictionary can affect reading

(Wallace, 1988).

TEACHING IMPLICATIONS – IMPLICIT METHOD

Grade 4

TEACHING IMPLICATIONS – IMPLICIT METHOD

1) To infer meaning from context

in the same way native speakers

or competent speakers of a

foreign language do.

2) To show SS that many words

can just be ignored.

3) Better able to use the word in

the needed context or situation.

4) More meaningful, authentic,

fosters autonomy.

1) Depends hugely on reading

ability (Haynes, 1990).

2) Depends on learners’

motivation.

3) Learners might not be able to

infer the correct meaning.

4) What if learners do not have

the vocabulary knowledge to

decipher?

RECOMMENDATIONS

Integrate vocabulary with the four

language skills

Teach useful words

Activate schemata

Build a large sight vocabulary

Provide a number of encounters

Use both as appropriate

Arigatho, Shukran, Shukriyya & Thank you!

REFERENCESEspinosa, S.M. (2003). Vocabulary: reviewing trends in EFL/ESL instruction and testing. Odisea, 4, 91-112.

Folse, K.S. (2007). Vocabulary Myths. Florida: Michigan Press.

Beltrán, R.C., Chacon-beltran, R., Contesse, C.A., & López, M.M.T. (2010). (Eds.). Insights Into Non-native Vocabulary Teaching and Learning. Bristol: Channel View Publications.

Coady, J. (1993). Research on ESL/EFL vocabulary acquisition: Putting it in context. In T. Huckin& M. Haynes & J. Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning (pp. 3-23). Norwood, N.J.: Ablex.

Celce-Murcia, M. (2001). Language teaching approaches: An overview. In M. Celce- Murcia, (Ed), Teaching English as a second or foreign language, (pp.3-11), Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Ellis, N. C. (Ed.) (1994). Implicit and explicit learning of languages. London: Academic Press.

Hunt, A. & Beglar, D. (2002). Current research and practice in teaching vocabulary. In J. C. Richards & W. A. Renandya (Eds.) Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice, (pp.254-266), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

REFERENCESBright, J. A. & McGregor, G. P. (1970). Teaching English as a Second Language.

London: Longman.

Nuttal, C. (1988). Teaching Reading Skills it1 a Foreign Language. Oxford: Heinemann.

Wallace, M. (1988). Teaching Vocabulaty. Oxford: Heinemann.

Haynes, M. (1990). Examining the impact of L1 literacy on reading success in a second writing system. In H. Burmeister & P. L. Rounds (Eds.), Variability in second language acquisition: Proceedings of the tenth meeting of the second language research forum. Eugene, OR: Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon.