农村初中英语词汇教学
毕业论文
浅析农村初中英语词汇教学的策略
------问题及建议
学生：刘静
指导教师：邱忠蓉
系别：外国语学院
年级：2004
重庆三峡学院
二00八年五月
An Analysis of English Vocabulary Teaching Strategies in Rural Junior
Middle School
----Problems and Suggestions
Student: Liu Jing
Tutor: Qiu Zhongrong Department: School of Foreign Languages Grade：2004
ChongQing Three Gorges University
May, 2008
Abstract:This paper is a study based on investigation about English vocabulary teaching and learning from rural junior middle schools. According to the questionnaire from students, we find out that there are a lot of problems exist in English vocabulary teaching and learning in some rural junior middle schools. In order to solve these problems, then I analysis the current condition and find out main problems exist in these schools, such as teaching words in isolation and in one-to-one correspondence to Chinese words, students’ inactive learning attitude etc. Meanwhile, I analysis the subjective and objective reasons that cause these problems. So as to improve English vocabulary teaching and learning quality, several teaching and learning tips have been suggested, which can promote students progress. Finally, make a natural conclusion on this study.
Key W ords: vocabulary; methods; rural junior middle school
摘要:本文是一项基于农村初中英语词汇教学方法的研究。通过对学生的问卷调查，我们发现农村初中在英语词汇教学方面存在一些问题。为了解决这些问题，我分析了农村初中词汇教学现状，也找到了一些主要问题。比如：老师孤立的教单词，与中文一一对应的教单词以及学生学习态度消极等。同时，也分析了产生这些问题的主客观原因，然后在此基础上，为提高词汇教与学质量，我提出了几种教和学的方法。最后，对本研究做出结论。
关键词：词汇；方法；农村初中
Outline
1. Introduction
1.1Importance of vocabulary teaching
1.2Three distinguished features of English vocabulary
2. Investigation and Analysis
2.1 Current condition of vocabulary teaching and learning
2.2 Main problems of vocabulary teaching
2.2.1 Treating all words equally
2.2.2 Teaching words in isolation and in one-to –one correspondence to Chinese words
2.2.3 Neglecting the cooperation of sense organs
2.2.4 Harmful method of punishment
2.3 Main problems of vocabulary learning
2.3.1 Learner’s inactive attitude
2.3.2 Failing to follow the memory rule
2.4 Reasons that cause these problems
2.4.1 Subjective aspect
2.4.1.1 Teachers’ poor quality and little awareness
2.4.1.2 Students’ laziness
2.4.2Objective aspect
2.4.21 Examination-oriented education system
2.4.2.2 Social environment limitation
3. Put forward several advanced teaching and learning methods
3.1 Several advanced teaching methods
3.1.1 By using visual pedagogy (labels, gestures, pictures)
3.1.2 Through communicative activities
3.1.2.1 Teaching vocabulary in context
3.1.2.2 Teaching vocabulary by communication
3.1.2.3 Teaching vocabulary by riddles and word games
3.1.3 Teaching vocabulary by using known knowledge
3.1.3.1 Sound-use combination and word formation
3.1.3.2 Using known vocabulary
3.2 Advanced learning methods (read, practice, look up the dictionary, use mnemonics)
4. Conclusion
1. Introduction
1.1 Importance of Vocabulary Teaching
As widely known, language learning involves three parts: pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. V ocabulary, as one of three components, is essential and important to people’s communication and language learning. One of the famous linguists Wilkins（1987 ）once said that:“without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed. ”(Zhang Ping, 2006: 21-26) To some degree, vocabulary is the ligament for people to communicate with each other. Without enough words, one can’t communicate with others, no matter how wonderful his grammar and pronunciation are. Therefore, acquiring adequate vocabulary is of critical importance to language learners. It is clear that without words, language learning will turn out to be a castle in the air. So the quantity and the accuracy of vocabulary grasped by students are one of the standards that is used to measure one’s level of language, the teacher have to pay much attention to vocabulary teaching, especially to its strategy in rural junior middle schools.
Thus, vocabulary teaching should be considered as one indispensable part of English lessons in middle schools and an important task for teachers to fulfill. Usually, what teachers do have good or bad influence on students. If his methods are easily accepted by students, he could easily arouse their interest and help them develop a solid foundation of language acquisition ability. Whereas if he fails to do so, it might bring a heavy blow to students’ confidence and might cause them to disgust English.
1.2 Three Distinguished Features of English Vocabulary
English words are quite different from Chinese characters, the former is a spelling system while the later is a stroke system. English words have three distinguished features: Firstly, the pronunciation of each word is corresponded to its spelling. Secondly, English words often have more than one meaning. When we come across a word, try to guess its meaning from the context in which it is used. Thirdly, English words can change their shapes and their grammatical values, too. Students need to know facts about word formation and how to twist words to fit different grammatical contexts and how suffixes and prefixes work. Knowing the three distinguished characteristics of English vocabulary will help teachers to deliver vocabulary teaching.
In china, especially in rural junior middle schools, English teachers do not realize the importance of vocabulary teaching and three features of English vocabulary, so they do not emphasize too much on vocabulary and students are poor in learning.
Therefore, this paper aims to show some scientific methods of vocabulary teaching and learning. In the following parts, the author will discuss three topics:(1) investigation and analysis about current problems of vocabulary teaching and learning from rural junior middle schools; (2) put forward several advanced and scientific teaching and learning methods; (3) conclusions on English vocabulary teaching in rural junior middle schools.
2. Investigations and Analysis
In order to find out some main problems of vocabulary teaching and learning in rural junior middle schools, the author have made a questionnaire from students. By taking this investigation result from rural junior middle schools, we know 57% students think their teachers often teach isolated words which are listed in textbook, 80% students consider that their English teachers ignore the relationship between words and understanding of words, more than half students are lazy, more than 80% students fail to follow the memory rule and so on. In the light of this investigation, the author find out problems exist in vocabulary teaching and learning, some drawbacks are listed as follow:
2.1 Current Condition of Vocabulary Teaching and Learning
Firstly, students don’t think much of learning vocabulary. They think it will take them a long time to remember words, so just be able to read and write is enough. Though some students spend much time learning it, they don’t have good learning effect. Among them, they remember words inflexibly without memorial ways. So the more quickly they learn, the more quickly they forget. According to the questionnaire, we know 70% students have this phenomenon.
Secondly, vocabulary teaching ways are very dull. A large number of teachers spend one and two lessons teaching vocabulary of each unit. They usually explain words and let students remember and recite them by themselves without relating to daily life. In class, teachers’role is just educator and information provider, students’role is only listener, so they will easily feel tired and dull. Therefore, they are sick of listening and poor in learning vocabulary.
2.2 Main Problems of Vocabulary Teaching
2.2.1 Treating All W ords Equally
From the investigation, 40% students could not tell important words from unimportant words. That is because some English teachers treat all vocabulary equally. In other words, they generally imply that students should be able to grasp all vocabulary presented, including receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary. But
linguists point out that all speakers are able to recognize more words than they usually use on a productive level, because productive vocabulary is utilized in everyday speech. Receptive vocabulary, on the other hand, although needed for comprehension, is not necessarily essential for production in speaking and writing. However, teachers who do not notice this fact ask students to concentrate equally on the acquisition of both types of vocabulary, which adds much burden to students, and cause them to become tired of vocabulary learning, thereby reduced the effectiveness of their studies.
2.2.2 Teaching Words in Isolation and in One-to-One Correspondence to Chinese Words
In English vocabulary, there are many different words in sentences and expressed in the context with completely different meanings. For example:
(1) Is he running in the 100 meters? (Race) (2) Run for president. (Election)
(3)The report ran in all the newspaper. (Published)
(4)He ran a cow into a barn. (Rush)
Because of the polysemy, it is precisely that words must be taught in certain context, so that students know how to use them. However, in actual teaching, some teachers, for the sake of convenience, only teach words in accordance with the word list. They pick out new words in the text, list them on a paper, and then consult dictionary about meanings and copy all the meanings of that word to a number of students, finally ask them to recite. But in fact, the same word has different social meanings in different context. Learning English vocabulary is not just to memorize its Chinese equivalent, but to learn the meaning relationship and all other relative words in English within the context of cultural life. Such teaching method separate context, so many students feel that learning vocabulary is too dry and dull, so gradually, they lose interest. As time passed, they have sick mentality, which result in decreased performance and made the whole learning process into a vicious circle.
2.2.3 Neglecting the Cooperation of Sense Organs：
Generally speaking, an average English learner will remember a new word well and make it become an active one if he observes, speaks out, hears, writes as well as recites it. But from the questionnaire, we know there is only 2% student notice the cooperation of sense organs and many rural middle school English teachers seem to be unaware of this rule. As a result, a few students remember vocabulary in incorrect ways and many English teachers in rural middle schools hold the false belief that the more they write down, the better they remember. Finally most students do not
co-operate the functions of eyes, ears, mouth and hands when memorizing new words. They treat the new words as if they are telephone numbers. They read the new words letter by letter without observing the pronunciation rules. For example, when they read the word ―classroom‖, they do it in this way: ―c-l-a-s-s-r-o-o-m, classroom‖ instead of ―cl[kl]-a[a:]-ss[s]-r[r]-oo[u:]-m[m], classroom‖.
2.2.4 Harmful Method of Punishment
In the countryside, from the investigation, we see 80% students think their English teachers are in favor of copying words many times. They hold the false belief that the more students write down, the better they remember. This awkward punishment often cause students to fear and worry about English lessons. It is true that most of the middle school students are interested in English at the very beginning, because it is a new subject that is full of novelty and interest. And they like their English teachers, too. But with the misuse of teaching methods by their teachers, they begin to feel discouraged in English learning and disgust their English teachers.
Being taught in this way, they achieve little although they take painful efforts in vocabulary learning. Consequently, they can’t find much pleasure in English and become more lazy in study. Neither is their English ability improved, nor they are interested in English learning.
2.3 Main Problems of Vocabulary Learning
From investigation, we know that the situation of students’ implement ation in their study was inferior to satisfactory. The subjective problems of students lie in the following two aspects:
2.3.1 Learner’s Inactive Attitude
On one hand, according to investigation, more than half students are lazy. So when they are asked to remember new words, they are always reluctant to spend much time in accumulating vocabulary. They think learning vocabulary is a boring and time-consuming task and it is not as important as grammar. So they do not make study plan, they just try to remember words meaning before exam or dictation. But the exam not only tests their spelling and meaning, but also the collocation, application and understanding of words. So students should extend the application and understanding of words.
On the other hand, students have got into the habit of receiving information from their teachers, they totally depend on their teachers. When meeting new words in their after-class reading, they are unwilling to look up dictionary or guess the meaning from context; when required to read magazines, short stories, most students find they
are hard to be read. For them, classroom is the only place to study and they study under the supervision of their teachers and parents.
2.3.2 Failing to Follow Memory Rule
From investigation, we find that nearly 80% rural junior middle school students recite and write vocabulary from memorization, they practice and consolidate words by writing them many times instead of applying them in conversation and context. As is well known, there are two types of memory process: short-term and long-term memory. Short-term memory means that the store of input only stays in memory temporarily, while the long-term memory means the store of input stays in memory for more than 10 days, even for the whole life. In fact, our memory process is a recyclable process. According to the survey of linguists, the more times the word is used, the better one remembers it. But many students partially emphasized the function of short-term memory and doing exercises by writing instead of practicing. They ignored cooperation of sense organs, and seem to care more about the amount of vocabulary input than those actual stay in their memory. They claim that time is so limited that they can’t spend too much time on the repetition of vocabulary learning. 2.4 Reasons that Cause These Problems
From the investigation, we can see that there are subjective reasons and objective reasons that cause poor vocabulary teaching and learning efficiency.
2.4.1 Subjective Aspects
2.4.1.1 Teacher’s Poor Quality and Less Awareness
According to the investigation result, we know rural middle school English teachers are poor in the following two aspects. On one hand, in some rural areas, many junior middle school English teachers are supply teachers, they do not accept proper education and they lock of scientific method of vocabulary teaching. Although a small part of these English teachers have accepted the formal college or university education, they are still irresponsible to vocabulary teaching, they think vocabulary do not need teach. In class, as long as students know how to read and write is enough; after class, ask students to recite them alone and finally accomplish vocabulary teaching by dictation. In addition, they do not pay much attention to phonetic symbols, they think they have been responsible to it, so in the course of vocabulary teaching, they seldom concern with students’ grasping. But actually, English words are tens and thousands of times of 48(the number of phonetic symbols), so phonetic symbols are implement tools of vocabulary spelling, writing and pronunciation. Only grasped them well can students have the self-taught ability and learn vocabulary well.
On the other hand, many teachers ignore the interest training in English class. As a matter of fact, interest is the source of improving the initiative in students’ learning, it makes students remember words profoundly and heighten memory effect. But many rural middle school English teachers abide by traditional English teaching pattern in class. For example: most teachers spend one or two periods on vocabulary teaching of each unit without any activities and always ask students to read and read again. This cut-and-dried machinery is trainned, students’thinking ability could not developed. But Great educator B.A.Cyxomjinhcknn has spoken: ―students arriving in school not only for gain knowledge, mainly being for becoming more clever.‖(Wang Tianyi, 1994: 423) Therefore, if we always just open books and read like machinery in class, we may finally accommodate ourselves to what one English proverb speaks: ―No play makes John a dumb boy.‖ Therefore, it can be seen that students’ creative ability improvement are vitally interrelated to teachers’ quality.
2.4.1.2 Students’ Laziness
Likewise, teachers’indifference to vocabulary learning has led to students’ despise to vocabulary learning and accumulation. When faced with the increasing vocabulary number and degree of difficulty, students gradually become exhausted. They come to school only for finishing the nine-year compulsory education or even for growing up, thus it is unnecessary for them to work hard. What’s more, in our daily life, Chinese is spoken everywhere, whereas English is not very common. From this aspect, students think learned but without practice also will forget quickly. Thus their laziness in thinking and action cause learning effect poor.
2.4.2 Objective Aspects
2.4.2.1 Examination –Oriented Education System
Generally speaking, education system have reformed and improved a lot, but in the most poor and rural areas, according to my investigation, exam-oriented education system is still taking its leading position. Because appraising a school’s superior or inferior rank and judging a teacher’s teaching quality still take the enrollment quotas height as standard. Suppose exam achievement can not go up, even if teachers are good and students like to listen, this is also of no help. Therefore, under this pressure, many teachers do not attach much importance to the classroom teaching, they only think much of exam results instead of teaching methods.
2.4.2.2 Social Environment Limitation
Firstly, in some rural junior middle schools, many students start to learn English at
grade one of junior middle school, but most students in cities begin to learn English at grade three of primary school, when they enter into middle school, they have accumulate hundreds of word. So compared with those students in cities, rural school students have lagged a lot.
Secondly, students in cities can study vocabulary from many channels, such as buy story magnetic tape to learn pronunciation, buy reading materials to e nlarge vocabulary size, see the pertinent video document to improve interest. But the great majority rural middle school students have no such condition.
Thirdly, as most rural middle schools are very poor, their teaching equipment is simple and dull. But the nine-year compulsory education English textbook (a revised edition) have increased the difficulty degree to those students who have not attached English in elementary school. In order to solve this problem, using multi-media in teaching plays an important role. But unluckily, many middle schools in rural areas are short of modernized medium, and those English teachers couldn’t provide the brand-new teaching ways to make the vocabulary teaching interesting and dynamic. All in all, the school environment limitation and teachers’ poor quality become the main reason that led to students’poor learning effect. So it is particularly important and necessary to make vocabulary teaching and learning interesting and effective. But how can it be interest? Some scientific and advanced methods will mention below. 3. Several Advanced Teaching and Learning Methods
After careful observation of the English classroom and study of English pedagogy in rural junior middle schools, as well as my personal English teaching, the author would like to suggest several teaching and learning methods, which aims to make teaching and learning more effective.
3.1 Advanced Teaching Methods
3 1.1 Teaching Vocabulary by Using Visual Pedagogy
Visual pedagogy is a direct perception which is using visuals to teach students in order to make them more direct when they meet some unfamiliar words. Usually the following methods can be used in teaching process in junior middle schools.
a. Labels
For a beginning class the teacher can prepare labels for objects in the classroom, for example, in the classroom the door might have a label written ―CLASS TWO‖; above the blackboard might be a sign written ―STUDY HARD‖.
If the lesson is about foods, the teacher could bring a basket of plastic fruit to classroom.
Teacher: what is this?
Student: It’s a tomato; it’s a pear; it’s an orange.
In teaching about the house, a doll house with furniture can be used to teach the names of rooms, parts of the house and furniture.
The calendar may be used to teach ―today‖, ―yesterday‖, ―tomorrow‖, as well as ―last week‖, ―next week‖, ―next month‖, ―in two weeks‖ and so on.
What’s more, the teacher can use a clock face on the blackboard, randomly pointing to the numbers from 1 to 12, while the students speak out them loudly. The numbers
13 to 24 may also be added.
b. Pictures
Utilizing pictures to teach new words is a good method, too. Teachers should try to make students associate each word with an image or an object, because students are always apt to master the words with an image, which can deepen their memory. Therefore, in the primary stage of English study, it is concrete material object nouns such as book, desk, student, etc that can be grasped first.
c. Gestures
Gestures may be used to convey the meanings of some words. Certain descriptive adjectives, such as ―tall‖, ―thin‖, ―fat‖, ―happy‖ can be acted by themselves. Prepositions of place can also be effectively taught by movements. For example: Teacher: The book is on the table. The pencil is on the book. The book is under the pencil.
3.1.2 Teaching Vocabulary through Communicative Activities
3.1.2.1 Teaching Vocabulary in Context
One word have various meanings in different contexts. To convey the meaning of a new word exactly, it is better to present the word in the sentence or in the text. As linguist Lu Shuxiang said:“words should be embedded in the context can they are full of life and easy to remember and know how to use.”(Lu Rongrong,2006) So context enable students understand the word and its multiple meanings more profound. To sum up, I believe that teachers can use context from the following two aspects:
a. Through Sentence or Context to the Words
When teaching new words, teachers also spend time before class to prepare for it. Such as: the word ―water‖ ca n be taught through some action or teaching aids, it can mean sprinkler, water movement and drink movement. Look at the following sentences: (1) I’m very thirsty, I want to drink some water. (2) The flowers are dry. I must water them every day. (3) There is some water in the bottle. From the context,
we can guess sentence (2), (3) and (1) have the above meaning respectively.
The same is true to use content of a paragraph. For instance, when learning umbrella, we can use the following paragraph:
It’s raining and I want to go out. I don’t want to get wet. I haven’t a raincoat but I have an umbrella. I’ll put up my umbrella. The rain is coming down on my umbrella but it isn’t coming on me. My umbrella is protecting me from catching rain. Now the rain has stopped, I’ll take my umbrella down. An umbrella is very useful when it is raining.
b. Use Word Scene (simulation scenario)
Use the word scene is a secondary preferred method. When teach phone phrases and sentences, the teacher can bring two mobile phones so that they are seem to really call. Such as:
A: Hello! May I speak to Jim?
B: I’m sorry he isn’t here. Can I take a message for you?
A: OK! This is Kate. My telephone number is 87654321.
B: All right.
A: Thank you very much. Bye.
B: Bye.
Such method not only enable students to happily participate in both speaking and listening, but also stimulate their enthusiasm in English study.
3.1.2.2 Teaching Vocabulary by Communication
This method emphasizes teach new words through thinking about things happen in our daily life. It has an advantage that the new words presented in the conversation become active words immediately, and students can exploit it freely and properly. Here is an example, which is a conversation between a teacher and a student: Teacher: Do you enjoy yourself on the National Day?
Student: yes!
Teacher: What did you do on National Day?
Student: My father brought me to Beijing and it is the first time I have traveled by plane? It’s very, very…
Teacher: Is it very exciting and pleasant?
Stud ent: yes, yes, it’s very exciting and pleasant.
From the communication, the students unconsciously feel the relationship between ―enjoy‖, ―the National Day (holiday)‖, ―go to Beijing (travel)‖, ―exciting‖ and ―pleasant‖. Since he really has experienced the travel and urgently wants to express
his happy feeling, with the teacher’s prompt, he would remember the verb ―enjoy‖ and the adjective ―exciting‖ and ―pleasant‖much better, and have no difficulty in exploiting them next time.
3.1.2.3 Teaching Vocabulary By Riddles and Word Game
Guessing is a way to inspire students` interest. With interest, then practice and participate actively will improve their understanding capacity, and finally keep the word firmly in mind. But in reality, fewer teachers use this method, they think teaching word through riddle is time-consume, a 45-minute class may be wasted about 20 minutes, especially the more words, the more impossible. But as for different types of vocabulary and different characteristics of vocabulary, we should find the most suitable method for a particular word. In fact, some words use riddles will reach multiplier effect. For example:
(1) What have four legs but only one foot? (A bed)
(2) What has a bed but never sleep, a mouth but never speaks? (A river)
(3) What fruit is never found singly? (A pear)
And so on, these riddles are not only easy-to-digest, but also temper students’listening and thinking abilities.
Game is not only a set of entertainment which integrated knowledge and interest, but also a learning preference to middle school students. Look at the following examples:
(1) What is it? to train students’ thinking ability. A team of students describe things such as: ―It has four legs. It’s made of wood. It is used for sitting.‖ Another team of students will be answered: ―It’s a chair.‖
(2) Add-on game to treat students’verbal skills-the ability to repeat and stock the word. Student 1: ―I see a living room.‖ Student 2:― I see a living room and a kitchen.‖Student 3: ―I see a living room, a k itchen and a bathroom‖. So on and so forth. Finally, compare who uphold a maximum of vocabulary in right time.
3 .1.3 Teaching Vocabulary by Using Known Knowledge
3.1.3.1 Sound-Use Combination and Word-Formation
“Although the total English vocabulary is millions, but the basic formation is limited. No matter considering each word in terms of shape, the meaning and the tone , it is inextricably linked with other words and it is a molecule of the entire English vocabulary System.”( Hu Chun Tung ,1990) Evidently, in the light of all links between words, teachers should also use these features to develop students’ learning capacity. For example: Learning word ―care‖, can use word formation, extending it
like this: care-careful-carefully- careless ,such method not only reduce the burden on students’ memory, but also enlarge the vocabulary.
When study word concentrately, the teacher can summarize the word contain the same shape and sound. Such as: window-low-blow-grow-know-flow-borrow-throw, Lake-face-date-page-gate-name-hate-rare. Bird-first-third-birthday-thirsty From the words above, we can see that they are not only similar in word form but also agreed in pronunciation, in particular a letter vowel a sounds [ei] , it formed like this: vowel letters + consonant letters + non-pronunciation letter e. Teaching students this rule to remember words, they will not be so naturally fear for word.
3.1.3.2 Using Known Vocabulary
The teacher can use known vocabulary to teach the meanings of new words:
a) Synonyms and antonyms out of and in sentence context:
(1) A synonym of ―fast‖ is ―rapidly‖. What is the synonym of ―rapidly‖?
(2) The opposite of ―big‖ is ―small‖. What is the opposite of ―small‖?
(3) Tom was lazy while his brother Jack was industrious. Jack worked all the time.
b) Categories: Names of categories can be taught if the students know some names of items that belong to a particular category.
Teacher: Coffee is a beverage. Coca-cola is a beverage. Tea is a beverage. Give me some other examples of beverages.
Student: Milk is a beverage.
Teacher: Tennis is a sport. Baseball is a sport. What is another sport?
Student: Football is a sport.
c) Definitions and paraphrases: Definitions and paraphrases may be given in the words that are easier to understand. Explained by a simple English word, not only train students’ listening, but also repeat its reproduction for the old word and enable students to find a synonym for more vocabulary. For example:
(1) holiday: time off from work; (2) invite: ask someone to dinner or a party; (3) housework: work done around the home; (4) afternoon: between 12:00 and 6: 00 in the daytime; (5) exam: an important school test; (6) different: not the same.
3.2 Advanced Learning Methods
From the questionnaire, we know that many students are tired of learning vocabulary. So as to improve study quality, avoid the fault and select the essence, from my personal point of view, some vocabulary learning tips are as follow: Vocabulary Learning Tip One: Read! As a foreign linguist Party point out:“Read extensively is very helpful to improving the quality and extending the quantity of
vocabulary.”(Party ,1991) Most words are learned from context. The more words you read, the more vocabulary you will have. While you read, pay close attention to words you do not know. First, try to figure out their meanings from context. Then look the words up. Read and listen to challenging materials so that you can learn many new words.
Vocabulary Learning Tip Two: Practice! Learning a word won’t help very much if you promptly forget it. Investigation shows that it takes from 10 or even more repetitions to really make a word part of your vocabulary. As soon as you learn a new word, start to use it. Review periodically to see if you have forgotten any of your new words.
Vocabulary Learning Tip Three: Use mnemonics (memory tricks). For example, consider the word EGREGIOUS (extremely bad). Think egg reach us—imagine we have made a mistake so bad that they are throwing eggs toward us. Such funny word pictures will help you remember what words mean, and they are fun to make up. Vocabulary Learning Tip Four: Get in to the habit of looking up new words you do not know. If you have a dictionary program on your computer, keep it open and handy. If you have no computer, take a dictionary along with you. Whenever you are in trouble, take them out and look up any new words that you are not absolutely sure of.
4. Conclusion
In short, since the vocabulary teaching is the most important, teachers must pay more attention to it, especially its teaching methods in junior middle schools. At the same time, teachers also need to utilize effective method to help students master the vocabulary well.
There are many factors contributing to the inefficiency in English vocabulary teaching. Inappropriate teaching and learning methods and social environment limitation are among these factors. To improve the efficiency of vocabulary teaching, teachers should focus on the reformation of the old vocabulary teaching system. Besides the effective methods the author mentioned, rural junior middle school English teachers also should try to make full use of other effective methods for students. They should make class more democratic and less teacher-dominant, stress on students’ participation in class, show more concern for their thinking and needs for instruction. Only in this way can they help students improve their language competence and ability to use English freely in communication, thereby raising the junior English vocabulary teaching and learning results.
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Appendix英语词汇学习情况问卷调查
以下是一份对50个学生关于他们对词汇学习的问卷调查。总共25个问题。
同学们，这是一份旨在改进英语词汇教学的调查问卷，请根据实际情况选出你认为最适合你的选项，你的如实回答将有助于你的英语词汇学习, 如果选择其他请写出你的想法，谢谢合作!(也可多选)
1．你们老师在词汇教学中使用多媒体吗？
A. 是
B. 否
2．老师是否在课堂上花时间帮你们记忆单词？
A. 是
B. 否
3．老师对你们的词汇学习有何要求？
A. 会读会写
B. 会写
C. 会读会写会用
D. 会用
4．在教学中，你们老师是否经常有意识的进行词汇策略培养？
A. 从不
B. 经常
C. 有时
5．你复习学过的英语词汇吗?
A.经常复习
B.有时复习
C.几乎不复习
D.不复习
6. 你在课后阅读英语文章以扩大词汇量吗?
A.经常读
B.有时读
C.几乎不读
D.不读
7. 你是怎样准备单词听写的?
A.多读几遍，死记硬背，第二天就忘了。
B.根据发音规律，记背单词。
C.联系中文知识，把单词分成两部分记住中文意思，再根据发音规律背出单词。
D.其它。
8. 对词汇学习,你最赞成下列哪种说法?
A.词汇应该在学习中运用，在运用中学习。
B.词汇应通过上下文而习得。
C.通过实物学习。
D.通过课文学习。
9. 你们班老师采取什么方式监督检查你们的词汇学习?
A.每单元学完后,按照单词表报听写
B.同学利用早自习时间背单词
C.课堂上用抽查的方式检查单词
D.其他
10. 你们班的任课老师采用何种方式教词汇?
A.用汉语讲解词汇
B.通过交际教词汇
C.不讲授，只是听听读读
D.其他
11. 你所记忆的词汇来源于
A. 教科书B、四、六级词汇书C、英语字典D、杂志、报纸等课外读物
12. 你的记忆方式为
A、机械记忆
B、联系音标
C、重复抄写
D、反复记忆
E、策略性记忆（联系课文句子以及运用一些科学记忆方法）
13. 在阅读中遇见生词，通常的处理方式为
A 查阅字典，并写入生词本B、反复阅读，猜测词义C、直接略过
14. 在词汇的课堂教学中，你认为老师应该把侧重点放在哪几个方面？
A.发音B、中文释义C、英语释义D、该单词的近、反义词辨析
E、其他
15. 老师是否经常罚抄单词？
A. 是
B.否
16. 你认为真正的掌握一个单词包括以下哪几个方面？
A、发音
B、词义
C、正确拼写
D、在句子中正确应用
E、其他
17.在课堂教学中，你认为运用新词汇造句对于你深入理解词义是否有效？
A、是
B、否
18. 平时对于词汇的训练_________
A 仅限于课内B、相关词汇参考书C、英语报纸上的习题D、其他________
19. 你认为现在学习词汇的主要干扰是_________
A 所接触的词汇过多、过杂，不知道该记哪些
B. 能够记住一部分单词，只理解中文意思，不会运用
C 记住了容易忘，找不到合适的记忆方法
D. 音标掌握不好，死记硬背过于繁杂
20. 你的英语综合水平？
A 优秀
B 良好C、及格D、不及格
21. 在学习英语的过程中，你比较注重哪几个方面？
A 语法 B. 词汇应用 C. 听说能力 D. 阅读能力E、其他
22. 你平均每天花在记忆词汇上的时间为
A. 基本没有
B. 1小时以内
C. 1-3小时
D. 3小时以上
23. 现在你音标的掌握程度_________
A 能够比较熟练的根据音标读、写单词
B. 音标基本会读
C. 基本不认识音标
24.你目前最需要词汇的哪方面充电？
A. 词汇量
B. 词汇的搭配
C. 词义D、词的形式转换
25. 你如何评价你的英语老师现在的词汇教学方法?
A.很好
B.好
C.一般
D.不好
E.很不好