Do you want to know the strategies for learning vocabulary that will actually yield results for your students? Then definitely keep reading! Through trial and error, I figured out what really works for retaining the meaning of the new words that people learn in a new language. And I can tell you it’s not just learning word lists. It’s a holistic process that you need to implement to best help your students.
In my day, and possibly in yours too, we were told to learn word lists, and then take tests on whether we had learned the correct translation of the words. I took both German and French, and while I have remembered some basic vocabulary, I really can’t speak it well at all at the level I should be. That’s because there was something missing in the process of learning those new words. Let me tell you what you can’t do without in your vocabulary lessons.
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Cognitive strategies for vocabulary learning
There are a few things you need in a good vocabulary lesson, and I will list them here below before I will explain them in more detail.
- Read words in context
- Hear words pronounced
- Practice spelling words correctly
- Practice pronouncing words correctly
- Write words in new pieces of text
- Use visuals to connect meaning
- Practice
Strategies for learning new vocabulary explained
Here are the strategies for learning new words that I use with my students that I find work really well:
- Students need to read new words in context. This means you would have them read texts about the topic these new words fall under. And they get to read about these new words in a text that places them together in a category with related words.
- They also need to hear these words pronounced. This is important for two reasons. The first reason is that again students need to hear these words mentioned in context in a text, video or audio about the topic to again hear about these words in context. And second, it is important to hear how words are pronounced so that they can create a connection in their heads.
- After hearing them, students should also practice pronouncing words themselves, as often as possible, to help them solidify those connections.
- It works really well to also have students write the newly acquired words down so that they can practice how these words need to be spelled correctly. Giving them a chance to write the translation of words down a few times will help create another connection in their brains.
- The next step is for students to write pieces of texts about these words, in context, with these words in context. This provides another chance for students to connect the words to a broader topic, or to a category of words. And it provides another chance to write about these words in context.
- Another can’t miss step in this process is using visuals. When students watch a video about the topic in which these newly acquired words feature, they will already connect them to visuals. That’s creating a better connection in their brain. You can also use pictures in connection with us, and games are great for that. I love using dominoes and memory games, as well as online quizzes that use pictures like Quizlet and Kahoot.
- And then the last part of my learning vocabulary strategies is to give students lots of practice! Exercises on worksheets or in workbooks are fine for this. And online tools such as BOOM Learning and Quizlet work really well to do quick revision too.
So those are the strategies for vocabulary teaching I use!
Give them a try yourself, and I promise it will help your students too!
Are you looking for games to help students revise the meaning of new vocabulary? I have some up in my store for a bunch of categories. They include vocabulary of hobbies, sports, feelings and emotions, clothes, season-related words, holiday-related words, words about the house, classroom supplies and cooking verbs, and many more, actually. Check out the bundle or the separate games by clicking here!
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