Module 5: Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary for Real Communication
Teaching Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the foundation of communication. A student with limited grammar but a wide vocabulary can often communicate more effectively than a student with perfect grammar but limited words.
How people learn vocabulary
Research shows that students need to encounter a new word multiple times — in different contexts — before it sticks. Seeing a word once in a list is not enough.
✓What this means for your teaching:
- Do not give students long word lists to memorize
- Teach vocabulary in context — in sentences, stories, and conversations
- Recycle vocabulary — bring words back in different activities throughout the course
- Make it memorable — use visuals, stories, games, and real objects
How to introduce new vocabulary
Teach vocabulary in groups — words that relate to the same topic or are used together (collocations). Students remember connected words much more easily than isolated ones.