ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARN METHODS

ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARN METHODS

Author: Aleksandra Bildi. 

Why to learn English? It is a global language spoken all around the world. It can help you to get a good job. You can travel, meet new people and cultures. It is a language of the internet. You can read, watch or listen to mass media resources in the original. With English you can study all over the world. It is one of the most important languages for business and science.

Be successful in learning English means to have a good vocabulary. That’s why it is very important to learn new words constantly. It is difficult. However there are some effective methods of learning vocabulary depending on the style of learner.

The subject of this article is learning methods. And the object is English vocabulary.

The objective is to consider English vocabulary methods.

Tasks of my article are to:

•      consider learning styles

•      investigate EV-learn methods 

•      choose effective EV-learn strategies

•      give practical tips

•      provide sample techniques  

Modes that I will use are theory and practice.

Lets start with talking about learning styles. What are they?

Learning styles are a popular concept in psychology and education. They are intended to identify how people learn best. 

And now we will talk about the VARK model of learning styles, based on the information perception channel. 

The VARK model of learning styles was presented by Neil Fleming, a teacher from New Zealand in 1987. These are four key types of learners in the model: visual learners, auditory learners, read and write learners and kinesthetic learners. 

It has long been a question as to whether students learn best when teaching methods and school activities match their learning style, learning strengths, and preferences. The popularity of this concept grew dramatically during the 1970s and 1980s, despite the evidence suggesting that personal learning preferences have little to no actual influence on learning results.

To figure out which is your learning style, you are recommended to do the VARK questionnaire by any link:

•      the VARK questionnaire (EN)

•      the VARK questionnaire (RU)

There are few learners who are concretely ‘one’ style of learner. You might find that a combination of more than one learning style works for you. The main idea is to learn in the way that works for you.

The learning styles related to the language learning methods also correlate to the four tiers of language learning: reading, listening, writing and speaking.

These methods are visual, auditory, read/write and kinesthetic (see Picture 1).

If you are looking to expand your English vocabulary, looking at the learning style correlating to the skill you are working on is a good way to start looking for ideas to improve.

Picture 1.

Visual learners learn best by seeing. Graphic displays such as charts, diagrams, illustrations, handouts, and videos are all helpful learning tools for visual learners. 

Effective strategies for visual learn method are watching videos and using pictures.

Practical tips for visual learners are:

•      Make post-in notes for the names of different items at home or school in English

•      Look up Youtube videos explaining native expressions or visual vocabularies

•      Write vocabulary lists and draw pictures corresponding to each item

•      Make colorful chats reminding you of vocabulary and stick them anywhere you often look at

•      Use post-in notes and highlighters to color-code your study notes

Lets talk about Visual Concept technique, which is a sample of the visual method of English vocabulary learn.

Visual concept technique helps to learn spelling words:

•      the student is learning the entire word having a picture which helps to recognize and remember the word

•      spelling words are based on a phonics concept

One more sample of visual method is Mind Maps technique.

Mind Map is a radiant structure diagram with a central topic or idea: 

•      consists of key words, short phrases and images

•      uses colors and different fonts

Aural (or auditory) learners learn best by hearing information. They tend to get a great deal out of lectures and are good at remembering things they are told.

Effective strategies for auditory learn method are listening and observing native speakers.

Practical tips for auditory learners are:

•      Listen to podcasts. Pay attention to new words and find out their meaning. First at a slow speed and then speed up

•      Listen to native speaker talk naturally and take note of expressions they use and the way they pronounce words

•      Record yourself speaking or saying words and listen to them

•      Make up or find mnemonics and acronyms to memorize words and expressions and repeat them to yourself or listen to them on repeat

•      Listen to audio books or listen to them on repeat

Association technique is a sample of the auditory method of learning English vocabulary.

Association is a picture that we memorize when we learn words. When you learn English words imagine two pictures:

•      a picture for pronounciation

•      a picture for translation

Reading and writing learners prefer to take in information displayed as words and text.

Effective strategies for read and write learn method are text-based explanations and understanding.

Practical tips for read and write learners are:

•      Write out vocabulary lists with translations, cover translations and write the words until you remember them all

•      Chat to native speakers via messaging applications and look up new words from the conversation

•      Write a reflexive journal in English. Look up words and expressions when you don’t know how to explain yourself

•      Read news in English. You can choose news on specific theme 

•      Get a pen pal to practice English. You can find also a medical student with native English for medical English practice

Reflective journal writing is a technique, which can be used by read and write learners.

Reflective journal is a method often used to aid the learning process in nursing:

•      improves knowledge and the ability to record thoughts

•      experiences in writing

•      is an opportunity to communicate and articulate better

The basic idea of writing a reflective journal is to follow the concept: describe the event, then write what you feel and what does it mean for you, analyze the situation and draw a conclusion. Then complete an action plan to overcome the issue.

Kinesthetic (or tactile) learners learn best by touching and doing. Hands-on experience is important to kinesthetic learners.

An effective strategy for kinesthetic learn method is deep immerse in the language.

Practical tips for kinesthetic learners are:

•      Video call conversations with native speakers

•      Try to do practical things using new vocabulary

•      Join a class or a club in English

•      Use the language whenever you need to do something in day-to-day life

•      Put your phone, computer and social media accounts in English Here I decided to present a scrabble game as a sample for kinesthetic learners.

Scrabble is a word game: 

•      Two or four players score points by placing single letter tiles onto a game board.

•      The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, read left to right in rows or downward in columns, and be included in a standard dictionary or lexicon.

I think that this game is useful for practical use of English.

And now I would like to summarize and draw conclusions of the article.

English is a global language. It gives you more study and job opportunities. You can travel and make new friends. It trains your brain.

Strong vocabulary means better comprehension and other skills development. Vocabulary is the key to communication.

Vocabulary is a difficult aspect for learners. New words and phrases can be hard to memorize and to use while speaking.

There are four different styles of learning. The VARK questionnaire will help you to be aware of your learning type.

There are four English vocabulary learn methods based on learning styles providing different learning strategies and techniques.

English vocabulary learn efficiency and speed can be increased significantly if you choose the method which suits you most. 

References

1.  Language learning methods for each style of learner (article) https://thewanderinglinguist.com/2018/04/23/language-learning-strategies-learning-style/

2.  Overview of VARK Learning Styles

https://www.verywellmind.com/vark-learning-styles-2795156

3.  The VARK Questionnaire https://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

4.  Опросник VARK

https://vark-learn.com/опросник-vark-опросник-по-стратегиям-обу/