Transcript Vocabulary notebooks

Vocabulary notebooks
Schmitt, N., & Schmitt, D.. (1995).
Vocabulary notebooks: Theoretical
underpinnings and practical suggestions. ELT
Journal, 49(2), 133-143..
Principle 1: The best way to
remember new words is to
incorporate them into language
that is already known
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Principle 2: Organized material is
easier to learn
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Principle 3:Words which are very
similar should not be taught at the
same time
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Principle 4: Word pairs (L1/L2) can
be used to learn a great number of
words in a short time
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Principle 5: Knowing a word entails
more than just knowing its
meaning
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Principle 6: The deeper the mental
processing used when learning a
word, the more likely that a
student will remember it
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Principle 7: The act of recalling a
word makes it more likely that a
learner will be able to recall it
again later
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Principle 8: Learners must pay
close attention in order to learn
most effectively
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Principle 9: Words need to be recycled
to be learnt
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Principle 10: An efficient recycling
method: ‘expanding rehearsal’
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Principle 11: Learners are
individuals and have different
learning styles
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Practical suggestions
• Loose-leaf binders, enabling grouping and manipulating
(one word or item per page)
• Initially: word pairs (L2 translation or L1 synonym)
• Then: add further information on front or back of card:
• links with previously learnt words: ‘semantic maps’,
‘superordinates/hyponyms’
• notice how often come across it, or how it collocates
with other words
• roots and derivatives
• pics and sentence contexts
• keyword link
Further suggestions
Fill in information later as a way of recycling and
enriching
Students should be encouraged to find their own
information
Personal word store: students later decide how they will
organize their notebook
Teacher needs to take in and check they are getting it
right!
Word selection: at appropriate frequency level so that
they’ll encounter again. Frequency list (??) or from
context.
Use as a basis for classroom activities
Quote…
“As the number of words in the notebook
grows larger, students will no longer be able
to complete all information for each word.
However, the minimum information for each
word should include: Ll translation or L2
synonym. part of speech, phonemic
transcription, L2 definition, and the word’s
derivations.”
Vocabulary notebooks
Walters, J. And Bozkurt, N. (2009). The
effect of keeping vocabulary notebooks
on vocabulary acquisition . Language
Teaching Research, 13(4), 403-423.
Research questions
1) How does the use of vocabulary notebooks
affect students’ vocabulary acquisition
(receptive, controlled productive, and free
productive)?
2) What are students’ and teachers’ attitudes
towards the use of vocabulary notebooks?
Population: three classes of pre-university
students
Time: 4-week schedule, 80 target words
Words: 80 ‘targeted’, 78 not (but highlighted and
taught)
Process: Teacher provides the words to list in
notebooks, and some of the information:
students expected to fill in the rest for
themselves (meanings, part of speech etc.).
Also: classroom activities like sharing, testing
each other, adding information
Tests
Receptive and productive tests of target words
and of non-target words.
Free composition to see if notebook words used
more/more correctly
Interviews to determine students’ and teachers’
attitudes.
Results
Significant differences, in all types of test.
But most of the words (60-70%) not learnt,
according to the tests.
Student attitudes:
Definitely useful. But demands commitment and
high motivation.
Some comments…
Vocabulary notebook activities were fun. I think
that the more we look in the notebook the more
we deal with the words, the better we learn. We
put them in our brains, in the long term memory
Actually, this tool was useful for our learning
vocabulary, but it is good for the ones who can
carry it out. For example, it is not good for me.
The student must love writing and English.
I know and I believe that it was very useful for
me, and it would be better if I continue, but I will
not.
When I compare my notebook with my former
notes, this is more beneficial for me, but it
requires more studying. I think I will not
continue. I will take the easier way out.
As we are under discipline, we feel it
compulsory to keep this vocabulary notebook,
and it affects our learning positively. If it was not
compulsory, none of us would keep it. Maybe
one or maximum two of us would do.
Teacher attitudes
Excellent results, but time-consuming.
Also: will probably not continue.
Further comment
Did not appear to enhance learner autonomy.
Questions for discussion
Was it the notebooks, as such, or just the time
invested in deeper processing, that produced
the results?
Is it worth the time?
Should we make students use notebooks?
If so, how?
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