Pre-Teaching Vocabulary
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary
The strategy that lays emphasis on pre-teaching vocabulary involves the introduction and teaching of key vocabulary terms before students come across them in a text or lesson. The application of this method, therefore, is that students will have the vocabulary they need to better understand and interact with the newly acquired information, thus, enhancing their comprehension, engagement, and retention.
Why is pre-teaching vocabulary important for student comprehension?
Pre-teaching vocabulary is of paramount importance as it gives students the opportunity to prepare with the basic terms that they are going to come across in the coming lessons. By figuring out these words students can concentrate on taking in the material's essential overall ideas rather than spending time on sitting with the pressing problems with the language. As an example, students can get the chance to learn words like a system of living organisms in a region and number of different species living in a specific habitat (ecological/pic biodiversity) before they study a biology text on ecosystems. This way, they can better command the information, and participate more orbatively in the discussions.
How can teachers effectively pre-teach vocabulary?
The suggested vocabulary pre-teaching is very effectively managed by teachers interacting and playing games, giving visual aids or context of words involving personal experiences of students. The easiest of all things is the introduction of game or picture hints or the building of new words above the student's mind map, which is delivered by the teacher. Besides, when a teacher uses the word 'photosynthesis' by explaining how plants can make food out of sunlight energy in a science lesson and provides a sentence that explains the theme, that is, the photosynthesis of plants, this makes learning more concrete.
What types of vocabulary should be prioritized for pre-teaching?
In the teaching-learning process, it is more effective for teachers to emphasize first the use of the high-frequency academic vocabulary, which is the general university/college vocabulary of the students' discipline, and also the domain-specific terms that are indispensable for the students' understanding of the lesson. As a case in point, students who attend a history lesson would find it very important to know the meanings of such terms as 'revolution' and 'democracy' in carrying out discussions. Plus, terms that the students think will trouble them according to their previous knowledge should also be kept in mind when the teacher plans (or does) the pre-teaching section to help the learners improve their overall comprehension.
What role does student engagement play in pre-teaching vocabulary?
Student engagement is a crucial involvement in the pre-teaching vocabulary stage, as it creates a more interactive and motivating learning atmosphere. Conducting students through teamwork, discussions, or multimedia tools can not only develop their interest in the process but also make them more committed to learning new terms. For example, the use of role-play to practice vocabulary terms in a play has an impact not only on the acquisition but also on the long-term use of the vocabulary in future situations.