My experience of learning vocabulary and grammar in schools

March 20, 2006 at 7:12 pm 15 comments

vocab  I could say what I’ve been instructed is a focus on deductive ways. In junior high school, my teacher listed out the key rules of each lesson and would did the fill-in the blank exercise in the class. Since I was not a quick thinker, what I could do was merely imitate the examples given by the teacher. This meant that I didn’t know “why” I was supposed to make a sentence in this way.

  When days went to high school, the mode of instruction didn’t change much. The teacher would point out the crucial rules as well, but he didn’t do much practice in class. In the scope of vocabulary teaching, he just read through the words and sample sentences.
  You must be curious about how I could last my interest in learning English under this way of instruction? I think what prompt me to keep on learning is owing to my highly motivated attitude. Because I like the language and its culture, I’ll do my best to learn it well through self-study. Though the inspiration from teachers is essential in some ways, the attitude of learners will be the momentum to maintain a lifelong learning.
  I don’t like the ways I’ve been taught because I learn the rules by rote-learning. Actually, I didn’t object the use of rote-learning. But, it should be under the condition of meaningful practice so that I know “why” the rules are supposed to be used in this way. As for the ways how I will teach in the future, I’m still struggling to explore my answers. No matter what, I will put much emphasis on learner-centered aspects and inductive teaching.   

Entry filed under: TESOL. Tags: .

Foreign Language Teaching shares the same spirit? Reflection: Group 3 – Teaching Listening

15 Comments Add your own

  • 1. mihotch  |  May 15, 2006 at 8:17 am

    Hi! I’m mihotch from Japan. I read your story and I agree to your opinion. I didn’t like grammer and vocabulary class because I was taught them like you.I think that rote-learning is important at times, so I want use it meaningfully.

    Reply
  • 2. cutieshirley  |  May 15, 2006 at 8:43 am

    Hello, Mihotch ~ a friend from Japan:
    Thanks for leaving a comment here. I’m sure that many learners have undergone the experience of GTM instruction. As each methodology has its merits, how can a teacher manipulate it properly and meaningfully is a lesson he/she needs to work on. Though I’ve learned a lot from my teacher, Alice, who instructs in a learner-centered way, I’m still learning how to employ it when I teach a lesson.
    I believe you’ll be a good teacher, who instructs in meaningful ways, in the future. Good Luck!

    Shirley

    Reply
  • 3. headbanger  |  May 16, 2006 at 6:25 am

    Hello!
    I ‘m headbanger. I am a student of Iwate university in Japan. By reading your experiences as a learner and ideas about teaching English, I feel that teachers should be flexible and should not cling to just one method. We are now learning how to teach English and we may establish our own teaching methods. But when we think about what is best for students, a learner-centered way, as you mentioned, is important and teachers should be willing to change the way they teach.

    Reply
  • 4. Fantasista  |  May 16, 2006 at 6:40 am

    Hi! I’m Fantasista from Japan. I also think the motivation to learn vocaburaly is very important thing. However great the way of learning vocaburaly is, if you don’t have motivation, the way doesn’t have effect on you so much, I think.

    Reply
  • 5. Elle  |  May 16, 2006 at 7:21 am

    This is Elle, studying English Teaching Methodologies in Japan.

    I read your story and I was interested. However you learned the rules by rote-learning and you don’t like this way, I think self- study is important and necessary. Because how much learners can get some informations depends on how much the learner effort.

    Reply
  • 6. Elle  |  May 16, 2006 at 11:10 am

    This is Elle, studying English teaching methodologies in Japan.

    I read your story and am interested in. You learned the rules by rote-learning, but I felt it was valuable and meaningful. And self-study is necessary because however high level teaching skill a teacher have, learners can’t get English skill without their own efforts, I think.

    Reply
  • [...] Thanks for Teacher Alice and James Hall’s effort to combine two groups of students together through the blogs. I’ve seen the comments left by Mihotch, Headbanger, Fantasista and Elle on My experience of learning vocabulary and grammar in schools. I think the momentum for me to stick with English learning comes from intrinsic motivation. After reading their blogs, I found that most of them regarded conversation learning as an enjoyable and valuable language learning experience. As Headbanger mentioned in the blog, he thought conversation made English learning become a tool for communication, not a language only. I agree with this point. Since conversation is a direct output of speakers’ thought and is meaningful, it is thus intriguing to learners. [...]

    Reply
  • 8. James Hall  |  May 18, 2006 at 12:39 pm

    Thanks for your keen observations Shirley. I think that coversation can be good for learners intrinsic and integrative motivation: it can enhance their English learning experience and make the study of English, itself, more interesting and it can be a way to learn about other cultures. I have had some students who liked English learning but were not so interested in conversation.

    Reply
  • 9. Disney  |  December 8, 2006 at 8:17 am

    disney chanel

    Reply
  • 10. Obtaisesadott  |  November 16, 2007 at 9:38 am

    Two new studies show why some people are more attractive for members of the opposite sex than others.

    The University of Florida, Florida State University found that physically attractive people almost instantly attract the attention of the interlocutor, sobesednitsy with them, literally, it is difficult to make eye. This conclusion was reached by a series of psychological experiments, which were determined by the people who believe in sending the first seconds after the acquaintance. Here, a curious feature: single, unmarried experimental preferred to look at the guys, beauty opposite sex, and family, people most often by representatives of their sex.

    The authors believe that this feature developed a behavior as a result of the evolution: a man trying to find a decent pair to acquire offspring. If this is resolved, he wondered potential rivals. Detailed information about this magazine will be published Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

    In turn, a joint study of the Rockefeller University, Rockefeller University and Duke University, Duke University in North Carolina revealed that women are perceived differently by men smell. During experiments studied the perception of women one of the ingredients of male pheromone-androstenona smell, which is contained in urine or sweat.

    The results were startling: women are part of this repugnant odor, and the other part is very attractive, resembling the smell of vanilla, and the third group have not felt any smell. The authors argue that the reason is that the differences in the receptor responsible for the olfactory system, from different people are different.

    It has long been proven that mammals (including human) odor is one way of attracting the attention of representatives of the opposite sex. A detailed article about the journal Nature will publish.

    Reply
  • [...] teaching approach has a great impact on Iris’ belief. Compared with Estela and Iris, Shirley didn’t have this luck. Her English teacher in junior high didn’t help her a lot. It was [...]

    Reply
  • 13. Boss Resurfacing  |  September 7, 2009 at 2:59 am

    Off topic – Help with PM?
    lost password
    Boss Resurfacing
    Boss Resurfacing

    Reply
  • 14. Rizky  |  March 3, 2010 at 12:11 am

    Hi,there..i’m rizky from Indonesia..actually i’m interested with rote learning as method in teaching.can you help me to find the resources and materials that related to rote learning and courage rote learning in process of teaching esp grammar and vocabulary..thank you very much for your help then..

    Reply
  • 15. source  |  May 27, 2012 at 7:37 am

    This blog is very cool! How did you make it ?

    Reply

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