Nowadays everybody knows that learning words by lists doesn’t work. Yet not so many can state that they don’t use word lists at all. No wonder. A list is one of the most convenient forms of storing vocabulary.

Another widely acknowledged fact is that words should be learnt in context. But what is context? Is it a text, a sentence, a phrase in which you come across a word for the first time and practice it later? Or can we take a wider perspective on dealing with context?

The core element of a new vocabulary technique described in this article asks for the teacher and students gradually form the word list unique for their group. Learners feel much more comfortable if they remember a text, a grammar task or a discussion in which they encountered a particular word.  The moment you pay attention to a word, your mind fixes it in micro-context. And it’s not only a sentence in the text, but also images of people you work with, the task you are involved in and lots of other tiny bits that help you recollect the word later when you see it later on a poster or in your notebook.

The teacher can arrange a word on the poster in different ways: as a collocation; a pair of opposites; a verb with a dependant preposition; a phrasal verb, etc.It has been widely accepted that the more words we know the better. In EFL teaching a language class remains the main source for new word for busy adults. Therefore, an effective vocabulary teaching technique is vital for such teaching/learning environment.

What can be a source for new words?

First and foremost it is a course book. In addition to arriving at the meaning of new words through context, it is desirable for a teacher to stay tuned on every new word students come across performing  various tasks including listening. To focus your students’ attention on interesting and useful words and expressions in the listening part you can give them these words in L1 and ask to pick out their English equivalents while listening. Another valuable source is productive skill-building tasks. Every time students are involved in a speaking or writing task, they turn to the teacher for help. However, the process is limited to you, the teacher, uttering the new or problematic words and the students quickly repeating them. Next time you meet in class both parties can at most restore 30% of the previously covered material.All these sources sound familiar; however, we add a new dimension to them. During class we merely work on every new word, the teacher on a coloured paper poster and students in their word-list sheets or notebooks. Why is it so important? Such vocabulary collection formed together with students is extremely valuable material for further practice. Paper posters are long-lasting as opposed to words written on a whiteboard and wiped off at the end of the class.

Core steps

Step 1. All the words you come across at the lesson must be posted on a bright poster board, preferably shown in different colours or with marks. For example, you can underline dependant prepositions, circle prefixes and suffixes, note a part of speech in brackets, etc. Make sure your students copy the material. When they write, all kinds of memory are involved: the students visualize the new word, memorize its pronunciation, and utilize motor skills.  

Step 2. Complete a lesson with a quick brush-up. Ask to reproduce the words in English or in L1, depending on the group level. At a beginner level, it is recommended to leave the poster(s) in sight, and to randomly check the words. 

Step 3.  Only general hints on further practice can be offered at this point. There exist lots of possibilities.

Variant 1. The teacher hands out word posters to some students at the next class. Looking at words in English they try to utter them in L1 so that other students could translate them back. If a student doesn’t remember some words in their mother tongue, they say them in English.

Variant 2. Definitions. Students work with word posters. They select a word and provide its definition without naming the word. Other students try to remember the word.

Variant 3. The teacher gives simple sentences in L1 with some words from the posters.

Step 4. The teacher makes a word list in a digital form, and sends it out to the students. This is necessary because anyone’s handwriting can be very illegible and hinder further learning. Some students can skip classes, so e-lists will help them to restore the whole picture. 

Step 5. The teacher records the words and sends MP3 files to students for further practice. 

Step 6. Testing time.

Variant 1. Those who are confident in their knowledge split into pairs, split the list, and ask each other the words in L1 with their English equivalents.

Variant 2. The rest of the class can engage in a less challenging task of checking their ‘passive’ vocabulary. In this case they work individually, reading through the English words and providing their L1 equivalents.