1. Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira - Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa
Course: Basic English
Pedagogical Component: How to Teach Vocabulary
Developing Vocabulary Learning Strategies
VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES: Read the following descriptions of some learning strategies which are
mostly focused on the storage of important things a learner hears or reads in the new language, including
lexical items, collocations and idioms.

Grouping: This strategy involves classifying or reclassifying language material into meaningful units.
Grouping can be based on type word (nouns, verbs, adjectives…), topic (words about the weather,
electrical appliances…), linguistic function (apology, request, asking for permission…), similarity
(warm, hot, sweltering, stuffy…) dissimilarity or opposition (friendly/unfriendly, outgoing/shy,
tidy/messy), and so on. The power of this strategy may be enhanced by labeling the groups using
acronyms to remember the groups or using different colors to represent different groups.

Placing new words into a context: This strategy consists on placing a word or phrase that has been
heard or read in a meaningful sentence, conversation or story. This strategy also involves
associating/elaborating, in which the new information is linked with a context. For example, for a set of
new words related to “cooking” such as: bowl, yolk, frying pan, stir, fork, pinch, mushrooms…
you can write or tell how to make omelettes for breakfast.

Semantic Mapping: This strategy is about making an arrangement of words into a picture, which has
a key concept at the center or at the top, and related words and concepts linked with the key concept
by means of arrows or lines. This strategy involves imagery, grouping and associations and it visually
shows how certain groups of words relate to each other.

Using Imagery: A good way to remember what you have heard o read in the new language is to
create a mental image of it either in the mind or in an actual drawing. The image can be a picture of an
object, a set of locations for remembering a sequence of words and expressions, or a mental
representation of the letters of a word. This strategy can even be used to remember abstract words
like love, happiness, peace or luck by associating such words with a visual symbol or a picture of a
concrete object (a heart, a smiley face, a dove, a clover).

Using physical response or sensation: This strategy consists on physically acting out a new
expression (“It’s bitterly cold”, “I’m allergic to daisies…sneeze! “I’m going to bed”) The teaching
technique known as Total Physical Response is based on this strategy; students listen to a command
and then physically act it out, and later they’re able to give commands to other people.

Repeating: Saying or doing something over and over, listening to something several times,
rehearsing, imitating a native speaker…

Using resources for receiving and sending messages: Using printed or nonprint resources to
understand the meaning of what is heard or read in the new language, or to produce messages in the
new language. On the one hand, printed resources may include dictionaries, word lists, textbooks,
magazines, travel guides, phrase books… and on the other hand, nonprint resources refer to tapes,
TV, radio, video clips, among others.
Taken from: Oxford, R. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. New
York: Newbury House Publishers.