Language Acquisition and ESL

There are many things a teacher can do for ESL students in English classrooms and language acquisition to keep them interested and motivated. Teachers can use quizzes, computer assisted activities, word games, word puzzles, and more to achieve this goal. Here are two methods to approach teaching, especially if you are teaching students at Beginner’s Level. Aim for survival vocabulary and vocabulary in context. In addition, be careful how you correct your students’ mistakes.

Introduce students to key high-frequency words, as they begin their study of the vocabulary of the language. In this way, even though they do not as yet have knowledge of grammar to construct complete sentences, they will be able to communicate in some way, like a baby does when it is learning to speak. Decide which words you are going to use and teach them in the form of a game. Call it Top 20 for example. Do this every time with at least 20 new words,with a different name accordingly, until you arrive at the base vocabulary of 2,000 words which is usually considered as a beginning target for students learning a new language. According to ProLiteracy Worldwide, the largest adult literacy organization in the United States, there are 2,000 words which “account for about 80% of what people regularly see and hear.”

Here is an example of 20 words which you can choose to play your first Top 20 game. Have the students act out the words either by directions from other students, or in the form of a skit which they can prepare. This vocabulary includes important street signs which ought to be included in teaching English vocabulary.

1. Stop
2. Go
3. Walk
4. Run
5. Entrance
6. Exit
7. Men
8. Women
9. Ladies and Gentlemen
10. Straight Ahead
11. Slow Down
12. Quickly
13. Turn Right
14. Turn Left
15. Do Not Enter
16. Do Not Touch
17. Push
18. Pull
19. Come
20. Bring

That was just a random list. You can choose your top 20 in categories as you wish, For example, you can start with a list of classroom vocabulary, then move on to identifying relationships such as members of the family and relatives,neighbors, addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth for example. You can also work on action verbs only, or prepositions.

A good idea would be to use the vocabulary in context with the lesson you are teaching currently. It will be easier for the students to understand. If you are teaching vocabulary on food for example, students can communicate by talking about the foods they like, or what is eaten in their home countries. If you choose to introduce words by themselves like in the list I gave in the above section, try to put them in context.

Use repetition for correction. Do not embarrass the student. Simply repeat each word, phrase or sentence correctly. You should even try to make the student laugh at his own mistakes, instead of being unhappy about it. Teach your students that making mistakes is not negative; it is in fact positive since it helps them to remember the correction even better.