{"id":1586,"date":"2021-01-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=1586"},"modified":"2021-11-18T09:46:59","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T09:46:59","slug":"active-vocabulary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/vocab-expressions\/active-vocabulary\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Students (Actually) Use the Vocabulary They Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most of us aren't able to learn some new words one moment and toss them into conversations the next moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is because words don\u2019t automatically move from our passive vocabulary (which allows us to recognize them) to our active vocabulary (which allows us to use them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this process so difficult? And how can we make it as easy as possible for our students?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study Habits<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Study habits are a big reason our students struggle with active vocabulary. In most classrooms around the world, students don\u2019t have many opportunities to practice their English. They listen and read more than they speak and write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lack of practice then leads to a cycle: since students don\u2019t have chances to use the language, they don\u2019t bother studying it for active use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true of students from countries where exams are very important. The more important tests are, the more English learners memorize long lists of vocabulary instead of learning them for the purpose of conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As conversation tutors, our role is to start a new cycle: we give students opportunities to practice new vocabulary in conversation, and our fun conversations motivate them to learn more words to have even more fun conversations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to using fun conversations as motivation for our students, we also want to remind them to learn words for active use. For example, we can encourage students to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Learn English from authentic sources (like movies, Youtube videos, or podcasts).<\/li>
  2. Write down words and phrases they can apply to real conversations. <\/li>
  3. Try to use these words with us during free conversation.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    We can also quiz them on vocabulary throughout the lesson. For example, let\u2019s say we noticed that a student struggled with the phrase \u201ctake medicine\u201d while reading an article. Have them recall it later by asking \u201cDo you remember the phrase for \u2018eat medicine\u2019?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Practice recalling new words and phrases will make students more likely to use them in future conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pronunciation<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

    Another important factor that makes active use more difficult than passive use is the fact that we need to know how to pronounce it. This sounds easy, but in reality, we often only have a vague idea of what a new word sounds like. And that\u2019s not enough for us to successfully use the word when we speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    To get an idea, listen to this Korean word here<\/a>. Now, try to say it. Unless you know some Korean, you probably weren\u2019t very successful at first. This is how English sounds for our students!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s also helpful to remember that native-speaking children face similar issues when they learn new words. For example, they\u2019ll often confuse \u201calligator\u201d and \u201celevator,\u201d \u201cchicken\u201d and \u201ckitchen,\u201d and \u201cpitcher\u201d and \u201cpicture.\u201d Like our students, they are trying to make sense of a new language with all its different sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So when our students come across new vocabulary, they need to hear and repeat it many times for it to enter their \u201csound memory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In addition, we\u2019ll want to use other ways to make words easier-to-remember and therefore easier-to-recall. We can do this by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n