Research On English Vocabulary Teaching And Learning In High Schools After Implementing The New Curriculum Standard

English vocabulary is one of three essential factors that compose English language knowledge (the other two are phonetics and grammar). Vocabulary is the foundation of all language skills and is the very afflicting part that English learners may confront at the very beginning. Many famous linguists (such as Wilkins, 1972;McCarthy, 1990) engaged in research on foreign language learning and teaching hold that vocabulary plays a vital role in foreign language teaching and learning. D.A.Wilkins stated: "Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed."Since the Common Senior High School English New Curriculum Standards were enacted by Chinese Ministry of Education in April 2003, many students have kept complaining that they are plunged into a giant whirlpool of vocabulary learning. The dramatic increase in the quantity of vocabulary is a big headache to most students. Vocabulary teaching and learning has, as a mater of fact, become a difficult mission. Problems are very complicated, involving textbooks, students, teachers, schools, societies and exam systems. The author has made tremendous efforts to identify and analyze these problems.There are much more English words in new textbooks and the words appearing in these textbooks are fairly sophisticated. The new curriculum also requires that students have a higher level of using the vocabulary. However, what tests value most is not the fluency of using English, but the accuracy of using English. And what parents and schools expect is that students can memorize thousands of words and can succeed in passing NMET to win the chance of entering university. To make things worse, teachers have to maximize their teaching skills to satisfy assessment of the school, society, parents and NMET. This cannot meet the need of the new curriculum and development of the society.Therefore, it is necessary to take some steps to solve these problems, so as to enable English teaching more efficiently and healthily. Thereby, this thesis clarifies measures to solve these problems by associating the author's teaching experience, talks with students and teachers and relevant theories. A harmonious teaching and learning environment should be created. Students should adopt suitable learning vocabulary methods like making good use of the reading passages and the isolated words list, consulting suitable dictionary whenever necessary, reading English extensively, learning vocabulary through communication and by guessing from contexts and so on. Teachers should develop their quality and teaching skills, grasp the spirit of the new curriculum, attend in-service training activities, adopt more advanced and suitable teaching methods and know about the culture at home and abroad.