A Study On Vocabulary Teaching For Senior High School Students Within The Model Of Task-based Language Teaching

With the informationization of social life and the globalization of economicactivities, the English language has become an important tool for China’s open policyand international communication. In order to build up the modern basic educationcurriculum system, English education reform has been implemented widely in China. Inthe year of2003, the New Curriculum Standards for Senior High Schools waspromulgated. In terms of English teaching method, Task-based Language Teaching(TBLT for short) is suggested widely. It is argued that by doing things, languagelearners can acquire language knowledge, language skills and language competence.With the further reform of the New Curriculum system, TBLT has beenimplemented widely in the classrooms of Senior High Schools. English teachers beginto change their old teaching thoughts and employ actively the TBLT. Moreover, theyalso apply this teaching method into many aspects of English teaching such as theteaching of reading, writing, and grammar.As we all know, vocabulary teaching is an important part of language teaching,which runs through the whole process of language teaching. Within the model of theTBLT, vocabulary capability becomes the basis of doing the “task”. However, in thewhole process of English teaching, there are two main problems: the single stiffedvocabulary teaching method and the low-efficient vocabulary learning. With thepurpose of exploring an effective vocabulary teaching method for senior high schoolstudents within the model of the TBLT, the author went to a senior high school, wherethe author did a lot of work, such as, making questionnaire for students, interviewingstudents, and watching classroom teaching. Finally, the author found the sources ofvocabulary teaching problems.The author found that it was difficult to finish the “task” without enough vocabularypreparation within the model of TBLT. After reviewing the theories about the TBLT andvocabulary teaching methods, the author designed a three-step vocabulary teaching.The first step is vocabulary-focus teaching. It’s prepared for finishing the task. The second step is vocabulary-affiliated teaching. It’s to solve the problem that the studentsfind it hard to memorize the words. The third step is vocabulary-extended teaching. Thepurpose is to consolidate the students’ vocabulary memorization at the post-task phase,and lead the students to explore the culture meaning of the words. After practicing thethree-step vocabulary teaching method, the teaching experiment proved that this methodis more effective compared with the single vocabulary teaching method. In addition, thisthesis also aims to demonstrate that this method can motivate student’s interest andincrease the efficiency for vocabulary teaching.