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Vocabulary Acquisition:

Classroom management is one area of teaching that is not always considered, but can be of great benefit to students when planned effectively. It involves the language used by the teacher when describing activities, controlling student behaviour, and directing students in what they should be doing. According to Nation (2003), it is important that classroom management occurs in the target language, in order for learners to have more consistent exposure to the language. The teacher's role then, is to observe and make note of the vocabulary and structures commonly used during classroom management, and compile a list of the most frequently used words or phrases. This list can then be used to form meaningful input for the learners, thereby increasing their exposure and use of the second language.

The first language can have a role in learning a second language when used thoughtfully. If a class consists of learners who share the same first language, some class discussions can be held in that language. Learners are more likely to be engaged in the conversation, and can contribute more than they could in the second language. Often vocabulary from the second language is used during these discussions, resulting in learners retaining more vocabulary in general.

The English language contains many words that have been borrowed or are derived from other languages. Getting students to notice these borrowed words is helpful when acquiring vocabulary in English, because they may be able to make connections between their first language and their second language. Nation (2003) describes the concept of noticing borrowed words as a useful strategy for expanding learners vocabulary.

According to Nation, although explicit vocabulary instruction is necessary for a balanced curriculum, is not favourable for expanding learners vocabulary knowledge. Teachers should consider every aspect of a word when teaching new vocabulary, to determine which aspect needs the most focus. Nation characterizes this consideration a "learning burden".

In terms of language testing, Nation has developed the Vocabulary Levels Test. This test aids teachers in deciding which vocabulary groups require the most attention. It provides an alternate view towards vocabulary within any language, consisting of classifications based on word frequency. It is important to be aware of the distinction between low- and high-frequency words, as both these categories require a different course of action. Nation outlines a criteria which can be used to make the distinction between low- and high-frequency words. This involves examining "frequency of occurrence, coverage of the text, size of the high-frequency group, overlap between various word counts, and the starting point of specialized vocabularies". Nation also describes this test as being one of cost-benefit. Rather than spending time explicitly teaching low-frequency words, teachers should provide various strategies for dealing with these words, such as guessing based on the context surrounding the word, memorization techniques, and learning certain parts of each word.