TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY THROUGH WORD WALLS

Fida Swasono

State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Kediri, East Java, Indonesia

INTRODUCTION

Vocabulary is the focus of language. It is in word that sound and meaning interlock to
allow us communicate with one another, and it is word word that we arrange together to make
sentences, convertations, and discourse of all kinds, according to Thomas Plyse and Jhon Alego
(1968:96). Teaching English vocabulary for Indonesia students of English as a foreign
language (EFL) aims at enabling the students to understand the concept of unfamiliar word,
gain a greater number of words, and use words successfully for communicative purpose. This
article discusses how to teach English Vocabulary for Indonesia EFL students through word
walls process.

THEORETICAL BASIS

The importance of vocabulary cannot be overstated. Stahl and Nagy (2006: 3) asserted,
“Words are so pervasive in our life, so central to being human, that we do not often stop to
reflect on their value and power”. Further, the authors suggested that an individual’s
vocabulary can reveal a person’s educational background.

Teaching vocabulary is a complex task because it includes the meaning of the words.
A good teacher should use appropriate techniques and enough practice for certain words, so
that the objective will be achieved. Cornering the approprite techniques, a teacher must choose
suitable method to teach vocabulary. According to Richard & Rodgers (2000: 14 ), There are
approaches to vocabulary teaching and learning: incidental or indirect learning, explicit or
direct instruction and independent strategy development. The teaching of English vocabulary
through word walls process is supported by communicative approach.
 According to Cronsberry (2004:3), A word wall is a group of words that are displayed
on a wall, bulletin board, chalkboard, or a whiteboard in a classroom. 38 It meant the technique
direct students‟ attention to the words on the wall during lessons, in this way the students saw
the progress in developing their reviewed of vocabulary and have a reference point when
working on other vocabulary building activities.

According to Joseph green (2003:1), the word wall is built upon the spiral theory of
mastery-repetition reinforces previously learned contents. The word wall uses throughout the
school year allows learners to recycle many words.

Word walls is a collection of systematically organized vocabulary that is displayed in

large letters and attached to the wall of a class. According to Joseph Green (2003: 3), the word
walls functioned as a permanent record of language learning by students. This media can
be designed to improve the activities of study groups and can also involve students in their
making and being active. Word wall media is expected to improve understanding of vocabulary
without having to always depend on the use of the dictionary or also the meaning of the word
given by the teacher.

According to Trisha Callella (2001:3), The Advantages and Disadvantages of Word

Wall There are some advantages of using word wall technique in teaching vocabulary, Word
walls provided students with easy access to words they need to know during activities. Other
advantages a word wall serves a variety of purposes, included the following:

1. Provides a visual for students that help them to remember words.

2. Serves as an important tool for helping students learn to read.

The disadvantages of using word wall technique as follows:

1. Require time to develop.

2. Require equipment to reproduce.
3. There were sometimes viewed as busy work.

To overcome the disadvantages above the teacher will prepare the material and
Word Wall well, gave explanation how to make it clearly, and manage the class
effectively.
 Teaching of English vocabulary as a communication tool will attract students because
students are pressured by their need to communicate with others. Therefore, to fulfill or
improve the skills of using language as a communication tool, the most appropriate teaching
of English vocabulary through word walls process a communicative approach.

The communicative approach is an approach that aims to improve students' skills in

communication. The communicative approach is an approach based on the idea that the ability
to use language in communication is a goal to enrich vocabulary.

TEACHING PROCEDURES

At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher says good morning to students and divides
the students into some groups. The teacher mentions a topic to discuss in learning. The teacher
asks students about the topic, and students answer what they know. After that, the teacher tells
the students to play the game using sticky notes and boards, and the teacher explains how to
play it. The students will also speculate about what they are going to do. This activity
particularly useful for getting everyone’s attention as the beginning the lesson. More
specifically, the teacher can do following activites: see appendix.

REFLECTION

Teaching English vocabulary for Indonesia students of English as a foreign language

(EFL) through word walls is help students master useful to enrich vocabularies. Learning
vocabulary through word walls can be done by oral and writren excercises. Such as making
sentences. Suitable for use in young students, because this method is very interesting. These
steps are practical because the materials are easy to prepare, the students can enjoy the activity,
and the exercies can be easily managed.

CONCLUSION

In the implementation of word walls, the teacher asks students to use the vocabulary
they have learned in simple sentences. Media word walls can also be used to determine
students' accuracy of the vocabulary taught through listening to learning CDs. Learning
vocabulary through the use of word walls for students or learners has the potential to be
developed. Students are more active in learning and students feel helped by the word walls
media.
REFERENCES

Callella , Trisha. 2001. Making Your Word Wall More Interactive, Creative Teaching Press.

Cronsberry, Jennifer. 2004. Word Walls: a Support for Literacy in Secondary School
Clasrooms, www.curriculum.org.

Harmon, J., Wood, K., Hedrick, W., Vintinner, J. & Willeford, T. (2009). Interactive word
walls: More than just reading the writing on the walls. Journal of Adolescent &
Adult Literacy, 52, 398-408.

Joseph Green. 2003. The Word Wall: Teaching Vocabulary Through Immersion. Toronto :
Pippin Pub.

Stahl, S., & Nagy, W. 2006. Teaching word meanings. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.

Richard, Jack C. & Theodore S. Rodgers. 2000. Approaches and Methods in Language
Teaching. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

Thomas, Plyse., Jhon Alego. 1968. English an Introduction to Language. New York: Iarourt
Bare Jovanovich.