As a recent task, we were creating a teaching module for upper school classes about collocations. The mere theme of collocations, as a grammatical aspect of the English language, is to be seen detached from traditional content domains of language lessons such as “Landeskunde” or history, as the language aspect itself in this case builds the topic to deal with. In the theoretical part of our paper we will first explore some aspects on language awareness in order to underline its significant role in foreign language teaching. We will go on presenting our findings on motivation as a means to convey language awareness. After explaining the grammatical extend of collocations, we will finally present our exercises and comment on them. Here we are including our findings from the theoretical part of this paper.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Language Awareness
Top-Down, Bottom-Up Processing
Motivation in English classes
The Grammatical and Lexical Extent of Collocations
Why teaching collocations?
How teaching collocations?
Teaching Material, Procedures, Explanations and Reasons for the Exercises
Introduction
Exercise 1 - 2
Exercise 3 - 4
Homework
Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the pedagogical significance of collocations in foreign language teaching, arguing that shifting focus from isolated vocabulary to multi-word chunks enhances learner fluency and language awareness. It aims to provide a theoretical justification for teaching collocations and offers practical classroom modules that utilize motivational techniques to facilitate student-centered learning.
- Theoretical foundations of Language Awareness in the classroom.
- Cognitive processes (Top-Down and Bottom-Up) in language learning.
- Motivational strategies, including the use of games and music in FLT.
- Categorization and linguistic definition of collocations.
- Practical teaching modules and exercises for intermediate and advanced learners.
Excerpt from the Book
The grammatical and lexical extent of collocations
The term collocation, which has its roots in Latin (collare = con-locare, “nebeneinandersetzen”), is defined as “a type of syntagmatic relationship between words” and “the habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with other particular words” (Chalker, Weiner, p.70). “The technical sense in linguistics was introduced by J.R.Firth, although the word had been loosely applied in linguistic contexts previously” (Chalker, Weiner, p.70). We distinguish between grammatical collocations which are called “Konstruktionen” in German terminology and lexical collocations which are called “Kollokationen” in German terminology, according to Hausmann. (Hausmann, p.4) In the following we will concentrate on the examination of lexical collocations. Generally, collocations are combinations of words that frequently go together. Collocations consist of two or more words and occur among different parts of speech.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the rationale for the paper, explaining the focus on collocations as a distinct grammatical topic separated from traditional content domains like history or culture.
Language Awareness: Explores the concept of language awareness and its role in helping students reflect on language structure and the learning process itself.
Top-Down, Bottom-Up Processing: Discusses how cognitive processing styles influence how students handle linguistic input and why practical, bottom-up tasks are beneficial for developing language awareness.
Motivation in English classes: Examines sources of learner motivation, proposing that games, music, and imagery are effective methods to engage students in learning complex grammatical fields.
The Grammatical and Lexical Extent of Collocations: Defines collocations linguistically, distinguishing between various types and strengths of word combinations, and categorizes their restrictions.
Why teaching collocations?: Argues that vocabulary should be taught in meaningful context rather than isolation, emphasizing the "Lexical Approach" as a foundation for achieving fluency.
How teaching collocations?: Outlines the pedagogical implementation of the topic, focusing on practical classroom procedures and materials.
Teaching Material, Procedures, Explanations and Reasons for the Exercises: Details specific classroom exercises, providing rationales for their structure and their intended impact on the learner's language competence.
Homework: Suggests a task involving pop song lyrics to encourage independent, conscious engagement with collocations outside the classroom.
Conclusion: Recaps the main findings, emphasizing that integrating practical, student-centered tasks significantly supports the development of language awareness.
Keywords
Collocations, Language Awareness, Foreign Language Teaching, Lexical Approach, Motivation, Metacognition, Bottom-Up Processing, Language Performance, Learner Autonomy, Teaching Modules, Vocabulary Acquisition, Communicative Competence, Idiomatic Expressions, Syntagmatic Relationship, Applied Linguistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this work?
The paper primarily explores why and how collocations should be integrated into foreign language teaching to improve student fluency and linguistic awareness.
What are the primary themes covered?
Key themes include the role of language awareness, cognitive processing (Top-Down/Bottom-Up), student motivation techniques, and the linguistic classification of collocations.
What is the main objective of the paper?
The objective is to argue for the importance of teaching word combinations ("chunks") as a foundation for fluency and to provide actionable teaching modules for the classroom.
Which methodology is employed?
The author uses a literature-based theoretical approach combined with the design of practical teaching modules and classroom exercises for upper school students.
What does the main part of the document treat?
The main body treats the theoretical foundation of language and learning awareness, the psychology of motivation, the definition of various collocation types, and the practical implementation of teaching these concepts.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Collocations, Language Awareness, Lexical Approach, FLT, Metacognition, and Student Motivation.
How does the author propose to use pop music in class?
The author suggests using pop music as a motivating factor, asking students to analyze the lyrics of their favorite songs to identify collocations, thereby connecting leisure activities with learning.
What is the distinction between 'strong' and 'weak' collocations?
Strong collocations are fixed word pairs that are highly restricted in their variability (e.g., 'blond hair'), while weak collocations consist of words that occur together with a higher random frequency (e.g., 'red wine').
Why are visual aids emphasized in the exercises?
Visual aids, such as comic-style pictures, are used to catch the students' interest and facilitate visual memorization of idiomatic collocations.
- Quote paper
- Annett Lipske (Author), 2005, Teaching Collocations in Foreign Language Classes: Why and How, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/60802
