BEYOND MEMORIZATION - TEACHING RUSSIAN (AND OTHER LANGUAGES) VOCABULARY

As foreign language instruction becomes more proficiency-oriented, the majority of theorists favor placing vocabulary into a meaningful cont ext. Nonetheless, the presentation and learning of vocabulary remains problematic, principally because acquiring vocabulary, which must invo lve its repetition, often is boring. Ensuring daily practice of new an d already learned lexical items need not be a chore dreaded by both te acher and students, but can develop into one of the most eagerly await ed parts of each new lesson. Effective classroom techniques go far in aiding learners in their own search for efficient acquisition strategi es, helping to render them more independent of the instructor, more ab le to work on their own. This article presents a number of methods, in cluding context-related activities, board games and filler exercise, d eveloped and tested in the Russian classroom, designed for stimulating vocabulary learning and retention.