Three ways to learn new English words

Vaughan Jones
Vaughan Jones
A young woman sat on a laptop outside, smiling and pointing to her laptop

It’s more important for teachers to help students find ways to practice their English outside the classroom. The more efficient students become at autonomous learning, the better they’ll be able to overcome interruptions and make up for lost time.

It will be even more challenging if you're a self-learner as you do not have a teacher looking over you and steering your learning. But it’s helpful to learn from the teaching world and pick up teacher tips that you can apply to your own studies and techniques.

Why are learning new words so challenging?

Students learning new words in English generally progress steadily up until the pre-intermediate and intermediate levels. But after that, they start to struggle.

This is because there’s a big difference between the volume of the vocabulary that intermediate students and upper-intermediate students need to know.

  • Intermediate (B1/B2 level) students need to know about 2,500 words
  • upper-intermediate (B2/C1 level) students need to know about 7,500-9,000 words.

That’s a big jump in numbers. But the real challenge is that those 5,000+ new words are not very frequent. Consequently, students don’t encounter them very often, making it difficult to recall them and leap from one level to the next.

While there’s no simple answer to this problem, there are ways to help students overcome it. The following framework can be a big help in any classroom:

  1. Focus on the most important words:Always teach appropriate words for the levels your students are currently at.
  2. Provide memorable first encounters:You never get a second chance to make a first impression. So, ensure your student's first encounter with a new word is as memorable as possible.
  3. Teach effective word-learning strategies:Provide your students with valuable tools, tactics and resources so that they can learn new words outside the classroom, too.
  4. Organize repeat encounters:Vocabulary works on a “use it or lose it” basis, so ensure your students encounter the vocabulary you want them to learn repeatedly.

How to teach effective word-learning strategies

There are three steps to teach students how to learn new words effectively:

1. Help learners maximize their exposure to English and find opportunities to use English outside the classroom

Thanks to the internet and technology, there are many ways that students can engage with the English language outside the classroom.

However, simple exposure to a new language is not enough – it takes much longer and is less effective than active learning. When students do something with the language they’re exposed to; it is far more memorable.

That’s why it’s crucial for teachers to help their students seek out English in their own time and use the language, turning passive exposure into active learning.

  • Encourage students to read, listen and view things that they’re interested in or passionate about in English. For example, introduce them to new blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, or TV series that fit their interests – since personalization leads to more effective learning.
  • Help students find ways to use English in different ways. For example, they can start a learning diary, make to-do lists in English, write social media posts, and create word cards to practice their writing. For speaking, they can record voice memos or video stories, take part in Zoom discussions, or participate in speaking projects and live classes.

2. Provide ways for students to discover the meaning of new words

It’s crucial to help students improve their guesswork. Instead of asking online translators to translate every time they encounter a new word, they should be able to guess the meaning of new vocabulary differently.

  • One approach is to look at the morphology of words and consider word families. For example, you can ask your students to brainstorm words with a common root. Or, you can have them identify and practice common suffixes.
  • Explore “true friends” or words that are similar in English and your student's native language.
  • Help your students figure out how to guess the meaning of a word from the context. To do this, you must ensure that your students don’t just hear or read new words but also put them into use.

One way to get students to learn and retain vocabulary is to get them to create word cards:

  • Ask students to collect ten new words that they’re exposed to throughout the week and bring them to class, like a “show and tell” for words.
  • Then have a debate about how useful each of those words is.

This helps to connect learning inside and outside the classroom, and it’s fun!

3. Provide students with strategies to consolidate their knowledge of new words

Finally, teachers should give students ideas on how to memorize words outside the classroom. You can have your students produce word cards and use a Word Store booklet to practice tasks like matching words with images or definitions.

Lastly, it’s important to teach students memory tricks or mnemonics so they can retain the new words they encounter.

More blogs from app

  • a hand reaching for a book from a bookshelf

    9 great novels to help improve your English

    By

    Reading is one of the most fun and effective ways to help improve your English language skills. It can help to expand your vocabulary and expose you to different sentence structures, all while you enjoy some wonderful stories.

    E-readers and tablets make learning English even easier because if you don’t know a word, you can click on it to read its definition. On the Kindle, you can even add new words you’ve learnt to its Vocabulary Builder feature, which is stored on the device. Others recommend listening to and reading text at the same time as an excellent way to enhance the learning process. Kindle’s Whispersync for Voice is designed for just this purpose and includes audio with selected books, so you can listen and follow the text as you read.

    9 great novels to help improve your English

    Below, we reveal nine novels, including William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and George Orwell’s Animal Farm, to help improve your English.

    1. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

    This classic tale takes place in the English countryside and shares the adventures of the animals that live by the river. Grahame’s simple use of language with imaginative stories makes this a pleasurable read for adults and children.

    2. Lord of the Flies – William Golding

    This book is a modern classic and a popular study text for schools all over the world. When a group of boys are isolated on a desert island, the society they create descends into ruthless behavior. Golding uses dramatic and descriptive language, almost like poetry, making you feel like you’re in the scenes yourself.

    3. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway

    Ernest Hemingway is well-known for his clear, straightforward writing style and short sentence structure, which is great for English language learners and many people have read it in school. It’s the courageous tale of a Cuban fisherman and his battle to land a giant marlin and it’s a perfect introduction to Hemingway as an author.

  • A man sat at a laptop with headphones on

    The advantages of online distance learning

    By Mike Rost

    The technological component of learning is constantly growing. More and more classes are taking place online – yet rather than simply being a substitute for classroom courses, they can be blended with a classroom-based approach. This often offers students a more engaging and motivating experience. This post talks about the advantages of online learning, why teachers find it useful and why students enjoy it.

    Distance learning versus classroom courses

    Typically, there are two sets of teachers interested in experimenting with online teaching:

    • Those who are considering using distance learning courses for students who can’t attend classes.
    • Those who are looking to supplement their classroom teaching with more interactive, or personalized online components.

    Yet regardless of the category they fall into, they’ll often ask: “What can distance learning courses provide that classroom courses can’t?”.

    And this is the right question to ask. Looking at the relative advantages of online courses helps us discern what is the best use of classroom time for learning and what is the best use of online time for learning.

    Knowing this allows us to make better decisions about how and when to use online learning. Instead of simply adopting an online course, adding online components just because they look attractive, or using great technology just because it alleviates scheduling problems, we can choose them for the added value they provide.

    The strengths of classroom-based learning versus online learning

    The strengths of a classroom-based course are:

    1. Easier community building.
    2. Direct access to a live teacher for inspiration, guidance and feedback.
    3. More 'live' opportunities for communicative practice with other students.
    4. Provision of a structured schedule.

    As for the strengths of a distance learning course, the following come to mind. They:

    1. Provide easier access to course resources.
    2. Offer greater convenience for the teacher and learner, and offer flexibility in scheduling.
    3. Can be personalized – that is, teachers can cater to each student’s proficiency level and learning goals by delivering different online resources (including videos, readings, and listenings) to individual students so they can work on them in their own time.

    However, distance learning courses have some less obvious advantages, too. Distance learning courses have shown the following trends, which have completely changed the way to see and use online learning:

    Increased engagement

    Number one is the rise in engagement. A well-designed distance course is aimed directly at the individual learner: there is much more practice time and immediate feedback, particularly for listening and speaking tasks. We often find that shy students and those who feel unable to participate in a classroom environment are more willing to engage with the teacher and other students in online courses.

    Improved concentration

    Secondly, online courses improve concentration, which, as all teachers know, is a continual problem in classrooms. Rather than being directed on what to do, students working online can select what activities to engage in, for how long, and in what sequence, which helps them stay focused.

    Easier assessment

    The third advantage, which is vital for a teacher, is the ease and fluidity of tracking progress. In classrooms, it’s hard to track how students progress over a whole semester, much less in each class. In online distance learning, you get constant monitoring of how well students are doing on individual tasks and progress checks, no matter what learning management system you’re using.

    Why learners choose online courses

    We’ve seen the potential reasons teachers may incorporate distance learning materials. But why do learners choose online courses over classroom ones?

    Choice is an important aspect of – and the only way that students are going to learn is if they feel engaged. Give them choices in activities, homework, schedules, tests and even grading.

    For example, if teaching a class on human rights, in which students watch a short video and write a text, you could give students a choice of two videos, rather than directing them to watch a particular video. And in an exam, maybe offer a choice of different reading materials or essay topics to write on.

    What’s more, giving students a choice of a distance learning course over a classroom course, a blended classroom online course, or even a choice of activities can improve motivation and increase engagement. Just make sure not to overwhelm them with too many choices!

  • A woman sat in front of a laptop, with a pen in hand and a paper on the desk. She is looking at the camera

    International Certificate home testing: Benefits, rules and requirements

    By app Languages

    Education has embraced remote and hybrid learning – and it looks like it’s here to stay as a more accessible option for students everywhere. For the same reasons, even higher-stakes English exams are proving it’s possible to throw off old-fashioned approaches and adapt to the changing needs and expectations of today’s test-takers. The app English International Certificate is available online (as well as in paper-based format) and can be taken in a home environment. It has a number of benefits for both teachers and test takers.

    In this post, we will look at why testing from home is a good option and explore the rules and requirements for the online app English International Certificate.

    5 benefits of remote language testing

    1. Flexibility to take the test anywhere

    One of the great things about taking the online International Certificate is that test-takers can do it from any private location with a reliable internet connection.

    While we offer the option to take the test in one of our authorized computer-based testing centers, we now also offer testing from home with the . Both delivery methods are backed by the same level of robust security, meaning International Certificate test results can be equally trusted regardless of where the test was taken.

    2. Fits into learners’ schedules

    The online International Certificate allows test-takers to schedule their 2-hour test at a time that fits into their timetable and is not restricted by location. This means that they don’t have to take time off work or education to take the test, or suffer the additional stress or inconvenience this can cause to their lives.

    Using just one system and one log-in, they register for the test, schedule it for whenever suits them and then, when the time comes, sign in to gain access to the online proctoring system.

    3. Easy-to-use testing platform

    The International Certificate is available through , the online assessment portal that brings teachers, test-takers and tests together in a single, user-friendly space.

    Test Hub is extremely straightforward to use for scheduling, taking tests and accessing results – while also delivering powerful, data-rich insights into test performance for both teachers and test-takers.

    Furthermore, we have clear resources showing new users how to navigate the platform, as well as online videos on to help learners familiarize themselves with the online International Certificate format.

    Also available through Test Hub is the Readiness Test, which predicts readiness to pass the International Certificate, as well as the Level and Benchmark Tests – assessments that teachers find invaluable for placing new students in the right class and tracking their progress to proficiency.

    4. Quicker to mark and issue results

    All tests are scored using an AI system. This speeds up the turnaround time for results, making the whole process much more efficient than the paper-based exam.

    Governments trust app’s world-leading scoring technology, businesses and universities globally and is powered by the expert input of thousands of skilled, experienced English teachers. Since 2022, the online International Certificate has been scored entirely using this system, bringing the score turnaround time to under 2 weeks – a fraction of the time taken to score the paper-based test.

    5. Accessible to all

    Running an assessment online means that many people from around the world can access it. So, this will allow people in some of the world's most remote areas to get a recognized English certificate and change their lives, as long as they meet the following requirements.

    app English International Certificate requirements

    There are a that test-takers need to be aware of when taking the exam from home. These include:

    • a computer- test-takers must have access to a computer or laptop for the test duration. We recommend using a personal rather than a work computer as the testing software uses a secure browser that restricts other programs from running. Therefore, firewalls or network settings on work computers may cause problems.
    • a government-issued ID - To sign in to the online testing system, test-takers must have their government-issued ID, such as a passport, identification card or driving license, ready to present.
    • internet access - As the test requires continuous audio and video streaming, test-takers need to maintain a good internet connection. Additionally, we recommend connecting to a hardwire ethernet cable. Alternatively, test-takers should ask others at home to avoid using the internet during the exam.
    • a headset- Test-takers need a wired headset to take the test, rather than a Bluetooth one. This needs to include a microphone. Make sure it is of good sound quality so that tasks can be completed effectively.
    • a webcam - Test-takers need a webcam as they’ll be monitored by our online proctoring system throughout. This is to ensure that they do not have help from another person, or their notes nearby.
    • a private testing space - Test-takers must ensure they have a quiet and comfortable location that is completely private while doing the test. The proctor must end the session if anyone appears – even momentarily – during the test. The candidate is the only person allowed to see and answer the test questions.

    The International Certificate testing rules

    There are a number of simple, yet critical rules to follow when taking the International Certificate test from home. These include:

    • minors need adult consent - Test-takers who are under 18, an adult must be present to show their ID and provide consent. Then they must leave the room for the test to begin.
    • test taker must remain in webcam view - The test is under 2 hours with one optional 10-minute break. Aside from this break, people taking the test must not stand up or leave their workspace.
    • remove watches - Test-takers must remove all watches and smart watches to be stored out of sight.
    • store personal items away - Test-takers must store all their personal items out of reach during the test. They can not use phones, books, pens, notes or whiteboards.
    • clear exam workspace - There shouldn’t be any clutter on the desk or workspace. The proctor will check that no prohibited items are in the room before beginning.
    • no handwritten notes allowed - Test-takers are not permitted to take handwritten notes during the test. They may use the notes feature in their browser to take notes.