Integrating technology into vocabulary and grammar lessons

Clarifying language

Technology provides a quick and easy way to show visuals to a class and establish a context for teaching language. It eliminates the need to create flashcards and the visuals can be saved and re-used in future classes. In the classroom, it also enables teachers to give students their full attention as they don’t need to write or stick flashcards on the board. This is particularly useful during language focus stages, which have a tendency to become teacher-centred and slow-paced if teachers have a lot to write.

If you have access to an interactive whiteboard, you can save time and increase student engagement by integrating technology to focus on word stress (which syllable is emphasized when pronouncing a word).

For example, consider the following sorting task where the large O is the syllable that is stressed:

Add these words to the correct column on the stress chart

First, show the blank stress chart on the board and check that students understand the task by eliciting an example. Then ask students to discuss in pairs where they think each item of vocabulary should go. Next, students come up to the interactive whiteboard and physically move the words into the right spot. Finally, the class decides whether they have the answers correct.

Practising language

Providing controlled practice for grammar structures and items of vocabulary is where technology can really come into its own. Millions of people around the world use free language learning apps such as Duolingo and Busuu. Instead of completing worksheet exercises, applications like these provide game-like versions of controlled practice tasks, which appeal to students of all ages.

Apps designed specifically for children usually feature cute cartoon characters, bright colors and fun, upbeat music. Vocabulary tasks mostly involve matching words and pictures, but there is still a reasonable variety in the way they are presented and there is often an audio component. Grammar practice tasks often focus on sentence construction or identifying and / or correcting errors. Users can track their scores or complete activities against the clock and then try to beat their best scores or times.

These kinds of apps work well with beginner-level vocabulary sets, which have predictable content, such as numbers, the alphabet, colours, shapes, animals or fruit, or simple grammatical structures. In these cases, the language taught in the classroom is likely to closely mirror the language practiced on the app. If teachers want to create matching tasks of their own so that they can select the vocabulary, Quizlet is a great option. It is also definitely worth checking whether your school has software available which provides this type of practice.

If schools have the technology available, there is no reason why computers or tablets should not be used to provide students with short opportunities for controlled practice (10-15 minutes). Although more research is needed, informal small-scale studies have shown that these applications can help struggling students to memorize vocabulary and grammar rules.