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Helping EAL/D
💬 Why Vocabulary Instruction Matters
When teaching beginner EAL/D or ESL learners, it’s easy to present a list of words, drill them, and hope they stick. But both research and classroom practice show that memorising words isn’t enough.
To truly remember and use new vocabulary, students need chances to process, practise, and personalise words across different contexts. This is where the principles of working memory and long-term memory come in.
🔄 Working Memory vs Long-Term Memory
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Working memory is like a short-term holding space. It keeps information temporarily while we “do something” with it — but it has limited capacity.
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Long-term memory has a huge capacity. For new words to “stick”, they must move from working to long-term memory through meaningful, repeated exposure.
So, how can ESL teachers help learners move words into long-term memory? Let’s look at eight research-based principles.
Helping EAL/D
🌟 Principles for Remembering Vocabulary
1. Repetition - But in Different Ways
According to Harmer (2002), vocabulary learning is more effective when students meet words in varied contexts — not rote drills.
For example, the word bee can appear:
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on a flashcard,
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in a sentence (“This is a bee”),
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in a reading activity, and
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in a writing task.
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As Gibbons (2015) explains, this message abundancy — repeating key ideas across forms — deepens understanding and retention.
2. Retrieval Practice
Every time students recall and use a word, memory strengthens. Try:
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writing simple sentences,
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playing guessing games, or
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answering quick questions like “Can a caterpillar fly?”
Active retrieval is far more powerful than passive review.
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3. Spacing (Distributed Practice)
Teach a few words at a time, then revisit them later.
Example:
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Teach 3 insect names today.
Review them tomorrow before adding new ones.
This spaced repetition helps build long-term retention.
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4. Use It or Lose It
Words must be used in meaningful tasks. Instead of lists, try:
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sorting activities (Can fly / Can crawl)
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describing games (It is red and black)
Language sticks when it’s used in real communication.
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5. Cognitive Depth
The deeper students think about a word, the better they remember it.
Ask:
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Is a beetle big or small?
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Where does it live?
These decisions require processing, not just repetition.
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6. Personal Organising
Students remember best when words connect to their own lives.
Example: “I saw a butterfly in my garden.”
Encourage personal connections to make vocabulary meaningful.
7. Imaging and Visuals
Pair words with images or mental pictures.
Seeing or drawing a ladybug activates visual memory and builds stronger associations.
📷 Try using flashcards, labelled diagrams, or drawing prompts.
8. Mnemonics & Attention Arousal
Engage attention and emotion!
Use:
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funny rhymes (“Big brown beetles buzz!”)
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silly stories
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surprising facts
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Anything that sparks curiosity improves memory.
Helping EAL/D
🐞 A Classroom Example: Insect Vocabulary
Here’s how I wove insect vocabulary through all language skills:
In the classroom, I introduced insect vocabulary across all four language skills:
Speaking: Students practised simple sentences such as, “This is a bee.” The teacher asked, “What is it?” and students replied, “It’s a ladybug.”
Listening: The teacher called out a word, and students listened carefully to find the matching picture.
Reading: Students were given cut-up sentence cards and worked together to put them in order, for example, This is a butterfly.
Writing: Learners built and copied short sentences like This is a fly, reinforcing correct word order and spelling.
By meeting the words repeatedly across skills, students processed and used them — that’s message abundancy in action, and it truly works.
Helping EAL/D
🏫 My Teaching Context
Hi! I’m Ilvira, an ESL and EAL/D teacher working in a primary school in Australia. I support new arrivals and multilingual learners every day, creating engaging, research-based resources to make English learning practical and memorable.
Explore more teaching strategies in my Blog or download my Free Resources for your classroom.
🎁 Free Resource for You
Try these principles in your own classroom with my Insect Vocabulary Pack — it includes:
✅ matching and sorting cards
✅ speaking and writing activities
✅ sentence-building worksheets
Perfect for beginner ESL/EAL/D learners!
👉 Download it here
🧩 Keep Exploring
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Read: 10 Strategies to Support New Arrival Students
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Try: Free ESL Worksheets for Beginners
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Learn more about Message Abundancy in the EAL/D Classroom
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