An Analytical Research on the Application of Mind Mapping in English Vocabulary Teaching in Junior High School

Abstract：Vocabulary is the cornerstone of language. English Vocabulary learning is the primary and essential part of English learning. How to learn vocabulary effectively is a big challenge which always confounds many English learners. Mind mapping, which proposed by Tony Buzan in 1970s, has been highly advocated in educational fields in recent years. As a kind of visual thinking and learning tool, mind maps can efficiently enhance learner’s ability of understanding and memorizing. Thereby English learners can get a better and deeper memory in the process of mind mapping. Based on the understanding of the concept and characteristics of mind mapping, this paper attempts to construct the theoretical basis of mind-mapping-assisted vocabulary teaching, and discusses the application of the mind mapping in English vocabulary teaching in junior high school. What’s more, this paper mainly focuses on the practical use of mind mapping, recording practical situation through class teaching observation. Then, by analyzing the teaching clip and the feedback of the students and the teacher, the paper concludes and approves the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of mind map in English vocabulary teaching in junior high school.

Keywords: Mind mapping，vocabulary teaching，teaching case

思维导图运用于初中英语词汇教学的分析性研究

摘  要：词汇是语言的基石，英语词汇是英语学习的基础。如何有效记忆词汇一直以来困扰着诸多英语学习者。东尼博赞在20世纪60年代提出的思维导图作为一种可视化的思维和学习工具，可以有效地帮助学习者理解和记忆信息，从而促进英语学习者对英语单词的有效记忆。该文在对思维导图的概念及特征理解的基础上试图构建思维导图支持下的单词教学的理论基础，探讨思维导图来辅助英语词汇教学的运用。本文重点关注思维导图运用于词汇教学的实际应用，通过课堂观察, 记录思维导图辅助英语词汇教学的运用情况.通过对教学片断的分析以及学生、教师的反馈, 证明思维导图支持下的单词教学在初中英语词汇教学中的可行性和有效性.。

关键词：思维导图；单词教学；教学案例

1. Introduction

1.1 Research Background and Purpose

Without grammar, you can just express little, but without vocabulary, you can convey nothing (D. A. Wilkins, 1972). A good knowledge of vocabulary is especially important to English learners. However, vocabulary teaching and learning in junior high school is for from being satisfactory in China.

Vocabulary learning and memorizing is always regarded as an inpidual business for the students which mainly based on their afterclass efferts in word momorizing. Students are required to spend massive time for word dictation, however, much effort is being expended with little apparent result. Many experienced teacher found that due to the expansion of the vocabulary size in junior high school, the grasp of word is getting increasingly difficult for the students：They always fall into a bad circle of memorizing to forgetting with their rote vocabulary learning---- through teacher’s explanation and word reciting.

With the continuous deepening of the curriculum reform in China, the ideas of new curriculum have been widely accepted by teachers. New ideas and methods have been explored and adopted in English teaching. With the development of information technology and the invention of the mind map production software, mind mapping has been used in many disciplines and achieved certain results. The application of mind mapping in English teaching has become a new research direction in the past decade (Jia hong;Sui Xiao bing, 2014:298).

Numerous researches about the application of mind mapping in teaching reading, writing and vocabulary has got positive findings. Mind mapping has been recommended and adopted in some teaching reference books and students’ reference books. It has been applied increasingly in daily teaching and many students have got a certain understanding about it.