The Use Of Colours In English Lessons Teaching Vocabulary To Secondary School Pupils

Abstract

Colours are all around as important elements in human's life and each of them brings some information and has some influence on human mind. This power can be used to achieve desirable results in the teaching process. That is the reason why the aim of the Term Paper is to explore the individual meaning of basic colours and how colours can be used in teaching aids during teaching English vocabulary to secondary school pupils.

The methods the author used was a case study carried out in the period of 22 January until 23 March in Riga Secondary School Nr.2 in two groups of form 10 overall 26 pupils. The data were colleted using questionnaire for pupils to find out their favourite and least preferred colours and what associations do they have with the basic colours. And observation that was performed from pupils feedbacks where they expressed their opinion about the use of colours during teaching new English vocabulary.

The author tried out three methods of case study using colours during teaching vocabulary. The first one was new vocabulary printed on slips of paper in colour each pupil prefer, the second - new vocabulary printed on a colourful background pupils prefer and the last one - when pupils themselves put down new vocabulary using colour they like. The results of research justified the author's expectations that colours can be used during teaching new English vocabulary in that way stimulating pupils to study, especially when the colour is used as a background for the vocabulary.

And at last, the author noticed that pupils do not like to study new vocabulary from their course books because they are big, heavy and wherewith not convenient to use everywhere they would like to study, for example in a public transport. So the author's suggestion to use slips of papers and colours to stimulate could be one of the solutions. If manufacturers use colours to manipulate with children and parent mind then teachers also can do it in their lessons to improve pupils' knowledge.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 6

1. Teaching vocabulary to secondary school pupils 8

1.1. Obstacles to vocabulary development 10

2. The individual meaning of each colour 12

3. Psychological influence of colours on people 15

3.1. Colour influence on children 17

4. Analysis of case study about colour influence of pupils during

teaching vocabulary 21

Conclusion 28

Bibliography 29

Appendix 30

Introduction

The theme of the paper is "The Use of Colours in English Lessons Teaching Vocabulary to Secondary School Pupils". The reasons for writing a term paper on this topic are several. First of all, colours are an important element in human's life. By dint of colours humans have learned to distinguish the surrounding world in useful and dangerous, to carry information and communicate in the same way as using any language. Psychologists believe that colours have strong influence on human's mind and with a help of them it is possible to achieve desirable results. Colours have special energy that is perceived not only with eyes but also with the whole body through the skin. That is the reason why the author considers that colours can be used as a remedy to improve vocabulary knowledge among secondary school pupils, taking into account the following facts. Human's mind perceives colours differently irritating brains and influencing psychological condition. According to investigations 80% of lights and colours are perceived by system of nerves and only 20% with eyesight. (Ozola 2006) The reaction to a certain colour depends on cultural tradition as well as individual qualities that are bound with associations of colours, semantic and anteriority.

The influence of colours is different to age stages and taking it into consideration can give desirable results, in this case to improve vocabulary knowledge. Industrial companies already have taken into account which colours are most appealing to humans and use it successfully. Children like colourful things around them; they get acquainted with the surrounding world through different, especially bright colours. Teachers can use this as a benefit to teach new vocabulary to secondary school pupils with a help of dominant colours.

The aim of the Paper is to explore the individual meaning of basic colours and how colours can be used in teaching aids during teaching English vocabulary to secondary school pupils.

The objectives of the Paper are:

* to study literature of the individual meaning of colours and their influence on people

* to carry out questionnaire for pupils in order to find out which colour do they like best and what associations do they have with the main colours and then give them new vocabulary in their preferred colours

* to try out to use colours in teaching aids during teaching vocabulary in English lessons in order to find out if colours tell upon the best results in comparison with new vocabulary in a course book during teaching vocabulary

* to work out suggestions of using colours in teaching aids during teaching vocabulary to secondary school pupils

The research questions of the paper are:

* What influence colours have on pupils?

* How colours can be used during teaching new vocabulary?

* Which colours are not advisable to use? Why?

* Which