What should teachers focus on to enrich their students' vocabulary learning?

Focusing on frequent exposure to varied contexts and uses is essential for enriching students' vocabulary learning because it allows them to understand and retain new words more effectively. When students encounter vocabulary in multiple contexts, they can see how words function in different sentences, scenarios, and disciplines, which deepens their comprehension and appreciation of the words. This approach encourages students to make connections between words and their meanings, and to apply them in practical situations, thereby enhancing their language skills.

In contrast, relying solely on vocabulary quizzes, textbook definitions, or strict dictionaries can limit a student's understanding. Quizzes may test recognition rather than comprehension, while textbook definitions often present words in isolation, stripping them of their nuanced meanings in real-world applications. Utilizing dictionaries for every word meaning can be cumbersome and might lead to surface-level understanding rather than a rich, contextual grasp of vocabulary. Therefore, emphasizing frequent exposure to varied contexts is the most effective way to support robust vocabulary development.