The following reflection is based on the “Teaching Vocabulary to Advanced Students: A Lexical Approach” text and its focused on the main contents covered in it, giving a brief analysis of the importance of teaching and learning a new language.

Firstly, it is said that even though students are able to communicate themselves, their limited range of vocabulary and knowledge of structures makes it difficult for them to develop a better production of the language. They need to know not only the meaning of words but also they have to be aware of the different elements or factors a language has, such as style and the degree of formality in order to communicate themselves in a better way.

When learning a new language, students need to develop memory strategies in order to hold as much information as possible. One of the things we can do as teachers is to diagnose their individual learning style and to show them the many ways to improve this ability which will certainly help them increase their vocabulary and facilitate the learning process.

We, as future teachers, need to provide our students with opportunities to use the language in context so the learning process of the language becomes more effective, which is why it makes it so important to know our students because that will give us an idea of what are their needs and preferences. Students need to develop a learner independence, which is why we also have to create an atmosphere in which our students feel comfortable and motivated enough to have a real and individual desire of learning, using meaningful tasks which will ensure a meaningful or significant learning.

The use of EFL dictionaries, guided discovery and context are one of the things which are much related to our experience as language learners and future teachers because we use them on a regular basis at university as a part of our learning process. This proves that learning a new language is a complex process in which not only teachers and students take part in but also a good use of tools and strategies in order to achieve a good use of the language.

This text helped me understand that when learning a new language students need to understand not only the basic aspects of the language but also more specific items, in order to develop a higher level of the language which will help them express themselves in every situation

they might face in the future and that we as future teachers need to give them the opportunity to develop such skills.

Camila Cuevas Araneda.