Zur Rolle der Arbeit mit Definitionen im Fremdsprachenunterricht – theoretische Überlegungen

Classwork based on dictionary definitions has not been fully appreciated in the methodology of teaching a foreign language, perhaps due to the fact that the potential such definitions offer for a variety of classroom activities has not been as yet recognized. Additionally, one has to note a very strong belief among teachers that incorporating definitions into one’s teaching methods can only produce beneficial effects to advanced students. The present article attempts to demonstrate a full range of possibilities opened by the use of definitions as a teaching technique, not only in lexical learning but also in developing the student’s communicative and compensatory competence, or as an introduction to monolingual dictionary based classroom activities.