Monday, March 28, 2011
Understanding Vocabulary, For Real This Time....
Think real hard: When is the last time that you learned a "new" word and why did you learn it? Chances are that you were interested in the new word or perhaps, you had a use for it. Language acquistion occurs for us as young children in a much more organic and natural way. As Dr. Feathers states in her chapter, " memorizing a definition is not the same as understanding a concept" and often times, in our schools for a variety of reasons our students are forced into "breadth" rather than "depth" as it relates to learning. How do we let our students naturally explore a topic like the Math teacher described in this chapter, yet still find time to make sure that we are hitting our pacing charts and preparing for standardized tests? There is substantial data demonstrating students begin to have a loss for a love of learning between the fifth (5th) and eighth (8th) grades. I believe much of this decline in student learning is the gradual loss of curiousity that is fostered between these years in the lives of youth. As a father of 13-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old daughter, as an example, I can certainly see differences in how they interact with the world. While my 13-year-old, a seventh grade student, certainly does a great job asking "interesting questions" per her Reading Teacher, my conversations with my 7-year-old are a bit more curious and spiraling in nature. No question is unasked and I often find myself taken away by how stiff and uncurious I become the more older I get. Learning must not be done in isolation and for a large part of this chapter, language and vocabulary acquistion follow a similar pattern. I particularly like the strategies of "context clues" and thinking about whether we should teach vocabulary "formally." My former students performed well with context clues and I think this particulary paid dividends when it came to preparing students for the American College Test (ACT). Whenever students would come to a passage they did not understand, they would usually encourage each other, or use the voice inside their heads, to tell them to "use context clues" to aid in comprehension. I think to this day, if I were to ask them what context clues, was they would do a great job of explaining the strategy. I also strongly believe, as you heard during Mid-Term Demo's, that I am a big fan of culturally responsive teaching and code-switching when it comes to learning new vocabulary. Many of our students will use slang or African American Vernacular to speak, talk and to understand the world around them. Its not right to say one way is right or wrong but how might we aid and increase students vocabulary by tapping into our students use of language so that they might adopt new words and apply them in situations that are appropiate. What are some of your thoughts as it relates to this chapter? What challenges do you think that you will face when you are working to build students vocabularly as it relates to your content area and grade level? How do you plan to create a classroom that is rich in language and ensures students are prepared to both comprehend and understand new words? How can you provide "depth" and not "breadth" as it pertains to student learning? I will be interested in hearing and learning from you all as this topic will be timely with our guest lecturer this week.
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This chapter on understanding vocabulary really opened up a lot of new ideas and strategies for teaching new words to students. One part that I really agreed with is that if we just give students the words to look up and write the definitions for they will memorize the meaning, but will not understand the concept. I could really relate to the part about having the students learn what exponents mean by trying to figure it out themselves. Throughout my entire math education teachers have just give me the math formulas to memorize. I always got A's on my test, but I couldn't tell you why the formulas worked. Last semester, I took a Geometry course where we took everyday formulas and developed them ourselves. Now I can finally say I understand why most of them work. Then when I was taking the tests there was no reason to memorize them because I could derive them myself. This really goes right along with learning new vocabulary words. I think it is important to not just focus on the words that are highlighted at the beginning of a chapter. Like Feathers said the person who wrote the text book does not know your students. I like the idea that students flag the words they are having trouble with while the reading is taking place. I think that a challenge I might face is telling students what a word means or how to spell it when they ask me. I have to get to a point where I allow the students to become independent and responsible for learning their own vocabulary. If they figure it out themselves it will be more meaningful to why they remember it.
ReplyDeleteLinda.B.Journal6.Chap4
ReplyDeleteIn the “Understanding Vocabulary” chapter from Infotext Reading and Learning, the author discusses the significance for students to comprehend the concept of words as they read. This is definitely important to me as a future reading teacher. I agree with the author when she mentions that teachers should not provide students with the definition or spelling of a word because it will create a dependent reader or writer. I had a student in my pre-student teaching class this morning come up to me asking how to spell a word. When I turned around he had a dictionary on his desk but claimed he couldn’t locate the word. Many times students today want a quick answer and don’t want to take the time to do the work. The chapter describes six different types of vocabulary knowledge including: production, recognition, organized, unorganized, immediately and potentially learnable. In order to understand words, teachers need to engage their students in authentic activities. I feel it’s important to teach the concept of a word before a label, like the math example in the chapter where the students were studying exponents. I also believe in the reading strategy of learning the meaning of a word by the context in the sentence. When I was growing up, I used to love to read for pleasure; however, if I came to a word I didn’t understand, I generally would skip over it. Sometimes I could gain the meaning as I continued reading, but if I would have used another strategy to understand the concept of the word, I’d have a more enriching vocabulary today. I like having students use sticky notes when coming to an unfamiliar word in a text. As a teacher I want to use as many strategies as possible to teach my students how to understand vocabulary and make them fluent independent readers.
This chapter on vocabulary was quite interesting. I remember constantly looking up words when I was in school and still not being able to really understand what the word meant, because I didn't understand the definitions! I know from first hand experience that looking up a word and being asked to define it and then use it in a sentence was an ineffective and extremely frustrating process for me, so I am very sensitive to the struggles that my students may encounter when being asked to "learn new vocabulary." Understanding words (and various aspect of life in general) are all based on the personal connections we are able to make with them; it is much like comprehension to reading-- if one is unable to make personal connections and visualize what is happening in a story, then comprehension is going to be lacking. If a student is given a string of words, and does not understand any of them, then their depth of understanding and ability to make connections to the concepts defined by those words will also be lacking. What spoke to me was the example of a child being able to distinguish between water and the cup that the water was served in although there was never any formal vocabulary instruction. This proves that children learn vocabulary in naturalistic/everyday settings because of their interactions with the concepts that are explained/represented by words. Just as Dr. Feathers pointed out, I believe that it is important for students to interact with vocabulary in a way that allows them to become independent readers and free thinkers; allow them to engage in activities, study examples, generate explanations and then test out their ideas by comparing them to the original examples. It is important to remember that the way a question is posed also determines how engaged the classroom may be in exploring vocabulary or any subject, generally speaking.
ReplyDeleteLearning vocabulary is something that we will continue to do our entire lives. There will always be words we are unfamiliar with or curious about. You are correct that students lose their curiosity, I can think back to my secondary education and see that I lost mine. How do we keep our students curiosity going? I think a lot of it has to do with letting them explore on their own. That is touched on in the book and something that I will allow my students to do. One thing I have in mind for my classroom is a bonus system. If students come to me questioning a word I want them to explain it to me. If I just give them the answer chances are they won’t solidify the meaning or know how to find information on their own. Depending on the level of exploration and understanding I’ll have a point system in place. They can use those points to better any assignment they chose. For example if they have an assignment that is a few points off of a better grade we can apply those points to that assignment. Of course I won’t know how well that system would work until I am in my own classroom and using it! I also feel that students are bored by the whole repetition of spelling words. I have a 9 year old niece. She is very smart and very bored in her classroom. She was working on her spelling list. They have to write each word 5 times. The fifth time, for every word, she switched around the letters. The teacher talked to her father about this and said she is just being lazy. I disagree, she was making a statement and her teacher should have recognized that. We need to make sure that we are engaging all our learners and not leaving behind the lower level learners and not stimulating the higher level learners for any subject. I think one of the best ways to help students is to use context clues. I learned about context clues in my Teaching Language Arts course and I find that I use them very often.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this selection from Infotext. I must admit that as a student I have always been interested in vocabulary and concept building. I couldn't agree more with the author of the selection when she spoke about how true understanding of a concept is much more than being able to regurgitate a definition. When a person truly understands a concept that person should have the ability to work with that concept. They should be able to solve problems with the concept and to expand on the concept. These are the things that students should be able to do with newly acquired vocabulary in my opinion. For example, I know the definition of String Theory but I, in no way could ever start solving problems in Physics using String Theory. I feel this shows I don't really understand the concept of the word.
ReplyDeleteI feel that as Educators we have a responsibility to our students to make sure that their acquisition of new vocabulary is authentic and meaningful. I know that this may seem time consuming and complicated but it can actually be very simple. I once attended a workshop on Semantic feature Analysis Grids and how to use them in the classroom. It is a great way to enrich new concepts or vocabulary. They can be done before, after, or during reading and they can be done as a class or by each individual student. Basically the class determines what the concept of a book or text selection may be. They then choose terms from the text that are in some way associated with the concept. They also choose properties or features from the text in the same random matter. The terms run down the grid and the properties run atop the grid. The students then use a grid to place + sign for the terms that correlate to the features and - signs for terms that do not. The activity can be done in 3 minutes and it is a great way to understand concepts and vocabulary beyond definitions.
I found this chapter to be vastly interesting and mind-provoking. I say this because it covered a lot of material that a teacher will be forced to encounter in the everyday classroom. Teachers in the 21st century need, and must open up their thinking process outside the box. What I mean is that as teachers we are obligated to figure out the best styles our students learn, and aid to their instruction; whether it is for vocabulary, comprehension, or reading. When it comes to building and understanding vocabulary, this chapter in Info text does an excellent job at explaining how to achieve so. With direct instruction and explicit strategies, students can learn to identify meanings of words they don’t know by using context clues, and applications of the word. I particularly liked the statement Karen Feathers made, "memorizing a definition, then, is not the same as understanding a concept." This is absolutely true, which holds as evidence in many classrooms today, unfortunately. That is why it is our job to think outside the box, and really try to see that each one of our students are aware of the meaning of words, along with how to use them in their daily lives; not just store it in their memory then let it go unaccounted for. Moving on, I also could identify with Michael Kirby's "six types of vocabulary knowledge. “It simply broke down when and where we use new vocabulary. I could also identify with the concept that the American language can hold several meanings for one word. As noted in the text "spam" was once known as ham, but is today known as junk or unwanted mail in one’s e-mail. As concluded in the chapter (section) "it is through opportunities to think, talk, and write about the topic that they(students) come to understand both the concepts and the labels.”
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading this chapter, it has really opened my eyes to the problems children have when it comes to vocabulary. As I read the chapter, I kept thinking about myself and how I would deal with new vocabulary. Some of the strategies that I would use and still use are reading on, using a dictionary, rereading a section that I didn't understand, and asking someone else for help. I don't remember being taught these strategies. I guess I just did what worked best for me. There were a few ideas in the book that I really liked. I thought it was great to have students pick the vocabulary that is difficult for them and meet in a group to help define the terms. I think the best way to learn and remember is from peers. I also loved the example of the students figuring out what exponents are on their own. I makes the students think about what is happening with the numbers and figure out why. Simply being told the definition does not help the students understand how to work with exponents. I can remember doing this in school with math concepts. I could never figure out the answer on my own, but it would help me to work with others and I would develop better comprehension about mathematics. Being a social studies major, students will have to learn new and foreign vocabulary. It can be hard for students to grasp if they have no prior knowledge or can not relate the new words to anything familiar. I will definitely incorporate student centered learning in my classroom. I want the students to pick out words, as they skim a chapter, that may be unfamilar to them. I will have students work together and try to define the terms. I will allow students to use dictionaries but I will always ask that students define terms using their own words. This will help them understand the meaning better. If the students have a good understanding of new terms before they start a new lesson, it will lead to better comprehension. I want to have new terms posted around the room with pictures and definitions to help students. I want my students to feel comfortable asking what something means and have other students help explain definitions. A teacher should learn as much from the students as the students learn from the teacher. I think that a well balanced learning environment allows for students to speak as much if not more than the teacher does.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was very ensightful and helped me to think about the different ways words can and should be brought to life. At some points it even spoke to me personally. For example, when the child was distinguishing the water in the different context reminded me of trying to help my 1 1/2 year old daughter to learn how water is used in different ways. I can recall just recently giving her a bath and playing with a tea set. Besides splashing and tossing the plates, pots and cups she also would sometimes drink the bath water from her cups. I tried explaining to her that bath water isn't ok to drink and after getting her out of the bathtub and getting her dressed I put water in her sippy cup and said this water is ok to drink. Well I knew she didn't understand because a couple days later when I gave her another bath she did the same thing, but I felt I still had to try and explain and demonstrate to her the differnce as clear as possible. I also can recall explaining to her that rain is water as well on a recent rainy day, even though she put her hand out to feel it and say water she still doesn't have a complete understanding but it's growing. By saying all of this I find myself agreeing with the author. The best way for children to learn vocabulary is to have it relate to them and connect it in some way. This allows them to become their own thinkers and gain knowlegde from others, as well.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the chapter, I was reflecting on my own experiences with vocabulary throughout the years. I specifically remember in high school being assigned a novel with a list of words throughout the required chapters that we had to write definitions on. I would write the definition after I was reading and turn the assignment in. I could not tell what any of those terms was 24 hours after turning the assignment in. My point is that I strongly agree that just by looking up a definition in a dictionary or writing it down, does not truly fulfill 'learning the vocabulary.' This is a prime example of "memorizing a definition, then, is not the same as understanding a concept" as stated in our text. Like Kelly, I am in a Geometry class in which we are required to write our own definitions and formulas. Now I really understand the definitions because I know how to apply them. I also see in classrooms that students will use a thesaurus to interchange words. The problem with this is that students aren't truly understanding the meaning of a word to have it interchanged. Students need to apply these words as they are learning them or they will loose them. Even adults can look up a word and not remember the meaning 24 hours later, if they are not applying meaning to the word. Just yesterday my class was discussing how looking up definitions while in the middle of a text takes away from the 'picture' readers create while they are reading. One of the students suggested to keep reading and look for context clues and then come back and try and figure out what the word meant. i was very impressed because this is what I'd imagine most adults would do. I also notice a large difference in the questioning that happens in a first grade room versus a fifth grade room. I think with younger students they are filled with curiosity and oblivious to what others will think when they ask. As students get older they almost gain a filter in fear of what others may think if they are asking questions. I do not think it's because they just don't have any questions, but rather they are more aware when they are asking a question that seems a little bit 'off the wall.'
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was very insightful to me. I have actually been working with my six year old cousin with his vocabulary. We have done a few different activities such as the bag game to help with the sounds that the words make and then go from there. His teacher has also made their spelling words all have the same ending such as –ice and using words like mice, slice, dice etc. They are supposed to be able to spell the word, draw a picture and use it in a sentence. I think this goes along with what the author was talking about in regards to a person truly understanding a concept and being able to use it. I think starting early with vocabulary and having the students draw pictures about the words and making their own sentences really gets their minds working. It is important for teachers to let students think for themselves, the students need to be able to explore the vocabulary and learn it in a way that is comfortable for them. There are students in my sixth grade classes that have a problem with spelling simple words. I know many college students and adults that admit they are horrible spellers and think that it is alright. As a student myself I am still learning new vocabulary and I sometimes have a difficult time with it. I have to write and rewrite a definition before I can memorize it; if it is a topic that I am not interested in I have a harder time applying it to everyday life. However, if it is a topic like science that I love I can usually remember a vocabulary word much easier. Maybe as teachers we need to find a way to incorporate vocabulary words into topics that are interesting to the students so that they can learn them easier and even relate to them. It is important for teachers to go out of their comfort zone especially if it is to help a student learn more
ReplyDeleteIn reading "Understanding Vocabulary" in Infotext, I was very interested in the material that was discussed. Unlike my early educational career, teachers need to find innovative ways to teach vocabulary and concepts. When I was in k-8, my teachers made us simply memorize vocabulary terms and definitions and never expanded on the concepts. We would be given terms that we would have to look up in the dictionary; although dictionaries are useful they are not the only tool that can be used when teaching vocabulary and concepts. Throughout the chapter, Feather's discussed ways to teach vocabulary in the classroom. I particularly liked the math vocabulary strategy the teacher used. Not telling the student the vocabulary term but instead letting them figure it out themselves by using examples is a great way to get students to problem-solve. This also excites the students and keeps them motivated to learn new vocabulary in the content area; as the example showed in the chapter. Also mentioned in the chapter was that simply memorizing a definition is not the same as understanding a concept. This is not the way students learn. We as teachers need to provide opportunities for students to engage in activities that will contribute to their understanding of a concept and then connect it to a term. We also need to be able to make connections to the outside world. The chapter further discusses that students should be encouraged to use context clues, visual aids provided in the textbooks and consult other sources if necessary. Ultimately, if students are provided with opportunities to talk, listen and think about the concept, they will be able to more effectively make connections to vocabulary terms.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked the part about the teacher who worked with the students on exponents. Giving them the information they need to work it out with a partner first before lecturing to the class about it is a smart idea. Problem solving is an important task that more children need to learn to use and we are preached to in our classes to teach it. This was a great way to incorporate it. When students are given the chance to figure something out and actually comprehend the concept, it will stay with them. Just like the book said, if you teach the word then teach the lesson, comprehension does not always set in. I will be faced with many challenges in my future classroom. I will be teaching students with severe cognitive impairment. Most of these students are not going to be writing words down when I give them vocabulary. I will be teaching each individual student based on their needs. One student may have a “vocab word” dealing with life skills while another may be learning about animals. Teaching a concept to my students will be like the example the author gives about teaching her daughter the word hot or the child learning about water. Putting these students into the experience of the concept I am try to teach is going to be a challenge but well worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter, I really was able to connect to the concept that was being provided. Personally, I had to come up with my own strategy to remember words and their definition. Throughout my years of school, I have had spelling test after spelling test. Before we took the spelling test, we had to write the word multiple times, write the definition, and write a sentence for each word. It was a lot of work and there was times where I just did the work to get it done, but not understand it afterwards. After thinking about my past in learning new vocabulary, I know I will have challenges during my years of teaching. But what is good, is that I have ideas and strategies that I can use, that I have used before to help students expand their vocabulary. I will have a goal to increase student’s vocabulary and keep their vocabulary in their long term memory. I will have students continue to use the new vocabulary and old vocabulary in their speech during class when possible. I will allow students to gain points and earn rewards at the end of the month by using their vocabulary learned in class in their speech during class. Students will also be given assignments of bringing in pictures that can describe a vocabulary word during the week.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter, I realized that a few of my high school teachers did exactly what Feathers is advising teachers NOT TO do. They gave us a list of words and their definitions. I don't feel that this helped me retain the definition and fully understand what the words meant. I think that teachers should allow students to do their own research and be invested in their own learning. Students should not be "passive receivers", rather "active learners".
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from this chapter. I feel that Vocabulary is an extremely important aspect of teaching and a major part of a student's education. There are several ways to teach students how to understand vocabulary. Feathers discusses the strategy of "predicting" on page 74 where she states that she usually asks students to "write their predicted definitions individually, then place them (students) in groups to discuss their predictions". I think this is a great way to get students to discuss what they think a certain word may mean, how they came up with their predicted definition and they can even learn from other classmates' predicted definitions. I am all about having students take control of their learning and I think that discussion in the classroom is something that is integral to learning and making meaning/connections.
I also thought that the strategy of "identifying important concepts" was something that students will benefit from. I think this strategy will help students build their listening skills, speaking skills, critical thinking skills and finally, this will also benefit students by helping them decipher what constitutes as an "important concept".
It is very difficult to teach children to "think about what they are thinking about." I like what was said about telling them to listen to the voice in their head. I can imagine how teaching vocabulary can be very difficult. Simply just teaching students new words is not enough. Vocabulary words should relate to what the students are reading or learning about in other subjects. The teacher should not just throw random words at kids and feel that they will learn them. They will remember them and after a test they will forget. Students will need to have critical thinking skills because the world is getting more competitive and America is not performing well in the education department. Students should be given enough information as to why they will need to learn these words, a reason to learn them. This will make them see some importance in learning and they will take responsibility to learn instead of just listening and doing what the teacher does, the will become active learners and take ownership of their role as learners in the classroom and beyond.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, vocabulary is a crucial component of the classroom. Not only does it help students understand information and concepts in the classroom, but the words they acquire can also be extended into the outside world. In any setting (educational, personal, professional or otherwise) a person’s knowledge of, and ability to understand and manipulate, vocabularies is often a reflection of their intelligence. Now, I’m not saying that only those who use big words are the smart people and those who do use complicated words are unintelligent but to some degree there is a relationship. Personally, I enjoy learning new vocabulary – especially in an educational setting because it broadens my abilities as a student. I am able to write better and speak well with an armory of words at my side. I believe that my recognition of the significance of vocabulary instruction will aide me in my instruction to my own students.
ReplyDeleteBecause I will be (hopefully ) teaching elementary school, I will have a range of subjects to cover on a day-to-day basis. My challenge as an instructor will be to provide my students with effective methods to discover, define and comprehend a plethora of words. The chapter notes that the most generic type of vocabulary instruction is to provide students with a word and a definition is “based in the belief that we have in our heads something like a dictionary” but as Karen feathers explains, there is so much more to words than labels and the proper way to instruct is to first learn about the concept then give it a label. I had never heard of an approach like this however, it sounds like a great idea! I like the idea of teaching about the carbon cycle, allowing students to make their own connections that providing the label for that concept. I feel that this method also addresses the problem of depth versus breadth. If you are providing your students with the opportunity to acquire a thorough understanding of ideas before you give it a name they are getting “depth.” Oppositely, pounding students with words and definitions leaves them to conclude that that is all they need to know about the concept: the name and what it is. Without being probed, that is where the comprehension will stop. We need to take down the blockades we are putting up for our students and allow them to flourish. As the author states, “memorizing a definition is not the same as understanding a concept,” a point which resonated with me. I hope to use techniques like context clues (which I believe is a vital reading tool) to encourage my students to form meaning and understanding as they read.
I think that the issue of learning new vocabulary words in the classroom is becoming increasingly important with the growing diversity in the student population. Today’s classrooms have a wide variety of students in them, in terms of culture, age, socioeconomic status, race, etc. Many students are English language learners and are responsible for not only learning content area information, but also for mastering the English language. Vocabulary is extremely important, and grows so quickly with young minds. I am currently pre-student teaching in a 3rd grade classroom, and am always surprised with the number of words in the students’ reading books that they do not understand. Some of the techniques that the students use are using context clues to find hints, trying to pull the word apart to see if there are smaller words in the unknown word, and keeping tabs in their books as they read. Students are also encouraged to keep notes in their journals about words they discovered so that they can share their new knowledge with their fellow classmates. The words are then put on a “word wall” in the classroom with a list of synonyms. I like using synonyms because, often times, students are learning more than one new word at a time. I also like to use pictures when possible to help students grasp the idea of new vocabulary words. Sometimes when using other words to describe vocabulary words students are still confused about the meaning, particularly if there is some sort of language barrier between the teacher and student.
ReplyDeleteIn reading the chapter "Understanding Vocabulary" I found myself thinking back to my own learning of "vocabulary words" in school. These were the classes spelling words or as described in this chapter the bold face words in a chapter. Looking back now I can say that those words never meant anything to me. I only knew that I had to look at my list of spelling words, write them down 5 times, look up the word in the dictionary and use that word in a sentence. I never really built an understanding concept of my vocab/spelling words. Simply memorized what I needed to pass the test. So, I ask myself how can I make learning new vocabulary words fun and engaging for my students? I will do this by engaging my students in the words. Having students explore and build their defintion of a words through conversations, exploring and engaging activities. The example of the one teacher who encouraged his/her students to figure out the concept of exponents for themselves is the type of engaging activies that I am referring to. I also think that it is important to connect with my students when learning new words by thinking about the language that they use and how I can teach them a new word in a way that makes sense to them. This chapter also made me think about my 4yr old son who asks me all the time "what does _____ mean" where he is buliding his vocabulary up with words that he hears and wants to use. Trying to help him understand words that I use in day to day converstations in a way that his mind can digest. It is so amazing to me as a mother and future teacher when he uses, what I consider big words for a 4yr old correctly. When I come across words that are unfamilar to me, I find that I lean on context clues naturally and feel that that is one strategy that students will use as well. The days of looking up a word in the dictionary and finding the definitions are long gone and played in my book and will not be the prominent strategy practiced in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteMr. Hatt's presentation today fit perfectly with the text, on how to introduce new language in the classroom, with his ideas of home and school discourse. Code switching to help kids understand is so crucial, and it is interesting to me, as potential urban educators, there are so many teachers that are reluctant to do so. As a preschool teacher I do this all the time, just using language that the children would understand and relate to, so I really don't see how this would be different with older students.
ReplyDeleteI witnessed an amazing example of code-switching and getting to students through their own language, when I subbed at an Ypsilanti Public school, and witnessed a 6th grade class assembly for black history month. After basically setting up a recording studio on stage, four girls changed the popular song "Bottoms Up," into a song about what freedom means to them and how they can spread these ideas. Turns out the teacher, Mr. Duey, has two full albums, rapping about different academic concepts, and is still teaching and recording new material with the students. This was incredibly inspiring to me and shows just how powerful code switching can be for your students.
Vocabulary is crucial in the classroom. Yet, thinking back, I do not remember connecting the word to the definition. It was just, make flash cards and constantly go over them one after another until I could say them verbatim. This is definitely hurt me in the future, because I do find myself looking up or googling words that I feel I should know because I learned them, I just never made the connection when I was in school. I feel that this is something that the curriculum and education needs to focus on. This needs to start early in education. I am pre-student teaching in a first grade class now, and a lot of the students are still struggling to just spell the dibble words found in everyday text. I constantly have to help the students with the meaning of words. I feel that this could be changed with the daily readings that students are doing weekly. I feel that one or two days should be dedicated to not only spelling, but defining during shared reading. I also feel that whatever the level of the student, it is crucial to define words that they use in their everyday vocabulary. Just like was pointed out a few weeks ago, you have to connect with kids on their level and you may need to bring out that Sponge Bob book with them and define what they are interested in. Dictionaries seem to be a thing of the past in education, and I feel that teachers should show the importance of them. Show them that it is not embarrassing to read with a dictionary next to them and look up words they may not know, or even have them write a list of words they do not know and look them up together. With today's age moving so rapidly into a technological world, we need to show them that while it is easier to google things, there are alternate routes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, learning words came naturally to me, and it was very beneficial for me to be able to learn new words right away - except for those few times I repeated swear words in front of my parents. Oops. Some of the first words I remember learning were “Stop,” for the stop signs at the end of the street; and “No,” which was, apparently, my first word. Later on in life, especially just a year or so ago, I learned words like “schemata,” “modeling,” and “scaffolding.” I have a use for these words, and I need to know them, because they’re part of my profession.
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible to let students naturally explore topics while still going along with pacing charts and preparing for standardized tests. My ideas have always been to have students explore topics that would go along with a pacing chart, and to teach students how to read questions that might go on a standardized test - not teaching to the test, but teaching how to test, and how to analyze the questions they read.
One of the strategies that was talked about in this chapter was on page 75, with the use of “trouble slips.” These let students keep reading, but then they can go back to the slips and look at them with a partner, or a small group; someone might know what the word/concept means, and they can help them, or they all might be having trouble with the word or concept, and can brainstorm about what it might be, and can help each other look at different resources for the word/concept (i.e., internet, books, dictionaries, newspapers, magazines, etc.).
Some concerns for me are that I will get into a routine, or a habit of teaching vocabulary words, and it will become rote for students. I don’t want that to happen, but I’m a creature of habit. I have strong OCD tendencies, and I’m comfortable in my routines, so it’s going to take some effort from myself to make sure it doesn’t happen. I’m not thinking that I have to come up with something new every single time we work on vocabulary, but instead of using the same strategy or technique for every vocabulary lesson, I could have a random rotation, so students never have to do the same old thing every single time. I want to give students a chance to write on whatever they’re feeling, and if they want to share, I want to give them a chance to share. Grammar and correct spelling are well and good while writing, but if you are only writing to share with other people, or you’re writing to get your thoughts down on paper (or onto a screen) while they’re still in your head, then I don’t want students to get bogged down by that. That’s how I would create a classroom rich in language - I would also want them to try to create stories using their vocabulary words, and any new words they’ve used.
This chapter discusses a lot of things I think back to in high school. Being given a list of words and just copying without learning the meaning of the word. I don't think we even looked back at those words.
ReplyDeleteMy pre student teacher coordinator showed me a great straegy she uses for her students that allowed them to think about the word several times. She had a triangle drawn out on a piece of paper. If the student didn't know a word they had 3 chances to write how the word was spelled. They wrote each try on each point of the triangle this gave them a chance to sound out the word and use other techniques or concepts they have learned. Each word on the tip would have to be a different attempt. They would then have to give it to the teacher, she would circle the right word unless they were all wrong then she would write the correct spelling in the middle and have the students check it again in the dictionary.
In this chapter Karen M. Feathers talks about the importance of teaching and learning vocabulary.This chapter also talks about how to help students develop independent strategies that help understand vocabulary. As a future educator I plan on using many strategies when teaching vocabulary.Children learn differently so we need to show them more than one way to do things. When teaching vocabulary you can give them the new words and have them look up the definition and then form a sentence with each word. Another way to help them remember the new words better you can have them write a story using the words. When reading, it is very important that the teacher encourages the students to stop often, and try to make connection of what they have read so far. When they make connections they remember easly what the book was about. Anther way to teach vocabulary is to have them do inferring about a certain story, where they find a word in the story and they have to write down what they think it means. After they write the meaning of the word I would work with them in the groups of 3-4 and have them explain why they thaught the meaning of a certatin word is this. I would also ask them to show me the context clues from the story that helped them come up with the meaning of the words. I believe that the key is to make them think, and try to make connections with the new material that they are learning. When sudents fully understand the concept of the words being taught to them, their vocabulary will continue to increase and they will become more fluent on it.
ReplyDeleteI think that students need to actively learn and I agree with the concepts presented in the Infotext chapter. I like the concept of having students identify what words they are having trouble with when they read instead of picking words that I would think they might have trouble with and drill them on it. This was the responsibility of learning the words that they do not understand is placed on the reader. As long as we, as teachers, give our students good strategies for understanding words from a text, such as using context clues, they will be successful readers. This method of letting students, as readers, decide which words are difficult for them will help individualize their learning. There will not be a standard list of words that all students are required to learn but everyone will be learning new words, some of which other students may be learning as well. I think another important concept the chapter presents is for the students to learn the concept then present them with the word that labels that concept. This is a good idea because it gives students a chance to come up with their own definitions of a word. This, in turn will help them remember what the words mean better than having them just look up words in a dictionary and drill them on those words.
ReplyDeleteI think that teaching the use of context clues is hugely important. It is inevitable that our students will run across unfamiliar words. It is impossible to expect anyone to ever know every word in the language (especially if they speak more than one). But with the use of context clues, any piece of reading or conversation becomes accessible even if it is perforated with unfamiliar words.
ReplyDeleteOne way I plan to formally educate my students in both code switching and vocabulary is to have them translate pieces written in proper English into whatever casual vernacular they use (and of course I will remind them that everything they do in school must be school appropriate). In this way I can introduce students to things like Ben Franklin’s poetry, have them study vocabulary with the new words they encounter, and give them practice with code switching.