Chapter 3 ~ Vocabulary

Vocabulary is such an essential part of everyone's life.  I enjoyed reading this chapter because I feel vocabulary is overlooked and under-taught.  I understand it is difficult for a child and may at times seem like an "overload" of information when trying to learn content and vocabulary; however, if a teacher is knowledgeable in various methods of instructions and strategies, I think she can make learning new words fun and meaningful.  Also, if done right and the teacher puts forth a lot of time and effort she can interwine vocabulary and content.  By doing this, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the actual content beginning taught because they have a deeper understanding of the words that go along with the concepts.  Science terms, math terms, history terms, and many more can all be confusing.  If a child misses the boat on just one or two words they may end up falling behind in their understanding of the content being studied.  A strategy that works great when teaching content and vocabulary is labeling.  This allows the child to see a visual and make a connection with a familiar idea, word, or concept.  By doing this the teacher is promoting conceptuall understanding, which is proven to be the type of knowledge that stays with the child.  This is the knowledge that other ideas are build upon.  Without a conceptual understanding of terms and concepts, students will only house individual ideas in their minds that have little to no connection together. 

Vocabulary is taught with the intent of the child knowing and using it for a lifetime.  However, if a true understanding is not made then will they really remember the meaning a year from then or even a week from then?  The answer is a big fat NO.  We as teachers cannot effectively educate our students if we do not focus vocabulary, but it effects everything intellectually with the child.  A student cannot truly be literate without a wide-range of vocabulary knowledge to pull from when trying to express themselves or take in new information.

When discussing vocabulary, a personal incidence comes to my mind.  When I was taking Political Science at USM years ago.  This was an entry level course, but the teacher seemed to always choose articles that were far from "entry level" for us to review.  There was one article that I remember particilarly well.  I sat down to read it one night and could not even understand the FIRST sentence.  I continued to read thinking it would get better and it never did.  I did not understand one single thing that was written in this article.  I felt like a complete idiot.  I gave the article to a friend that was a political science guru and walaaa, it was easy as pie for him.  I actually think he thought it was a little simplicitic.  It was then when the I began to think for the first time how important vocabulary was in comprehending information.  I do not think I had ever gone too far over my head in reading; therefore, I had never been faced with this before.  I began to understand that there is vocabulary and there is content vocabulary, which one needs to taught and aware of before being given a book and expected to understand.  I will always remember this and take it with me as I begin teaching.  I truly believe that a student must first understannd the words and the context in which they are being used before any learning can bein to take place.  Our world and langauge is made up of words, without the knowledge of these words no one can truly learn.

QUESTIONS:

• What led to the change in methods of teaching?  Teachers use to focus more on procedural methods of learning, which we know does not work.  Was is research, or what, that led to this GREAT concept of Conceptual Learning?
• Is telling a child to go look up a definition good or bad.  I have heard both, but personally do not find it effective unless the student is able to make a connection with the word and what they already know.
• If older teachers do not conduct their own research for ideas, how do they actually learn the new methods and strategies of teaching that have only recently come out?
• Do the principals at schools monitor teachers, and ensure they are following research-based methods of teaching and presenting vocabulary words in a way that promote student understanding?  Honestly, I still see sooooo much of the basic....Here's your weekly words....study them...test on Friday....be ready....