For this week’s readings I want to talk about the reading by Scott that is titled Scaffolding Vocabulary Learning. I think this article is important for teachers to read and understand because in order to comprehend a text the reader needs to know and understand vocabulary that will be seen throughout the reading. The Scott reading looks at best practices for teaching vocabulary and how vocabulary develops in children. The part of the reading that I thought was most interesting was how students learn vocabulary. The reading states that vocabulary learning is multidimensional, which means that in order for a student to really understand a word they should be able to define the word and all of its meanings and now how they could vary in speech. The reading also says that word learning is incremental and takes place in many steps over time. This means that it may take a student many exposures, with the word to know the definition and be able to use it and comprehend it. The next step in vocabulary use is that different types of words require different types of instruction. I know this from experience because vocabulary for language arts is easier for my third grade class to learn than vocabulary for science. The last suggestion for vocabulary teaching is that traditional dictionaries are not good tools for learning the meaning of words. This is because the dictionaries give the implicit meaning and does not include different ways that the word could be use. This reminds me of when I was in school and my fourth grade discouraged us from looking up the meaning of words in the dictionary and I imagine that it was for this reason. I will think about these teaching hints when I am teaching vocabulary because they are very valid points.
I think that is very interesting that you remember being discouraged from looking up the meaning of words in the dictionary. For me, I had the opposite experience. I had teachers that always had dictionaries handy and encouraged us to look up words frequently. I think looking up words in the dictionary can have some benefits also although there are some vocabulary words that need more direct instruction and more work with. In addition, in my placement my fourth graders do vocabulary work by looking up definitions in the dictionary and also in the glossary of their textbook. I do not really see any other work being done with vocabulary. The most extensive vocabulary learning I see is in my TE 494 placement (ESL). Vocabulary is extremely important to learn both for ESL students and in mainstream classrooms. My 494 CT does a great job of presenting different types of activities and different approaches to vocabulary. It is a pullout program and therefore I see a variety of students ranging from Kindergarten to grade 3. She modifies the way she approaches vocabulary based on the grade and proficiency level of the students. I have seen her use picture dictionaries, ask probing questions while reading a book and coming across an unfamiliar word, and also using games and other fun activities to practice the words they learn. Vocabulary is such a main focus for ESL students and I think some of these techniques and activities should be used in mainstream classes also. For ESL students there are not only content vocabulary but also every day conversational vocabulary, which is why vocabulary is even more in the forefront for these students.
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