TESL 0130: Unit 1 - A Vocabulary Strategy
I have tried to start this blog post a few times this week, but find myself at a loss to corral my thoughts around reading. As I ponder the context around reading and vocabulary, there are so many thoughts that come to mind. I hope to gather those thoughts as the course progresses.
For now, I keep coming back to the concept of vocabulary due to a timely conversation with a colleague during the course of the week. The conversation centered on the idea of "vocabulary support" to attain success in the process of learning. The person in question came to Canada as part of family that sought asylum but had managed sustained education in that process - smart, independent, assertive, and aggressive with learning. A great combination that was successful in the Manitoba school system because of a strategy that included vocabulary support.
As we discussed what this meant, I began to see how providing the vocabulary support is important for the process of reading and being able to respond to what is read. In my discussion post for TESL 0130: Reading and Vocabulary - What is Reading?, I shared " I particularly like the idea of "...teaching vocabulary in context." (Brown and Lee, pp 394), as I think that learning both reading and vocabulary will have more meaning." I continue to believe that this small statement has more value that I originally thought, and when coupled with the idea of vocabulary support in a learning environment, I wonder if I might have missed something until this point. At the very least I have not given it due consideration.
Engaging this type of support gives rise to a greater understanding that allow learners to know how to respond, not just what to say, and somehow I think that is key to extending learning into deeper comprehension.
As I was looking for ideas around vocabulary support online, I found the following link which has some good ideas for helping to provide vocabulary support.
Top 5 Vocabulary Strategies
One idea that I have implemented in my own training is using images to convey ideas, which helps to develop vocabulary and provides context, or sets the stage, for targeted learning. Earlier this year I did a workshop at our annual corporate training event, and I started by asking staff what was important to them. I had a reasonable expectation that I would get similar answers as I do during an orientation session or a school presentation. Rather than write a bulleted list, I used images to support my oral presentation. As they shared their ideas, I shared images that supported their ideas and gave context for the rest of the workshop. For those staff who were newcomers and for whom English is their L2, this allowed them to hear from me, visually see the concept, and make a connection.
It has been an interesting week where conversations have closely intersected with the topic of this unit. I am pleased with the developments - for the sake of the this course - but more for my own awareness. That is learning. That is the goal.
References
Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson
For now, I keep coming back to the concept of vocabulary due to a timely conversation with a colleague during the course of the week. The conversation centered on the idea of "vocabulary support" to attain success in the process of learning. The person in question came to Canada as part of family that sought asylum but had managed sustained education in that process - smart, independent, assertive, and aggressive with learning. A great combination that was successful in the Manitoba school system because of a strategy that included vocabulary support.
As we discussed what this meant, I began to see how providing the vocabulary support is important for the process of reading and being able to respond to what is read. In my discussion post for TESL 0130: Reading and Vocabulary - What is Reading?, I shared " I particularly like the idea of "...teaching vocabulary in context." (Brown and Lee, pp 394), as I think that learning both reading and vocabulary will have more meaning." I continue to believe that this small statement has more value that I originally thought, and when coupled with the idea of vocabulary support in a learning environment, I wonder if I might have missed something until this point. At the very least I have not given it due consideration.
Engaging this type of support gives rise to a greater understanding that allow learners to know how to respond, not just what to say, and somehow I think that is key to extending learning into deeper comprehension.
As I was looking for ideas around vocabulary support online, I found the following link which has some good ideas for helping to provide vocabulary support.
Top 5 Vocabulary Strategies
One idea that I have implemented in my own training is using images to convey ideas, which helps to develop vocabulary and provides context, or sets the stage, for targeted learning. Earlier this year I did a workshop at our annual corporate training event, and I started by asking staff what was important to them. I had a reasonable expectation that I would get similar answers as I do during an orientation session or a school presentation. Rather than write a bulleted list, I used images to support my oral presentation. As they shared their ideas, I shared images that supported their ideas and gave context for the rest of the workshop. For those staff who were newcomers and for whom English is their L2, this allowed them to hear from me, visually see the concept, and make a connection.
It has been an interesting week where conversations have closely intersected with the topic of this unit. I am pleased with the developments - for the sake of the this course - but more for my own awareness. That is learning. That is the goal.
References
Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson
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