Individual Words

(Recently I've been posting reflections on a book, please click "Graves" in my tag cloud for other related posts. This isn't a book review or a report on the contents, just a personal response to what I've read!)

Chapter 4 of Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners is called "Teaching Individual Words".

From Wikimedia Commons

Off the top of my head, here are some typical vocabulary-teaching activities:

• matching a word to a definition
• completing a sentence with the word
• using the word in a sentence that shows an understanding of meaning (and which uses correct inflection, syntax, spelling, etc.)
• unscrambling a word
• Using or finding the word in a puzzle
• Associating the word with synonyms, antonyms, collocations or pictures

Do you have some other favorites? Do they tend to be related to spelling or reading the word and connecting it to a definition? In teacher culture (from what I see in textbooks and lesson plans, including my own), I think we consider a word "taught" if a student can do those two things. I suspect that this is the assumption behind many studies as well. For example:

... a study by Giambo and McKinney (2004) found improved vocabulary for ELL kindergartners with phonemic awareness instruction ..." (Graves, et al, 2013, p. 18)

How was "improved vocabulary" measured? Did kindergartners match a word to a picture (i.e., a definition)?

Yet, participants in my classes will say things like, "I know the word when I see it or hear it, I just can't remember it when I need to use it." or "I know that word, but I can't say the meaning in English." They certainly know something ... What is it that they know?

After reading this book (and the previous one, see "Folse" in my tag cloud), I'm ready to make a distinction between vocabulary teaching and vocabulary learning. I'm seeing the first as outcomes-focused: we focus on helping students connect a word with its definition. We can check that by giving a test. But the second is a continuing process, not so easily measured. Does what a learner knows help her to participate in communication better than before? Certainly, associating a word with a definition is an early step in the process, so the teaching thing is useful. But it doesn't stop there.

• Why does learner want to know this word?
• Did the new word introduce a new concept?
• Does the new word open the door to a new context?
• Can the learner build on the word, or even innovate with it?
• Did the learner notice a pattern that can be applied to other words, improving how well those words are understood as well?

I'm realizing that It's not only beneficial to spend a significant part of each lesson on vocabulary and to recycle words often and intentionally over a long period of time, but also to show and encourage an interest in words beyond definitions. For one thing, include first languages in the discussions about words. And how about letting learners play a role in deciding what words to study? Learners can bring in words they think the class should study and explain where they found the word and why they want to study it. This ties in with another tip: have learners be on the lookout for words outside the classroom. Obviously, they can look for current and past words or words they want to learn. Why not look for phrasal verbs, a certain suffix, when people say "um", adjectives, words with 5 syllables, unusual spellings, etc.?

This chapter is chock-full of other useful ideas and suggestions, such as what to consider when choosing words to teach explicitly, providing student-friendly definitions, techniques for teaching in-depth, and ideas for recycling and review. I can tell I will be referring to it regularly!

(PS: I'm posting for the first time from an app called Blogsy. Apologies if things look funky!)

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Surrounding Learners with Words

It's been a pretty busy week and I haven't had a lot of time to forge onward in the book I'm reading (click "Graves" in my tag cloud for more on that), but I have been thinking about what I've read so far and re-reading parts of it.  In my last post, I reacted to the idea I found most intriguing, the notion of exposing learners to some spoken language that's above their level -- language that's not necessarily on the agenda but is appropriate to the context, not too far beyond their reach, and (perhaps) interesting.

Among other suggestions for "Providing Rich and Varied Language Experiences" are:

Read Across America Day (credit)

- Reading aloud from books that are interesting and enjoyable, helping with comprehension by  pausing to define words, asking questions and pointing to pictures.

It's easy to find pictures of adults reading stories to kids -- it's a no-brainer!  But what about reading aloud to other adults?  Hey, I love being read to (Selected Shorts, for example)! I'd like to read a book to one of my classes, perhaps in the last 15 minutes of every lesson.  I think it should be for pleasure, no worksheets or quizzes in sight.  Since we're an EL-Civics program, the topic should probably be related to American history or some civics theme ... I'm exploring historical fiction written for children.  If a story is well-written, it may hold the interest of adults.  (I may not get to try this out until winter -- when I do I will post about it!)

- Facilitating wide reading by the learners themselves, helping them to select texts that will support vocabulary growth and (presumably) are interesting.

In lieu of reading a whole book to the class, I could read part of a book and then let anyone who's interested take the book to finish on their own.  I suppose I should have enough copies to go around!

Reading outside on a sunny day. (credit)

Another person with the same idea. (credit)

Reading outdoors in Tunisia. (credit)

- Involving learners in discussion "in which real issues are considered", both casual conversation and discussion on academic topics.

Unplugged teaching. 'Nuff said!

- Promoting word-learning through writing by encouraging learners to write with a purpose and for an audience and helping them learn to choose words wisely.

Our annual SpeakOut project opens the door for this. Learners, alumni and teachers may submit writing done independently or in class and we publish a book, celebrating its release in the spring.  This does stimulate many learners to produce heartfelt work, work hard to polish it up, and practice reading it aloud (in case they're selected to read at the celebration).  I occasionally get a learner in class who has strong independent motivation to write and who is always seeking just the right words to get specific ideas across.  I'm wondering how I could encourage this kind of motivation on a day-to-day basis.  Wait!  What about the previous point regarding involving learners in real discussions?  Wouldn't that carry over to writing, too?  (*Forehead smack!*)

Rich and Varied

The first meaty chapter of Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners is called "Providing Rich and Varied Language Experiences".  It's generally organized around the traditional skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.  The authors propose that, while all learners should work on all skills, beginning learners should receive an emphasis on speaking and listening and more advanced learners should receive an emphasis on reading and writing. (I have a question about that: it seems that advanced learners often come to me with more reading and writing experience than listening and speaking experience? In any case ... )

Not all of the language that learners encounter has to be "taught".  In the section on listening, we're advised to go ahead and include some words that are beyond learner ability -- with some thought to what the level of the group is.  I think the idea is that the challenging language may slip past, but (as Ellis and others contend) that doesn't mean it isn't being collected and processed.  The authors give an example of using an interesting but uncommon word to stimulate curiosity.  "Too many decibels for me!"  I imagine the goal is more to pique learner interest in language than to "teach" the word.  I can also see:

- using an idiom or common phrase that I would normally use in free speech, but that I tend to filter out when speaking in class.  Loosening the filter intentionally, I guess.
- using authentic language that learners are not asked to study explicitly, but that is appropriate for the context they're in. A possible parallel: kids overhearing their parents talking nearby.

A week or so ago, I witnessed an example (perhaps) of the results of this kind of exposure.  We had turned our attention to "have to" in a lesson with my high beginner/low intermediate class.  Learners practiced and seemed to be getting comfortable with it, but one learner obviously had an epiphany.  Usually somewhat reserved, she brightened up and said "Oh!"  Then she started throwing out example sentences with  delight: I have to call my brother. You have to go to work.  He has to make an appointment ... And so forth. She had surely heard this language many, many times at work and I certainly have used it often in the classroom.  She probably had the gist of its meaning, but not its form.  When I put the form on the board, it just clicked for her.  I didn't "teach" it to her, I just provided that one bit of information that firmed up what she had been collecting all along.  For the rest of the folks in class that day, our attention to form may only have added to their repository, but maybe it brought them closer to the click.  (An aside: could such a  click be he moment when receptive vocabulary becomes productive vocabulary?)

The above is maybe an example of when I inadvertently provided my learners with language above their level (using "have to" and "don't have to" frequently).  I asked myself if I could think of ways that I've more deliberately offered "rich and varied" language to my classes.  It turns out that last week both of my classes watched videos that were challenging. In each case, I scaffolded the experience -- eliciting background knowledge, reviewing some key words, and reading and discussing a simplified text before watching the video.

The lower level class watched a video that was specifically prepared for language learners, but for a group at a higher level.  They did not tire of watching it again and again (we would review the video to answer questions that arose during discussion, for example).  The last time they watched it, many were reading the subtitles aloud to the extent that they could.  To my great pleasure, several later used some of the language they had heard (but we had not focused on explicitly) in class.  They did it deliberately, and I'm sure it's because they had seen it modeled so many times.  One was "thanks to [someone or something]" and the other was from a humorous moment in the movie: "Don't move!"  A character in the movie said this while drawing a picture of someone else.  We had a drawing activity ourselves and "Don't move!" flew about the room with lots of chuckling.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear another repeated phrase from the video ("I have an idea.") soon.  In fact, I will make a point to use it myself!  Here is a link to the video I used (We watched "The Hospital") and here's a picture two learners made of me (note the similarity to a picture in the video!).

After reading about and discussing a brief description of the American Civil War, my higher level class read a simplified version of the Gettysburg Address and we discussed.  We made a recording of them reading it as a class, one sentence per student, and played it back to analyze pronunciation. We then reviewed some key words and watched a video where various famous people read the original text one sentence at a time, similar to the way we had done it.  In the video, certain words were repeated.  I asked learners if they noticed, we tried to remember which words were repeated, then we watched again.  We then discussed why those words were emphasized.  (There are two  kinds of repetition: made by the video editors, and in the speech itself.  Lots to discuss!)  Lincoln's speech is simple, yet the language is formal.  I don't expect students to study the formal words, but such a "rich and varied" examination of the Gettysburg Address may come back to them, since this is an important text that's quoted and referenced heavily. In fact, next month is the 150th anniversary of the battle. A noticing learner will probably see many of these words again, especially here in Philadelphia!

hubby riding near Gettysburg

Another Vocabulary Book

Oh yes, I always "dress" for reading!

In the ongoing saga of "Kathy learns to teach vocabulary", I'm moving to the next book on my list: Teaching Vocabulary to Second Language Learners by Graves, August, and Mancilla-Matinez.  Although this book is aimed at K-12 ESL instruction, there is no reason that the main principles should not apply to teaching adults.  Perhaps we'll see about that over the next 6 months!

I've just completed the introductory portion of the book.  As in Folse, the authors assert that   vocabulary instruction is neglected far too much (some of the same studies are cited).  In this book, the authors propose a vocabulary teaching program consisting of four parts:

- providing rich and varied language experiences

- teaching individual words

- teaching word learning strategies

- fostering word consciousness (noticing, yeah!)

The meat of the book consists of one chapter for each of these topics and there's a final chapter which  discusses and compares four "empirically validated vocabulary programs for ELLs".  Because I'm not in a reading group this time, I'm going to have to provide my own discipline!  By that, I mean pausing after each chapter to ask myself some questions and rereading the chapter before continuing. I'm also setting a deadline of the end of June.  I'm giving lots of time for pondering each chapter -- allowing for a shift from "receptive" to "productive" understanding?

image courtesy of plum leaves

Words, Words, Words

Recently, several of the teachers in my group have come into the opportunity to participate in some  vocabulary-teaching research.  I'm very excited!  I hope my learners will benefit directly, but I also hope that my own skills will improve significantly during the course of the project (it stretches out over the next seven months).

Our program normally uses a thematic framework rather than a cut and dried curriculum. This gives teachers quite a bit of latitude when it comes to individual lesson plans.  Each month, we focus on a common topic so we can support each other, but we are free to decide independently how to go about exploring the topic with our learners.  I love this, because I can bring learners into the decision-making from lesson to lesson.  However, thanks to this project we have prepared a more formal three-month curriculum. We've chosen specific topics and texts.  Our project leader will provide particulars with regard to teaching vocabulary.  The rest -- how we interact with the content of the text -- will be defined by the teachers.

Our project leader has suggested that we read a recently-published book: Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners by Graves, August and Mancilla-Martinez.  I bought the text, skimmed though it, and began reading ... but at about the same time, an online book reading group formed over at ELL-U.  They were planning to read and discuss Vocabulary Myths by Keith Folse.  That seemed like an excellent opportunity to keep my focus (thanks to weekly deadlines) and to expand learning beyond the book through the discussion with fellow teachers, so I signed on.  I will follow with Graves when the discussion group ends in a month.

So, I'll probably be reflecting on vocabulary-teaching a lot over the next few months.   I don't intend to comment any more on the project itself, but rather on my own learning -- especially my questions about and reactions to the two recommended books.

It seems as if vocabulary-teaching is quite a hot topic these days.  Our local TESOL chapter recently offered a forum on the subject and I've been seeing other online opportunities as well.  Is it really the case, or am I just sensitized these days?  (Wink!)

PS: I provide links to Amazon only so that you can see what the book's cover looks like, read reviews and (sometimes) page through the table of contents and example text.  I'm not advertising on behalf of anyone.  Just to be clear!