When I was in grade school specifically elementary and middle school, I remember doing spelling tests. And it was the old fashion way. Teachers would give you a list of 10 words on Monday and then Friday was the test. I have always been a good speller, but how exactly does this help students. By giving these words it does not help them know the meaning of it or when to use it in a sentence.
Today I think it is up to the teacher to find interactive, fun ways to help students with spelling and vocabulary; like in the 8 suggestions Beers provides. I think that it is also important to help students use these words in their writing and spoken presentations. Many students always questions why they have to learn something and by providing that questions upfront, I think it will help students open up to learning the material. I also like the idea of having words come from a novel that students are reading. While they are reading students can write down words they don't know and the teacher can combine them to make worksheets and tests.
There are many ways to make spelling and vocabulary fun and useful. Because just memorization is becoming old-fashion and not a useful strategy.
I find it interesting that vocabulary instruction has probably been the same for decades. All students are given a list of words to memorize and are then tested on those words a week later. I wonder why teachers haven't changed this approach? Maybe it works well enough for most students, or maybe it's like a teacher mentioned in the chapter: "I never really expected that they'd learn them to actually use them" (p. 182). It seems funny to me that students are expected to learn words for no purpose other than taking a test over them. I also liked the variety of suggestions that Beers provided in Chapter 9. Even though I like words, I think I would've enjoyed learning them more and I would've retained more had I been given a chance to play with them and to learn words that are actually used in conversation and my own writing.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this chapter. Vocabulary instruction has probably been about the same since before my grandmother was in school. What took us so long to figure out that there is a better alternative to teaching vocabulary? Even in my field classroom, my teacher said she just recently started using strategies aside from memorization. She uses words that come directly out of their readings for the week, and it is really helping the students get a grasp on the meaning of the words. Many of them have even used them in their writing after learning them. I am excited to bring some of the suggestions that Beers provides in Chapter 9 to the classroom to see how the students react.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we need to find more innovative ways to teach vocabulary. I think many students find reading boring because they are used to the same types of assignments such as vocab tests and d.o.l's. I think Beers has some really good ideas about giving vocab a breath of fresh air. The more hands on we make learning the more students will get out of it. Her ideas of vocab trees and word hunts allow students to work with different words and get to know them better, rather than just simple memorization. I would definitely implement these strategies into future classrooms, and hopefully I could even think of new ways to teach vocabulary.
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