Learning Vocabulary

I introduced my students to Kate Kinsella's Vocabulary Word Maps this week.  This is a technique to help students master the nuances of academic language.  We use it in our World Studies curriculum to teach the language of the discipline, namely those words that are necessary to understand world history.

The technique works because students process the word on multiple levels.  They look at the formal definition, they consider various versions of the word so they can recognize it in its other forms and they make connections to examples and related concepts.  This makes them consider the word in a variety of different ways.  Each new way of looking at the word creates a new pathway in the brain between that word and its meaning.  Finally, they write their own definition and draw an image or symbol for the word.  The act of creating (both verbally and visually) makes the connection even stronger because their brains are using their understanding of the word to complete the task instead of simply recalling its meaning.  Whenever students use activities higher up in Bloom's Taxonomy, they tend to learn more, have better facility with the concepts and remember them longer.

Here is a link to a Blank Vocab Word Map if you want one.

And here are some Student Examples:

I am very fond of this one because my student managed to include a reference to Korea (with his portrait of Kim Jong-Un).  I am a huge fan of Korea!  좋다!

This example demonstrates one of the reasons English vocabulary is so hard to learn.

The word on the bottom is Occupation.  A student who is learning English comes in to class and the teacher says they are going to be studying Occupation today.  

That student is Thrilled!

They think, "I totally know this!  My dad told me.  Your occupation is your job.  We must be talking about jobs in history today.  Awesome.  I totally got this!"

And then the teacher starts talking about armies and Iraq and the student is completely confounded.  

They think, "I am so confused.  Does occupation only mean jobs in the military?  Why is there a picture of a tank?  What the heck is this lesson about?!"

The next thing you know the student has shut down.  They are reeling from the whip lash of thinking they had it and realizing they didn't without knowing why.  They may experience vocabulary fake outs like this daily while they try to master the nuances of English and its many appropriated words.  The frustration must be incredible.

Anyway, Vocab Word Maps can help with that.  They give students a chance to consider just the meaning that applies directly to the lesson at hand or the subject, and to focus on the parts they really need for understanding.