Log 007 - Vocabulary: Natural Acquisition Vs Unstructured Learning
- Nov 9, 2017
- 4 min read
How can students be helped to develop an independent vocabulary learning habit?
(SCT Session #08)
Today in my teacher training class, my professor pointed out that I learned English through natural acquisition while many of my classmates learned through instructed learning. What strategies could I use for my students to help them improve their lexicon when I can’t really remember how I learned vocabulary all that well? I remember being assessed and assigned a reading level. I remember picking books from the books from the vase library of books and given time for silent reading in class. If I finished my book, and there weren’t any time limit to it, I was given a test on the computer, just some simple questions regarding the story and my thoughts on the book. In retrospect, I think that was a book report? To be promoted to the next level, I’d have to read a certain number of books specific to that reading level. When I come across unfamiliar words during reading, hating to stop the flow of reading, I’d opt to skip words. I only ever resort to using a dictionary if I've tried out all other options - inferring, guessing, reading on - and still don't get it; the word is a key word that I had to look up.
The purpose of reading, to me, is to learn about the content, be it a creative story or factual information, that the text is trying to convey.
I learned words when I was curious and genuinely felt the need to know it, whether it is because I was interested, or simply didn't want to look dumb in front of my peers or teachers. I would put effort in remember the meaning of these words; I wouldn’t shy away using the words wrongly when I write, because only my teachers would look at my homework anyways, unless I wanted to show my classmates, which I normally didn't, unless it was for a group project.
My teachers didn't officially taught me English, unless it was during ESOL (even though I don't really remember really learning Grammar like how I'm asked to teach locally in Hong Kong). How then can I make sure my students truly understood the vocabulary or knowledge that they are meant to learn?
As a student, I tried using a vocab book to keep the unfamiliar words I’ve encountered, so I can look at it again and write sample sentences with them. To change it up, I sometimes would challenge myself to write creatively and accurately with multiple words at once. If I can use all the words on the page, and it made sense, then even better. I gained satisfaction and reward through such a simple thing.
How can I help my students learn when I don't even know how I learnt words at school myself? I don't remember learning words separately from context; I don't remember having to memorize words because "they were important and words that students of 'my' level should know"; So what if they were going to be on the public exams a few years later or not.
The words I didn't know were essential to understanding the lesson or the subject, so they became important to me, and I was motivated to know them in order to understand.
My students are not me.
In class, we never had dictation for dictation’s sake, or ever. I liked using and experimenting with words to see if I can communicate better and more vividly. I don't want to be too "different" from my classmates, and being sorted into ESOL (English as Second or Other Language) class somehow indicated that my English was not good enough to be with the rest of my classmates. In two and a half years, I was able to graduate from ESOL and can choose to learn other languages - I chose Sign Language as a foreign language. This is how I grew up, "learning English" - I would argue that I didn't so much as learn English as I learned about life with English.
If we are finally acknowledging that every student has diverse learning interests and needs, why must we limit the number of words they learn? (e.g. ~20 per Unit) Dictation makes it so that once students reach full marks on the dictation, they no longer need to learn other words until the next dictation. The learning becomes a passive, reactive process; it is void of meaning to the learner, and detached from any context.
My professor today asked us to give a reflective response about how best to teach students new vocabulary, and I honestly do not know, other then to use reading materials in which the content are of interest to them. If students are interested in what the reading is about, they would figure it out, without teaching having to pull teeth doing dictations that nobody really wants to study for or mark.
Even at this point, I’m still skeptical that I can best help my students learn new vocabulary... but I wish that eventually, I can look back at this and smile endearingly at this youthful worry. Hopefully, with years of training, I'll have accumulated some strategies in helping students learn words in a way that both my students and I are enjoying the journey.
My Personal Reading List: How to make learning relevant to your students (and why it's crucial to their success) https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/how-to-make-learning-relevant/
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