Here are 3 less-evident things to keep in mind when teaching vocabulary in the classroom:

#1 Student Prior Knowledge

This CrashCourse video on semantics mentions that any definition starts to break down with exceptions. This is a good reminder that, when teaching vocabulary, a teacher needs to take into account their students’ prior knowledge about the topic and/or words being introduced. For example, if you introduce the word “bat,” half your class might be thinking of the animal, and the other half might be thinking of baseball. It’s important to evaluate what your students already know, so that you can better guide their learning.

#2 – Student Engagement

Anita Archer’s Explicit Instruction videos emphasize the importance of student engagement when teaching vocabulary. She clearly demonstrates that the teacher not only needs to repeat the word or words of focus frequently, but that the students need to as well. This can happen as a class (chorale responses), through partner discussion, and can also become a sort of “challenge” for students to use new vocabulary in their conversations throughout the day.

#3 – Types of Talk

Our talk can vary according to purpose and audience – for many students, this differentiation is helpful. Douglas Barnes refers to 2 types of classroom “talk” – exploratory and presentational. Using and explicitly teaching both in the classroom can promote a safe learning environment, as well as the use of Tier 2 words.

Exploratory Talk

“Exploratory talk” is a means of expression that should be used at the beginning of a lesson, as it welcomes hesitancies and imperfections, making it easy for students to try out new ideas without consequence and accept them should they feel adequate (Barnes, 2008).

Presentational Talk

“Presentational talk” is a means of expression that should be used at the end of a lesson, occurring only once a student has been able to digest a concept, as it acts as a way for them to firmly express a constructed understanding and may work to satisfy an audience (Barnes, 2008).

References

Barnes, D. (2008). Exploratory talk for learning. In N. Mercer & S. Hodgkinson (Eds.), Exploratory talk in school (pp. 1-15). London, UK: SAGE Publications, Ltd.