Academic Vocabulary Teaching to Students Coursework

Teaching students to carry out a detailed analysis of different art forms, particularly, visual (e.g., movies, graphic novels, etc.) and literature-related ones (e.g., novels, short stories, poems, etc.) is an important step toward helping them understand art and its role in their lives. Thus, it is crucial that students should be able to express their ideas in a cohesive and sensible manner.

It is crucial to make sure that the learners should remember the exact patterns of expressing a critical thought. By making the use of the identified phrases a second nature of the learners, one is expected to promote the development of the Monitor Procedural Memory by the learners (Bailey & Pransky, 2014).

The use of specific vocabulary can be viewed as an indispensable element of developing critical and analytical skills in students. Before students are capable of designing a unique manner of artistic expression, they will have to learn the tropes that are traditionally used to analyze artwork. Therefore, it is imperative that they should acquire the necessary vocabulary and use it appropriately.

To make sure that the learners should have a basis for their further analysis of the text, as well as be able to express their point of view and get the necessary ideas across, the teacher will have to consider the following vocabulary as a possibility:

Abbreviate, Chronology, Credible, Estimate, Analogy, Evidence, Exaggerate, Foreshadow, Graphic, Illustrate, Intermittent, Isolate, Metaphor, Perspective, Plausible, Presume, Prompt, Reduce, Reflect, Represent, Requisite, Reveal, Sequence, Significance, Speculate, Synthesize.

It is necessary to make sure that the learners should know that they are not restricted by the choice of words provided by the teacher. Instead, the identified vocabulary should be viewed as a starting point for their development of critical abilities. Therefore, the students should be encouraged to explore their vocabulary opportunities by using the appropriate dictionaries, including both printed and electronic ones.

It should be borne in mind that there are a plethora of misconceptions about the efficacy of specific tools for reviewing and memorizing the target vocabulary. For instance, the traditional exercise involving filling in the blank parts of the text does not have the desired effect on learners since it does not invite them to analyze the text (Spencer-Waterman, 2013).

The incorporation of collaborative practices should be interpreted as the first step toward teaching the target audience the essential vocabulary for critical reading. For instance, the teacher may use a cloze sentence so that the learners could respond together by using the vocabulary word:

“We call text intermittent when…”

The use of collaborative practices can be viewed as the most efficient way of teaching learners the target vocabulary (O’Connor, 2014). For instance, the exercises that involve defining the word in a group should be viewed as a possibility. Suggesting that the learners should provide a definition of the word “abbreviate” can be viewed as a possible example:

“To ’abbreviate’ is to …”

Finally, a time-constraint systematic practice that will not involve scaffolding by the teacher should be considered one of the possible scenarios for an assignment. Admittedly challenging, it will prompt the learners to work on critical thinking skills and develop academic independence. Furthermore, the assignment is likely to encourage learners to develop creative thinking skills. For instance, the assignment may imply that the learners should practice the vocabulary by building a dialogue.

Using formative and summative assessments is a crucial step toward making sure that the students should remember the essential information represented to them in the course of the lesson. Furthermore, the incorporation of the assessment practices will inform the teacher about the issues that must be touched upon in the course of the next lesson.

A formative self-assessment can be viewed as the next step toward helping students remember the necessary information. A self-assessment will help the target audience develop the necessary critical skills.

Creating a concept map can be viewed as a perfect tool for carrying out a group summative assessment. By allowing learners to collaborate, the teacher can assess not only the ability of the target audience to use the acquired knowledge in a flexible manner and create a system of the received information but also define problems in their understanding of specific items. Furthermore, a concept map may be used as not only the element of assessment but also as a mnemonic device that the learners will, later on, apply to solve the associated tasks (e.g., writing an essay).

Finally, a one-minute essay can be deemed as an important tool in checking the learners’ ability to not only remember the target vocabulary but also use it consciously in a sentence.

Assessing the learners’ ability to use the vocabulary in a context is crucial. Therefore, it will be necessary to include the tasks that will require the use of the target vocabulary on a regular basis. For instance, assigning learners with the task of participating in a discussion forum, the teacher may suggest that the identified vocabulary should be used actively.

References

Bailey, F., & Pransky, K. (2014). Memory at work in the classroom: Strategies to help underachieving students. Alexandra, VA: ASCD.

O’Connor, R. E. (2014). Teaching word recognition: Effective strategies for students with learning difficulties (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

Spencer-Waterman, S. (2013). Assessing middle and high school social studies & English: Differentiating formative assessment. New York, NY: Routledge.