Final Entry/Reflection on Vocabulary Learning

            This Vocabulary blog was a great learning tool that encouraged me to be mindful of my own word learning throughout this semester. When looking through and reflecting on my blog, I realized that I had selected a range of words from a variety of sources. As I went through the semester, I noticed that more of my words came from texts that I engaged in from this course and from the other course I was taking, LTED 612 Literacy and the Diverse Learner. Many of my words also related to the field of education. I think I chose these types of words because it connected to and could be utilized in my current position as a teacher. I had some familiarity with several of the words I selected, but wanted to develop my understanding of these words by exploring them further.

            This blog encouraged me to be a more active and reflective reader. I usually read a text with my highlighter poised and my colored pen ready to make notes and comments in the margins. Because I had to search for and identify words that I wanted to learn more about, I found myself reading with another purpose. Once I found the words I wanted to include in my blog, I had to further investigate and reflect upon the importance of knowing and understanding these words. This word learning process helped me to extend my foundational understanding of a lot of these words and increased my awareness of words I was not familiar with. Keeping track of these words in a blog made it easy for me to go back and revisit my previous posts. Essentially, the process and the medium through which this blog was created helped to facilitate my word learning.

            The vocabulary tests were also an important part of the word learning process. It encouraged me to go back through my blog to find a word to nominate for the tests, as well as revisit the blogs of my classmates to learn more about the words they nominated. The vocabulary tests also encouraged me to recognize and understand words that my peers were exploring. As Ruddell and Shearer (2002) discuss, this strategy aids in cultivating a learning community. We visited each others vocabulary blogs to observe each others individual word learning, but also gain more understanding of the words others selected for ourselves. I found that my classmates had selected words that I had little or no familiarity with, which also helped my word learning. After the first vocabulary test, I began creating flash cards to help me review the words for the test. These cards helped me study and memorize the spelling and meaning of these words, as well as how to use them in the appropriate contexts.

            I will continue to use elements of this strategy to further develop my word learning. It would be great if I could keep up with my vocabulary blog, but I do not know if that is feasible. If nothing else, I will approach texts with the goal of identifying unfamiliar words, monitor my understanding of these words, and using various resources to determine their meanings. I think this strategy is a great tool to encourage myself, and my students, to take more ownership of their own learning and be more active in the learning process. Like Martha, in Ruddell and Shearer’s (2002) article, “Extraordinary,” “tremendous,” “exhilarating,” “magnificent”: Middle school at-risk students become avid word learners with the Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS), I became “convinced of the power of inviting students to choose their own spelling and vocabulary words” (p. 353). I will definitely consider using this strategy in my classroom.

Ruddell, M.R. & Shearer, B. A. (2002).  “Extraordinary,” “tremendous,” “exhilarating,”

“magnificent”:  Middle school at-risk students become avid word learners with the Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS).  Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(5), 352-363.

12:2 Promotive

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Teaching Reading in Social Studies by Doty, Cameron, and Barton (2003) for this course. This word was used in the context of cooperative learning.

What it means:  Doty, Cameron, and Barton (2003) uses the word terminology in the following statement; “face-to-face promotive interaction” (p. 16). According to dictionary.com, promotive is defined as “tending to promote.”

Level of familiarity: I have never heard this word before, but figured it had something to do with the word promote.    

            

 Do I want to know this word well and why: I do not see an imperative need to continue to explore this word. It is a nice addition to my vocabulary, but do not think it is essential to have a deeper understanding of this word.

Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  I do not think it is necessary for students or teachers to understand the meaning of this word. It is not essential to in the context of instruction. It could potentially be used by teachers when discussing progress monitoring and intervention techniques employed in the classroom.

Doty, J. K., Cameron, G. N., & Barton, M. L. (2003).  Teaching reading in social studies:  A

supplement to teaching reading in the content areas.    Aurora, CO:  Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.

Promotive. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/promotive

12:1 Terminology

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Teaching Reading in Social Studies by Doty, Cameron, and Barton (2003) for this course. I encountered this word when reviewing the rationale section of the text.

What it means:  Doty, Cameron, and Barton (2003) uses the word terminology in the following sentence; “The study of social studies is much more than memorizing historical facts; geographical statistics; or government, civic, and economic terminology” (p. v). According to dictionary.com, terminology is defined as “the body of specialized words relating to a particular subject.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word before in several different contexts.   

 

 (Our class wordle from earlier this semester retrieved from Dr. Jones’ vocabulary journal on November 29, 2010).

 

Do I want to know this word well and why: I would like to continue to develop my understanding of this word in the context of content area literacy instruction. I think this is an important word for me to understand because I can see myself using this word in the classroom, especially when discussing vocabulary. This word compliments the topics and themes we have been discussing in this course throughout the semester. It connects to Fisher and Frey’s (20060 exploration of “specialized vocabulary” (p. 12).

Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  Students and teachers should be familiar with this word because of its close connection to vocabulary and literacy development.  

Doty, J. K., Cameron, G. N., & Barton, M. L. (2003).  Teaching reading in social studies:  A

supplement to teaching reading in the content areas.    Aurora, CO:  Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2008).  Word wise and content rich:  Five essential steps to teaching academic vocabulary.  Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Terminology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/ terminology

 

11:3 Axiom

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Using Technology to Support Expository Reading and Writing in Science Classes by Montelongo and Herter (2010) for Emily’s Reciprocal Teaching Session. I encountered this word when reading about cognitive processes involved in comprehension.

What it means:  Montelongo and Herter (2010) use the word axiom in the following sentence; “An axiom from cognitive psychology literature asserts that comprehension precedes production" (p. 93). According to dictionary.com, axiom is defined as “a self-evident truth that requires no proof.”

Level of familiarity: I may have come across this word several years ago when I took psychology classes in high school and as an undergrad, but I do not recall its meaning.   



Do not need this proof:  



Do I want to know this word well and why: This word may be interesting to know and use, but I am not sure about its application in the context of education and instruction. I do not foresee myself using this word very often, so it would be more for casual conversation.

Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  I do not think others need to know this word well. I could see this word being used in higher-level contexts surrounding theory and research, especially in the fields of psychology and sociology. I do not think it is necessary for teachers or students to know this word.  

Montelongo, J. A., & Herter, R. J. (2010). Using technology to support expository reading and writing in science classes. Science Activities, 47, 89-102.

Axiom. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/axiom

11:2 Versatile

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Using Technology to Support Expository Reading and Writing in Science Classes by Montelongo and Herter (2010) for Emily’s Reciprocal Teaching Session. I encountered this word when reading about the modified sentence completion task.

What it means:  Montelongo and Herter (2010) use the word versatile when discussing the sentence-completion task in the following sentence; “It is a more versatile form of the common fill-in-the-blanks activity found at every grade level" (p. 91). According to dictionary.com, versatile is defined as “capable or adapted for many different uses, skills, etc.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word before, but never considered it in the context of instruction and learning strategies.   

            

 Do I want to know this word well and why: I would like to continue to develop my understanding of this word in the context of instruction. As an educator, this word has a clear connection to the concept of modification and being able to adapt learning experiences to help meet the needs of all students. This word would be helpful to keep in mind when designing instruction and differentiating learning materials.

Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  I think it would be beneficial for other teachers to understand the meaning of this word. Understanding this word will help them to remember the importance of designing purposeful instruction and differentiating materials for all students.  

Montelongo, J. A., & Herter, R. J. (2010). Using technology to support expository reading and writing in science classes. Science Activities, 47, 89-102.

Versatile. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/versatile

11:1 Proposition

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Teaching Reading in Social Studies by Doty, Cameron, and Barton (2003) for this course. I encountered this word when reading about and preparing to use the proposition/support outline for the strategy 6 part of my SCATP project.

What it means:  Doty, Cameron, and Barton (2003) uses the word proposition in the following sentence; “Introduce the term ‘proposition’ – a statement that can be argued as true" (p. 137). According to dictionary.com, proposition is defined as “the act of offering or suggesting something to be considered, accepted, adopted, or done.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word before, but never considered it in the context of a learning strategy or experience.   

            

 Do I want to know this word well and why: I would like to continue to develop my understanding of this word in the context of this strategy and how it can be employed to enhance student learning in the classroom. As an educator, I can see myself using this word in a variety of contexts, but especially when problem solving for my students. Changes to procedures and schedules are consistently offered and discussed, so I can use this word in those contexts. Knowing and using this word is not essential to my success as an educator.

Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  I do not believe this word is essential for others to know. It can be used in the education setting when engaging in debates and other discussion techniques.  

Doty, J. K., Cameron, G. N., & Barton, M. L. (2003).  Teaching reading in social studies:  A supplement to teaching reading in the content areas.    Aurora, CO:  Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.

Proposition. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/proposition

10:3 Traverse

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Writing for the Instant Messaging and Text Messaging Generation: Using New Literacies to Support Writing Instruction by Sheelah Sweeny (2010) for my LTED 612 course. I encountered this word when reading about new literacies.

What it means:  Sweeny (2010) uses the word traverse in the following sentence; “Not only is the concept of literacy expanding, but also literacy events or practices are evolving in such a way that they 'traverse accustomed national, cultural, linguistic, and producer-consumer boundaries' beacuse of the Internet" (p. 122). According to dictionary.com, traverse is defined as “to pass or move over.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word before, but never considered it in this context.   

            

 Do I want to know this word well and why: I think it would be interesting to continue to explore the meaning of this word, but it is not essential. I like the word and may continue to think about how it can connect to my job as an educator. Perhaps when providing "hurdle help" to my students, I can refer to it as helping them traverse the problem.

Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  I do not believe this word is essential to know. It can be used in casual conversations, but does not have an obvious place in the education setting. 

Sweeny, S. M. (2010). Writing for the instant messaging and text messaging generation: Using new literacies to support writing instruction. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 54(2), 121-130.

Traverse. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/traverse

10:2 Trove

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading When Mama Can't Read: Counteracting Intergenerational Illiteracy by Kathleen Cooter (2006) for my LTED 612 course. I encountered this word when reading about family reading traditions.

What it means:  Cooter (2006) uses the word trove in the following sentence; “Every family has a treasure trove of imginative stories that they can adapt to picture books and make a story come alive" (p. 701). According to dictionary.com, trove is defined as “a collection of objects.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word before, but never bothered to look up the actual meaning.   

            

 Do I want to know this word well and why: I think it would be interesting to continue to explore the meaning of this word, but it is not essential. It could be a neat way to refer to my "teacher toolbox!" Teacher strategy trove, anyone?  


Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why:  I do not believe this word is essential to know. It is just another fun and different word to use to "spice up" a conversation. 

Cooter, K. S. (2006). When mama can't read: Counteracting intergeneraltion illiteracy. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 698-702.

Trove. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/trovetrove

10:1 Utterance

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading When Mama Can't Read: Counteracting Intergenerational Illiteracy by Kathleen Cooter (2006) for my LTED 612 course. I encountered this word when reading about a strategy called dialogic reading.

What it means:  Cooter (2006) uses the word utterance in the following sentence; “In this strategy, the child directs and leads a conversation around the pictures of a book; the parent listens to the child talk, uses "what" questions, and rephrases and extends the child's utterances, but remains at all times the follower in the dialogue” (p. 699). According to dictionary.com, utterance is defined as “a amanner of speaking; any speech sequence consisting of one or more words preceded and followed by silence.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word before, but never took the time to consider its deeper meaning.   

Do I want to know this word well and why: I think it would be interesting to explore the meaning of this word in the context of instruction. I associate this word more with elementary education, so I do not think it is imperative to know this word well. I am able to use the word casually and in the appropriate context.   


Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why: I think elementary teachers and students should be familiar with this word. It is a useful word to employ in those classrooms, but is, once again, not essential.

Cooter, K. S. (2006). When mama can't read: Counteracting intergeneraltion illiteracy. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 698-702.

Utterance. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/utterance

9:2 Logograph

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers (2003) for my LTED 612 course. I encountered this word when reading about vocabulary instruction.

What it means:  Beers (2003) uses the word logograph in the following sentence; “A vocabulary logograph can be anything that helps a student remember the meaning of a word…” (p. 195). According to dictionary.com, logograph is defined as “a single symbol representing a word or phrase.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word logo before, but never heard of this version of the word.   

            

 

 

 

Do I want to know this word well and why: I think it would be interesting to explore the meaning of this word in the context of instruction. This concept can be employed in the classroom to encourage student comprehension and retention of complex course concepts. Students should be encouraged to utilize logograhs as a learning tool to help them develop their understanding. I will use this learning tool in my classroom, especially when introducing new concepts and vocabulary terms.  


Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why: I think teachers and students should be familiar with this word. It is a useful tool to use in the classroom to encourage and aid comprehension.

Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Logograph. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/logograph

9:1 Distillation

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading Teaching Expository Text Structures Through Information Trade Book Retellings by Barbara Moss (2004) for Melissa's Reciprocal Teaching session.

What it means:  Moss (2004) uses the word distillation in the following sentence; “Conversely, a summary represents a short, to-the-point distillation of the main ideas in the text” (p. 711). If I rely on context clues, I would define distillation as refining. According to dictionary.com, distillation is defined as the “act of obtaining the essence of a substance.”

Level of familiarity: I have heard the word distill before, but never heard of this version of the word.   

 

 

 

Do I want to know this word well and why: I think it would be interesting to continue to explore the meaning of this word in the context of instruction. Essentially, this concept can be linked to the idea of pulling out the essential concepts and topics associated with this course content. I think I could use this word in the classroom, especially when planning with colleagues.  


Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why: I think teachers can be familiar with this word, but it is not necessary for them to have a deep understanding of this word. It may also benefit students to be familiar with this word, which will help encourage them to focus on the essential information and how it connects to course themes.  

Distillation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/distillation  

Moss, B. (2004). Teaching expository text structures through information trade book retellings. The Reading Teacher, 57(8), 710-718.

8:2 Text Reformulation

When and Where did I Find it: I discovered this word while reading When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers (2003) for my LTED 612 course. Beers (2003) discusses this idea when exploring after-reading strategies.

What it means: According to Beers (2003), text reformulation is "a strategy in which students transform a text into another type of text" (p. 160).

Level of familiarity: I have never heard this word before. I continue to learn about new reading strategies to employ in the classroom. I would like to become more familiar with this word and add it to my toolbox.   

                        

Do I want to know this word well and why: I would like to explore this word further. I think it could be a great and effective strategy to employ in the classroom. It encourages students to find the main ideas of a text and create another text to convey the content and ideas. I would like to explore the possibilities of using this strategy in all grade levels and across the content areas.  


Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why: I think all teachers should know and understand this word. Teachers should be encouraged to continue to develop their toolbox of strategies to teach their students to help them make meaning from text. Students should also know this strategy, when to use it, and how it can help them understand what they read in the classroom. 

Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

8:1 Aliterate student

When and Where did I Find it: I came across this word when reading When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers (2003) for my LTED 612 course. Beers (2003) discusses these students in the context of teaching students the tools they need to be independent and confident readers.

What it means: According to Beers (2003), aliterate students are "students who can read, but choose not to read" (p. 11).

Level of familiarity: I have never heard this word before. I continue to develop my understanding and definition of being literate, but I did not know how "aliterate students" connected to this notion.  

Do I want to know this word well and why: I would like to explore this word further. As Beers (2003) discusses, the number of "aliterate students" in the classroom is on the rise. There are numerous factors that may effect if a student chooses not to read a text - interest, difficulty level, topic, length, etc. It is important for me to be able to anticipate these students. By planning purposefully and creating engaging learning experiences, I will provide meaningful instruction that are interesting and manageable.  


Do I think others should know this word well...if so, who and why: I think all teachers should know and understand this word. Teachers will undoubtably have these students in the classroom, so knowing the characteristics of these students, how they present their reading behaviors (or lack there of), and what strategies can be employed to help get students back on track. Teachers should be encouraged to continue to explore what this word means and how to problem solve when it arises. 

Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.