Teaching Vocabulary

In my science classes I have had teachers that weren't very good at explaining new words and some that were good. Most of my teachers had us look up words or have a definition posted on a slide show. Very little instruction was dedicated toward vocabulary. I remember I had this one physics class where I felt like my teacher was talking in code. He would use a lot of math terms that made it difficult to understand the physics. I had heard them before and probably used them, however, I hadn't mastered them. When he would lecture I would lose attention so fast because he wasn't speaking in a language that was clear to me. As a student, it is hard to translate everything into meaningful language all of the time. I was in a seminar last semester and the speaker said that is how ELL students feel all the time. Students will be more engaged and understand more if they already know the words. Then they don’t have work so hard to understand the material. The vocabulary reading says, “A rich receptive vocabulary, however, can enable learners to process texts more efficiently and fluently by providing them with the ability to make connections what they read and hear and to articulate their understandings of any domain when they speak or write” (pg. 2).

I once had a great teacher, who helped us expand our vocabulary.  He wasn’t a science teacher. He was my humanities teacher. Before the class started, he told us that he was intentionally using words that he hoped we wouldn't understand. Therefore, we were to ask what they meant. We were at school to learn and expand our knowledge. I thought that was a great thing to do, because it made students comfortable asking questions.

Some things that have helped me in my science classes, even though I can’t think of a specific instance or teacher, is when they relate the material to something I already know. My Earth Systems teacher did that this week. He said radioactive leakage of radon in the decay of uranium to lead is like someone eating your popcorn before you can count it. Basically saying that it is hard to account for how much is gone because you don’t know how much you started with. It helps me when teachers use layman’s terms to explain a new concept.

I wish my teachers in the past would have used more ideas from Harmon, Wood and Hendrick. There are some things that I plan on doing that implement some of their ideas. I like the idea of word consciousness. I think the more I use the words, especially in different contexts, the more the students would understand. The text gives the example of puns as a way to familiarize them with words. This is brilliant and I would like to do that. I would also like to implement what my Humanities teach did: I will tell them that I will use words that they don’t know and I expect them to ask about them. Then I will write the words they don’t understand on the board as a visual reminder that they can refer to during the lecture, especially if the word is used again. Another thing I plan on doing that the texts suggest is to make that I teach the new words. Obviously, I cannot predict all the words they won’t understand. That is why I will pick words that are essential for the unit. I will try to teach them in context so that it has more meaning for them. Lastly, I would have them share what it means to them. Maybe I would ask them to tell me a short story with the new words or I could have them simple share how it influences them in their life. Of course they would have to understand it by the time they share, but I will know if they really understand if they can explain it in the context of their lives. Hopefully they would remember it better that way.

All in all, I feel vocabulary has a huge impact on our ability to learn. It is of great importance that we teach our students new vocabulary so that they can excel in future classes. 

Teacher's Typical Text

In my major, texts are often limited to textbooks. Most of my life, my teachers had us read textbooks. I hated reading textbooks because they were so dry. I didn't care about the dates in my history classes and science seemed boring in textbooks. I didn't get much out of the reading when classes solely used textbooks. In fact, I realized that I didn't need to read them, because we would talk about the reading in class. I knew I would probably get more out of listening to them talk than reading it on my own. Reading was always my weak point in school. Textbooks were hard for me to understand and they didn't hold my attention well.

One thing that would have helped me be more successful in reading the textbooks would have been reading for a purpose. The teacher could have asked a specific question or could have given more direction, instead of reading just to have read the material before class. Buehl talks about "framing essential questions". He says, "Most of the questions that confront students in our curricula are leading questions. They direct students toward a set answer and can be helpful for clarifying key information. However, essential questions help students dig deeper into a topic" (23). I would have done well with more direction. No one ever taught me how to read and interpret difficult text, especially textbooks. I felt self-conscious about reading, especially out loud or timed, because I was afraid that I wouldn't understand. When I am a teacher I want to teach my students how to read difficult text. On page 30, Buehl states, "Students are expected to comprehend texts dealing with sophisticated concepts --and that are more abstract, ambiguous, and subtle--by engaging in advanced literacy practices that...'are rarely taught'". I want all students to be prepared to enter college confident that they can read hard texts.

Not all of my teachers were this way though. They had different techniques. I don't remember a single textbook that I have read, however, I remember some historical novels that I have read. In middle school I had a social studies teacher, that assigned novels to teach us the material. That is when I first started to enjoy reading. I remember the main idea of a lot of the books and I remember the way I felt reading them. There were other things that helped me to enjoy reading and understanding more. I had a history teacher in high school that once asked us to write a paper from the perspective of someone that lived in a different era. Not a particular person, but a fictional character that we had to make up. So we had to research what it would be like to be a person in that era. I remember getting really into the assignment, researching a lot about that time frame. It was a really effective way to learn on our own. Buehl questions the motive of the assigned text: "Did the students select the reading material or did someone else? Are they reading to enhance their knowledge about a topic, to discover how to accomplish a task [or] to experience certain ideas..." (8). My teacher obviously contemplated the reasons for each text and how to use them.

I am taking a physics class that is about important scientists and I really appreciate the literature that he uses. We have books that were written by the scientists, not necessarily about them. He also assigns articles that are first-hand experiences to historical, scientific events, like the atomic bomb. These texts are more intriguing because they are actual people interacting with science. It is easier to relate to, which makes it more meaningful. I appreciate the time, energy and research that he underwent to find these texts. I want to have a good collection of educational novels that I can use to help students relate to scientific events.

Introducing A Kingsley

My name is Aubreyann Kinglsey. I live in Provo with my husband, Adam. We got married in May. We like playing ultimate frisbee and board games. I served a mission in Fortaleza, Brazil from September 2011- March 2013. 

I am a Physical Science Teaching Composite major, with an emphasis in physics. This is my last semester of classes, then I student teach in the Fall. When I am finished, I will be able to teach middle school integrated sciences and I can also teach Physics in high school. I would be happy teaching either. They both have pros and cons. 

I chose to be a teacher because as I was growing up I realized that learning was more than just remembering things for a test. Nobody ever told me that. I didn't feel like I was ever taught how to learn. I want to teach students how to learn and to enjoy it. Science is so fun to teach because it is highly interactive. I hope to show them that science is fun and exciting.

Literacy, in my opinion, is being able to read text, or other things such as graphs, and extrapolate meaning. Literacy is incredibly important in physics because a majority of the problems are story problems that need to be interpreted. The student wouldn't be able to answer the questions, if he/she didn't understand what the information is saying. I have found that students, including myself, struggle with story problems because the process isn't as obvious. It requires a lot more thought and analysis. Literacy is essential for success in physics.