Words, Words, Words - October 10th, 2007

Students are constantly being bombarded with new information at school.
A class may learn about the Mayan civilization in the morning and then move onto cloud classification by lunch time.
There's so much that students need to take in everyday, therefore teachers have the sometimes difficult task of making learning fun.
Granted, learning about the Mayan civilization is always exciting, as is finding out about the different types of clouds. But when it comes to learning a new vocabulary, it can sometimes be a dull and boring experience for students, and their teachers. But it doesn't have to be.

Learning new words in the classroom can be fun for everyone.
Gone are the days of too-long lists with unpronounceable words that are impossible to create simple sentences with. Teachers are now turning to new methods in helping their pupils overcome the anxiety associated with learning a new vocabulary. And these new methods aim to help students permanently incorporate new words into their lives, instead of cramming big words into a temporary vocabulary bank that will be forgotten by the end of the week.

For new words to be learned, they need to be more than memorized; meaning needs to take place. A student isn't going to be able to remember a new list of vocab if the words don't have any meaning for the child. Furthermore, a student needs to be able to explain a new word and be able to use it in different contexts. This is a crucial step if students are to keep the new words in their working vocabulary.

Here are a few tips to make learning a new vocabulary fun:

1) Background knowledge is essential for students to learn. By making connections and associating new words with the student's own experiences, this helps pupils to learn quickly and easily.

2) Teachers can reinforce the meaning of new words by getting students to draw pictures of their set vocabulary. This gives children the opportunity to have a greater understanding of the new vocab and to explain meanings in their own words.

3) Flash cards can be a fun way for students to learn words in different contexts. This enables the learner to hold a better understanding of new vocabulary and to understand its different functions, which is important if students are to remember words and keep them in use.

4) Teachers can also use fun word games to get their students excited about learning new words. Try playing a fun game of bingo with your class to get them interested in their new vocabulary list. Or get students to make their own board games that will encourage fun learning and team work.

Learning new words doesn't have to be an uninteresting and exhausting task. With different techniques, teachers can help their students enjoy their new vocabulary. This makes for both a happy class and a very happy teacher!

Useful links:

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/index_main.php
http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/WordSearchSetupForm.html
Read, Write and Think

Written by Rachel Oakley

Educational Writer for Gigglepotz.com