Lets talk about Vocabulary
The famed hawk moth and star orchid are truly the pinnacle example of species evolution and the drastic results that can arise under years of coevolution. Now for you non-bio people out there, this is a perfect example of the utmost need for vocabulary knowledge within a subject field. Without a vocabulary to fall back on you can’t even begin to comprehend the deeper take home message, which in this case is coevolution. Vocabulary is a tricky thing, it’s one thing to memorize a word based on its definition found on dictionary.com, its another thing to be able to apply that word correctly within the appropriate context. It is here that I believe a teacher should focus their energy the most when it comes tot he topic of vocabulary. I remember my teachers handing me “vocab lists” which I was expected to study diligently and regurgitate onto a quiz which simply said: “please define 10 of the 15 words”. After this quiz the words faded from my mind without a thought. This in itself lies the problem, whats the point of learning vocabulary, if your not going to use it. Its like telling someone to learn German and then never speak German to anyone, useless.
In addition to this point, a teacher should strive to make connections between words and challenge students on a regular basis with various exercises that require them to apply the vocabulary they learn to familiar and unfamiliar scenarios. Learning the definition of a word will give you no insight to the true meaning of the word, applying to real situations is what gives the word meaning and significance. By teaching a student this, you are building a vocabulary that they can use and will likely follow them through life. Even if they go on to do things complete opposite of the subject you teach, at the very least when that vocabulary is seen in newspapers, magazines, online or in books they can recognize its meaning and understand the context from which it comes. Giving them better insight in the world and allow them to perceive what they read with a more educated mind. BOOM!