The acquiring of vocabulary comes quite naturally to many people. For these people it can be very difficult to remember the particular moments that solidified ones knowledge and \u201cownership\u201d of a new vocabulary word.\u00a0 In fact, it is hard to remember how or when we learned most words at all!<\/p>\n
I found this article* helpful because it broke down the learning of vocabulary into its smallest parts. After reading this, I can better identify the ways in which I acquired vocabulary and this helps me to gain insight on the experiences that my students may have.<\/p>\n
I learned a great deal of vocabulary through my reading, as I loved to read in my spare time (\u201cincidental word learning through reading\u201d)*. I also learned much of my most sophisticated vocabulary from conversing with my parents and older sister (\u201coral language experiences at home\u201d)*. They used more complex words and I incidentally and incrementally formed understanding and eventually took ownership of this vocabulary for myself. I also loved watching television shows that showcased lawyers, as well political debates and I loved anything that involved people with British accents (usually in the form of Public Broadcasting programs). This viewing exposed me to many terms and that were academic and were in contextual settings. I had the added resource of my parents (watching with me) to ask questions about vocabulary that I could not quite grasp. My parents also taught me a number of skills to help me decipher vocabulary for myself. They showed how to find the \u201croot\u201d word and also how to use contextual clues to interpret meaning. I also had regular access to the internet and attended thriving public schools, where my teachers used many methods to introduce us to words, from spelling tests to reading novels out loud as a class.<\/p>\n
Looking back, I realize that I grew up with the opposite experience of \u201cword poverty\u201d*. I had a wealth of words. I remember sometimes being insulted by peers because I used too many \u201cbig words\u201d and I was always surprised by their accusation, as I had acquired them incrementally and incidentally in my word wealthy life, and was shocked that they could not understand me. It didn\u2019t occur to me at the time that I was incredibly privileged to be in this kind of vocabulary rich environment. Now as I think about my current and future students, I wonder what kind of language environments they are being exposed to outside of school and how I can use my influence to create the kind of environments that will help them to succeed.<\/p>\n