Based off
the feedback from one of my recently-completed courses, I've decided
to take a closer look at vocabulary instruction and practice methods
in the classroom, starting with memory strategies and strategy training.
Associating/Elaborating
“This
memory strategy involves associating new language information with
familiar concepts already in memory” (*1, p. 60). I've used tricks like this
for myself for years, like the "I'm a genie” trick to remember how to spell
imagine (im-a-gin-e) and corazón (Spanish for heart) is the core of a person. "The associations can be simple or complex, mundane or strange, but they must be meaningful to the learner" (*1, p. 41).
 |
| My associations with the word "Fly" |
Even though I use it for my own language learning,
I don't know that I've ever used this strategy in my teaching. It
seems like such an obvious strategy for learning words that I've just
assumed that students would do it on their own. Now, after actually
thinking about it, I'm not so sure they do.
With the
large amount of vocabulary we cover in class, is it a good idea to
spend time elaborating on words during our time together, or is it
better to model the strategy and to leave the responsibility for
using it with the students?
For
in-class strategy use, I think a free association exercise might be
helpful (there is a good explanation of an activity here).
After listing associations, students have to explain the connection
to the target term. For more advanced students, maybe a Semantic
Feature Analysis activity would be helpful. A Semantic Feature
Analysis chart “can examine related concepts but make distinctions
between them according to particular criteria across which the
concepts can be compared.” There is an example here with presidents and features of their candidacy and campaigns, but
the same structure can be applied to words that are similar in
meaning, or related in topic.
For
out-of-class activities, the association/elaboration strategies could
be a good homework assignment to populate a vocabulary list of the
most difficult words to remember. Have the students choose one or two
words each from the discussion and then create an association or
elaboration device for it. Pull everyone's words together to make a
list for everyone to study.
Do you
know any other ways to incorporate association or elaboration
strategies into vocabulary learning? What's worked for you?
Sources:
1. Rebecca Oxford, Language Learning Strategies, 1990.
