Content provided in partnership with
Using objects to teach vocabulary words with multiple meanings
Montessori Life, Summer 2003 by Rule, Audrey C, Barrera, Manuel T III
RESEARCH
Open any large dictionary and you will notice that more than one meaning is listed for most entries. Take cob, for instance. A cob can be the core of an ear of corn; a male swan; a stocky, short-legged horse; or a lump of coal. Mixing the meanings of cob would make reading about cornfields, waterfowl, stables, or fireplaces a difficult task indeed! In fact, this confusion is what makes so many children's books that highlight puns so endearing: muddling word meanings is a mistake with which we can all identify. But should we spend time teaching about these words, and if so, is there an effective, research-based approach?
Vocabulary Instruction is Important
The National Reading Panel (2000), charged by Congress to assess the status of research-based knowledge about teaching reading, identified five key areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. This article focuses on the important component of vocabulary instruction through an effective technique for teaching words with multiple meanings.
A student's growth in reading power is dependent upon continuous growth in word knowledge. Readers must know the meanings of words to comprehend what they read. The National Reading Panel notes that vocabulary should be taught both directly by class activities and indirectly through student experiences. Repetition and multiple exposures in different rich contexts with active engagement of the student are important. The Partnership for Reading (2003), a collaborative effort by three federal agencies authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, notes that vocabulary instruction should focus on important, useful, and difficult words, such as words that have multiple meanings.
Learning Vocabulary with Objects
Hands-on approaches to learning in mathematics and science boost student understanding and performance. Current research findings (Wenglinsky, 2000) emphasize the importance of hands-on learning for student achievement: students who regularly use manipulatives in their classes score significantly higher in mathematics on standardized achievement tests than peers who do not. Ruby (2001) found test scores of high school students who participated in hands-on science to be higher. In Frederick and Shaw's study of fourth graders (1999), use of science manipulatives resulted in higher achievement scores and more positive attitudes toward the subject.
Extending concrete materials to the areas of language acquisition and vocabulary development is also motivating and effective. Students acquire more vocabulary and content information when they can touch and see the information (Lapp, Fisher, and Flood, 1999). Roney (1994) describes the successful use of dollhouse objects in a Spanish language classroom for teaching vocabulary. Students examine items and relationships in three dimensions to understand the meaning of the new vocabulary more easily. Peregoy and Boyle (2001) explain how show-and-tell activities with objects provide context-embedded opportunities for language. Using objects in teaching multiple meanings of words offers the same context advantages.
Montessori educators have long known the value of manipulatives. Maria Montessori observed that the hand is the teacher; children learn by actively examining objects and interacting with their environments.
In order to develop his mind, a child must have objects in his environment which he can hear and see. Since he must develop himself through his movements, through the work of his hands, he has need of objects for his work that can provide motivation for his activity. (Montessori, 1966, p. 82) Montessori developed many object boxes for the exploration of phonics and the development of vocabulary. The object box of words with multiple meanings presented here builds upon and extends Montessori's ideas.
Other Montessorian writers have discussed the importance of objects in teaching language concepts and our children's need to increase their vocabularies. Michael Rosanova (1998) emphasized the importance of concrete activities and an environment that "speaks" through easily understood materials in his description of the InterCultura Montessori School in Oak Park, IL. Aline Wolf (2001) remarked on the difficulty of "children to acquire English as a second language when so many words sound alike..." or have "...multiple meanings" as she detailed nine different meanings for the word fair.
Our Study
Words with multiple meanings are challenging for all students and may be especially so when English is a second or new language. Recent studies examining the academic language needs of these learners underscore the centrality of vocabulary development in promoting academic progress for those with learning difficulties (see Gersten & Baker, 2000 for an in-depth review). Developing skill in differentiating multiple meanings of key words is an effective way both to amplify learners' fluency in using academic English and to expand vocabulary efficiently.
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: News
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »