Eight Characteristics of Effective Direct Vocabulary Instruction

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

10:06 AM

Characteristic 1: Effective vocabulary instruction does not rely on definitions

• There is research to support why dictionary definitions are not effective instructional devices:
description of words vs. definitions
• Use everyday language
Characteristic 2: Students must represent their knowledge of words in linguistic
and nonlinguistic ways.
• Linguistic (language-based) and nonlinguistic (imagery bases) are utilized to anchor information into
permanent memory. When both are being used we refer to it as dual coding theory (DCT)
• Nonlinguistic techniques have shown 37 percentile points higher than those techniques that allow
students to simply review definitions. Also, they have show 21 percentile points higher than those
produced by having students generate sentences from the vocabulary terms.
• Students should be encouraged to create a mental picture of the new words or even act them out. They
can use graphic representations, pictures, and pictographs.
Characteristic 3: Effective vocabulary instruction involves the gradual shaping of
word meaning through multiple exposures.
• Knowledge of a term deepens over time if a student encounters the term multiple times. During each
encounter, students revise/add to their understanding of the term.
• Represent information about the term in linguistic and nonlinguistic ways: engage in activities involving
similarities and differences are highly useful exercises (comparing, classifying, creating metaphors, and
creating analogies.)
Characteristic 4: Teaching word parts enhance students’ understanding of
terms.
• Teaching of roots and affixed has traditionally been a part of regular vocabulary instruction
• The logic behind this instructional activity is that knowledge of roots and affixes enables students to
determine the meaning of unknown words.
Characteristic 5: Different types of words require different types of instruction.
• 2 basic categories, nouns and verbs
• Categories are intended as system that facilitate computer processing of natural language or artificial
language
• Research indicates that instructional activities focusing on key semantics features positively affect
learning of vocabulary terms
Characteristic 6: Students should discuss the terms they are learning.
• This gives students the opportunity to encode information in their own words. When asking the
students to discuss the words, meaning of the terms are embedded into their permanent memory.
• Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS) is a program which allows students to select words of their
choice to discuss. This gives the students ownership and allows them to have the opportunity to
collaborate and engage in effective classroom conversations, which one again will foster permanent
memory.
Characteristic 7: Students should play with words.
• Powerful instructional techniques that schools typically under use is games
• Games present manageable challenges for students
• Games provide tasks that “challenge the individuals present capacity, yet permit some control over the
level of challenged faces
• Games arouse curiosity. They do this by “providing sufficient complexity so that outcomes are not
always certain.”
• Games involve some degree of fantasy arousal. Fantasy arousal is not “merely unbridled with fulfillment
or fairy tales, but rather the creation of imaginary circumstances that permit the free and unfettered us

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 or fairy tales, but rather the creation of imaginary circumstances that permit the free and unfettered us
of one’s growing abilities.”
Characteristic 8: Instruction should focus on terms that have a high probability
of enhancing academic success.
• Identify a list of vocabulary terms critical to academic success.
• Researchers suggest that vocabulary be thought of in 3 tiers.
• Tier 1 basic words. These are terms they would encounter frequently in reading and are commonly a
focus of instruction at lower grades
• Tier 2 infrequent words: the chance of learning them in context is slim. Studies indicate that word
frequency is not a reliable indicator of a words importance. Word frequency is not the guide we need to
identify the target word for direct vocabulary instruction.
• Tier 3 words specific to subject area. They focus on two-tier words as the appropriate target of
vocabulary instruction. However, if the goal of direct vocabulary instruction is to embrace academic
background knowledge, then what is clearly needed is a list of subject specific terms.

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