A deeper dive into vocabulary instruction
A large and rich vocabulary is the hallmark of an educated individual. Indeed, a large vocabulary repertoire facilitates becoming an educated person to the extent that vocabulary knowledge is strongly related to reading proficiency in particular and school achievement in general. Beck, McKeown & Kucan, 2013, p.1
The role of vocabulary is an essential factor in achieving reading ability and academic success. It allows for the understanding and expressing of ideas and for clear, effective communication. Vocabulary development supports purposeful engagement for a variety of social purposes and has been well researched as contributing to academic success across all subject areas, increasing knowledge and comprehension.
Knowledge of vocabulary meaning affects children’s ability to understand and use words when listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Vocabulary influences children’s ability to think critically, communicate in oral and written languages, and comprehend printed texts.
The importance of vocabulary to literacy instruction, in particular reading proficiency, has been widely researched, with vocabulary instruction being singled out as one of the five pillars noted by the National Reading Panel Report (2000) alongside phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension. The importance of an explicit and systematic approach to teaching early literacy skills, has been supported in the research of three national inquiries from the USA (NRP, 2000), the UK (Rose, 2006) and Australia (Rowe, 2005).
This course is a self-paced asynchronous professional development course consisting of the following 5 key modules:
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Research around Vocabulary instruction
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Tiers of Vocabulary
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Word Learning
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Delivery of Vocabulary lessons using Explicit Instruction
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EAL Learners and Vocabulary Acquisition
