| Over the past 25 years, research has broadened | | | | learning— the notion of acquiring knowledge in |
| and deepened our understanding of vocabulary | | | | varying degrees through associations made with |
| learning and teaching, some of which is particularly | | | | our own existing knowledge and experiences. |
| critical for the word wall instructional design. One | | | | These associations are reinforced when we use |
| aspect is what it means to know a word (Beck, | | | | visual images to represent new ideas (Sadoski |
| McCaslin, & McKeown, 1980; Stahl & | | | | & Paivio, 2004). The well-researched |
| Fairbanks, 1986). Our knowledge of particular | | | | keyword method helps students remember word |
| words can fall on a continuum: no knowledge, | | | | meanings by attaching a visual image to a word |
| some knowledge, thorough knowledge. While | | | | or word part (Pressley, Levin, & McDaniel, |
| having full, conceptual knowledge of a word is | | | | 1987). In our instructional design, we directed |
| ideal for comprehension, sometimes even a | | | | students to create associations in three |
| general understanding of a term can keep | | | | ways—through color, symbols, and situations. |
| comprehension intact. With this in mind, we | | | | Vocabulary research has also shown the |
| approached this intervention with the realization | | | | ineffectiveness of the ubiquitous practice of |
| Thomas Sabo Jewellery that students participating | | | | having students define words and then write |
| in the word wall instruction would obtain different | | | | Thomas Sabo Bracelets sentences using the |
| degrees of knowledge about targeted words. | | | | words. Studies clearly point to the limitations of |
| Another aspect of word learning is the need for | | | | using dictionary definitions as primary instructional |
| multiple exposures to words in a variety of | | | | tools for word learning (Miller & Gildea, 1987; |
| contexts (McKeown, Beck, Omanson, & | | | | Scott & Nagy, 1997). Students need to see |
| Pople, 1985; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986). We | | | | how new words are used in rich, comprehensible |
| embedded this facet in the lessons by having | | | | contexts before generating their own contexts |
| students engage in a variety of activities. In | | | | for the words. Furthermore, as Baumann, |
| addition, students need to understand how and | | | | Kame'enui, and Ash (2003) asserted, using |
| why some words are used in particular contexts | | | | dictionary definitions alone will have minimal impact |
| and some are not. For example, contexts for the | | | | on students' reading comprehension. |
| word ravage (defined as "to destroy, waste, | | | | Nonetheless, defining a word in ways understood |
| ruin") might include villages being ravaged by an | | | | by students and illustrating its use in a context are |
| invading army or coastal areas ravaged by | | | | important first steps in instruction. But instruction |
| devastating hurricanes. If students believe that | | | | must not stop there. Students must move |
| the meaning of this word applies to any situation, | | | | beyond a superficial, definitional level of word |
| then we set them up for misusing ravage in | | | | learning to internalize new word meanings |
| contexts such as "ravaging a drawing by spilling a | | | | (Graves, 2006). To accomplish this, students must |
| drink on it." Therefore, we were mindful of | | | | engage in higher levels of cognitive processing, |
| students' interpretations of word meanings and | | | | such as critically analyzing, evaluating, and applying |
| directed their efforts toward appropriate contexts | | | | word meanings in meaningful contexts. Moreover, |
| for the words they were addressing. | | | | they need to have multiple opportunities to use |
| Still another facet of vocabulary instruction | | | | new words in different contexts. |
| underlying the word wall lessons is associative | | | | |