I continued to do some interesting reading this weekend. This weekend I am focusing on the importance of vocabulary for reading comprehension. The argument that I am trying to make is that students need to possess a functional vocabulary to fully comprehend the written materials they will encounter in academic settings.
One of the more interesting articles I discovered was Vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension. Written by William Nagy in 1988. There is an interesting passage that reads:
“there is a need to provide teachers with knowledge of how and why one can chose and adapt vocabulary-related activities to maximize their effectiveness”
What’s interesting about this to me is that it’s inline with the research data I am working with. Introducing students to new vocabulary is certainly not a new exercise. However, using a mobile phone to adapt this exercise is a modern adaptation of this exercise and may be a way to maximize it’s effectiveness.
I will continue reading about vocabulary acquisition and how it might be enhanced using mobile technologies.
Reference:
Nagy, W. E. (1988). Vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension.