Supporting vocabulary development in secondary school learners with language impairments: Rationale and realities

1. Supporting vocabulary development in secondary school learners with language impairments: Rationale and realities Marysia Nash and Gill Earl NHS Lothian

2. Who has vocabulary deficits? Primary language Impairments ASD MLD others vocabulary deficits persist and may ‘worsen’ Haynes and Naidoo (1991). Stothard et al 1998 Vocabulary deficits

3. Word learning difficulties Incidental learning and from explicit teaching Oetting et al. (1995). Nash and Donaldson (2005) Semantic and phonological deficits McGregor, et al. (2002) Nash and Donaldson (2005) The Matthew effect Compounded by poor literacy Young people with vocabulary deficits

4. Vocabulary and the Curriculum • “Almost every educational skill presupposes the use of language and some language skills such as vocabulary level are associated with later educational achievement ” • Wells 1986

5. Demands for vocabulary knowledge and acquisition At first slaves worked on plantationsproducing sugar, coffee, rice cotton and tobacco. The British also decided to use slaves in their North American colonies, and the first group arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Originally Black slaves were to be indentured servants (as some whites were) who, if they worked hard, could be freed after a few years, and given land. As the number of plantations grew, more slaves were needed and a ‘triangular trade’developed. In the late 1700s, however, the Colonies broke away from Britain. Northern areas abolished slavery, but in the South, where cotton was ‘King’, it became more important than ever.

6. Terminology Tropical , Tundra, Mediterranean, Arctic ……..etc Other words Lush, delicate, cascades, canopy, steamy, slung , insulated, rapid, mottled, expanse, barren…………………50 + ‘ hard words’ Demands for vocabulary knowledge and acquisition

7. By considering the type of text I am creating I can select ideas and relevant information, organise these in a logical sequence and use words which will be interesting and/or useful for others. ACE Draft outcomes Literacy and EnglishWriting Expectations of vocabulary when writing

8. Support the characteristics of the ‘impaired’ learner Instruction relevant to curriculum demands Word choice Attempts to address magnitude of the challenge Inclusive Wide reading Explicit teaching (robust vocabulary instruction) Independent word learning Word awareness Graves 2000 Selecting an approach: rationale and realities

9. In practice Explicit teaching of vocabulary: Text led Criteria for word selection Student-friendly definition Rich information Repeated exposures Revision Independent word-learning skills: Structural analysis & Use of context

10. icy vicious bundle tilted smug hissed braced jolted Robust vocabulary instructionText led: Word selection:

11. Collins English Dictionary (online): • “to cause (someone) to go, esp. roughly or • unceremoniously, she bundled them • unceremoniously out into the garden” Visual support: Student-friendly definition: (Collins COBUILD English Dictionary) • “If someone is bundled somewhere, someone pushes them there in a rough and hurried way.”

12. A metal bar ______ into the spokesof my bike was all it took to send me flying.  And as I soared through space, I caught sight of his ___ blue eyes, and the _______ expression on his face.  I ______ myself, but when crashed into the hard concrete of the footpath all the air was ______ out of my lungs.  I gasped and tried not to _______.  I looked up to see his body ______ over me. "Revenge", he ______, his face looking pleased and ____.  "Hopefully next time you think of getting me in trouble, you'll think again."  Without saying anything I staggered to me feet. He grabbed me roughly and _____ me against the wall. “Or else!” he grunted. Rich information: Multiple Contexts and Repeated Exposures: icy vicious bundle tilted smug hissed braced jolted

13. True or False? An argument that is loud and fierce can be described as blazing. A fire that has almost gone out cannot be described as blazing. If someone is bundled into the car, they get in slowly and carefully. If you had a vice like grip on the dog’s lead, he will probably run away. Having a brace on your teeth helps to keep them straight. Something that is braced is very likely to fall down. Rich information: Questioning:

14. Teaching a child to fish Use of context clues Deconstructing words Roots and affixes Particularly most common prefixes Independent word learning

15. Robust vocabulary instruction Independent word learning develops semantic representations with adaptation can facilitate acquisition of phonological representation orthography may support word learning Ricketts et al (2008) Potential to support incidental learning Benefits for the learner • Can be inclusive and relevant to curriculum demands

16. Robust vocabulary instruction and independent word learning can be embedded in across the curriculum Ensures instruction of relevant words partly address the magnitude of the task Addresses a range of learners Teacher friendly For the SLT

17. Measuring effectiveness in schools Survey/Interview/Focus Group re. Teacher attitude Teacher knowledge, e.g. of teaching methods Student attitude Student knowledge, e.g. of vocabulary needs (Video) Observation of Student learning behaviour /skills Teacher practice (using observation and analysis) Formal assessment of Impact on learning, e.g. reading comprehension or vocabulary knowledge (IOE London: Systematic Review)

18. The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret you will be unbearable Choose twin bed or marriage size; we regret no king kong size And if in any doubt of the power of appropriate vocabulary usage Thank you !

19. References • Haynes, C. P. A. and S. Naidoo (1991). Children with specific and language impairment. London, Mac Keith Press. • McGregor, K. K., R. M. Newman, et al. (2002). "Semantic representation and naming in children with specific language impairment." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research45: 998-1014. • Nash, M. and M. L. Donaldson (2005). "Word Learning in Children with Vocabulary Deficits." Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research48(April): 439-459. • Oetting, J. B., M. L. Rice, et al. (1995). "Quick Incidental Learning (QUIL) of Words by School-Age Children With and Without SLI." Journal of Speech and Hearing Research.38: 434-445. • Stothard, S. E., et al. (1998). "Language Impaired Pre-schoolers: A Follow-Up into Adolescence." Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research41(4107-418).