Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p.51), paying particular attention to the age tange that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.
I will be a high school instructor probably teaching History or Geography. I looked at the what the chart said students in this age range should know and be able to do. They should understand an average of 80,000 different terms understand transitions and be able to comprehend more figurative language. We have been learning about academic language in another class and so I found this information particularly pertinent. Language is how we interact with one another, so it is central to who we are and what we as individuals are becoming. With that said, I cannot overstate the importance of language. One way in which I hope to enrich my students' vocabulary is by using a word multiple times, defining it for them, then continuing to use it in context to reinforce the definition. I will only do this if it is not too contrived. Repetition is a great way for students to learn material, especially if they are repeatedly using it. I think a writing exercise in which I give students a word bank they have to use will help them learn the proper way to use certain words so it does not sound awkward. I plan on teaching in a low-socio economic school for at least a few years and I know from my experience tutoring these students that their exposure to diversified language is extremely limited, but that does not mean these students are incapable of mastering academic language.
http://academiclanguage.org/Underprep_Students.html is an interesting resource. It offers data on studies that show the difference in students who have a grasp on academic language and those who do not. It also has ideas for helping students learn vocabulary and language structure.
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