Country Studied: Germany
Aims and objectives of Best Practice
The purpose of the article is to evaluate the effects of a multicomponent intervention on vocabulary acquisition. Specifically, the study investigates how a combination of storytelling, flashcards, and a reward system can enhance the sight word vocabulary knowledge of secondary-level students, both with and without learning difficulties.
The research aims to provide insights into effective strategies for vocabulary learning in heterogeneous classrooms, demonstrating that all participants, particularly those with learning difficulties, showed significant improvements in their vocabulary acquisition.
Short description of Best Practice
Age
The best practice is designed for secondary-level students, specifically targeting those in an inclusive classroom setting. 24 students took part in the study (six of them had been diagnosed with a learning difficulty).
Duration
The intervention spans 14 sessions, each consisting of two main parts: a 10-minute review of previously learned and new vocabulary using flashcards, followed by a 25-minute storytelling session where the new words are embedded in different stories.
Setting
The best practice was implemented at a secondary school in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This setting includes students with and without learning difficulties.
This best practice involves a multicomponent storytelling intervention aimed at enhancing the vocabulary acquisition of secondary-level students, particularly those with learning difficulties. It employs multisensory teaching methods, including visual aids (flashcards), auditory storytelling, and kinesthetic activities (self-graphing). The structured and repetitive nature of the sessions ensures that students can improve their sight word vocabulary through engaging and meaningful contexts. The intervention is economical and easy to implement, making it accessible for educators to adopt in various classroom settings.
3 Key learning Principles that were used in this Best Practice to support learners with LD
Dual Coding Theory (DCT):
- This principle suggests that information is better remembered when it is presented through multiple modalities, such as visual, verbal, and gestural means. By integrating visual aids like flashcards with verbal storytelling, students can utilize both visual and verbal systems to enhance memory retention. This dual coding approach helps in storing vocabulary in the mental lexicon more efficiently.
Motivational Components:
- Motivation plays a crucial role, especially for learners who have experienced academic failure and may suffer from learning anxiety. The best practice includes motivational strategies such as group rewards, where the success of the group depends on the contribution of each member. This not only encourages individual responsibility but also fosters a supportive learning environment, enhancing on-task behavior and academic success.
Self-Monitoring through Self-Graphing:
- Self-monitoring techniques like self-graphing allow students to visually track their own progress. By recording daily results on a graph, students can observe improvements in their abilities, which positively impacts their on-task behavior and academic performance. This visual representation of their learning curve reinforces self-efficacy and motivation.
Strategies used as part of Best Practice
- Storytelling with Flashcards
- Two-Step Model for Vocabulary Introduction
- Repetition and Automation
- Self-Monitoring with Self-Graphing
Results and impact
The intervention significantly improved the vocabulary acquisition of secondary-level students, including those with learning difficulties. The students showed marked improvement in recognizing and recalling sight words.
The assessment focused on the recognition and retention of sight words. This was done through a pretest and ongoing evaluations, which measured the number of correctly recognized sight words before and after each session. Students tracked their progress using self-graphing sheets, receiving points for maintaining or improving their scores.
Impact
- Enhanced Vocabulary Acquisition:
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- The structured, repetitive, and multisensory nature of the intervention led to significant improvements in vocabulary knowledge. Students with learning difficultties, in particular, benefited from the clear, consistent, and engaging approach.
- Inclusive Education:
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- The intervention supported inclusive education by being effective for both students with and without learning difficulties. This contributed to a more inclusive classroom environment where all students could participate and benefit from the same educational strategies.
- Student Motivation and Engagement:
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- The use of storytelling, visual aids, and group rewards significantly boosted student motivation and engagement. The self-graphing component allowed students to visualize their progress, further enhancing their motivation.
- Teacher and Student Feedback:
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- While the document does not provide direct feedback from teachers or students, the observed improvements in vocabulary scores and on-task behavior suggest positive reception and effectiveness of the intervention.
Evidence as to why this was considered Good Practice
This best practice is supported by a structured research project, positive feedback inferred from learner improvement, and alignment with educational goals for inclusive classrooms.
Transferability
The intervention can be tailored to different age groups by adjusting the themes of the stories and the respective vocabulary words to suit the participants’ everyday lives. This flexibility ensures that the practice can be relevant and effective across various educational levels and contexts.
Individual components of the intervention can be exchanged and adapted to meet the needs of students with specific learning challenges. This customization enhances the practice’s applicability to diverse student populations, including those with learning difficulties.
The results indicate that students with learning difficulties, though a small number in this study, benefited from the intervention. This suggests that the practice could be effective for a broader range of learners, supporting its use in inclusive educational settings.
Resources used as part of Best Practice
- Stories
- Flashcards
- Self-created graphs and tokens
Critical issues
Traditional language teaching methods may not be effective for students with LD. There is a need for specialized strategies and teaching practices that cater to their unique learning needs and help them overcome their difficulties in language acquisition.
There is often a lack of adequate support systems, such as specialized teaching resources, assistive technologies, and tailored instructional approaches, which can significantly hinder the learning process for students with LD.
Teachers may not always be adequately trained to identify and address the specific needs of students with LD in the language learning context. This can result in a gap between the teaching methods used and the learning needs of these students.
