Impact Of Word Wall Interactive Instruction

By Author: Amanda.White
Total Articles: 41
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To measure the impact of the instruction, we interviewed students in the word wall class using similar questions from the initial interviews. We also collected measures of student achievement from the weekly tests and the delayed test.

Function and Use. For the interview, the students compared two word wall pictures: a word wall containing only the words and a snapshot of the word wall that they had created. When asked which was more useful, all students stated that the word wall with colors and symbols was more useful because it helped them remember word meanings. They elaborated with explanations that their word wall provided more details that hinted about the meanings of the words. For example, one student talked about how the colors triggered his memory about the word meanings, such as associating the color black with something frightening and the color red with anger. The majority of students also stated that the pictures sparked their brains about word meanings, provided explanations, and even presented contexts in which the words Replica Watches could be used appropriately. ...
... For example, for the word tantalizing, one student talked about how candy can be tantalizing, and for the word ruefully, another student associated the action of crying over someone's grave with the word's meaning.

While we never prompted students to use the word wall, we found that many did use it on their own. Some pointed out that the word wall was especially useful in reviewing for a test. It "refreshed" their memories about word meanings. Others told us that the word wall was helpful when completing classroom assignments, especially those activities that contained writing tasks. For them, the word wall served as a resource for finding appropriate words to use. One student even commented that she had used some of the words on the state writing assessment. She had remembered the terms since the word wall was covered up during the test.

When asked how they liked learning vocabulary using the word wall instructional format, an overwhelming majority stated that they enjoyed participating in the activities. Some particularly liked having "control" over their own learning, especially in regard to selecting the words. Some felt that by selecting their own words they would be learning new vocabulary and not reviewing words they had already acquired. Others noted that they worked harder because they had more responsibility in completing the activities. Still others liked to have a voice in what they were learning. Students also valued the active engagement aspect of the instruction, especially working collaboratively in groups. Some commented about how they learned from one another when someone else in the group knew the word meanings. Others liked listening Replica Cartier Santos to the ideas of their peers and comparing responses. In addition, some even enjoyed playing the role of teacher in their word presentations and felt that it was a good learning experience for them.

Although each aspect of the instructional activities aimed for higher level thinking—defining words in different ways, associating colors with word meanings, thinking of meaningful symbols, and writing meaningful sentences—probably the most challenging, and least appealing, task for the students was to contextualize word use in appropriate situations. Yet, when we asked them to comment about this, the majority of the students made positive remarks about how they could relate to situations in their own lives where the words could be used appropriately. They talked about how these connections served to reinforce the word meanings for them. Nonetheless, there were some students who frankly expressed their dislike for writing and felt that the contextualized situations were just not all that fun.