Matching Instructional Design with Vocabulary Instruction

Instructional design is an integral part of a balanced approach to teaching vocabulary instruction. The goal of this paper is to reflect on several lessons using research-based vocabulary strategies, and to present thinkalouds that detail the steps in matching instructional design with those strategies, in order to reach the learning outcome. Vocabulary instruction should encourage students to make associations and accommodations to their experiences and provide them with varied opportunities to practice, apply, and discuss their word knowledge in meaningful settings. The ultimate goal of teaching vocabulary is for the students to expand, refine, and add to their existing conceptual knowledge and enhance their reading abilities (Rupley, Logan & Nichols, 1999). Students should be engaged in learning new words and expanding their understanding of words through instruction that is based on active processing. A key component of effective vocabulary instruction is thoughtful reflection about instructional design

User-based gesture vocabulary for form creation during a product design process

There are inconsistencies between the nature of the conceptual design and the functionalities of the computational systems supporting it, which disrupt the designers’ process, focusing on technology rather than designers’ needs. A need for elicitation of hand gestures appropriate for the requirements of the conceptual design, rather than those arbitrarily chosen or focusing on ease of implementation was identified.The aim of this thesis is to identify natural and intuitive hand gestures for conceptual design, performed by designers (3rd, 4th year product design engineering students and recent graduates) working on their own, without instruction and without limitations imposed by the facilitating technology. This was done via a user centred study including 44 participants. 1785 gestures were collected. Gestures were explored as a sole mean for shape creation and manipulation in virtual 3D space. Gestures were identified, described in writing, sketched, coded based on the taxonomy used, categorised based on hand form and the path travelled and variants identified. Then they were statistically analysed to ascertain agreement rates between the participants, significance of the agreement and the likelihood of number of repetitions for each category occurring by chance. The most frequently used and statistically significant gestures formed the consensus set of vocabulary for conceptual design. The effect of the shape of the manipulated object on the gesture performed, and if the sequence of the gestures participants proposed was different from the established CAD solid modelling practices were also observed.Vocabulary was evaluated by non-designer participants, and the outcomes have shown that the majority of gestures were appropriate and easy to perform. Evaluation was performed theoretically and in the VR environment. Participants selected their preferred gestures for each activity, and a variant of the vocabulary for conceptual design was created as an outcome, that aims to ensure that extensive training is not required, extending the ability to design beyond trained designers only.There are inconsistencies between the nature of the conceptual design and the functionalities of the computational systems supporting it, which disrupt the designers’ process, focusing on technology rather than designers’ needs. A need for elicitation of hand gestures appropriate for the requirements of the conceptual design, rather than those arbitrarily chosen or focusing on ease of implementation was identified.The aim of this thesis is to identify natural and intuitive hand gestures for conceptual design, performed by designers (3rd, 4th year product design engineering students and recent graduates) working on their own, without instruction and without limitations imposed by the facilitating technology. This was done via a user centred study including 44 participants. 1785 gestures were collected. Gestures were explored as a sole mean for shape creation and manipulation in virtual 3D space. Gestures were identified, described in writing, sketched, coded based on the taxonomy used, categorised based on hand form and the path travelled and variants identified. Then they were statistically analysed to ascertain agreement rates between the participants, significance of the agreement and the likelihood of number of repetitions for each category occurring by chance. The most frequently used and statistically significant gestures formed the consensus set of vocabulary for conceptual design. The effect of the shape of the manipulated object on the gesture performed, and if the sequence of the gestures participants proposed was different from the established CAD solid modelling practices were also observed.Vocabulary was evaluated by non-designer participants, and the outcomes have shown that the majority of gestures were appropriate and easy to perform. Evaluation was performed theoretically and in the VR environment. Participants selected their preferred gestures for each activity, and a variant of the vocabulary for conceptual design was created as an outcome, that aims to ensure that extensive training is not required, extending the ability to design beyond trained designers only

A novel user-based gesture vocabulary for conceptual design

Research into hand gestures for human computer interaction has been prolific recently, but within it research on hand gestures for conceptual design has either focused on gestures that were defined by the researchers rather than the users, or those that were heavily influenced by what can be achieved using currently available technology. This paper reports on the study performed to identify a user elicited vocabulary of gestures for conceptual design, disassociated from the currently available technology, and its subsequent evaluation. The study included 44 product design engineering students (3rd, 4th year and recent graduates) and identified 1772 gestures that were analysed to build a novel gesture consensus set of vocabulary of hand gestures for conceptual design. This set is then evaluated by 10 other professionals, in order to generalise this set for a wider range of users and possibly reduce the need for training. The evaluation has shown that majority of gestures added to the vocabulary were easy to perform and appropriate for the activities, but that at the implementation stage the vocabulary will require another round of evaluation to account for the technology capabilities. The aim of this work is to create a starting point for a potential future system that could adapt to individual designers and allow them to use non-prescribed gestures that will support rather than inhibit their conceptual design thinking processes, akin to the developments that happened in hand writing recognition or predictive texting

Thesaurus - an ideal tool for vocabulary control in post-coordinate systems : INIS Thesaurus - a case study

The complex conceptual relationships contained in multi-dimensional documents present the problem of inconsistency in subject analysis and vocabulary control for efficient retrieval is stressed. The development of Thesaurus, an important contribution for effective vocabulary control in mechanised IR systems which is among the many developmental efforts in this direction, is highlighted. The development, structure and design of INIS Thesaurus is given in detail. Adaptability of the INIS thesaurus to a computer-based information handling system is examine

Building Conceptual Understanding through Vocabulary Instruction

Instructional design is an integral part of a balanced approach to teaching vocabulary instruction. This article presents several instructional procedures using research-based vocabulary strategies and explains how to design and adapt those strategies in order to reach desired learning outcomes. Emphasis is placed on research-based principles that guide effective vocabulary instruction and on the importance of incorporating vocabulary instruction into all phases of the reading lesson framework--before, during, and after reading (Blair, Rupley, & Nichols 2007; Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz 2011). Vocabulary instruction should encourage students to make associations and accommodations to their experiences and provide them with varied opportunities to practice, apply, and discuss their word knowledge in meaningful contexts (Beck & McKeown, 2002; Rupley & Nichols, 2005). The ultimate goal of teaching vocabulary is for the students to expand, refine, and add to their existing conceptual knowledge and enhance their comprehension and understanding of what they read (Baumann, Font, Edwards, & Boland , 2005; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986). This article seeks to provide educators with both a theoretical framework and practical classroom instructional suggestions for doing so

The Spatial Dictionary

This thesis and the corresponding portfolio ‘The Spatial Dictionary’ is an investigation into the use of written language as a generative and descriptive approach for the design of Interior spaces. The potential utility of the dictionary as an object is explored as a conceptual ‘tool-box’ for the use of Interior designers. The dictionary is to be viewed here as a mechanism to translate both concrete and abstract visual ‘concepts’ into a written commentary, using a defined list of terms, whilst inadvertently exploring the notion that the exploration of this spatial vocabulary gives us an insight into what constitutes interior space and design. This thesis investigates the position that spatial language is not simply one of identification of phenomena pertaining to space but it can also be used as a tool for the intention and creation of interior spaces and desig

The Relationship Between Middle School Students\u27 Mathematical Vocabulary and Their Achievements in Mathematics: A Mixed Method Study

In 2000, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) included communication in the standards encouraging students to develop their mathematical language to sufficiently and accurately explain their ideas through discourse. For years, there has been a growing movement for students to attain abilities to articulate problem solving methods utilizing mathematics vocabulary (Pierce & Fontaine, 2009). In this study, a mixed method design was utilized to examine the relationship between middle school students’ understanding of mathematics vocabulary and their success in mathematics. The quantitative study was conducted to determine if there is a correlation between eighth grade mathematics vocabulary acquisition and students’ achievement on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Using Ericsson and Simon\u27s (1980) think-aloud protocol, the qualitative study was conducted to examine whether conceptual understanding of mathematics vocabulary impacts students’ ability to problem-solve. The results from both studies indicated an association between students’ acquisition of mathematics vocabulary, student achievement, and their problem solving abilities

A Culturally Responsive Literacy Approach to Develop Scientific Conceptual Knowledge through Creative Narratives

Our study examined the effects of culturally responsive literacy pedagogical approaches in the development of scientific vocabulary and conceptual knowledge among minoritized middle-grade students during a summer program. We describe the design and implementation of a literacy-enriched STEM instructional unit of study built upon the background experiences of Latina/Latino migrant farmworkers’ children to expand their STEM literacy skills and knowledge. Our aim with this unit was to increase the students’ science knowledge and skills; strengthen their mathematical abilities; enhance their ability to use technology for research; and improve their academic vocabulary, language, and writing skills. This program also had as an objective to explore the students’ self-perceptions regarding science learning. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the students’ pre- and postsurveys, pre- and post-tests, assignments, and group interview. The results demonstrated significant improvements in the students’ vocabulary and conceptual understandings. The students developed an awareness of the interrelation of science, math, technology, and literacy with their background experiences, expanded their interest in science, and increased their ability to write effectively about STEM topics. These results also highlighted the significance of connecting STEM instruction with both background knowledge and possible careers via out-of-school efforts like this program to increase minoritized students’ interest in pursuing STEM careers

Mind-reading versus neuromarketing: how does a product make an impact on the consumer?

Purpose – This research study aims to illustrate the mapping of each consumer’s mental processes in a market-relevant context. This paper shows how such maps deliver operational insights that cannot be gained by physical methods such as brain imaging. Design/methodology/approach – A marketed conceptual attribute and a sensed material characteristic of a popular product were varied across presentations in a common use. The relative acceptability of each proposition was rated together with analytical descriptors. The mental interaction that determined each consumer’s preferences was calculated from the individual’s performance at discriminating each viewed sample from a personal norm. These personal cognitive characteristics were aggregated into maps of demand in the market for subpanels who bought these for the senses or for the attribute. Findings – Each of 18 hypothesized mental processes dominated acceptance in at least a few individuals among both sensory and conceptual purchasers. Consumers using their own descriptive vocabulary processed the factors in appeal of the product more centrally. The sensory and conceptual factors tested were most often processed separately, but a minority of consumers treated them as identical. The personal ideal points used in the integration of information showed that consumers wished for extremes of the marketed concept that are technologically challenging or even impossible. None of this evidence could be obtained from brain imaging, casting in question its usefulness in marketing. Research limitations/implications – Panel mapping of multiple discriminations from a personal norm fills three major gaps in consumer marketing research. First, preference scores are related to major influences on choices and their cognitive interactions in the mind. Second, the calculations are completed on the individual’s data and the cognitive parameters of each consumer’s behavior are aggregated – never the raw scores. Third, discrimination scaling puts marketed symbolic attributes and sensed material characteristics on the same footing, hence measuring their causal interactions for the first time. Practical implications – Neuromarketing is an unworkable proposition because brain imaging does not distinguish qualitative differences in behavior. Preference tests are operationally effective when designed and analyzed to relate behavioral scores to major influences from market concepts and sensory qualities in interaction. The particular interactions measured in the reported study relate to the major market for healthy eating. Originality/value – This is the first study to measure mental interactions among determinants of preference, as well as including both a marketed concept and a sensed characteristic. Such an approach could be of great value to consumer marketing, both defensively and creatively

Guiding Sixth Grade Language Development in Mathematical Content Acquisition through Student Centered SIOP Instruction

Mathematics is considered a universal language for students. However, now common core standards require students to explain their conceptual understanding through words, numbers, and verbal explanations. Student proficiency in the universal language is impeded when they do not speak the primary language. It is difficult for the teacher to teach both the academic language and mathematical concepts, when the vocabulary is not accessible to all students. Conversely it is difficult for students to follow the pacing of the class while having to translate and gain a conceptual understanding of the subject. The purpose of this study is to increase student mathematical achievement in group work using specific SIOP practices to improve English Language Learners math skills as measured by formative assessments. The participants consist of two sixth grade classes, a total of 60 students, with two students that only speak Spanish. The students meet daily with the teacher/researcher for roughly 50 minutes each day. This is a non-experimental design using both qualitative and quantitative data by using evidence based practice of group work, as part of a Participatory Teacher Action Research. The teacher/researcher instructed students how to use specific SIOP practices in small groups where the students taught each other. Keywords: English Language Learners, 6th grade, mathematical practices/vocabulary, SIOP strategie