Optimize your teaching with peer-to-peer activities for better vocabulary acquisition
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I'm delighted to guide you through the importance of using cognates to improve vocabulary learning in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). This article is based on a recent study that demonstrates how this approach can be beneficial, and I'm here to explain how to make the most of it in your teaching.
Study on the Effectiveness of Explicit Cognate Instruction
The study I'm presenting to you involved Dutch-speaking primary school students with DLD who were learning English as a Second Language (ESL). The researchers implemented an intervention consisting of 12 short lessons over 14 weeks. The intervention group received explicit instruction on cognate relationships, while the control group followed regular, implicit English lessons. The result? The group that received explicit instruction showed significant improvement in recognizing English words, well beyond the words taught!
Classroom Strategies for Teaching Cognates
Here are some concrete strategies you can integrate into your sessions:
- Read Aloud: When you read aloud to your students, ask speakers to raise their hand when they hear a cognate. Stop reading and discuss this cognate. Highlight the subtle differences between the words in the two languages.
- Student Reading: Ask your students to find three or four cognates in their texts and write them on sticky notes. Collect these notes and place them on a board titled "OUR COGNATES." Discuss similar or different spellings or sounds.
Follow-up Activities
To make these activities even more engaging, propose the following exercises:
- Word Sorting: Pair your students and give them a set of cognate cards. Ask them to sort the words, then discuss the similarities.
- Circle the Differences: Work with them to resolve the differences between cognates by circling the distinct letters.
- False Cognates: Explain false cognates and train students to identify them.
Exaggerate Intonation and Stress
Cognate words can pose problems for learners due to different stress patterns. Use this approach to illustrate how stress changes in words:
- Condition / condición
- Animal / animal
- Habileté / habilidad
Clinical Context
In clinical settings like speech therapy, explicit cognate instruction can be integrated into therapy sessions. By reinforcing their awareness of cognates, you can help your clients improve their vocabulary recognition and language skills.
To go even further, you can download the document containing a list of cognates in French-English and French-Spanish, specially designed to help you in your interventions.
Conclusion
By integrating these strategies into your teaching program, you not only improve vocabulary acquisition in learners with DLD but also provide them with valuable tools to better understand and use the target language.
