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18 October 2004: Missing the Point (4 of 5)
Just like small children learning to speak, students learn through experience. It is fairly commonly accepted that flashcards are not the cure for a poor vocabulary. What is? Reading. Students' vocabularies grow when they are exposed to new words that are surrounded by old words. Authentic experience with new words in context leads to meaning and student understanding.
Again, we see an analogy to written language. Through immersion in interesting, meaningful texts, students will come to see grammar conventions, and understand their functions.
Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not suggesting that there is no teaching to be done. As I said in my article of 04 October 2004, teachers have a hefty responsibility. Nor am I suggesting that reading is a panacea for our language arts instruction (though I may approach that some day). All I'm saying is that experience with language is what will improve student output more significantly than following behind the teacher and copying their red marks.
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