Event Title
Wikipedia as a tool promoting specialized vocabulary learning
Location
Hart 116
Start Time
15-8-2012 11:20 AM
End Time
15-8-2012 12:00 PM
Description
Timely learning of discipline-specific vocabulary is critical for building solid knowledge base in any field of study. Without a doubt students with good vocabulary knowledge master the material faster, communicate their knowledge better and start critical analysis of the discussed material sooner. To emphasize, the point in a fashion that students can easily relate to, I have designed a vocabulary exercise utilizing the popular website Wikipedia. Wikipedia offers non-peer reviewed information in interactive mode. The reader can vary the length and the depth of the topic being explored by exercising the choice to open or not to open a weblink. Students are asked to time themselves reading a paragraph of Wikipedia with and without opening all weblinks, and to calculate the ratio of the measured times. The reading without opening the weblinks is modeled as reading with knowledge of the vocabulary, whereas the reading with opening of the weblinks was modeled as reading without knowledge of vocabulary. On average, it takes students seven to nine times longer to read the paragraph without vocabulary knowledge, which clearly demonstrates the importance of timely vocabulary learning. The exercise could be executed as an in class assignment, followed by a class discussion or as a homework.
Wikipedia as a tool promoting specialized vocabulary learning
Hart 116
Timely learning of discipline-specific vocabulary is critical for building solid knowledge base in any field of study. Without a doubt students with good vocabulary knowledge master the material faster, communicate their knowledge better and start critical analysis of the discussed material sooner. To emphasize, the point in a fashion that students can easily relate to, I have designed a vocabulary exercise utilizing the popular website Wikipedia. Wikipedia offers non-peer reviewed information in interactive mode. The reader can vary the length and the depth of the topic being explored by exercising the choice to open or not to open a weblink. Students are asked to time themselves reading a paragraph of Wikipedia with and without opening all weblinks, and to calculate the ratio of the measured times. The reading without opening the weblinks is modeled as reading with knowledge of the vocabulary, whereas the reading with opening of the weblinks was modeled as reading without knowledge of vocabulary. On average, it takes students seven to nine times longer to read the paragraph without vocabulary knowledge, which clearly demonstrates the importance of timely vocabulary learning. The exercise could be executed as an in class assignment, followed by a class discussion or as a homework.