Vocabulary courses are relatively new. In fact, we like to think we pioneered the concept — when we created Wordier Live back in 2020, no one else was offering a class with a focus solely on vocabulary, for the 11+ or otherwise.
Given that you made it through life without a vocabulary course, you may be wondering why your child even needs one. Surely we can just stick with the old “read, read, read” approach? Good question.
While reading is beneficial for developing grammar, punctuation, story development, and vocabulary usage, there’s tonnes of evidence that it probably isn’t the most effective method for building vocabulary.
Shockingly, research by Nagy, Anderson, and Herman (1987) found that children have only a 5 to 15% chance of learning new words through independent reading. One reason for this is that books don’t always give enough context for a child to grasp the meaning of a word.
For every 100 unfamiliar words encountered in reading, only 5 to 15 will be learned.
— Nagy, Anderson and Herman (1987)
Worse still, Freebody and Anderson (1983) found that many children will simply skip over new words when reading independently rather than focusing on them. That’s not ideal when your child’s supposed to be reading specifically to learn new words!
So if reading isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, what is the best way to build vocabulary?
According to research by Biemiller and Boote (2006), explanations and activities are nearly four times more effective than reading, so this was the starting point for our 11+ vocabulary course.
Reading boosts vocabulary by just 12%. Explanations and activities boost vocabulary by 41%.
— Biemiller and Boote, 2006
Morphological instruction is highly beneficial for learners of all ages and abilities, as shown by research from Bowers et al. (2010). Other studies and educators, including the Wordier teachers, have found that it is even effective for dyslexic students. It’s so effective, in fact, that the UK’s only specialist dyslexia school, Maple Hayes, relies almost entirely on this approach for their literacy instruction.
Morphology involves studying the smallest parts of words, such as prefixes, suffixes, and root words. For instance, the word “paediatrician” stems from a root meaning “child”, and the suffix “-ician” which denotes a skilled professional. Put them together, and you have a word meaning a specialist in children, specifically children’s health.
Some morphemes, like “spect”, “scribe” and “cept” are so common that one study found just 14 roots form the basis of 100,000 English words!
Understanding these core morphemes can help children decipher word meanings independently, without needing an adult or a dictionary. This skill is especially useful during exams when encountering new words.
The morphological approach is also advantageous for bilingual students, particularly those who speak Latin-based languages like, Italian or French. Their second languages help them to identify “cognates”, that is, words in different languages that derive from the same root.
Not all multilingual students understand how their additional language can help them, so our vocabulary course tutors coach them through connecting the languages. This turns an additional language from a burden to a great advantage.
Unfortunately, not all English words can be easily decoded through morphology. For these words, our vocabulary course uses images as much as possible.
According to Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel in “Make It Stick,” associating vivid images with verbal material significantly enhances memory retrieval. Our vocab courses incorporate numerous images, which students often say is the best part of the sessions.
These images serve the dual purpose of not only illustrating the word, but also engaging our students as they try to guess its exact meaning based on the picture. This process of actively considering a word is fantastic for long-term memory.
Speaking of engaging students’ brains, linking new words to existing knowledge is another effective teaching strategy. Natalie Wexler (“The Knowledge Gap”) states that “knowledge, like Velcro, sticks best to other related knowledge”. That’s why our courses often encourage students to link new words to their everyday lives and experiences to make words extra sticky. (Once a child has recalled how a sibling “monopolised” a possession, they never forget the word again!)
Besides images, we use thematic discussions in our live and on-demand vocabulary courses, covering topics from “Kings and Successions” (inspired by “The Lion King”), “Pandora’s Box” (inspired by Greek myths) and “Commonly Confused Words”. Themes not only build general knowledge but also make our sessions far more memorable than simply working through words in alphabetical order (excuse us while we stifle a yawn!).
Our multi-pronged learning strategy includes discussion, hand-writing definitions (another proven memory technique), and digital quizzes, which provide spaced repetition. These elements combine to help transition new words from short-term to long-term memory.
With all this science behind each lesson, you might be worried that things could get a little dull. Luckily, our experienced tutors and lively community of learners make our classes anything but.
We’ve had many reports of students eagerly awaiting their classes each week, begging their parents to book them onto the next course, and telling us that they never want the classes to end. It doesn’t take a scientific study to know that all that motivation and enthusiasm make for highly effective learners.
