Teachers Learning by Peer Reflection - Focusing on Vocabulary this Term
‘Research suggests that a native speaker of English, on average, uses approximately 2,800 words in their Core Daily Vocabulary’. Browne, Culligan & Phillips (2013)
Perins Teachers have a dedicated fortnight to peer observe the teaching practice of others; this term the focus is on the use and extension of student vocabulary.
Three tiers of vocabulary are suggested:
Tier 1
words that occur frequently in everyday life; words that are picked up easily.
Tier 2
words that appear across a range of domains; students may read them but they are not often used in every day speech, e.g. consequential or derive.
Tier 3
words consist of technical, subject vocabulary specific to a certain discipline e.g. chloroplast or perpendicular.
Teachers will be peer observing and sharing good practice of examples where vocabulary (Tier 2 and 3) is highlighted in class, or used as a specific learning activity. The summary of the findings will be corroborated with evidence from an Inspector, Geoff Hannan, who is visiting later in the term to specifically look at the teaching of vocabulary. Mr Hannan will also be advising on how teaching approaches are connected to the way boys in particular learn; as there still remains a national gender gap at GCSE achievement.
