Mod.4, Unit 1 : Blog for Learning Environment

             An Information-Intensive Classroom Environment  Enhancing Student Vocabulary

    Today's 21st Century classroom looks much different than in the past. With the fast pace of technology and the way students are learning changing rapidly with technology advancements, one might wonder what would a classroom that is proficient in literacy look like at this post COVID time? There are many factors an educator will take into consideration.

   This blog will investigate and consider some of the critical  elements that prepare students for the 21st century. The major core will be focusing on how a information-intensive classroom environment enhances student vocabulary and contributes to a positive classroom climate and culture.  To begin our inquiry into this topic, the author has considered what would a information-intensive classroom environment look like- sound like and feel like?

  As an I.B. Educator, focusing on how to empower our students to be grow in the area of being a self-manager and self-directed learner takes deliberate care and planning with a focus on the kind of developmentally appropriate text and digital resources that help students engage, connect with, and make sense of the learning through a variety of learning activities which help students grow in literacy skills.

  According to ("Literacy-Rich Environments,2007), the literacy-rich environment emphasizes the importance of speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all students. This involves the selection of materials that will facilitate language and literacy opportunities; reflection and thought regarding classroom design; and intentional instruction and facilitation by teachers and staff.

    This definition allows an educator to focus on the importance of all 4 skills in the learning with purpose and intentional selection of all materials. The facilitation of language development comes through a text-rich environment that is full of different resources that are both in print and digital. These resources help engage and connect the student to the content in different ways so that he or she can use it with various levels of comprehension. This includes age and developmentally  appropriate print and digital books and other materials which focus on the topic the students are studying. 

    In the I.B. System, this shift moves from topical to conceptual driven curriculum. This means that students are engaging with many focused and related concepts in the primary years which require an intentional build-up of vocabulary. In an I.B. classroom, one would observe students working at different stations with books around key concepts such as Aesthetics and Design. At Grade 5,  the experience would include several books from the class library available, the use of digital tools such as IXL and Raz-Kids along with the ability to do internet web searches in  the classroom and use these resources to build the capacity to understand how to make sense of what different authors are saying about the concept under investigation. 

     A support system such as Daily 5 and Guided Reading would allow students to read books that are directly or related to the concepts and then walk through different text features, consider story questions and elements, and go through unfamiliar words which become vocabulary. Writing words we know allow 2nd language students to celebrate "I know this orally" and get use to spelling it independently by using it in their own sentence.

  In addition, the focus on specific reading strategies such as context clues, word works including studying the prefixes, roots, and suffixes of Greek and Latin words to help students learn the meanings and expand their vocabulary over time.

    In agreement with the (Literacy-Rich Environments, 2007) article, researchers from the National Reading Panel (NRP) discovered that skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension are essential to literacy development (NRP, 2001). Since vocabulary building and development is a fundamental reading skill, it is necessary that specific elements in a classroom help students gain experiences during primary years. It becomes all the more essential if a student missed these in pre-school or early childhood education. 

   This kind of learning environment can also be expressed as the following:

From labels that connect words to physical representations to the choice of both literacy materials in print and via digital platforms, all students are exposed to a learning environment that encourages and motivates individual students to explore and be inspired by reading and writing activities. From crossword puzzles and peer reading discussions  to digital tools that read to the learner and highlight the text read, technology tools integrated into the classroom literacy curriculum provides  the needed boost to enhance a student's vocabulary at the surface level and at a deeper level where the student can access the meanings and use them in both oral and written formats.

  According to the article (Literacy Rich Environments, 2007), that author cites Snow, Bur, &Giffin (1999) as "the deliberate selection of materials including age & developmentally appropriate books & digital text materials will facilitate the literacy and  language development opportunities inclusive of those with disabilities or developmental delays." The article "Literacy Rich Environments" points out this kind of learning environment can be individualized to meet students where they are and help boost their proximity of growth zone.