Depth of processing and vocabulary learning

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/


http://www.vocabulary.com/

These two websites offer various activities which are designed to build vocabulary skills and to motivate English language learners to learn through fun practice. The vocabulary activities include word search, matching, crossword puzzle, and hangman.  Users choose the category (animals, cars, architecture, and winter weather) that will be used in the word exercise. It is important to note that there are vocabulary word exercises for all levels of English (easy, medium, hard). www.vocabulary.co.il can also help build vocabulary skills for exams such as TOEFL, the GRE, the SAT, and PSAT. Moreover, these two websites provide students with unlimited access, repeated practice opportunity (individualized instruction), build-in review of materials, contextualized vocabulary introduction with pictures and audio (helps improving various pronunciation issues).

Discussion of the websites in terms of depth of processing: The idea of Craik and Lockhart (1972) that the chance of new information being stored into long-term memory is not determined by the time that it is held in short-term memory rather by the depth with which it was initially processed is often discussed in SLA. It is accepted that tasks involving greater depth of processing lead to greater gains in short-term and long-term vocabulary retention. These two websites offer various productive tasks which require learners to engage in deeper processing of the words and this sets the expectation that these words will be retained better. Many SLA studies have suggested that learners benefit more from using the target words productively in original contexts than encountering them through reading texts.

Reading with CALL

For many NNS of English who have recently come to the United States, a visit to the doctor could be a frustrating experience. Not only is there a new language, but customs may be different as well. With this web site NNS of English can practice the language they need for getting medical help. The web site has reading activities at different language levels. The teacher has the opportunity to select CALL materials with appropriate reading texts. There are also some suggestions for teachers on how to use these reading articles. The web site includes evaluation of learners’ comprehension and language knowledge and provides learners with opportunities to interact with the computer for getting help with the language in the text. Extensive feedback is also provided.

One think that I find disturbing is the fact that important words and phrases are not emphasized on the screen as it was suggested in one of our readings. Do you think that the instructor should preteach the vocabulary or the learners should interact with the computer for getting help with the unknown words in the text?

http://www.literacynet.org/vtd/index.html

A question I am interested in is how the use of CALL affects the development of language learners’ four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing)? As we all know, using CALL technology for the development of speaking abilities has gained much attention in SLA literature in recent years. Computer-mediated communication allows students to engage in meaningful conversation in the target language and provides interactive speaking practice outside the classroom (using chat, videoconferencing). SLA research shows that there are significant gains in reading and listening skills as well. Do you think that gains in writing skills could be as significant?