‘ In research primarily dealing with beginning readers, Samuels and other ( Samuels, 1967 , Singer et al., 1973-1974) have looked at the role of pictures in learning new words. In general the studies show that presenting words without pictures resulted in better learning, especially for poorer readers, then presenting words and pictures together. A ‘ focal attention hypothesis’ has been developed to explain these results. According to the hypothesis, the word-alone condition works better because it forces the child to focus on the word itself. The word-with-picture condition makes initial learning easier, but makes transfer of the learning more difficult, since the child focuses on cues that will not be present in the transfer task.”
Bowker, R. (1980B). Vocabulary instruction. The state of knowledge ( Tech. Rep. #1980-4) Boston. Human Engineering Laboratories
This is a telling and interesting quote. I would add to this that there are focal distractions AND vocal distractions.
In my previous post, I talked about the need for the group interaction, as being in the orchestra/classroom AND the lesson/private-lesson AND that individual practice with the self, just like a musician must practice the small self generations all by themselves. It is both, or all, that build to mastery.
Learning language, the means humans use to communicate, is no different. I learned a foreign language as an adult. I practiced with a group, in a class. I did lessons in a class. I also went home, and all by myself, practiced sounding the words, practiced spelling the words, practiced RELATING the words to reality. I did not ONLY practice this ‘ music’ as the words, in the group, in the world, in the lesson. I had to do that practice of generation and fine tuning MYSELF.
Imagine if one ALSO practiced words, just like practicing an instrument? It is the same, it is exactly the same! And it is not as difficult or overwhelming as one might initially think. Many children have mastered an instrument when given the opportunity within a seven year period. After all, our cells regenerate every seven years. Thus, to do this is not difficult.
Most people use only about 10,000 words. If we were to break down this number of words we could learn, and practice all by ourselves, within a year, that would be - in a seven year period - about 1430 words a year. This is about 4 words per day. Imagine doubling this and taking twenty minutes or so a day and slowing down and practicing 8 words/notes a day? Imagine practicing spelling and speaking and relating 8 words a day, for a period of seven years, by one’s self, to fine tune one’s use of words? This would be like knowing the instrument so well, one could play ANY FORM one came to interact with. ( of course here are always new forms one encounters, and sometimes, just like learning to walk, something new comes that one must slow down and learn to ‘ sense’) In all, it would not even need to be 8 words a day, as most of us already know one aspect of many of our words, it is more that we have not practiced the spelling and speaking and defining in clarity to a self directed relationship as clearly as we could. It would not be a starting point from ground zero for many of our words, and the simple corrections would move faster than we can imagine.
We are not one-sided instruments. We lose the joy of performing in full capacity when we do not master the sounds we generate. The real joy is becoming a master of self, which means practicing the smallest of things. Each must ALSO practice the small, learn to SELF generate words, building direct practical spatial relationships between the word and practical movement. This is the art and practice of mastering sounding and spelling the word, and defining the word as having a direct relationship to reality. The absence of this causes vocal and focal distractions because not only have we not practiced the word ourselves, alone, the words are in a singular relationship within the context in which they were learned ONLY. Of course, we do sort this out in time, yet one can realize the varying degrees of confusion this creates in classrooms, in lessons, and in personal relationships.
Thus, in relation to words, what practices are we doing that compound over time into self generation when there are attention distractions because of a lack of individual practice?
In all, if we want to master what we communicate as words, what we sound, that individual practice with the small, as the word, and its relationship, must be clear and direct. We must be able to spell the word, speak the word, and build a direct relationship with the word and reality. This overall, is developing self control within self focus. After all, what is self act-ualization? Anyone who has truly mastered an instrument, knows the joy of mastery. The practice of the small, by the self, is also necessary, to experience the joy that comes with self mastery.
As human beings, when we really know something, we are happy. When we are uncertain, unclear, we become anxious and insecure. Anxiety and insecurity are the markers of attention disorders, or attention transfer disorders, or inner unsorted, focal and vocal distractions. There is great joy in mastering the small, it is the means to clarity and self confidence!
In my next post, I will talk about how effective vocabulary development, with careful direct relationships improves efficiency.
Thank you for reading.
If you want a tool to help in that small practice of word recognition on an individual scale, send me a note.
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