WordTrain - Learning Program Update

Using SourceForge.net, I was able to find an application that engaged my interest in learning more about how to enhance students' vocabulary knowledge. Recently, I got a new job (yay!), and part of the curriculum for 10th grade English teachers is to incorporate new vocabulary into lessons weekly. I have yet to have years of experience, but I have had enough to understand that the traditional way of teaching vocabulary is not effective. I have figured this out as both a teacher and a student; as a youngster, I HATED the process of learning spelling and vocabulary words because I simply memorized, or as I liked to call it when I was younger, "learned it to forget it." Can you believe that I became an English teacher with this mantra?

Although I do have a negative outlook on vocabulary, and truly feel that the only way to add to the personal dictionary/thesaurus is to read and write, WordTrain made me feel a bit more comfortable that there are other ways to help students understand new words. The thought of teaching students the simplicities in "learning it to forget it" gave me the shivers, but WordTrain allowed me to obtain a new angle in teaching students how to enhance their vocabulary. Not only does the promise of using an application on the Internet entice students to partake in the lesson, but the various features it presents grants students to access more than the simple spelling and definition of the word itself. It provides students with the learning of words in its entirety: presents the word, allows students to check for meaning individually, creates word cards for self-check, and assesses the student all with a few clicks of a mouse. Incorporating vocabulary learning into the virtual sphere provides students more access to a larger variety of words, and helps the become independent learners. I believe that this application provides students with a grander-scaled learning experience than the quizzical format of the traditional spelling and vocabulary assessments. I hope that my students find that they enjoy the WordTrain application more than the ordinary Friday tests, because this is a feature that I plan to use in my classroom to adhere to the curriculum. My thanks to SourceForge!