Activity-Based Learning Using Core Vocabulary

Bruce R. Baker
University of Pittsburgh
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
President
Semantic Compaction Systems
1000 Killarney Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15234 USA
Voice: (412) 885-8541
Fax: (412) 885-8548
Internet: Minspeak@sgi.net

Web Posted on: November 22, 1997

Introduction

Activity-based learning is widely used for teaching vocabulary and providing communicative experiences. However, in practice, the vocabulary frequently chosen as targets for activity-based learning are context specific and often not reusable in other contexts. In a cooking activity, targeted words may well be "stove," "oven," "skillet," "pancake," "spatula," "mix," "pour," and "stir." While interesting for receptive language and participation experiences, these words do not provide functional core vocabulary words powerful for interaction throughout the day.

This paper focuses on ways to teach frequently used content and structure words in an activity-based format. A cooking lesson could focus on the words "turn," "up," "down," "over," "on," "off," "it," "my," and "her." The instructor could target the development of such short phrases as "turn on" the burner. The student would learn to say "turn" and "on" not "burner." The word "burner" would be supplied orally by the instructor. More typically, the instructor would supply "turn" and "on" and have students supply "burner." Teaching would include "Turn" "off" the burner; "Turn" "it" "on;" "Turn" "it" "off;" "Turn" "it" "over;" etc."

Using a representation technique such as semantic compaction, a core of several hundred useful words can be mastered on a single overlay and create an explosion of combinations for functional, expressive language.

The presentation will take up a series of environments and show how a substantial core of several hundred useful words can be mastered on a single overlay through a course of instruction centering upon common, functional experiences. Experiences and environments such as nature walks and tidying up routines that would highlight vocabulary such as "look," "at," "over," "there," "get," "put," etc. rather than "tadpole" and "toy chest."

The vocabulary itself would be represented by a small nucleus of icons featuring no more than two actuations per word. The icons themselves would be viewed as fitting into a larger whole which is both rule/pattern driven and supportive of language development. The icon representing "this" would, with a different prefix, also represent "here" while the icon representing "that" would be part of the sequence representing "there." The foregoing use of structure/pattern unites the near adverbs of place and the near demonstratives into a coherent rule-driven system presenting easy-to-recognize patterns, even for people with moderate to severe cognitive issues.

Language facilitators have hesitated to target core vocabulary words such as "it," "this," "that," "there," etc. because of their abstractness and because of beliefs concerning the necessity of concreteness of representation for language-disabled populations. The need for concreteness as well as the noun-focused- character of vocabulary selection frequently found in activity-based learning settings has been deeply questioned by the works of Romski and Sevcik (Adamson,Romski, Deffebach, & Sevcik, 1992) (Wilkinson, Romski, & Sevcik, 1994), among others.

In fact, in the Romski and Sevcik papers there is the suggestion that language development in the early phases for people with moderate to severe cognitive issues explicitly states "that augmented communicators with mental retardation may use their symbols as speaking children use oral words in the development of complex communications (Wilkinson, et al. 1994).

References

Adamson, L.B., Romski, M.A., Deffebach, K., Sevcik, R.A.(1992), Symbol Vocabulary and the Focus of Conversations: Augmenting Language Development for Youth with Mental Retardation, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, Vol. 35, 1333-1343.

Wilkinson, K.M., Romski, M.A., Sevcik, R.A., (1994), Emergence of Visual-Graphic Symbol Combinations by Youth with Moderate or Severe Mental Retardation, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, Vol. 37, 883-895.