Korean Job Discussion Forums

[koreatimes]

I am sure there other names for this. Usually I use this method for writing papers and thinking of ideas. However, I want to try to get students using new words and linking them to other words they might already know.

I am curious what other teachers have done. I am not looking to put words from one text together, but rather new words they are learning from the book.

[koreatimes]

I have done 3 classes based on word maps so far. I am using some halloween references to show examples. Students are bringing up some interesting results.

For example, they might choose "house" and then link these to rooms. After they list rooms, they automatically go to things in the rooms. Sounds practical, but they are leaving something out. If you say bedroom only once, then it is kind of strange. So I threw out some color examples, like if I had blue and green, what color is missing? They had no problems saying yellow.

In addition to this, the following types of maps were looked at:

1. Expansion building - ask for an animal, they say cat and dog. Where do you put tiger and wolf?

2. Expansion building within a category - instead of any animal, choose one group (poultry - chicken, duck, turkey)

3. Change - caterpillar becomes a butterfly, tadpole becomes a frog. You can branch off into cause and effect or relative words used in different contexts (cut, carve, sculpt).

4. Linking - combine two word maps from two different perspectives (objects vs. people, as it relates to school or family)

5. Sentence building - branch out one part of the map to tell a story, explain a process, or state an opinion

6. Linear sequence of events - advanced students already group words to some specification, but when they express what they are thinking it doesn't seem natural and is out of sequence (like a chess player losing track of their pieces)

7. Concrete vs. Abstract Ideas - both beginner and advanced students avoid grammar based words and stick to nouns, listing only things that are tangible (change could be used here with emotions)

This is a very exciting project to work with students on, though time consuming. A lot of examples and various ways to map out words help students to finally get started. Most students hesitated at first and couldn't commit to a keyword. Once they found one, it was just a matter of listing what they could think of. Better students were more ambitious and therefore made more mistakes. The lower level students stuck to small associations, yet they knew the concepts clearly with one word answers to my questions.

[koreatimes]

I am finding this lesson is well suited for average students. The lower level simply don't get it, and the advanced students almost find it boring in an unnecessary way. However, there isn't an AP class to foster a larger scope of using word maps (like with movies or a book).

2 students in particular focused on one part of a word (legal, legality, legalize, etc... and post, postcode, postal, etc...). Even though they are fairly good students and can make conversation, they didn't realize a goal behind what they were doing.