Teacher Discussion Forums

When setting an exercise for students that focuses on words and their meaning in a text or dialogue , which of the following would you use and for what individual purpose?

figure out the meaning

guess the meaning

compute the meaning

infer the meaning

deduce the meaning

(the text) suggests a meaning

Any

Stephen Jones wrote:Any

"... and for what individual purpose?"

Not quite with you here.

What I normally do is write up the sentence with a questionmark instead of the targeted word and then make a sort of helpless gesture, which is supposed to elicit suggestions.

Stephen Jones wrote:Not quite with you here.

What I normally do is write up the sentence with a questionmark instead of the targeted word and then make a sort of helpless gesture, which is supposed to elicit suggestions.

I was asking if each of these mean the same, i.e, are they synoymous for you? Could either one be used in setting an exercise on meaning?

figure out the meaning

guess the meaning

compute the meaning

infer the meaning

deduce the meaning

Obviously each word is different. In a classroom situation this would probably not matter. In a written exam you would do best to be careful.
I would not use 'guess' because the students in an exam might get the idea that they are to toss up a coin to choose between A, B, C & D, which is what they have been told to do when they don't have the least idea.
'Deduce, 'figure out' or 'work out' or the three that seem best to me, but if I eas writing the rubric it would be 'What is the meaning? - no student is going to come along and ask you what 'is' means

Stephen Jones wrote:Obviously each word is different. In a classroom situation this would probably not matter. In a written exam you would do best to be careful.
I would not use 'guess' because the students in an exam might get the idea that they are to toss up a coin to choose between A, B, C & D, which is what they have been told to do when they don't have the least idea.
'Deduce, 'figure out' or 'work out' or the three that seem best to me, but if I eas writing the rubric it would be 'What is the meaning? - no student is going to come along and ask you what 'is' means

Yes, for me "guess" would be too random. The others would be OK for me.
Some researchers & teachers say we should qualify 'What is the meaning?" with the more precise " 'What is the meaning in this present context?" What do you think of that suggestion'

Some researchers & teachers say we should qualify 'What is the meaning?" with the more precise " 'What is the meaning in this present context?" What do you think of that suggestion'

Exxcellent but it doesn't go far enough - we should also define 'meaning','is'. 'present' and 'context'.

Of course if your annual salary evaluation or A grade RSA doesn't depend on it,, it doesn' matter a rat's penis because no student ever reads the rubric anyway.

Stephen Jones wrote:

Some researchers & teachers say we should qualify 'What is the meaning?" with the more precise " 'What is the meaning in this present context?" What do you think of that suggestion'

Exxcellent but it doesn't go far enough - we should also define 'meaning','is'. 'present' and 'context'.

Of course if your annual salary evaluation or A grade RSA doesn't depend on it,, it doesn' matter a rat's penis because no student ever reads the rubric anyway.

True.