As a parent of 3, I couldn't agree more that our children pick up on so many things- they mimic our tone of voice, phrases and vocabulary. At Christmas time when my son spilled his entire bowl of cheerios on the floor, he yelled out, "Son of A Nutcracker." This came straight from the holiday movie Elf we had been watching days before. This reaffirmed to me that our children's vocabulary has grown immensely just by listening to conversations amongst their family members, friends & even media.
Many of our students are not intrinsically motivated to look up words that they do not understand when it comes up in class. I have become that obnoxious teacher that asks a student to look up a definition on their phone or ask Siri. We have taken the time to define it.
I also try to incorporate new vocab in our discussions. While we are teaching WWI & WWII, I ask students to appease me and put their phones away or participate to read. Or when not wanting student input, I tease and say "this is a dictatorship, not a democracy". While some students smile or laugh, others haven't picked up on the meaning yet.
There are also so many phrases and terms that my students use on a regular basis and have taught me over the years. I specifically remember a student telling her friend and me about an ex-boyfriend. She was a victim of "Ghosting" and "Gaslighting." I had no idea what these were at first. When terms come up, I may ask them, "what does that mean?" and they usually laugh at me. However, teaching and learning is a two-way street. We have to learn from each other and can laugh along the way.
Many of our students are not intrinsically motivated to look up words that they do not understand when it comes up in class. I have become that obnoxious teacher that asks a student to look up a definition on their phone or ask Siri. We have taken the time to define it.
I also try to incorporate new vocab in our discussions. While we are teaching WWI & WWII, I ask students to appease me and put their phones away or participate to read. Or when not wanting student input, I tease and say "this is a dictatorship, not a democracy". While some students smile or laugh, others haven't picked up on the meaning yet.
There are also so many phrases and terms that my students use on a regular basis and have taught me over the years. I specifically remember a student telling her friend and me about an ex-boyfriend. She was a victim of "Ghosting" and "Gaslighting." I had no idea what these were at first. When terms come up, I may ask them, "what does that mean?" and they usually laugh at me. However, teaching and learning is a two-way street. We have to learn from each other and can laugh along the way.