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Vocabulary

Okay, welcome to the vocabulary lesson for the validation article. Let’s get started. I’m not going to do all of the vocabulary, just some of the more frequent or more difficult words.

In the beginning here, I use the phrase glance over. I’m narrating. I say I glance over the test scores again. To glance over something is to look at it very quickly.

Usually you say: I glanced over the test, I glanced over the article, I glanced over the letter. To glance is to look at something very quickly and look way again.

Okay, next. I use the phrase drawn to, in the next paragraph. I say my eyes are drawn to two sets of numbers two names. To be drawn to something means to be attracted to it.

Means there is something about it that makes to want you look at, makes you to want to get closer to it. So drawn to means attracted to.

Alright, a little bit later, a couple of paragraph later, I used the word harangued. Harangue is a verb, to harangue. And in that sentence I say that my students actually followed the method I continually harangued the class about.

So I was always haranguing my class about using input-based methods. And to harangue is similar to the word nag, which we’ll discuss later, but it means to say something again and again and again. It means you want someone to do something and maybe they don’t do it so you tell them again and again and again.

So I would harangue my class about using this methods. I would say: You need to listen to English every day! You need to listen to English every day! You need to listen to English every day! I’m trying to convince them. I’m trying to pursued them and so I repeatedly tell them to do this again and again and again. That’s call haranguing or the verb is to harangue.

Alright, and then a little bit later in that paragraph, I use the adverb faithfully. I mention that one of the students, Kyoung , joined The Linguist and that she faithfully uses their system.

To faithfully do something is to do it with a strong belief, with a strong confidence. So you’re not just doing it because someone tells you do it. You’re not just doing it with half an effort or just a little bit of effort. It means you really believe what’s you’re doing. You think it’s a good thing, you really really really want to do it.

So that’s faithfully. So Kyoung faithfully follows The Linguist’s system. She is following it because she really believes it will work and it does.

Alright, and then in that same paragraph, in the next sentence as a matter of fact, I mention that both students also read for fun and that they mostly read easy materials, such as National Geographic for kids or adolescent novels.

Adolescent is a certain age. It’s the age before teenager. So teenagers we usually say 15 years old 16, 17, 18, 19. We describe people that age as teenagers. But people who are children, who are about 11, 12, 13, 14, in that age, that middle school age, we call them adolescence, adolescence. So an adolescent novel is a novel, a book. It’s a book for children that age.

So my students, even thought these are graduate students actually, they are reading books that are for middle school children, adolescent children.

Alright, in the next paragraph, I use the word jargon. I said in TESOL jargon, these two students followed the input-based approach. Jargon means a special vocabulary. A special vocabulary for a certain job or a certain business or a certain field.

For example, you know biology has certain jargon. Biologists know this vocabulary other people don’t. Well teachers also have jargon in TESOL, which is teaching English to speakers of other languages, teaching English as a foreign language. You know, teachers who do that, we have kind of a special vocabulary too.

And so input-based approach, that’s a kind of vocabulary that we use. Most English teachers understand what that means. Maybe people who are not English teachers don’t know that. So jargon is a special vocabulary of a field or a certain job.

Alrighty, exceptional of course means special, amazing, great.

Alright, in that same next paragraph I just mention, the bulk of their study time was spent reading and listening to understandable and interesting English materials.

The bulk of, means the most of. So the bulk of the study time we spent reading or listening. Most of the study time we spent reading or listening. So the bulk of means most of.

Alrighty then, on to the next page of the learning guide, you see a couple of similar words here. First is the word nag. I say I always nag and cajole my students to focus on comprehensible input.

To nag is quite similar to harangue, which I just told you about. If you nag someone, you tell them to do something again and again and again. Usually because they’re not doing it.

The best example is a mother and her children. My mom would nag me about cleaning my room. AJ, clean your room. And I’d say okay mom, okay. But I didn’t do it. So then she would tell me again a few minutes later: clean your room. And a couple of minutes later: AJ, clean your room. And then again: AJ, clean your room. AJ clean your room.

So she’s nagging me. So she’s kind of like complaining again and again and again about something. And in that same phrase, I use the word cajole, to cajole. Cajole means again to try to persuade someone.

It’s the idea of almost trying to push them to do something. So you’re trying to convince them, maybe you’re begging them, maybe you’re pushing them a little bit: do this do this, do this, and you’re trying to change their mind about something. That’s cajole. So there’s a little bit similar meaning there. Nag and cajole.

And comprehensible input means understandable input. So you have to listen to something you understand. If you don’t understand it, you won’t learn anything. You need to understand about 90% of it. So that’s comprehensible.

Alright, in that same paragraph, you see the word quantitatively. That’s a nice long word. I say it was thrilling to see this knowledge illustrated quantitatively.

Thrilling of course means exciting. Illustrated means shown or sometimes it means proven. But quantitatively means with numbers. With numbers or numerically is another way to say that.

So I knew that these methods were better but in my own experience, in my own classes, I had never done like a pre-test and post-test research to show with numbers that this method is better. So this was my first chance to see with numbers in person, with my own classroom and my own students.

Alright, in the same sentence as a matter of fact, I use the phrase dramatic fashion. In dramatic fashion. It was exciting to see this knowledge illustrated quantitatively in such dramatic fashion.

In dramatic fashion means in a strong way, in a powerful way, in a very noticeable way. Something that everybody sees and notices. Easy to notice it, very powerful. So in a powerful way, in dramatic fashion.

Alrighty, moving on, then I use the word replicate in the paragraph here. I say many research studies replicate these findings. So this is not an isolated incident.

An isolated incident means a special experience. Something that doesn’t usually happen. But this is not an isolated incident. This is a common incident. It’s something that happens a lot.

Many research studies find the same results. And I mention many research studies replicate these findings. Findings means results. Replicate means repeat or copy and sometime can have both meanings together too. Repeat and copy.

So many research studies replicate the same results. They repeat the same results. When they study and compare input-based methods and analysis-based methods, the input-based methods always win, 99% of the time.

Okay, and then in the next paragraph, you see the word starkly. I say I have never seen this phenomenon so starkly illustrated in person in a quantitative way. Starkly means in a strong and obvious way, in a strong and powerful way. So It’s an adverb. In a strong powerful way. That’s very obvious. Starkly has also the idea of obvious. Everyone sees it.

And I mention in a quantitative way. So the opposite way, another way, another kind of knowledge or proof is qualitative. Qualitative, there’s an L in there. Qualitative means without numbers.

So I have a lot of qualitative experiences. I can observe my students. I see that certain students usually do better, the ones who follows the input-based methods. But this time, I have a quantitative proof. In other words, I have numbers, test scores to prove what’s happening.

Okay, in the next paragraph, we use the word validation, which is also the title of this article. I say these results are small but powerful validation of my own teaching approach.

Validation is proof or evidence that proves something is correct. So it means positive proof or positive evidence. It’s something that proves you are correct or something is correct. In this case, my two students who improved so much faster, they are validation for my teaching methods or for input-based methods. Not just my methods. Anyone can use this methods.

In the same paragraph, I use the verb exhort. I say in the methods I continually exhort my students to follow. Exhort again has the idea of trying to persuade, trying to convince, trying to even sell.

Okay, I exhort my students to follow an input-based method. So it means I’m trying to convince my students, I tell them very strongly you should do this. That’s exhorting.

Alright, in the next paragraph, we see the word plea. I say I now carry this plea to you. I now bring this plea to you. A plea is a request. It means I’m asking you to do something. A plea is actually a very strong request. I’m saying please, please, please do this. Please use an input-based method. Please don’t analyze English. That is my plea. That is my strong request.

And finally, at the end, you see the phrase rely on. Do not rely on textbooks. To relay on something means to depend on it. It’s to use it too much. So do not use textbooks too much. Do not rely on textbooks. Do not depend on textbooks. Textbooks are not very good.

Okay, that’s it for today’s vocabulary lesson for the validation podcast. As Always I hope you will follow all of these steps. So read the learning guide. Look at the word list on it. Listen to the article several times, not just one time, several times. Then listen to this vocabulary lesson a few times. Then listen to the mini-story a few times.

Okay well, I will see you next time. Enjoy the article, enjoy the lesson and enjoy your English learning. Bye-bye.