How are unfamiliar words taught in social science classes in elementary school? A study in Argentina schools
Authors
Alejandra Menti
Centro de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Lenguas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 187, 1° Piso (5000), Córdoba
Celia Rosemberg
Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Psicología, Matemática y Experimental. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Tte. Gral. Juan D. Perón 2158, Buenos Aires
This study aims to analyze the linguistic and gestural information available to students so that they infer the meaning of the “little familiar” or “very little familiar” words in classes of Social Science in elementary school. The results showed that all the teachers tend to link the “little familiar” or “very little familiar” vocabulary through taxonomic relationships of synonymy. However, as the level of education rises, the diversity of semantic relationships in which these words are inserted increases. Regarding the gestural information, the teachers of 1st and 3rd grade accompany the explanations of the “little familiar” or “very little familiar” words with metaphorical gestures. While the teachers of 5th grade accompany their explanations with a greater diversity of gestures: metaphorical, orchestral and iconic.
Keywords:
vocabulary, degrees of familiarity, teaching, linguistic information, gestural information, social science classes
Menti, A., & Rosemberg, C. (2013). How are unfamiliar words taught in social science classes in elementary school? A study in Argentina schools. Lenguas Modernas, (41), Pág. 95–114. Retrieved from https://lenguasmodernas.uchile.cl/index.php/LM/article/view/30777
