Reflection

What I noticed about my word learning inclinations?

Overall, I noticed that I was way more attentive to words.  Conscious of words that impeded my understanding during any literacy practice (working out, watching my favorite hit series, etc). In the past, I would just ignore or neglect unfamiliar words that I encountered in literacy experiences. This course, as well as the blog fueled my desire to understand unknown words. Initially, my vocabulary blog represented just a grade. But as the semester progressed, it became more than that. My outlook about learning words changed.

I don’t believe it was my effort or lack of that lead me to neglect words in the past. I truly believe that I misunderstood the process of word learning. Traditionally, you are taught that if you don’t know a word then look it up in the dictionary. Even with the internet and various digital tools that can provide immediate feedback, I would find myself resorting to just online dictionary sites. With the power of newer technology, we can have instant access to almost anything (in terms of knowledge). My previous train of thought was; I should be able to acquire the meaning instantly. Word learning, or any learning, is not something that you go from all to nothing in. To gain “full, deep contextualized understanding of a word” you have to have multiple and varied exposures to that word (Handbook of Reading Research). The vocabulary blog did just that.

Blog entries could include pictures. I found this process very helpful. The insight I gained through browsing through image galleries of a vocabulary word was quite powerful. With words like “spooling,” I found multiple representations of this word in various contexts (army vehicles, sewing machines, and printer components). This allowed me to see how words vary across disciplines and can have multiple meanings.

What I learned through this process is that it is completely okay to not know a word. There are so many words out there. It is impossible to know everything about the world around you.

Are there certain types of words that interest you?

Based on my vocabulary blog, I noticed that most words that interested me revolved around the literacy practices that I frequently engage in (cross-fit, literacy graduate class, health fears or OCD’s, and even television shows). Reflecting upon my list, the words cannot be categorized into different parts of speech (verb, adjective, and noun). When I explored the meaning of a word, I did not seek to solely understand it in the context that it appeared. My mission was to decode what that word meant in context and to reveal how it might be used in other contexts. But overall, the words that interest me are ones that allow me to have the greatest access to the things that I love most (cross fit, hit TV shows, and even graduate school).

What did you notice about your routine literacy practices?

I noticed that my routine literacy practices include interests like Crossfit, HBO series viewer, and even Graduate school. Looking through my word list repitoire, I’m finding that I need to read for pleasure more. If there were just a few more hours in the day, I might find myself reading more literature on superfoods and new homeopathic medicines. Rather than reading about terminal diseases that I’m convinced I have, I want to read more about disease prevention.

In what ways did you benefit as a word learner from keeping a vocabulary blog this semester?

Like I mentioned previously, I believe that this process changed my understanding of learning words. It made me realize that it is okay to not know a word. Admitting to yourself, “okay, I have no idea what that word means” will benefit you.

I think people feel embarrassed to admit they do not know something. Education today is so focused on getting the correct answer with all of the high stakes testing that exists. No one wants to be wrong or show misunderstanding. I think our society shuns upon a person who exhibits a lack of knowledge and will coin him/her as a moron. In the past, I would pretend to understand a word or phrase in a large social group because I didn’t want to be ostracized as an “idiot.” But now I really have learned it does not matter what people think of you. The only way you are going to learn, is to admit that you do not know something. Even with my vocabulary blog, my co-worker told me to not publicly admit that I didn’t know what “fracking” meant. He said “Oh my god, you seriously don’t know what that means. You can’t admit it in a blog. You will appear as an intellectual idiot. Fracking has been in the news so frequently this past year.” Despite his negativity (which I didn’t take offense to), I wanted to explore the understanding of the word “fracking.” When I admitted that I didn’t know the meaning of fracking, many people were willing to contribute their understanding of the word to me. That provided for some really good testimonials that I included in that blog entry.

In what ways did this aid your abilities to read-to-learn? Writing-to-learn?

Through this process, I realized to be more metacognitive, which means aware of my thinking and learning during reading. When I encountered unknown words through reading activities, I would instantly highlight them and cognitively prioritize them in like a “mental to-do list.” I would make it a priority to figure out what that word meant and how it related to the context to which I was reading. After discovering some degree of meaning for that word, I would refer back to the context to which I found it. This would often provide me with more insight on the topic to which I was reading, particularly for words like “cosmopolitanism.”

How were you impacted by vocabulary tests? Has your attitude about Vocabulary tests changed?

I definitely loved the framework that we used for vocabulary tests. Particularly the fact that we were held responsible for our blogs and making sure that we provided accurate information for our peers as it was the “study-guide” for each word. I even enjoyed perusing through my classmate’s blogs to see how they constructed their blogs. The tests did not for a menial definition of a word. They required us to use a word in a sentence which requires a person to think more critically about a word.

Like I mentioned earlier, I think many educators place too much emphasis on getting the correct answer or even just correctly identifying vocabulary words. Word knowledge is much more complex than that. Being able to use a word illustrates a higher degree of word understanding than just matching the word to it’s definition.

How will I continue to learn words?

Now that the semester is over, I am going to admit to myself that I don’t understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Rather than just ignoring the word and hoping I will encounter it somewhere else where it will make sense to me, I will be an active word learner. Take the initiative to understanding words that impede my understandings. Furthermore, I will also use various resources to acquire a deeper, contextualized meaning of a word. In the end, it will benefit me to have more access to the things that I love most…

                                                                  Family

 

Health

Career

And just plain old interests...

 

13.2- Gin Blossom

13:2- Gin Blossom

When and Where:  I encountered this word in conversation with a co-worker about a friend of his who allegedly enjoys his weekends more than most of us. He said, “I think his red nose is a gin-blossom.” I had not heard this term before and I asked what it meant. He told me I’d better look it up to verify, but he thought it was facial redness from excessive alcohol consumption.

What it Means: It appears that my co-worker was pretty close. There seems to be a bit of debate on what exactly is meant by the term “gin blossom.” It is either the flush faced, red neck reaction that some people have to alcohol,  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction) or broken capillaries in ones face due to continued alcohol abuse. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060619143327AAzaqv5)

 

Level of Familiarity: I had never heard this term associated with anything outside of the 1990’s band “Gin Blossoms” who made it to fame with their cleverly crafted hit, “Hey Jealousy” back in 1992.

Reflective Commentary: This term has disturbing implications. Red faced friends and co-workers now leave me wondering. I am left with two options; forget about the term, or accept that I am surrounded by drunks.

13:1- Fracking

13:1- Fracking 

When and Where: I encountered this word “Fracking” while I was driving in Perinton by reading a sign that had the word “Fracking” in a red circle and slash through it to indicate anti-fracking.

What it means: “Fracking refers to the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open” (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fracking.asp#axzz2E0uF0Dgc).

Level of Familiarity: I had some concept of the term hydro-fracking as I had heard it previously on the news.  Apparently, there is a whole anti- fracking movement throughout the country. Many people in NYS, particularly in Western NY, are opposed to fracking because they argue that the process causes “underground pollution, cancer risks and other uncertainties” (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/major-fracking-concerns-lack-scientific-backing-basically-not-using-science/#). Additionally, critics are fearful of contaminating drinking water supplies. According to one homeowner in the Southern Tier, Frackers are “cutting veins under homeowner’s property and people are fearful of what high pressure water will do to the earth.”

       

Reflective Commentary: I have always believed that businesses have the right to make money, but I wonder how far that right extends. If the process only had implications upon the property where the fracking was being performed, I would probably say this seems fine. It seems, however, that this process (strangely secretive in formula and specifics) may raise questions, as some seemingly knowledgeable people fear it has deeper environmental effects. I think more discussion may be needed.

Pistols- 12:2

When and Where: I encountered this word last night when I was reading a fellow cross-fitters post. Apparently, she made up a WOD (workout of the day) while she was in a hotel that did not have any crossfit equipment. She mentioned a series of exercises and included "pistols" in there. 


What does it mean: Pistols, in crossfit terms, are a one legged squat. According to http://www.crossfitendurance.com/blog/3/post/86, this website showed a demonstration of a "pistol" or one- legged squat. 

Level of Familiarity:  In terms of doing pistols, it is still a relatively new exercise for me. I have the balance and coordination but I am just working on my strength and endurance to sustain this exercise during a WOD (workout of the day). 

Reflective Commentary: I know I have mentioned this in other blog entries but crossfit is like a new language to me. Although I have been a "crossfitter" now for almost 7 months, I am still learning new lingo and exercises every time I go. I feel that crossfit is a relatively new approach to fitness and even my trainers are learning new exercises along the way. With cross-fit being described as an cross-disciplinary approach to fitness involving weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardiovascular training there are so many dimensions to be explored. Despite often feeling confused and slightly insecure about my form on various exercises, I will never stop doing crossfit. With anything that you learn, you are going to make mistakes. Even after 7 months, I am still learning and want to be a life-long learner of this new fitness approach. 

Heavy heart or heavyhearted- 12:1

When and Where: I often see this expression on many Facebook posts pertaining to something tragic or deeply sad that has occurred. From the context, I clearly understood what the person meant but when I attempted to use the phrase "heavy heart" in response to someone's death, I felt unsure about it. I continued to re-read my sentence that included that phrase but still felt that I sounded awkward and incorrect. 

What it means: Like I believed,  the phrase "heavy heart" means a "sad heart (dictionary.com)." Also, according to thefreedictionary.com, heavyhearted can mean "depressed" if used as an adjective. These words can be spelled either way from what I gathered from dictionary.com and thefreedictionary.com. 

Level of familiarity: Despite knowing what this phrase meant, I had a difficult time using it context. I think , like many others, I have a very hard time expressing condolences during times of sadness. I often feel like I can't find the right words and don't know the appropriate thing to say.  

Reflective Commentary: I admire funeral home directors. The struggle to be comforting and consoling to a family in grief is a hard one for many. For my purposes, I wanted to remember a man who had just recently passed.  Carefully selecting my rhetoric in situations like these are often very hard for me. 

Acquiescence and Yiddish 11:1 and 11:2

When and Where: Watching one of my favorite series, Boardwalk Empire, I heard these two words used by the character Arnold Rothstein. The character, who is newer to this season, was discussing plans with regards to bootlegging. In context he said "Yiddish Meyer? I can't think of a more obvious route to my acquiescence than shared commonality." 

What they mean: 

• According to dictionary.com, the word acquiescence means "agreement or consent by silence or without objection." In this context, I think Arnold is insinuating that compliance with the common culture is the best option. 
• Yiddish, also according to dictionary.com, is a "language spoken as a vernacular by Jews in Europe and elsewhere by Jewish emigrants." It is a "dialect of high German with an admixture of words of Hebrew, Romance, and Slavonic origin." 

Level of Familiarity: Both words really sounded familiar to me but I really did not know what they meant. I had more insight on the word, Yiddish, and thought it had something to do with language and possibly the Jewish culture. When I heard the word acquiescence used in context, I knew I had heard the word before but really did not know the meaning. Thank goodness for digital recording because I was able to replay that dialogue over a few times to clarify the words that interfered with my meaning making of the scene. Unfortunately, I could not grasp the meaning from just the spoken context, particularly for the word acquiescence. 

Reflective Commentary: Before I looked up the words this time, I really tried to decipher the meaning without the support of a dictionary. I wanted so badly to understand what the character was saying because the show is becoming so dramatic and climatic. Additionally, I feel very unsure about this character, Arnold Rothstein. I can't determine which group he is associated with and how he really feels. Often characters in this series are unpredictable and you (as the audience) find yourself surprised by their actions. I seemed to perseverate on the word acquiescence much more than yiddish as I know it said more about who he is as a character. Based on the context, I believe Arnold Rothstein is attempting to appear colloquial with other major bootleggers but he is possibly scheming to overthrow major players in this controversial business.  

Movember 10-2



10:2

When and Where: I came across this word at my crossfit gym's website.  I saw that my gym was participating in "Movember."

What it means: According to the http://us.movember.com/about/ website:  "During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo's, these men raise vital awareness and funds for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives."

 

 

Level of Familiarty: Since I joined my crossfit gym, back in May, I have been exposed to several charities or runs that benefit medical research or other healthy initiatives. In September, I participated in the Dirty Girl Mudrun, where our funds went towards breast cancer research.

Reflective Commentary: Now that I know that Movember is I want to find a way that I can be a part of this cause. My grandfather is now in remission from prostate cancer. Luckily, his doctors found the cancer early enough where they could quickly treat it. I think this is a great initiative and the movement helps to raise so much awareness about men's health which can sometimes be ignored by some.