Supporting Teachers to Implement Contextualized and Interactive Practices in Vocabulary Instruction

Abstract

This descriptive study explored how teachers implemented interactive practices during their vocabulary instruction after participating in a professional development initiative. The professional development was comprised of an initial workshop to provide an overview of vocabulary research and instruction, opportunities for teachers to receive targeted feedback on audiotaped classroom lessons, and an interim session where teachers discussed the process of implementation. Data were gathered through interviews and lesson transcripts. Teachers reported that they valued the feedback on classroom lessons and meetings with grade level colleagues. In addition, they reported positive changes in their instruction as a result of the professional development activities. Lesson transcripts showed that the instructional changes teachers reported corresponded to changes between pre- and post-intervention lesson transcripts.