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About VocabNetwork
YOU ARE THE WORDS YOU USE. Agree?
Don't have time to actually study vocabulary? Or, do you think there are better ways to increase your
English abilities, such as talking with people, watching videos/movies/TV, checking out FB posts...
We did, and then created VocabNetwork.com (VN) because results were hit-and-miss and taking too long!
VN is a pedagogically-robust, content-rich Web application that makes it easy, interesting, and fun to increase understanding and communication
effectiveness in English — in minutes a day.
What's different here?
VocabNetwork is built on principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which means that the app itself
has built-in flexibility as well as supports that enable you to work from your strengths and interests. The pedagogical
foundation is twofold:
A. proven effects of reading on literacy and language development – the underpinnings of VN's
Browse Method
B. the importance of automaticity in the mechanics of language (e.g., decoding, word meaning,
grammar, spelling) for freeing up cognitive energy for higher order processessing in comprehension and communication –
the underpinnings of VN's Automate Method
Your job?
In the Browse Method: read, read, read.
Explore on the Snippets page and click to the source articles
when you'd like to find out more.
As you read, include these two essential steps:
1) FOCUS on the target (big) word and its definition.
2) STAMP in your memory a 'special' connection with the word and
one part of the story, image, or headline given.
Bottom line — while you read what interests you, you grow your understanding of vocabulary, grammar,
spelling, and meaning structures, naturally.
In the Automate Method: practice, practice, practice.
Get a set of Snippets to study from your Recent Work or the Collections page. Then select activities under STUDY IT!
As you practice, include these two essential steps:
1) TRACK your progress (mastery = 100 points/snippet); get your Collection to at least 70% complete.
2) USE what you're learning as you caption images (Describe Me), pubish your own Snippets, and message or share with
VN friends.
Bottom line — with our neuroscience-based activities, you'll get to the point where
the meanings of words, idioms, and concepts come automatically to you so you will be able to
understand and communicate at a higher level with more nuances.
**Take our 10-minute a day challenge with either method and see how quickly you learn new vocabulary and
how much longer you remember it. Watch your comprehension and expression explode in ways you never imagined!
HOW IT WORKS
The best way to increase your language and literacy skills (in any language) is to read. We pick up
meanings, grammar structure, and the subtleties of communication naturally as we process text. Often we don't
have time or the wherewithall to read a lot. This is especially true when we're not so good at it for one reason
or another. VocabNetwork makes it easy. There are "thumbnails" of articles with added "stuff" to help you process
meaning, along with a link to the source if you're interested in finding out more.
These thumbnails, or Snippets as we call them, are the core content on VocabNetwork. They
include a key word or concept pulled out from a short selection of an article along with a simple definition.
In addition, we hand-pick an image and provide related words to bring out the meaning in that context. The title
is below the image and, when you hover over that, there's a headline to make the Snippet memorable.
VocabNetwork shows you words and concepts as they are used in real life. Based on UDL principles,
each one has a structure with multiple means of accessing/receiving the information
- simple and diverse at the same time so you can process it in a way that's best for you.
Whether you are an animal lover, news junkie, foodie, or want to focus on tricky collocations and idioms,
you'll find words/phrases in Snippets that catch your attention. How do elephants communicate? What
crowdfunding campaign hit $2 million in less than a day? How many combinations of 'get' (with by, on,
over, across, etc.) do you know? When do you use 'complement' vs. 'compliment?' There's a lot that will
lead you into learning new words and concepts.
As you browse Snippets on VN, you can save the ones you want and create your own collections. Or pick
ready-made sets curated by educators that fit with what you need to succeed. As you practice with VN's Match It,
Droplet Game, Word Test, and Describe Me image captioning, mastery points are given for every correct answer
(or response) for every vocab Snippet in your collections. You can always see where you are in your
learning -- what needs more work and how much you are growing. This stays in your account across classes,
schools, cities, jobs... It's yours whererever!
Constantly-added Snippets and collections plus the social side of VN keep things fresh, and we hope, make it
a place that's fun to be in as you learn like you've never done before. UNDERSTAND MORE. COMMUNICATE WITH
GREATER CONFIDENCE. INCREASE YOUR GRADES. BOOST YOUR TEST SCORES. GET AHEAD IN YOUR JOB. OPEN DOORS IN YOUR LIFE.
It's simple to work hard and go forward boldly with VocabNetwork.
FOR TEACHERS
VocabNetwork.com is a powerful tool to support and extend your lessons – to excite students' minds.
It's for all classes. Use it in any subject for acquiring concepts and vocabulary, and for getting learners to
think out of the box. It increases students' literacy, and their motivation to learn too.
Our platform provides the resources and flexibility you need to: 1) find relevant, succinct, learning-rich
thumbnails related to what you're teaching, personalize it (according to each student's needs, abilities, interests, and
backgrounds), or create your own; 2) engage your students in practice to mastery monitoring their progress each
step of the way; and 3) share content, encourage dialogue, and message at any time convenienct to you.
We are different than most. We support the diversity of your students through UDL, where alternate ways of
receiving and expressing meaning, and engaging students, are built into the product. It includes scaffolds to
support all learners – and it's adjustable by learners themselves. It puts the person in
personalized and gets students to take ownership of their success.