Teaching Subject Vocabulary: Help Students Use Words, Not Just Memorise Them

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A student can repeat the definition of 'resistance' and still misunderstand it in a physics question. Subject vocabulary becomes useful when learners can connect a word to an idea, recognise it in context and use it accurately.

Choose a few words that matter

Before a lesson, identify the terms without which the central explanation becomes difficult. Include familiar-looking words with special subject meanings, such as 'current,' 'cell' or 'volume.' A long copied glossary can hide these important differences.

Explain a term in accessible language, then connect it to the formal definition. Keep scientific precision: an everyday analogy is a starting point, not the full meaning.

Use examples and non-examples

For 'conductor,' show familiar materials and ask what evidence would support classifying one as an electrical conductor. Separate that meaning from a bus conductor or an orchestra conductor. Discuss why a sentence fits one context but not another.

Where a word has useful parts, explore them carefully. 'Thermometer' can connect a temperature-related word element with measurement. Do not invent word histories or assume that every unfamiliar term can be decoded reliably from its parts.

Make students do something with the word

Ask learners to complete an explanation, label a relevant diagram or choose between two sentences and justify the choice. Later, revisit the word in a different example. Copying the same definition repeatedly is not the only form of practice.

A small word card can contain the term, a student-friendly explanation, a diagram and a meaningful sentence. Students should check the explanation against the teacher's account before using the card for revision.

Check meaning, not spelling alone

Ask a question that exposes a likely confusion. A correctly spelled word does not necessarily indicate understanding. Give correction without making the learner feel that unfamiliar language means low ability.

Further reading: EEF: Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools. The examples above are suggestions to adapt to your subject.

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