Words that Students Don't Know

[Aster]

This is a continuation of the widely popular "Words Students Don't Know" discussion topic on the Chronicle of Education's old forums.
https://www.chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,55222.0.html


I has someone ask me this week (during an exam) what "hoarded" meant.

I sincerely hope that english is not his primary language.

[mythbuster]

From my friend who teaches anatomy: shin.

[RatGuy]

My wife recently left the glamorous world of cosmetics and skin care to take a retail management position at our university bookstore. She supervises a number of student workers and was suprised to learn that one of the young men didn't know the word "band." She told him, "band these items together." He didn't know what that meant. "You know, like with a rubber band?" "I don't know how to do that."

[the_geneticist]

Words students don't know: full

As in, that lab section is full.  No, you cannot attend/enroll in/stop by to participate/take the quiz in that lab section because it is full.

[Aster]

Drab.

Stu Dent: "What is that word?"

Me: "Drab? It means dull."

Stu Dent: "What does dull mean?"

Me: "Are you messing with me?"

[Parasaurolophus]

My wife recently left the glamorous world of cosmetics and skin care to take a retail management position at our university bookstore. She supervises a number of student workers and was suprised to learn that one of the young men didn't know the word "band." She told him, "band these items together." He didn't know what that meant. "You know, like with a rubber band?" "I don't know how to do that."

Huh. Never heard it, either!

Words students don't know: full

As in, that lab section is full.  No, you cannot attend/enroll in/stop by to participate/take the quiz in that lab section because it is full.

zomg, yes. I'm so, so, so tired of the begging and pleading, even after I've repeated for the fourth time that the section--and classroom!--is completely full.

[Myword]

Over seven years, no students (of all ages)know the meaning of "qualifications" in the sense of I believe this view without qualifications. No one. They only know the other meaning of the word.

Another word is "nature"  as in the nature of politics or whatever.
It is easy to find students and other people who do not know certain words. I have loads of examples. How about whole classes?

[Wahoo Redux]

Mercurial.

Protean. 

[Myword]

In order to minimize this lack of vocabulary, professors ought not assume they know much, including ordinary words. I never did this when I began teaching and now I wish I did, at least with beginning students, 19-21 years old. Stop expecting too much. They are nowhere close to your level. Don't even expect they know what the senses are. Sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell. This is not dumbing down. I taught mostly in affluent areas with good high schools, very multicultural. Most adults do not know some of these words.

Here's an example. When I was a freshman I wen to a counselor to drop a class. She asked me if I could salvage the class. I did not know what the word meant. No idea...but I said yes for some reason. Well, I stayed in the class, unhappily. But I learned the meaning of salvage.

How many words or academic terms faculty not know? No one will admit it, even in their own subject.

[Wahoo Redux]

I was once doing a unit on euthanasia.  I was simply asking the students to come up with pros and cons.  It was very frustrating for all of us.  And then one of the students simply said, "We don't know what 'euthanasia' is."  Ooooooohhhhhh....

In this same class the students asked what "Klingons" were after I used them in a writing example.  My explanation that they were characters from Star Trek confused them even more.

[sinenomine]

yardstick

[marshwiggle]

yardstick

Was this in the US? If so, have they never seen one??? In Canada, since we've had metre sticks for several decades it would be more understandable.

[Aster]

Basic 10th grade-level English vocabulary is usually what most professors are expecting.

The basic vocabulary assessed from most middle school, junior high and high school placement tests are usually what most professors are expecting.

[Parasaurolophus]

yardstick

Was this in the US? If so, have they never seen one??? In Canada, since we've had metre sticks for several decades it would be more understandable.

When I was a kid, our classrooms had both. Naturally, we scoffed at the dinky yardstick.

[mahagonny]

parity