In a recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, it was found that toddlers have a much easier time learning new words when they figure out the meanings on their own.
The study, led by undergraduate researcher Meredith Brinster, involved 100 children between the ages of 36 and 42 months. Brinster compared the effectiveness of two different word-learning strategies and came to some interesting conclusions.
One strategy involved learning through inference, where children would deduce the meaning of a word by process of elimination. The other strategy was direct instruction, where children were simply told the meanings of words.
What Brinster discovered was that words learned through inference were not only easier to remember, but also resulted in higher confidence levels for the children. This challenges the traditional method of teaching, which often relies on telling students information rather than letting them discover it themselves.
To test this, Brinster showed the children images of familiar and unfamiliar objects and would say a made-up word. The children were then asked to identify the corresponding item. In the inference trial, where the children had to figure out the meaning, they performed better and displayed greater word knowledge.
These findings highlight the importance of allowing children to actively engage with their learning and discover things on their own. By encouraging this type of independent thinking, we can help children build a stronger foundation of knowledge and boost their confidence in their own abilities.
