Guided visual vocabulary practice: Spanish language vocabulary instruction for students with learning disabilities and possibilities beyond the foreign language classroom

Abstract

Students with Learning Disabilities (LD) frequently struggle to learn and utilize vocabulary in the general education curriculum. The growing requirement that foreign language courses be completed to earn a high school diploma can be both a challenge for LD students and an area to more closely examine strategies to promote student success. Guided Visual Vocabulary Practice (GVVP) has been developed as one approach to helping students with LD more effectively learn concrete Spanish nouns. A demonstration of how to use GVVP for this purpose is provided, along with theoretical underpinnings of the strategy. Further suggestions are also provided for how GVVP may be used in other content areas and in future research.