Using digital tools to enrich your learners’ vocabulary

A rich vocabulary range is important for English language learners as they need to learn so many words to make themselves understood. But what do learners need to know about vocabulary?

There are certain areas that teachers need to focus on: meaning; how words are pronounced; the forms of words, e.g., plurals, countable/uncountable nouns, dependent prepositions; how a word is used; collocations; different levels of formality; connotations; frequency of use; and what level they should be learnt at.

But what vocabulary is appropriate for each level? For exams, looking at the resources for teachers at the Cambridge website will provide you with word lists. These lists are organised alphabetically and by topic. They are a useful starting point for teaching words tested in the Cambridge exams, and include full lists for YLE’s Starters, Movers and Flyers.

But how do you find out the level of a word? You can use the English Vocabulary Profile resource that was created in 2012 and based on research on vocabulary learning. It is a good tool for decision making on what vocabulary to teach learners as they progress and how to assess them. You can create a free account to access this resource.

Another online resource is the Cambridge Online Dictionary. It also contains information about word level, and you can listen to audio files to learn how words are pronounced and any collocations and synonyms they may have. Online dictionaries are useful for lesson preparation; to help analyse vocabulary; to prepare pre‐listening or pre‐reading activities; to practise pronunciation; to provide vocabulary extension tasks for quick finishers; for team games; and as independent learning activities,

Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajGtomf80_o to learn more.