Wonderful Words: Vocabulary Matters 

 

 

 

Abstract

By introducing vocabulary through games and hands on materials, teachers can provide a venue for their learners to use new words in a variety of contexts. Engaging learners through play helps them establish personal meaning, no matter what their age. The moderators will share their favorite tools that most actively engage everyone in the learning process. and participants will contribute their ideas.

 

 

Target Audience

ESL/EFL teachers interested in using various vocabulary tools, websites and paper, to enhance vocabulary retention.

 

Interest Section Sponsors

TESOL: Computer-Assisted Language Learning IS, Teacher Education IS 

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Syllabus

  

 In the course of the 5 weeks, participants will learn collaboratively to:
• Use various web and electronic tools for learning and teaching ESL/EFL vocabulary,
• Interact through e-mail, text chat, voice chat, voice mail, and distribution lists, among others,
• Create wikis and interactive exercises related to their own contexts, and,
• Reflect on ways of applying those tools to their teaching, either online or face-to-face.

 

Three chats will be held to discuss content and pre-defined topics, build rapport and create a sense of community that draws on everyone’s experience.  These will be live sessions with recordings available afterwards.  All sessions will be at 14:00 GMT.

• Introductory chat on January 18th
• Follow-up chat on February 1st 
• Wrap-up chat on February 15th

 

Much of the content derived from the discussions will be made available through a wiki created during the five weeks, which will be kept online for future reference.

Week 1

January 13 - 19, 2014

Moderators: Brenda/Anne/Jennie

 

Week 2

January 20 - 26, 2014

By the end of week 2, you will have:

• Read at least one current research article about Second Language vocabulary acquisition and retention

• Posted your comments to three discussion questions on PBWorks Wonderful Words Participants

• Replied to at least one of your fellow participants' discussion postings
  

• Reviewed the tutorial for EnglishCentral and joined (optional)

• Selected and signed up for the website review/evaluation group of your choice

Moderators: Anne/Brenda

 

Week 3

January 26 - February 2, 2014

By the end of week 3, you will have:

• Read the identified article or summaries
  

• Posted your comments to two discussion questions on PBWorks Wonderful Words Participants
  

• Collaborated with your group to review one website (Collaboration tool examples:  Google Docs and PBWorks)
  

• Posted your collaborative summary on PBWorks Wonderful Words Participants
  

• Explored the list of websites for Week 4 and selected one tool you’d like to use to create a vocabulary project
• Participated in or listened to the WizIQ follow-up session
  

Moderators: Brenda/Jennie

 

Week 4

February 3 - 9, 2014

By the end of week 4, you will have:

• Read the identified article or blogs
  

• Posted your comments to the three discussion questions on PBWorks Wonderful Words Participants
  

• Reviewed the summaries of Week 3 websites and posted feedback

• Designed a vocabulary project using either webtools of your choosing OR a classroom based activity

• Shared that activity in PBWorks Wonderful Words Participants or a link to your PBWorks Wiki page.
  

Moderators: Brenda/Anne/Jennie

 

Week 5

February 10 - 16, 2014

By the end of week 5, you will have:

• Reviewed and commented on Week 4 projects

• Shared your learning experiences with fellow participants

• Evaluated which strategies, approaches, and tools will or won’t work in your environments

• Discussed how what doesn’t work could be adapted / modified for various situations

• Participated in or listened to the WizIQ wrap-up session

• Completed the EVO survey

Moderators: Brenda/Anne/Jennie

 

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Join this session

 

Sign up for the session starts on Jan 6th, 2013. 

The action starts on Jan 13th, 2014.

 

To join this group:   From January 6 to 12:   Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wonderfulwords/info Click on "Join this Group" Wait for your membership approval Explore: http://vocabmatters.pbworks.com/w/page/70553099/FrontPage

 

 

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Primary Moderators

Brenda Binkley bg.binkley@yahoo.com

Anne Hernandez eagle7wing@bellsouth.net

Jennie Farnell jenfarnell@earthlink.net

 

Biodata

Brenda Binkley has been an ESL instructor for eight years, teaching adults from beginning to advanced levels of language proficiency. Brenda has a masters in secondary education with concentrations in English and ESL. She taught for over four years at Arkansas State University and another three plus years at Interactive College of Technology in Chamblee, GA.

 

Anne Hernandez brings over six years of teaching ESL along with two masters degrees. Anne currently teaches ESL at Arkansas State University. She has an undergraduate degree in education with a masters in management information systems, as well as another in English Language Learners.

 

Jennie Farnell has been an ESL instructor for 14 years, teaching both children and adults, at all proficiency levels. She holds a masters in Applied Linguistics. Currently she is the assistant director of an intensive English program at the University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, Connecticut) and an adjunct ESL instructor at Norwalk Community College.

 

Online Tools

• Yahoo! Groups -- a space for introductions, weekly tasks, questions, and other interactions
• PBWorks.com -- syllabus, weekly tasks, weekly discussion threads and tutorials
• SurveyMonkey - a introductory group survey for participants' needs and wants
  
• WizIQ -- where we will hold our synchronized chats
  

 

Primary Contact(s)

Brenda Binkley bg.binkley AT yahoo.com

Anne Hernandez eagle7wing AT bellsouth.net

Jennie Farnell jenfarnell AT earthlink.net 

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The Electronic Village Online is a project of TESOL's CALL Interest Section.

 

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, an international education association