How Vocabulary Is Learned

This guide to vocabulary acquisition is essential reading for teachers of English as a second or foreign language. It presents the major ideas and principles that relate to the teaching and learning of vocabulary and evaluates a wide range of practical activities designed to help boost students’ vocabulary acquisition.

 

Key questions which are answered include:

• How many words should students learn at a time,and how often?

• How much classroom time should be spent teaching vocabulary?

• What is the best way to group vocabulary for learning?

• Is it useful to provide students with the L1 translations of unknown words?

• Why do some students make greater progress than others?