Practical Ideas for Teaching Academic Vocabulary Online - Session 1 - April 6, 2020

Sep 28, 2026

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Practical Ideas for Teaching Academic Vocabulary Online outlines key principles for effective vocabulary instruction in both synchronous online classes (live platforms such as Zoom) and asynchronous courses (e.g., Canvas or Moodle). It introduces the speaker’s background and frames vocabulary teaching around three themes: why vocabulary matters, why online learning is timely, which academic words to target, and what teachers can do with selected words. Practical strategies include using word lists, analyzing learners’ own writing, maintaining vocabulary notebooks, and leveraging quality online activities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Today’s Talk

My background

Format of your class?

ASYNCHRONOUS

SYNCHRONOUS

3 Themes

Why vocabulary? Why online?

Which words?

What to do with the words?

Practical Ideas

Keith S. Folse, Ph.D. University of Central Florida Monday, April 6, 2020 Session 1: 8:00 AM; Session 2: 5:00 PM [ELTNGL.com](ELTNGL.com)[ ](ELTNGL.com)A part of Cengage Practical Ideas for Teaching Academic Vocabulary Online Today’s Talk As more classes are being taught online, teachers are looking for practical ways to teach vocabulary in an e-environment. Some of us are teaching synchronous classes that meet online at a set class time (using platforms such as Zoom), while others have asynchronous courses that students complete according to a set schedule (using a learning management system such as Canvas or Moodle) . Regardless of the class format, how can we best teach vocabulary? In this webinar, we will talk about the key principles of good vocabulary instruction and look at practical ideas for online instruction and how teachers can succeed in helping learners improve their vocabulary without putting an even greater strain on teacher time . My background • 40+ years teaching English (and French and Spanish) • Studied 6 foreign languages • Research area: VOCABULARY • Author of 75 ESL books Format of your class? ASYNCHRONOUS • Not live • Students work independently • Often in Modules • Canvas? • Moodle? • Blackboard? • MyELT? SYNCHRONOUS • Live • Students work both with the teacher and independently • Zoom? • Google classroom? • K-12 district platforms? 3 Themes 1.Why vocabulary? Why online? 2.Which words? 3.What to do with the words? Why? WHY VOCABULARY? • Crucial to overall success in any language (L1 or L2) • Academic vocabulary is different from general English (but how?) WHY ONLINE? Why NOW? • Online in general? • Online for NOW? What is ACADEMIC Vocabulary? an EASY question to answer a DIFFICULT question to answer • Words used in academic settings? • Most frequent words? • Words not used in conversation? • Is there one “academic vocabulary”? Which words? • Should I use a word list? • Which word list? • But…. Words for WHAT PURPOSE? • Reading? • Writing? • Speaking? • Listening? Should I use a list? WHICH LIST? More than 40 “academic”word lists EXAMPLE 1 • Academic Word List • AWL • (Coxhead, 2000) • 570 word families EXAMPLE 2 • Academic Vocabulary List • AVL • (Gardner & Davies, 2012) • 2000+ words What to do with the words? 4 Practical Ideas 1. Work with a list 2. Have students see how much academic vocabulary they are using their own writing? (and maybe compare with examples of good academic writing) 3. Keep a vocabulary notebook (paper or online) 4. Practice with the MANY good online activities

FAQs

Why does the session emphasize academic vocabulary specifically?

Academic vocabulary is crucial for overall success in any language, and it differs from general everyday English. The talk highlights how academic vocabulary functions in academic settings.

What factors distinguish teaching vocabulary in synchronous versus asynchronous online classes?

For synchronous classes, students work with the teacher and independently during live sessions. For asynchronous classes, students work independently, often through modules in platforms such as Canvas or Moodle.

How does the session suggest choosing which words to teach?

Teachers should consider word lists, but also define the purpose—reading, writing, speaking, or listening. The talk notes there are many possible academic word lists and emphasizes matching them to instructional goals.

Sep 28, 2026

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