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Who's
Afraid of the AWL? (page 2)
John Brezinsky, Higher
Education
Marketing Manager
How Can
You Use the Academic Word List?
Having a generalizable list of academic words takes the guesswork out
of vocabulary teaching. Any student who wants to read academic English
needs to know it. Here are a few tips for using the list in your class.
Level
with your students. Tell them that these words will help
them move from everyday language to understanding academic language.
This will give them a concrete reason to learn the words other than
preparing for an end-of-chapter test.
Don't be afraid to cover several words at once. Research
shows that students can learn many more words than we once thought
possible—provided they get multiple exposures to the words. If
your curriculum includes academic texts for students to read, then they
will encounter the words repeatedly over the course of the term.
Make it personal.
Encourage students to keep a personal vocabulary notebook or set of
flashcards. This will promote personalized learning and motivate
students when they see their own progress.
Encourage dictionary use.
A good learner dictionary will point out which words are from the AWL,
allowing students to add new academic words that they find on their
own.
We have taken the principles of the AWL and implemented them in several course books, including Contemporary Topics, Reading Power, and World of Reading. If you have to use another course book, you can still teach the Academic Word List by adding Vocabulary Power or Focus on Vocabulary.
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