Vocabulary.com executive producer and lexicographer Ben Zimmer and director of curriculum development Georgia Scurletis will host a live Twitter discussion with English teachers on Monday night from 7 to 8 p.m. EST at #EngChat. Please join in! The topic will be:
Word Play: Gamifying Vocabulary Instruction
Vocabulary doesn't live in stale flashcards and static workbooks. Vocabulary is all around us, in the texts we encounter every day. Twenty-first-century vocabulary instruction needs to break out of tired old models and provide interactive experiences that allow students to meet words where they live.
Online gaming is an ideal vehicle for rethinking vocabulary teaching: gamification can adapt to students’ individual needs and encourage independent word learning through attaining personal achievements. Online instruction also encourages students to expand their word knowledge beyond staid dictionary definitions and into the realm of real-world examples, from classic literature to breaking news.
Potential Questions and Topics
- How can online vocabulary learning provide differentiated instruction, adapting to individual students' needs and learning styles?
- How can data-driven methods of text collection be integrated into online learning, to best take advantage of the world of words around us?
- How can the techniques of gamification draw students into the fun of learning new vocabulary, motivating them to become independent word learners?
- How does vocabulary learning provide scaffolding for reading comprehension of complex texts?
- How can online dictionary resources meet students on their own terrain as “digital natives”?
- Please join us for an #Engchat on Monday, May 6 from 7-8pm EST, focusing on new digital tools for vocabulary learning and word mastery. We will be tweeting from @VocabularyCom.
To join the conversation, search for the hashtag #engchat on Twitter or use a tool like TweetChat to help you follow the discussion. Ben and Georgia will be tweeting from Twitter handle @VocabularyCom.