Plenary Talk
Beyond the Basics: Uncovering the Lexical Demands of Academic Success
As increasing numbers of multilingual students with developing levels of English language proficiency chase academic success in English medium educational settings, high levels of lexical competence are needed to match the academic requirements of their various programs of study. A detailed examination of the lexical demands of novice academic writing at the postsecondary level uncovers vocabulary benchmarks and directions for language instruction that support the educational aspirations of English language learners. Ideas for how these aspects of vocabulary teaching and learning can be incorporated into current English language teaching practice are explored.
Workshop
Constructing vocabulary rubrics: What are we looking for?
This hands-on workshop looks at samples taken from a corpus of post-secondary novice academic writing in order to critically reflect on the characteristics of developing lexical competence. Participants explore the elements of effective vocabulary rubrics and identify key descriptors in order to build a vocabulary rubric that works toward improving the lexical output found in English language learner writing. Time is taken to practice marking writing samples with the created rubric and the challenges of obtaining reliable vocabulary assessments are discussed. Participants are encouraged to share their own experiences with the teaching and assessment of vocabulary.