Hello colleagues, In what ways are you and the learners in your class using dictionaries? What do you see as the pros and cons of electronic dictionaries versus paper dictionaries? How about bilingual dictionaries versus English only? What are your favorite dictionary resources?
I've often heard teachers complain that learners rely too much on dictionaries. What are your thoughts about the issue?
For those who are interested in reading some research on dictionaries, the International Journal of Lexicography is making it's new virtual issue available to anyone who is interested. While, the studies focus primarily on higher level learners in mainly EFL contexts rather than immersion settings, there are some interesting articles.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP
Comments
I think dictionaries provide a wealth of information for our learners, and we can teach our students to what to look for, why, and present this as one of MANY other skills when reading a text (skimming, scanning, predicting, context clues, etc.). I love Merriam Webster's Learner's Dictionary (http://www.learnersdictionary.com/), but of course Oxford has one as well (https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/) The pros of online dictionaries is free access, real-time updates, and audio recordings of how the word is pronounced with International Phonetic Alphabet symbols.
The most common definitions are listed first, whereas traditional dictionaries will list definitions from its earliest appearance in history. Definitions in learner's dictionaries are written more accessibly, including grammatical information. For example, MW Learner's Dictionary will note that a verb needs an object with [+ object], whereas a traditional dictionary will usually just note "transitive verb". This is particularly useful for our learners who do not know grammar terms (which seems to be most of us...). You can see an example of this with the word "make" from MW's Learner's Dictionary and MW's traditional dictionary. I have used this exercise of having students compare dictionaries in class, which can be done easily on their phones and/or projected on the board.
Thank you, Susan, for posting these resources! I love dictionaries and would love to learn more!
-Helen
Thank you, Helen, for sharing the link to the Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary and for articulating the many benefits of online dictionaries. Another great online dictionary that I've drawn upon for many years is the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. I like this site because it, too, includes audio for pronunciation as well as relevant grammar points. Plus it includes many example sentences which help me to plan instruction. These example sentences support students' understanding of how we often words, e.g., what are some common collocations. Longman also has some online bilingual dictionaries that are linked on the main site.
Learners' dictionaries have been indispensable to my teaching! I'd love to hear from other teachers about how they and their students are using dictionaries.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP
Hello Ellen,Thanks for sharing your experience with online dictionaries. I'm sure you are right that translations are not always accurate, as in the case you shared regarding Somali. There are likely many times when we teachers don't even realize that a translation that a students is using -- especially of abstract concepts -- is incorrect. Having students who share a primary language discuss the English explanation and the translation can help but may not always resolve the issue.
Thanks for mentioning my Vocabulary Workouts, Ellen. I, too, use one workout in each class as a routine when teaching intermediate and advanced learners. I always draw the vocabulary words I teach from the texts we are using in class. I have developed workouts for all 60 words in the Academic Word List, so if anyone would like a set, please contact me via email at susanfinn_miller@iu13.org, and I'll gladly send these to you. In the packet is also a template, so you can create your own workouts.
I'd love to hear from other teachers about teaching vocabulary and using dictionaries.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP