Academic Vocabulary Development

Watch: Archived Webinar

In this interactive 90-minute session, participants compare their own ideas about vocabulary knowledge and its development in adult ESOL students against current definitions and understandings in the field. After a brief examination of the research, they are introduced to a variety of instructional strategies and digital tools that can be used to support students’ academic vocabulary development in intermediate and advanced adult ESOL courses that aim to provide them with an adequate foundation for postsecondary coursework and career training.

Webinar Date: November 13, 2012

Presenter

Rebeca Fernandez is Coordinator of ESL and Multilingual Writing and Assistant Professor at Davidson College. In her previous position at Central Piedmont Community College, she provided adult ESL online professional development and worked on several content-based and contextualized curriculum projects, including face-to-face and blended courses in US history, healthcare occupations, and academic reading and writing.  Rebeca has presented at national conferences on the topic of English language learner transitions and co-authored, “Creating a Technical Careers Program through Community Partnerships” (In Authenticity in the Language Classroom and Beyond: Adult Learners). She has a B.S. in Bilingual Education from Boston University, a TESOL certificate from UCLA, and an Ed. M. and Ed.D. with a focus on language and literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.