The positives and pitfalls of teaching vocabulary

20 Apr 2026

It is important to use effective strategies for teaching vocabulary, but research shows that dedicated vocabulary instruction which is decontextualised from authentic learning experiences is rarely effective.

In this webinar, Emeritus Professor Paul Nation from Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington explores what the research says about teaching vocabulary in schools. Drawing on extensive research and decades of experience, Professor Nation offers practical advice on the best ways to teach vocabulary (as well as what to avoid) and offers guidance on how to access his library of free resources to support vocabulary teaching and learning.

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Presenters

Emeritus Professor Paul Nation

Paul Nation is Emeritus Professor in Applied Linguistics at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (LALS) at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington. His specialist interests are the teaching and learning of vocabulary and language teaching methodology. He has taught in Indonesia, Thailand, the United States, Finland, and Japan.

His resources (publications, word lists, graded readers, free books, language teaching videos, vocabulary tests, vocabulary analysis programs, vocabulary bibliography) can be found here. These include a free book called What do you need to know to learn a foreign language? (look under Publications), and most of his articles for free download.