AbstractThe tenets of input-based incremental (IBI) vocabulary instruction (Barcroft,
2012) include (a) planning for vocabulary-learning opportunities; (b) presenting
target words as input in particular ways while considering research findings and
theoretical advances on lexical input processing; (c) specifying how different types
of tasks promote different types of processing and, in turn, different aspects of
vocabulary knowledge; (d) respecting the incremental nature of developing vocabulary
knowledge; and (e) promoting learning of all aspects of vocabulary knowledge,
including language-specific meanings and usage, over time. This chapter
explains how language program directors (LPDs) and instructors can integrate
the IBI approach within programs of meaning-oriented instruction in order to
increase vocabulary learning in a theoretically grounded and evidence-based manner.
The first section of the chapter reviews how meaning-oriented approaches
provide necessary ingredients for successful L2 acquisition. The second section
reviews some background issues related to what it means to “know” vocabulary.
The third section summarizes the specific proposals of the IBI approach to vocabulary
instruction, followed in the fourth section by examples of research findings
that support them. The fifth section explains how IBI proposals can be seamlessly
integrated into language programs focused on meaning, such as communicative
language teaching and task-based instruction. The sixth section presents concrete
lesson plans that demonstrate the integration of the IBI approach in meaning-oriented
lessons at different levels of L2 proficiency. The seventh and final section
provides six recommendations for LPDs and teachers on how to incorporate IBI
vocabulary instruction within the multiple levels of a language program.
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