Personal Dictionary

Each student maintains a structured vocabulary notebook — not a list, but a rich record per word: definition, example, synonyms, collocations, first-encounter context. Over a term, becomes a personalised reference worth keeping for years.

Distinct from Vocabulary Notebooks as a concept note — this is the procedural activity of maintaining one.

The Entry Template

Word: …
Part of speech: …
Definition (in English, in own words): …
Example sentence (from where I met it): …
My own sentence: …
Synonyms: …
Collocations: …
Common errors: …
Level of mastery: recognise / use with support / use confidently

Procedure

1. Set up in Week 1 — paper notebook or digital doc (Notion, Google Doc, Quizlet).
2. Each week, add 5 new words that have come up in lessons.
3. Rule: the word must have been encountered in meaningful context, not picked from a list.
4. Weekly review (10 min in class, or at home): students re-read their most recent entries, upgrade mastery level if they're using the word now.
5. Termly audit: count mastered words. Retire ones that are fully assimilated.

Why It Works

• Personalised: each student's dictionary contains words that matter to them, not a generic list.
• Multiple dimensions per entry: knowledge of a word is rich; one-line-per-word notebooks don't capture it.
• Autonomy skill: maintaining a dictionary is a lifelong-learning habit.
• Visible growth: end-of-term, students see 60–80 personally-curated words.

What Belongs In

• Words encountered in authentic material (reading, listening, class).
• Words the student wants to use but doesn't yet confidently.
• Words from Corpus Pattern Hunt sessions.
• Collocations and phrases, not just single words.
• Idiomatic expressions.

Variations

• Digital dictionary with audio: students record themselves saying the word; attach to the entry.
• Paired dictionary: swap weekly with a partner who quizzes you on your own entries.
• Themed dictionary: organise by topic (travel, work, relationships) rather than chronologically.
• Exam-specific dictionary: IELTS-focused vocabulary only, with a target-band indicator per word.
• Sketch dictionary: include a small doodle per word — visual memory anchor.

Tips

• Don't force every word. Some lesson vocabulary is low-yield for a given student. Select.
• Return to entries: the dictionary is not write-only. Schedule re-reading into the routine.
• Upgrade mastery visibly: changing "recognise" to "use confidently" is a small but motivating act.
• Excellent for long-term learners — a dictionary maintained across years becomes genuinely valuable.

Source

Nation, I.S.P. (2001) Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. CUP. Schmitt, N. (2010) Researching Vocabulary: A Vocabulary Research Manual. Palgrave.