Looking for An ESL Book to Improve Speaking Skills? SMDP Recommends Compelling Conversations!

Santa Monica, California attracts artists, scholars, busboys, maids, actresses, models, sales people, mechanics, and film directors from around the world. Naturally, this upscale, coastal city provides many adult education classes, private language classes, and hosts English as a Second language workplace programs. The local newspaper, The Santa Monica Daily Press (SMDP), also covers immigration...

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Exploring Cities in ESL Classrooms

Cities attract the young, the strong, the ambitious, and the hungry. Millions move from countryside and across the globe to live in new cities every year. Cities provide jobs, culture,and education. Cities are exciting. Yet, sometimes danger also lurks in cities. Do you like living in cities? Which cities have you visited? Which cities you found most satisfying? Why? Teaching English in Los...

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CATESOL Conference Highlights Practical ESL Teaching Techniques

Are you looking to share practical techniques with your fellow English teachers? What works in your ESL classroom? What tends to work in other ESL classrooms? Why? The Los Angeles Regional CATESOL conference, titled “WWW. What Works and Why” at Biola University on October 25 features over 60 workshops and panel discussions. The annual event is expected to attract over 500 ESL professions from...

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Compelling Conversations Moves Up Amazon Ratings

Amazon lists over 5 million books on its website – and continues to overlook many fine self-published books. Naturally, as a self-publisher, Amazon represents an important outlet for my ESL conversation textbook, Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics. Besides, numbers add precision and ratings can become addictive. Today Amazon has Compelling Conversations listed...

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California Immigrants are Learning English – and Want to Learn More!

Do American immigrants want to learn English? Are the children of Spanish-speaking adult immigrants learning English? What are the recent trends in California and Los Angeles? A recently released Census Bureau report, based on the 2007 Census information, shows that – shock, shock – immigrants overwhelmingly want to improve their English skills. It also shows that a slight majority (51%) of...

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Who ranks English language programs and ESL schools?

How would you choose an English language school? What if you lived in Korea, Spain, China, Brazil, Turkey, or Vietnam? What factors would influence your decision? How would you find out the school’s reputation? Who ranks ESL programs? What is their criteria? Hundreds of thousands of students travel thousands of miles each semester to attend ESL schools. These intensive English language programs,...

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