Talking About Fun with Phrasal Verbs
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962), American politician, activist and chairman of the drafting committee for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights This Teacher Edition Tuesday post, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations –...
Read MoreTeaching Matters: Preparing Student-Centered Materials for the Classroom
“If it is language that makes us human, one half of language is to listen.” – Jacob Trapp (1899-1992), American religious leader Part 3 of Teacher Edition Tuesday, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition! We previously discussed the importance of classroom design in fostering a communicative learning...
Read MoreWhat makes a conversation-friendly English, ESL or EFL classroom?
“There is a role and function for beauty in our time.” – Tadao Ando (1941–), Japanese architect Introducing Teacher Edition Tuesday, a new weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition! What makes a conversation-friendly English, ESL or EFL classroom? Sometimes it’s the little things that matter. Creating a...
Read MoreContext Matters with Conversation Idioms
“Confidence contributes more to conversation than wit.” ~Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), French writer Conversation styles are wonderfully varied. Just as one size never truly fits all, one conversational approach may not be appropriate depending on the situation. Fortunately, in the English language there are myriad idioms we use to distinguish these different modes...
Read MoreTeaching Matters: How adult ESL students can learn like children again
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” ~Marie Curie (1867-1934), Polish physicist and chemistry pioneer How do people learn their first languages? What are some barriers to learning a second? Finally, how can we, as ESL educators, bridge the gap between them? Educator Robert William McCaul, writing for the British Council’s Voices Magazine,...
Read MoreHow Do You Use Compelling American Conversations in Multilevel ESL Classes?
“People have one thing in common: they are all different.” ~Robert Zend (1929-1985), American writer Compelling American Conversations provides an invaluable resource for teachers in the common situation of teaching multilevel adult ESL classes with ongoing enrollment. ESL teachers with multi-level classes must plans lessons that address the needs of the new students constantly entering...
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