Do you use Teachers Pay Teachers Yet?
“They know enough who know how to learn” – Henry Adams (1838-1918), historian Where do millions of dedicated teachers find affordable, readymade lessons? What if you could reap real benefits from all of your original supplementary classroom materials? Why haven’t we done this sooner? Exciting news, readers: Select chapters of Compelling Conversations and Compelling American Conversations (with...
Read MoreTeaching Matters: What Are Reasonable Standards for Listening Comprehension and Speaking Skills for ESL Students?
“Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” ~John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th President of the U.S. Tough question! Context, as ever, matters. Are you going into a new semester of class looking for a clear, detailed chart to evaluate the speaking skills of your students? Check out the practical chart with ten categories for listening...
Read MoreHedging Language & Seeking Clarification in Our Arguments
“Education is a kind of continuing dialogue and a dialogue assumes, in the nature of the case, different points of view.” ~Robert Hutchins (1899-1977), educator and philosopher In academic writing, especially argumentative essays, it is important to argue your claims with supporting facts. Yet, the importance of seeing the other side of the claim or argument is equally as...
Read MorePracticing Interview Skills, Staging a Mock Job Interview and Self Evaluation
Finding work is not always an easy thing, particularly in an uncertain economy such as that of the United States. But how does one get a job? Research, self-nomination, and persistence are common paths that lead to job interviews. Our students, naturally, find the prospect of interviewing for a competitive job an intimidating prospect. We can reduce their justified anxiety by teaching a...
Read MoreTeaching Themes Emerge at CATESOL: Use Technology To Meet Student Needs
Do ESL teachers want a more democratic classroom? Perhaps the workshop description discouraged English teachers, the title seemed too bold, or the other two dozen workshops held at the same time appeared more practical. Techniques and Methods for a More Democratic Classroom A more democratic classroom encourages student speech, features student created content, allows student choice of...
Read MoreWorksheet – or Cheat Sheet – for English Teachers to Observe Conversations and Lead Class Discussions
What do you do while students are having conversations or talking in pairs? Do you have a “formula” for taking notes? Do you focus more on fluency or accuracy? Many English teachers, especially novice ESL instructors, talk more than ideal – and allow their English students to talk too little. Ironically, many ESL instructors make this “good mistake” because they are...
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