Hedging 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 MoreConversation Tip #8: Engage in the surrounding world!
Immersion in literature, current events, arts stimulates conversation Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.” -Walt Disney (1901-1966) American business magnate, animatorAre your students sometimes unsure of what to talk about? Perhaps they could bring up this morning’s headlines, last week’s bestseller or Friday’s new film release....
Read MoreMemrise: online learning tool fuses memory, fun and community
Through “mems,” students retain English vocabulary Photo source: Memrise website “We’ve built Memrise to embody the very best knowledge about how your brain works, and so help you learn as quickly and effortlessly as possible. We’ve turned learning facts and language into a game where you grow a colourful garden of memory.” -Memrise About Us Learning online and through mobile apps...
Read MoreIt’s a Breeze in Easy English Times
Idiom lessons by IAB in EET “These lessons will help you use more colorful English in your life. Idiom by idiom, you will find speaking English less difficult and more fun. You might even find speaking English ‘a breeze.’” -It’s a Breeze book description Idioms certainly have acquired a notorious reputation among English language learners. Even for native speakers, few English expressions seem...
Read MoreDuolingo: learning through translation
Effective language-learning program with a unique approach “We come together from across the world at varying language levels with the same goal in mind – to learn. Curiosity, questioning, and cultural understanding are something we celebrate.” -Duolingo Guidelines Why do so many people yearn to learn English and other languages? The reasons–whether for work, friendships, travel or...
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