Teaching Matters: Discussing Stress in the Classroom

“People who want to do everything all at once generally don’t get anything done.” —Jerry Brown, Governor of California This Teacher Edition Tuesday post, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition, deals with the concept of stress and how to talk about it – in English.   When was the last time you were...

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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 –...

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Teaching Matters: How democratic is your ESL classroom?

“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), former President of University of Chicago and educational philosopher   Continuing on the theme of creating a better classroom this semester, it is essential to make sure there is an ongoing dialogue between teachers and...

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Teaching 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...

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Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition Comes Out!

“Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” ~ John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th President of the U.S.   Are you a teacher looking for fresh tips to flip your classroom discussions? Do you ever wish the Teacher Edition of your textbook was more adaptable to your classroom needs? Chimayo Press, an...

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McREL standards provide universal guide for teachers

Foreign language classrooms could benefit from McREL standards “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.” ―C.S. Lewis (1889-1936) British author While conducting research for a review on Journeys In Film, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching social study through film, I came across the Mid-Continental Research for Education and Learning (McREL) standards. For teachers,...

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