New Year’s Resolutions: Discussing Change in English Class
“To modernize is to adopt and to adapt, but it is also to recreate.” Octavio Paz, (1914-1998), Mexican writer and diplomat. Holidays and anniversaries often prompt personal reflections. As a new year beckons, millions of English language learners and thousands of English teachers reflect on their lives and make new year resolutions. In that same spirit, here are a few...
Read MoreTeaching Matters: Email Etiquette, Part 1
“They know enough who know how to learn.” —Henry Adams (1838-1918), American historian Email has become a part of our daily life in the 21st century. We send so many emails that we sometimes forget the difference between casual and more formal types of communication. As a result, emails are documents that can make positive or negative impressions and can document in print our...
Read MoreExpress Yourself: Discussing Quotations to Form Opinions
Embed from Getty Images “There is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides.” John Steward Mill (1806-1873), British philosopher Many people experience difficulties finding their voice, let alone finding it in another language. How do we create compelling conversations? We ask more so we know more. Then we can share more. Sometimes we also hear or read other words by famous...
Read MoreSeeing the World Through Photographs: Using Photography as a Conversation Tool in English Class
“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” —Ansel Adams (1902–1984), American photographer and environmentalist If a picture is worth a thousand words, what are they? How can we use photographs as a conversation tool in our English classrooms? Photographs capture a moment in time, significant or insignificant. Many people enjoy taking...
Read MoreSeeing the World Through Photographs: Using Photography as a Conversation Tool in English Class
“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” —Ansel Adams (1902–1984), American photographer and environmentalist If a picture is worth a thousand words, what are they? How can we use photographs as a conversation tool in our English classrooms? Photographs capture a moment in time, significant or insignificant. Many people enjoy taking pictures of new places...
Read MoreTeaching 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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