Seeing 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: 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 MoreTeaching Phrasal Verbs – Fun with Take and Make
“Make change your friend.” – Bill Clinton (1946-), 42nd President of the United States Part of Teacher Edition Tuesday, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition! “Take” and “make” create many common phrasal verbs. One could “take” several English lessons just going over the intricacies of their...
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,...
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