Discussing the New Year And Making Resolutions to 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. What did you find satisfying in...
Read MoreTeaching Tips: Discussing Idioms in the Classroom
“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands, and goes to work.” ~Carl Sandberg (1878-1967), American poet and historian Idioms, or phrases that have their own meaning relative to their specific conjunction of words, are a unique feature of language that can be difficult for beginners to make sense of. Here are some common examples of American idioms: You...
Read MoreSearch and Share Speaking Activities Can Flip English Classrooms and Become Complete EFL Class Lessons
“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 How can we create more speaking opportunities for students in our English classes? Why not ask students to select articles, charts, and videos that they would like to share with classmates on particular...
Read MoreConversation Tip #9: Ask questions
Questions keep the conversation flowing Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons”Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” -Voltaire (1694-1778) French Enlightenment WriterAsking questions always generates more conversation; after all, an answer always follows. As mentioned before, asking questions provides a quick way to find common interests with people. Questions like “What is...
Read MoreSearch and Share exercises enhance learning resources
Explore with Search and Share worksheets Photo Source: Photo taken by Nicola Sapiens De Mitri “In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it.” -John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008) American theoretical physicist We live in a world full of wonderful resources from books to television to the internet. These resources remain invaluable to encourage our students to immerse...
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