Teaching 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,...
Read MoreHow Do You Use Compelling American Conversations in Multilevel ESL Classes?
“People have one thing in common: they are all different.” ~Robert Zend (1929-1985), American writer Compelling American Conversations provides an invaluable resource for teachers in the common situation of teaching multilevel adult ESL classes with ongoing enrollment. ESL teachers with multi-level classes must plans lessons that address the needs of the new students constantly entering...
Read MoreDo You Really Use Youtube in Your EFL Classes? How?
Do you use You Tube in Your EFL classes? How? Absolutely! Like so many other English teachers, I begin teaching with student interests and habits in mind. Of course, I also want to take them from the old and familiar to new and unfamiliar while improving their English language skills. You Tube remains a powerful classroom tool to achieve that goal. I’ve used YouTube to have students...
Read MoreCulturally Sensitive Compelling Conversations Created for Vietnam!
How do you revise a conversation textbook designed for American immigrants and international students in the United States for high school English language learners in Vietnam? Carefully! Naturally, the new version of “Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics” will emphasize aspects of Vietnamese culture, avoid taboo subjects, and include local folk...
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