Are you prepared? Are you ready? Aren’t you nervous?

During the last hectic week of international travel and professional development presentations, I’ve been heard a few simple questions over and over. Are you ready? Are you prepared? Aren’t you nervous? Do you have enough time to do that? When are you going to sleep? Friends – and close relatives – ask these questions out of concern and curiosity.  I appreciate their...

Worksheet – or Cheat Sheet – for English Teachers to Observe Conversations and Lead Class Discussions

What do you do while students are having conversations or talking in pairs? Do you have a “formula” for taking notes? Do you focus more on fluency or accuracy? Many English teachers, especially novice ESL instructors, talk more than ideal – and allow their English students to talk too little. Ironically, many ESL instructors make this “good mistake” because they are...