Talking About Fun with Phrasal Verbs

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962), American politician, activist and chairman of the drafting committee for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  This Teacher Edition Tuesday post, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations –...

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Teaching 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...

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Teaching Matters: Do Our Students Need to Swim in English or Pass Grammar Tests?

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” ~C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), British novelist, theologian, and literary critic   Last week we discussed English as a lingua franca (ELF), and how emphasis on a mutual understanding between conversation partners remains the goal. Earlier last month, we questioned what standards were reasonable for...

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Teaching Matters: How democratic is your ESL classroom?

“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), former President of University of Chicago and educational philosopher   Continuing on the theme of creating a better classroom this semester, it is essential to make sure there is an ongoing dialogue between teachers and...

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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...

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