Changing Work Titles & Greater Equality
“Habits change into character.” ~Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE), Ancient Roman poet Which is correct: fireman or firefighter? The answer is both! But one has been gaining traction lately, along with many other gender-neutral terms for occupational titles. Here’s why: Many professions were traditionally only open to men. As women have gained greater rights and society has become more...
Read MoreMemrise: online learning tool fuses memory, fun and community
Through “mems,” students retain English vocabulary Photo source: Memrise website “We’ve built Memrise to embody the very best knowledge about how your brain works, and so help you learn as quickly and effortlessly as possible. We’ve turned learning facts and language into a game where you grow a colourful garden of memory.” -Memrise About Us Learning online and through mobile apps...
Read MoreBiscuit: mobile app to recall, learn, explore vocabulary words
Innovative technology allows students to absorb new vocabulary “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” -Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) Austrian-British philosopher Have you ever found a word you don’t know, jumped to your dictionary, tried to remember the spelling, typed it in, gotten the definition and promptly forgotten it? For avid language lovers and learners alike, this...
Read MoreHow Do You Teach the Difference Between “Make” and “Do” in Your English Classrooms?
Distinguishing the difference between make and do in English classrooms “Do all you can to make your dreams come true.” ―Joel Osteen (1960- ) American preacher How do you teach the difference between “make” and “do” in your English classrooms? What do you do? What do you make? What’s the difference, anyway, between “make” and “do”? These simple words cause lots of confusion for...
Read MoreSpeaking Together to Write Academic Definitions
“The beginning of wisdom is in the definition of terms.” Socrates (469 BCE–399 BCE) , Greek philosopher Getting students to speak can be a challenge, especially in ESL courses focused on academic writing. Flexibility remains essential. How does one, for instance, teach the difficult task of writing formal academic definitions in a communicative style? The challenge becomes more...
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