I Never Set Out to Be a Publisher but Here I Am!
By Walton Burns founder of Aphabet Publishing Alphabet Publishing began as a self-publishing venture that took on a life of its own. As things…
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May 2019
Lessons from Student Evaluations (or Teaching by the Numbers):
by Tory Thorkelson As I have mentioned previously, our university here in Korea does student evaluations of our classes online (and has done so…
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Teacher self-care is a thing?
Yes, it is a thing. An important thing. By Patrice Palmer I recently attended the TESOL Convention where I had a conversation with a…
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Has the Jargon Got You Down?
By Mary Catharine Breadner Like other industries, the EFL world has an abundance of jargon. From acronyms to theory, it is almost impossible to…
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Cambridge University Press Launches New YouTube Channel for Learners of English
Cambridge University Press has announced the launch of a new YouTube channel, aimed at supporting English language learners by teaching them how to use…
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Language and Communication
by Luke Michael Ironside In a consideration of language, communication and the relationship between the two, it is necessary to understand the function of…
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Interview with Rachel Paling
Promoter of Brain-Friendly Learning and Founder of Efficient Language Coaching By Sharyn Collins Rachel, first of all, many thanks for taking time out of…
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Changing English Teaching in Japan
by Jonathan Packer In Japan, as a high school and college teacher and previously an assistant language teacher in high schools and junior high…
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A Short Linguistic Comment about the Novel “I Owe You One”, by Sophie Kinsella.
By Giuseppe Carone Juliet: ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.’ (‘Romeo and Juliet’,…
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What Can Cinderella Tell us about the Role of Pronunciation in L2 Teaching?
By Vasiliki Lismani The well-known fairy tale of Cinderella with its adorable, yet miserable and unfortunate heroine has always been one of my favourites….
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Using Storyboard- a Student-Friendly Language Learning Tool
by Irum Butt As a teacher in Pakistan, I am always looking for new ways to engage the children in my classes so that…
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Stories without End
by Taylor Sapp Published by Alphabet Publishing As a teacher with more than 15 years experience in Japan and America teaching ESL students of…
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Communicative Language Testing
by Steve Hirschhorn Testing Language Language tests exist for several main purposes, some of these are: for placement into a language course, to assess…
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Marjorie Rosenberg’s Journey in EFL
by Marjorie Rosenberg When I first came to Graz to take part in a programme for opera singers in summer 1975, little did I…
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Interview with Steve Hirschorn
by Sharyn Collins 40 years teaching and training, specialist in the history of ELT methodology, mentor to countless teachers and trainers, still innovating…
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Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) at the Dawn of the 21st Century
By Giuseppe Carone How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has such people in’t! William…
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Oppressive Pedagogy
by Russ Mayne 2016 was the year of social justice. IATEFL showcased a talk by J.J. Wilson promoting the work of famed Brazilian pedagogue…
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Let Your Students be Teachers
by Paul McAleese Have you ever let students be the teacher in class? I have discovered that doing this can not only be really…
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How to Improve TOEFL Reading Scores
by Josh MacPherson It’s no secret that intermediate and advanced English Language Learners struggle to improve their proficiency. When an individual continues to put…
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Life After (Language Center) TEFL
by Kendal Rolley Teaching EFL overseas can be an amazing adventure. Living overseas, experiencing new cultures and meeting (and teaching) amazing people are all…
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Bringing the Dead To Life: Vocabulary Teaching with Augmented Reality
by Cemil Gökhan Karacan Curiosity is the crucial element in our DNA which drives us to explore and learn. From ancient times until now,…
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Ideas for Customizing Your One-to-One Classes with B2 Level Business Professionals
by Steven Hobson As somebody who has been in the EFL space for several years now, some of my most rewarding, yet challenging experiences…
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Hugh Dellar: Falling into a me-shaped hole
by Hugh Dellar Some people grow up knowing that they want to become English-language teachers. They have a deep love of the language instilled…
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The Gaming of the IELTS Test
by David Buckley For the last 20 years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of Chinese students taking the IELTS test…
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Take the CELTA and Launch Your Career
by Mary Catharine Breadner Deciding to become an English Teacher was something that I had thought about and toyed with for many years. Working…
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My Favorite Icebreaker Activities for New University Classes
by Tory Thorkelson As someone who used various versions of Find Someone Who to warm up my classes at the beginning of my career,…
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The Importance of Motivation in Language Learning
A Personal Reflection as an Indonesian Teacher of English as a Foreign Language by Waliyadin Nuridin It is undeniable that motivation plays a key…
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National Geographic’s “Life, Vietnam Edition”: First Impressions
by Alistair Elliott Life in Vietnam: As with many developing countries, Vietnam is continuing to make a significant push to improve its English language…
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Teaching Adults Privately
Teacher and learner expectations, and aspects that can make it rewarding by Maroussa Pavli Do you teach languages to adult learners privately? What type…
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To Collocate or not to Collocate?
By Kiki Xynta My Experience When I was invited to write the article for this magazine, I thought it would be a great opportunity…
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Punctuation without Tears
Author: Dominic SelwoodPublished by Corax ISBN: 978-0-9926332-9-5Review by Steve Hirschhorn Perhaps James Joyce might have read this little book and saved us all the…
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An AEC Challenge: HOTS in Teaching English
By Uswatun Khasanah AEC: Opportunity or Threat The AEC (ASEAN Economic Community), established in 2015 has provided great opportunities for investment, employment and economic…
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Break Free From the Pitfalls of Acquiring English
by David Perrodin The symbolism used by the Greek philosopher Plato to describe our illusions of the world in “The Allegory of the Cave”…
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Making the Move from Teacher to Freelance Consultant
by Tim Thompson Three years ago I left my job as a visiting professor at a top university in South Korea and started a…
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Teachers’ Stories: Why We Teach ESL
Teaching English in Bangkok By Jason A. Jellison It was 4:30 AM on a warm Bangkok morning and I had just stepped out into…
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Cambridge University Press Announces ‘World’s Most Dedicated Teacher’
Pakistani teacher wins new Dedicated Teacher Award Cambridge University Press has named a teacher from Pakistan the winner of the first Dedicated Teacher Awards – a new prize recognising inspirational teachers around the globe. After a…
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Foreign Language Teaching
a historical perspective By Giuseppe Carone The aim of this article is to outline the main features and development of ‘foreign language teaching’ (FLT)…
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The Importance of Prewriting in EFL Academic Writing Classes
by Jonathan Owen Academic writing is not an easy skill to master, and yet it is the most important skill needed in an academic…
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The Incomplete A – Z of EFL: L-O
(Part 2 L-O) By Allistair Elliott L is for (not) learning the local language. If you can learn the local language, then do. If…
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Linguacuisine
Combining technology, languages, culture and cuisine by Sharyn Collins As editor of this magazine, I very much enjoy doing interviews with interesting people from…
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The Incomplete A – Z of EFL: P-T
By Allistair Elliott P is for parents (actually, mothers). Can we please have some EFL training courses for parents. Whilst it is often a…
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New Ways in Teaching Speaking, 2nd ed., TESOL Press
by Patrice Palmer New Ways in Teaching Speaking, Second Edition by TESOL Press was edited by Julie Vorholt, past Chair of the MWIS. This…
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Some Practical Tips for Those Who Are Scared of Young Learners
by Marina Uyanik I am always sceptical when I hear a teacher claiming that he/she doesn’t have a favourite age group of students and…
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From Mainstream to ESL Teaching
by Abigail Burrow Moving from mainstream to ESL is not a typical step in teaching. However, when I found myself in Asia on vacation…
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6 Reasons Why I, as a Language Teacher, Don’t Want a Language Teacher
by Paul Finnerty I’ve been on both sides of the tracks when it comes to language-learning. I’ve worked as an English teacher for overseas…
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Coaching, Language Coaching and Neurolanguage Coaching
By Rachel Marie Paling In the autumn of 2018, the IATEFL BESIG Annual Conference took place in Iasi, Romania; the perfect opportunity for teachers,…
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Why Use the IPA in Class
By Steve Hirschhorn The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is the result of work by 19th and early 20th century phoneticians such as Henry Sweet,…
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The Incomplete A – Z of EFL: A-K
By Allistair Elliott For the real and authoritative A-Z of ELT, please visit Scott Thornbury https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/ However, this is going to be a more…
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Cold War Warm-Ups Creating a Positive Online Environment
by Jennifer Cochran As an online ESL instructor living in the United States while teaching students in China, one fundamental challenge is cultivating a…
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Jungle Job
by Elizabeth Bekes “And the Wachirpas shaman, Sumpa is also coming at the weekend,” I tell my daughter during our Sunday walk by the…
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Why I Wrote ‘A Handbook of Spoken Grammar’
by Ken Paterson Step back a little. Listen to the conversations around you (in any language). You’ll soon be aware of a kind of…
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Seven Lessons for Teachers from the Film Equalizer 2
by Tristan Cotterill Robert McCall is an ex-CIA operative who now seeks to balance the scales of justice by going after those that prey…
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My DELTA Diary: Module 2 Intensive Course
by Paul Finnerty I’ve been teaching English for about seven years on and off and have worked in Brazil, Colombia, Portugal and Italy in…
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Language Doubts of a Retired English Teacher
Only his? By Giuseppe Carone I am a retired native Italian EFL teacher. Before retiring, I spent more than three decades teaching English in…
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Humanistic Techniques in English Language Teaching
by Zorana Petricevic Make your lessons more interesting by relating them to subjects of interest Since the main purpose of any language is to…
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A Trio of Sightless Rodents
by Glenn G. Dahlem, Ph.D. An effective vocabulary builder for elementary and middle school pupils is challenging them to create parodies of familiar nursery…
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Empathy, Sympathy or Something Else?
By Rachel Paling As an EFL teacher and a trainer in Neurolanguage Coaching, my senses are acutely switched on to how people react in…
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How to prepare yourself for a micro teaching session
by Samara Braga Everyone who has already worked for a school which is committed to the development of their students, has been through the…
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What Would you Do? Exploring the Trolley Problem in ELT Classes.
What is the trolley problem? By Martin Cooke The trolley problem is a concept often used in philosophy and ethics courses. If you haven’t…
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What Generates the Global Desire to Learn and Speak English……?
By Peter Read As EFL teachers the world over, we are acutely aware that English is the world’s dominant language and is spoken by…
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Why Pronunciation Teaching Should Be the Number One Priority in a Second Language Classroom
A language learner/aspiring teacher’s view by Stefan Szocs As a second language learner, I spent 20 weeks in ELICOS classrooms in two different institutions…
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Tools and Tips to Help Your Students Write an A+ Essay/Research Paper
Tory S. Thorkelson, M.Ed. More and more students are being asked to write undergraduate papers and yet, even where writing classes are offered, there…
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The Importance of Using Names in Teaching
by Jennifer Cochran How Do Show Respect for Our Students? “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important…
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English UK South West Annual Conference
by Sue Fulford A last-minute decision to attend the English UK South West Conference was well worth the early morning defrosting of the car…
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Why I volunteer – Amal Learning
By Delić Meliha I volunteer as an online English Teacher for the Free Online Language Classes for Refugees and Displaced People (aka Amal Learning)….
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Awakening to Global Englishes
Xue Wang, University of Hong KongFan Fang, Shantou University NS ideology With English becoming a lingua franca on a global scale, the number of…
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Please Help My Family Abroad
by David Beltrame My name is David. I’m a 26-year-old Australian, teaching in Vietnam. For nearly three years, I have devoted everything I know…
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Teach Online for a Company or Go It Alone: Advantages and Disadvantages
By Scott Zimmermann Working for an online teaching organization as an employee differs greatly from working independently. An independent English teacher is an autonomous…
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Interview with Arkady Zilberman
Creator of the Training English Skills System by Sharyn Collins Hello Arkady, thank you very much for doing this interview. You seem to have…
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Does EFL Have an In-Class Listening Strategy?
By Allistair Elliott “Listening is the most critical communication skill”. Harmer on listening (briefly) Let’s look at what some of the heavy hitters in…
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Why Educators Should Think More about The Brain in the Learning Process
By Rachel Paling Over the past eight years I have been training language teachers worldwide to become Neurolanguage Coaches®, bringing neuroscience or knowledge about…
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A Call to Calibrate Assessment Practices in Moroccan Schools
by Youssef Oufela Just as many processes incorporate three basic phases (planning, implementation and evaluation), teaching is no exception. It basically involves planning, management…
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Book Review: Language for Teaching Purposes
by Elizabeth Bekes Book Review Emma Riordan: Language for Teaching Purposes Bilingual Classroom Discourse and the Non-Native Speaker Language Teacher 2018, Palgrave Macmillan https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71005-1_1…
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My first TEFL experience turned sour
By Justin Wiley You get what you deserve I wanted to teach in Russia. This was to be my first job abroad after taking…
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Apply for the Annual Pearson English Global Teacher Award
Annual Pearson English Global Teacher Award is open for the 3rd year Friday 5th October 2018: Pearson English, part of the digital learning company…
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Surviving Existential Dread in the EFL Workplace
By Todd Squitieri So in this article, I’m going to talk about what you can do when your days at your job get monotonous,…
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The Path to Pain-Free Speaking Exams
by Wayne Finley Students the world over look at speaking exams with absolute dread: a time for humiliation, embarrassment, shame and all the other…
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Teaching Practice as a Motivational Tool
by MS ROGERIO QUIJANO SOTOMAYOR BA SAMUEL IGNACIO BENITEZ OSUNA Motivation plays an important role in the quality of our performance in every single…
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Cambridge University Press is Looking for Its Next You Tube EFL Star Presenters
Cambridge University Press is looking for its next You Tube EFL Star Presenters. Cambridge University Press has launched a global competition to find four…
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“Epic” New ways with old words
“Epic” New ways with old words by Arlene Miller AKA the Grammar Diva The English language is alive and well—and changing. And that is…
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Cardiff and Vale College Announces Cancer Awareness Resource
Cardiff and Vale College, working in partnership with Velindre Cancer Centre, has launched the UK’s first Health and Cancer Awareness Resource for Black, Asian…
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Cuisenaire Rods in Language Learning Classroom, Part 1
by Steve Hirschhorn After the interest shown in the Cuisenaire Rods workshop at the Recent EdYouFest teachers’ event in South West England, I decided…
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Where I Teach: Southern Umbria
by Cinzia di Loreto I feel I am very fortunate to be an English teacher in my home town of Terni, situated in Southern…
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Book Review: Her Own Worst Enemy
A serious Comedy about Choosing a Career Author: Alice Savage Published by Alphabet Publishing ISBN: 97819492034 Review by Steve Hirschhorn ‘Her Own Worst Enemy’ is…
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Appreciating Individuality and Identity through Literature
by Emma Winslow, Kendal Stopher and Mohamed Elhess Our classroom is becoming more centered on the unique needs of each student. As a result,…
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Accommodating Dyslexic Learners in the EFL Classroom
by Jonathan Owen “All students are entitled to attend and participate in foreign language classes. Thus today’s foreign language educator … has the task…
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The Essence and True Purpose of Education
by By Rooman Raza Qureshi – aka RRQ “Give me a fish and I’ll eat for a day, teach me to fish and I’ll…
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Interview with Anita Chakrabarti of Avantskill
An Interview with Anita Chakrabarti, founder of the Charity Avantskill by Sharyn Collins Anna thank you for taking part in this interview. Could I…
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EdYOUfest “Exploring the Joy of Teaching”
By Philip Pound August 19th – 24th saw the 4th annual EdYOUfest. In case you don’t know,EdYOUfest is a workshop-based ELT event with a…
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Dealing with Dyslexia at Junior levels
By Maria Argyriou Teaching students with dyslexia and learning difficulties of any type, poses particular challenges and demands on the educators who undertake the…
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Teaching at an English Summer Camp in South Korea
By Raquel Thoesen The summer of 2014 looked a bit different for me than for most other university students back home. It took place…
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Practice Mindfulness to Improve your Communication
by Fernanda Carvalho The other day I had an insightful conversation with one of my students about feeling shy and uncomfortable when interacting with…
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There’s nothing like a Royal ‘Visit’
by Peter Read How often is it that, as a TEFL teacher, one is faced with a classroom of otherwise polite, enthusiastic students, small…
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Book Review: How Was Your Weekend?
1001 Discussion Questions to Use with Your EFL / ESL Students By James M. Taylor (Author), Taylor Made English A Book Review by Vicky…
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My Path to Teaching English Literature
by Brian Collins I was 28 years old when I started teaching English in 2009. My TEFL career has led me to places such…
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Why We Need Dissenters
by Nick Michelioudakis The thread: A couple of days ago, a colleague, (Marek Kiczkowiak) posted something on the IATEFL Facebook group about why someone…
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Lesson Plan: The Danger of A Single Story
(taken from Chimamanda Adichie’s TED talk) By Suriati Abas, Intended for university students Synopsis of Adichie’s story: In this TED talk, a Nigerian author,…
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Why I wrote my book “How was your Weekend?”
1001 Discussion Questions You can use with your EFL/ESL Students by James Taylor A couple of months ago, in August 2018, I self-published my…
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Funny Tales from the English Zone
By Todd Squitieri At some time or other, most if not all EFL teachers have encountered some really funny situations. As a teacher in…
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Some Thoughts on English Language Teaching in Indonesia
By M. Faruq Ubaidillah “It is the uncontested America’s socio-economic factors that make English a language of international communication”, David Crystal I feel a…
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Teaching Diverse L1 Learners in the Adult ESL Classroom
By Natalie S. Johnson Many ESL teachers have classroom experience in countries where learners all speak the same first language or L1. Some may…
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Classroom Management – Kеерing Diѕсiрlinе
By Todd Squitieri It’s certainly not unusual for nеw teachers to ѕtrugglе with сlаѕѕrооm discipline. It can prove very challenging to try and mаnаgе…
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Using “The Road Not Taken” in the classroom
I teach English as a second language in an International school in India. It is a well known fact that technology in India is…
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7 Ready-to-Go Spolin Improv Activities for Your Classroom
by Philip Pound Improvisation for the Theatre by Viola Spolin Improvisation for the Theatre by Viola Spolin, came into my possession buried in a…
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Some of My Favourite Sites and Groups for Professional Development
By Tory Thorkelson According to edglossarry.org, “[i]n education, the term professional development may be used in reference to a wide variety of specialized training,…
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York – a Great Place to Study and Teach EFL
York, a rewarding and fascinating City in which to study and teach EFL….where size certainly doesn’t matter! By Peter Read York city, the ancient…
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A Short Overview of English Language Learning in India
by Anita Chakrabarti Children from the Avantskill initiative which works towards empowering the underprivileged through English language teaching in India. English Language was introduced…
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20 Fascinating Facts about the English Language
by Arlene Miller, the Grammar Diva. Here are 20 fascinating facts about the history of the English language. According to Global Language Monitor, the…
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Where I Teach: Piraeus, Greece
By Vasiliki Lismani Since 2016, by Law (Government Gazette B’ 2419/ 5 – 8 – 2016), Greek students officially start learning English as a…
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Confessions of a ‘LAZ(Z)Y’ University Professor
By Tory Thorkelson Early on in my teaching career, I recall a colleague storming into my noisy middle school EFL classroom in Japan and…
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Some Tips on Supporting Blended Learning
By John Allan Scenario I teach in a mixed gender technical college in the Middle East. The majority of students are in their twenties…
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Where I Teach in Thailand
Eric Haeg is the Course Director of TEFL Campus Phuket. For more information on teaching English in Thailand, email Eric at [email protected] I started teaching in…
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What Does the Future Hold for TH Sounds?
By Jonathon Owen The TH-sounds /θ/ and /ð/ (dental fricatives) can be challenging for English language learners to master if their native language (L1)…
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Keep Your Students Connected and Engaged with H5P
By Valerie Sartor We are now living in an age where direct instruction is becoming passé. In Spring 2018, I created a questionnaire for…
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Who are the patriots today?
By Tristan Cotterill Are you a TESOL teacher, state school teacher, or a private school teacher. A teachers of the arts, or a STEM…
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Cantonese Dreams, Global Digital Voices
By Chris Panell “That will never happen, Mr. Panell.” We had been discussing the year 2047, the date for Hong Kong to be “fully…
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How to Make Conversation Classes More Meaningful for Your Students
By Tory Thorkelson Just like that book about how Kindergarten teaches you everything important about life, much of what I do and how I…
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Online News Stories: A place for Autonomy and Language Development
by Mohamed Elhess In a typical language classroom, some students prefer to work individually, some rely upon kinesthetic or visual learning style, some show…
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Teaching IELTS Speaking: Tips and Tricks
By John Kenmuir Recently, IELTS has become one of the major language tests worldwide. As a result, markets have appeared, both virtually and in…
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“Scaffolding”: The Poetic Metaphor of Learning
By Mariana Acosta I was blessed to come across the world of British and American literature during my BA in ELT, many years ago….
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Taking the Pain Out of Preparing Tailor-Made Lessons
By Yuliia Bilonoh When teaching one to one we often have to make more effort to keep our students interested and to make the…
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Examining Adult Learners in More Detail
By Maroussa Pavli PART 1 A description of adult strengths & weaknesses If you’ve read my previous article entitled ‘Useful thoughts on teaching adults’,…
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Developing Your Resilience - Advice for English Language Teachers
By Daniel Clausen Teachers are people, too. We face the same types of problems as others. We stumble into the burdens of bad relationships,…
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Grammar Police – Mistakes Native English Speakers Make
by Nico De Napoli Back in the noughties, I taught English as a second language for several years. Being a foreign national made it…
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Some Ideas on Enhancing Guest Speaker Sessions
By John Allan It sounds simple. The syllabus calls for guest speakers in the classroom. Inviting experts into your classroom is a great idea!…
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Teaching and Exploring in a New Culture
By Alyssa Micek This article is designed to facilitate discussion regarding the cultural challenges of teaching abroad as well as the valuable lessons one…
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EVE: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
by Sue Leather Why EVE? It seems that the time is right for this kind of initiative. Good progress has been made already in…
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Beware the Costly Comma – A Short Guide to Comma Use
By Peter Read Those of us who teach English as a foreign language are only too well aware of the need to stretch our…
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An Interview with Harald Kruithof of Language Partners
Managing Director of Language Partners, based in The Netherlands By Daniel Israel Harald, you are a co-owner of Language Partners. Are you a linguist…
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Penny Ur : 100 Teaching Tips – Book Review
by Penny Ur Cambridge University Press 2016 Reviewed by Scott Zimmermann, D.A. Few authors in the field of EFL are as eminently qualified as…
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Where I Teach – Henan Polytechnic University
by Peter Hughes I teach at Henan Polytechnic University (HPU) in China. It is a beautiful campus, with Lotus flower lakes, rivers with black…
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How to Use Poems in EFL Teaching
By Tony Penston This is an example of how to use a popular poem to engage students and improve pronunciation using old-fashioned but effective…
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Teaching Mixed Ability and Multicultural Classes
By Pola Papadopoulou In an ideal world, all students in a classroom would have the same abilities when it came to learning, the same…
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Why You Should Use Laptops in Your Classroom
By Dana Mizrahi Junior High School Principal and English Teacher, Hadassim Youth Village In January 2018, Israel’s Athena Fund launched its new program, Laptops…
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Where I Teach – A Freelance English Teacher in Stockholm
by Pola Papadopoulou I am a freelance English teacher in Stockholm, Sweden. I work with all ages and levels, but my expertise lies in…
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Reflection as an act of sharing and caring
By Vasiliki Lismani “Sharing is caring”. You might think “What a cliché!” but, as teachers we know that this is (or at least should…
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Being Mistaken for a Native Speaker… Mission Accomplished?
by Laura Polanco As foreign language teachers, we are aware of how big the “native speaker” controversy has become and somehow, we, consciously and…
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Interview with Nicholas Walker
By Sharyn Collins Hello, Nicholas, could you tell me about your background and how you got into EFL? I’m English, but I was born…
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Where I Teach: Timor Leste
By Margie Beck Here I am with two of my students, both of whom are now teaching in primary schools. I am a self-funded…
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Where I teach
By Nataliia Tkachenko I am a full-time English teacher at Taras Shevchenko Himnazia, Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine. It is a state school that combines primary, middle…
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10 Confessions of an EFL teacher
by Paul Finnerty Most things published by wannabe journalist-teachers like me focus on what we do well. Much of what we write is idealistic…
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A Cat on a Bike: How to Speed Up Vocabulary Learning
By Gabriel Clark Problems with making vocabulary stick It’s always the same, isn’t it? We do a lesson with all these fantastic words and…
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What’s Real Reading? The E-books or Print Books Debate
by Chuck Sandy If you want to start an argument among a room full of reading specialists, ask them what reading is and how…
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Indie Authors and Publishers: Where Do We Go From Here?
By Julie Pratten While the debate about print books becoming extinct and digital taking over is still raging, for the time being, physical books…
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The ‘Proper’ Use(s) of Journals
by Tory Thorkelson Now that I have your attention, I would like to share some thoughts and my experience with using journals in my…
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How to Make Your Classroom More Gender-Neutral
By AJ Dalmaso Nowadays, the topic of gender is widely discussed. When we talk about gender-neutral environments, we idealize a place where students are…
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Media Bias and Critically Evaluating Information
By Tory Thorkelson In 2016, Vanessa Otero created a chart showing how biased various media sources available in the US were (see: http://www.allgeneralizationsarefalse.com/). While…
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Teach First Certificate
by Nicola Prentis Book Review by Pietro Pacini This is a highly practical book, which I now use regularly with my students. It is…
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Where I Teach: South Korea
By Tory Thorkelson Where do you teach? A private University in Seoul, South Korea. According to the Complete University Guide, “[there are 43 national…
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Constructing a Rhizomatic Personal Learning Environment
By Nguyen Minh Trang Constructing a do-it-yourself website as a rhizomatic personal learning environment to promote learner independence, interdependence and self-motivation to convert case….
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Immediate or Delayed Error Correction? Fix learners’ mistakes
By Gabriel Clark Let’s start this article with a bit of well-grounded research. According to John Hattie’s epic meta-study on factors that impact learning…
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Using Drawings to Help Explain Grammar
Michael Garry Smout I have been using this activity for well over twenty years, but am really unsure of where it came from. I…
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Why Writing is So Terrifying and How to Make It Less So
By Nhu Quynh “I’m sorry miss, but I just can’t do it”. One of the students in my pre-IELTS class was not hesitant to…
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5 things that my students and I have learnt from Pollyanna
Last month I was talking to one of my students about a book he was reading. The teenager was eager to tell me about…
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To Teach Back Home or Not
by Tristan Cotterill. Currently in the United Kingdom (UK), the education system is facing a crisis point. There is a severe lack of teachers….
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Delivering Online Classes for Busy Professionals
By Lucy Nankivell Delivering online classes for busy professionals When I changed from classroom to online teaching, I thought I would be using much…
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‘Mobile Learning’ Book Review
By Shaun Wilden Mobile Learning Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-420039-4 This slim volume of around 100 pages is all about helping teachers to come…
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Where I Teach in Ukraine
By Iryna Zuyenok Having graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk National University (Ukraine) 35 years ago, I have experienced all the jobs the awarded qualification allows…
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Recruiting and Selecting Teaching Staff: A Strategic Approach
By Jonathan Owen Teachers can make or break an educational institution. For this reason, the process used to recruit them is critical to a…
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Teaching Vocabulary in the EFL Classroom
by Scott Zimmermann, D.A. Vocabulary is paramount in the classroom. According to Jack C. Richards, “Vocabulary, of course, is basic to all the skills.”…
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Three Unlikely Helpers
by Glenn G. Dahlem, Ph.D. Many EFL teachers shudder when any of the three ominous figures of speech appear unannounced during class. These are…
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Interview with Elisabeth Bekes, EFL Teacher and So Much More!
By Sharyn Collins Elizabeth, you continue to have an extraordinary and fascinating life, could you tell me where it all began? I was born…
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Enthusing the Unenthusiastic Student
Enthusing The Unenthusiastic Student To solve this problem of enthusing the unenthusiastic student we must first ask ‘Why is the student unenthusiastic? Two reasons…
The Growth Mindset in the Classroom
The growth mindset in the classroom Luckily, there are a host of easy ways to slip in the growth mindset in the classroom.Any teacher…
My Tailor Is Not So Rich: Salaries and Conditions of ELT Trainers In France
My Tailor Is Not So Rich: Salaries and Conditions of ELT Trainers In France This post represents something of a departure for EFL Magazine….
Poor Memory and Learning Language
Poor Memory and Learning Language Many language learners blame their learning problems on a poor memory. In fact many give up just for that…
One-to-One: Creating Comfort
One-to-One: Creating Comfort In the purely linguistic sense, the notion of creating comfort is pretty much the same in one-to-one and group contexts. It…
CREATIVE TEACHERS AND THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS, APPROACHES & ACTIVITIES
Creative Teachers and Their Instructional Methods, Approaches & Activites Introduction Most people, when they hear the word creativity, think of singers, painters, designers, or…
Phil Wade Interviews: Scott Thornbury
Phil Wade Interviews: Scott Thornbury Scott Thornbury teaches on the MA TESOL program at The New School in New York. His previous experience includes teaching and…
Global Approach To Phrasal Verbs – Lesson Planning
Global Approach To Phrasal Verbs Firstly, let me explain the thinking behind the Global Approach (to phrasal verbs) (GA). Over the last forty years,…
How To Teach
Lessons from Student Evaluations (or Teaching by the Numbers):
by Tory Thorkelson As I have mentioned previously, our university here in Korea does student evaluations of our classes online (and has done so…
What Can Cinderella Tell us about the Role of Pronunciation in L2 Teaching?
By Vasiliki Lismani The well-known fairy tale of Cinderella with its adorable, yet miserable and unfortunate heroine has always been one of my favourites….
Using Storyboard- a Student-Friendly Language Learning Tool
by Irum Butt As a teacher in Pakistan, I am always looking for new ways to engage the children in my classes so that…
A Sure-Fire Way to Teach Collocations
by David Buckley Would you like me to show you a sure-fire method to teach English to your students? Something that would not only…
Interview
I Never Set Out to Be a Publisher but Here I Am!
By Walton Burns founder of Aphabet Publishing Alphabet Publishing began as a self-publishing venture that took on a life of its own. As things…
Interview with Rachel Paling
Promoter of Brain-Friendly Learning and Founder of Efficient Language Coaching By Sharyn Collins Rachel, first of all, many thanks for taking time out of…
Interview with Steve Hirschorn
by Sharyn Collins 40 years teaching and training, specialist in the history of ELT methodology, mentor to countless teachers and trainers, still innovating…
Interview with Arkady Zilberman
Creator of the Training English Skills System by Sharyn Collins Hello Arkady, thank you very much for doing this interview. You seem to have…
Interview with Anita Chakrabarti of Avantskill
An Interview with Anita Chakrabarti, founder of the Charity Avantskill by Sharyn Collins Anna thank you for taking part in this interview. Could I…
An Interview with Harald Kruithof of Language Partners
Managing Director of Language Partners, based in The Netherlands By Daniel Israel Harald, you are a co-owner of Language Partners. Are you a linguist…
Interview with Nicholas Walker
By Sharyn Collins Hello, Nicholas, could you tell me about your background and how you got into EFL? I’m English, but I was born…
Interview with Elisabeth Bekes, EFL Teacher and So Much More!
By Sharyn Collins Elizabeth, you continue to have an extraordinary and fascinating life, could you tell me where it all began? I was born…
Interview with Peter Read, trainer in Business English
By Sharyn Collins Peter Read, LL.B, FCILA, CELTA is an English Teacher and Trainer with a background in ESP who has taught students with…
Interview with Ken Collins
Ken, we come from the same city of Newcastle upon Tyne England, share the same surname and have known each other you since you…
The Business Of Teaching
Language and Communication
by Luke Michael Ironside In a consideration of language, communication and the relationship between the two, it is necessary to understand the function of…
6 Reasons Why I, as a Language Teacher, Don’t Want a Language Teacher
by Paul Finnerty I’ve been on both sides of the tracks when it comes to language-learning. I’ve worked as an English teacher for overseas…
Empathy, Sympathy or Something Else?
By Rachel Paling As an EFL teacher and a trainer in Neurolanguage Coaching, my senses are acutely switched on to how people react in…
Teach Online for a Company or Go It Alone: Advantages and Disadvantages
By Scott Zimmermann Working for an online teaching organization as an employee differs greatly from working independently. An independent English teacher is an autonomous…
Online Teaching Feature
Using Moodle to Manage Online Teaching
Using Moodle to Manage Online Teaching Moodle is a perfect platform to house paid and free courses. Teaching online differs from teaching face-to-face in…
Principles of e-Learning Design
Principles of e-Learning Design “Life is a travelling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken.” -D.H. Lawrence Online teaching and elearning design…
How to Teach Business Writing Online
How to Teach Business Writing Online Online teaching is becoming a key skill in Business English training. I’ll be talking specifically about live face…
How to Sell Yourself as an Online Teacher
How to Sell Yourself as an Online Teacher In my last post, I talked about what you need to do to become an independent…
How to Effectively Use Testimonials
How to Effectively Use Testimonials I`d like to tell you how to effectively use testimonials and what difference it can make to your online-teaching…
Using The Benefits Of Working Globally
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, one of the leading figures in the field of Mind, Brain, and Education, once started a talk with a picture of…
How to Use Technology to Provide Feedback
How To Use Technology To Provide Feedback If someone was to ask me what technology I use more than any other in education then…
A look at Online English Teaching
A look at Online English Teaching Starting an online English teaching business is an exciting venture. And with over 1.5 billion learners out there,…
Effective Online Teaching with Google Course Builder
Effective Online Teaching with Google Course Builder An Interview with Jeannie Crowley, Google Course Builder Expert by Frank Bonkowski, founder of Business School HQ.com Jeannie…
The Good, The Bad, And The Online
The Good, The Bad, And The Online How many of you have ever been introduced as an English teacher at a party and the…
Teaching Resources
Using Storyboard- a Student-Friendly Language Learning Tool
by Irum Butt As a teacher in Pakistan, I am always looking for new ways to engage the children in my classes so that…
Stories without End
by Taylor Sapp Published by Alphabet Publishing As a teacher with more than 15 years experience in Japan and America teaching ESL students of…
A Sure-Fire Way to Teach Collocations
by David Buckley Would you like me to show you a sure-fire method to teach English to your students? Something that would not only…
Communicative Language Testing
by Steve Hirschhorn Testing Language Language tests exist for several main purposes, some of these are: for placement into a language course, to assess…