Using Negotiation Role Plays in the English Classroom
Dale Coulter and David Wilson list and describe the five essential characteristics of a successful negotiation role play Roleplay has always been a particularly…
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March 2020
Teach Your Students to Remember English
By: Jonty Yamisha Breaking Down Steps for Efficient Memorization Memorization isn’t a mysterious practice. One student who can memorize a poem doesn’t necessarily have…
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Analogies Can Teach Anything
by Glenn G. Dahlem, Ph.D. All educators have long known about testing and pretesting based on using analogies. “Nine is to eighty-one as four…
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Providing Consistent and Robust Input
How to compete with the internet and games. In the world, as we live in today, in which almost every person we have as…
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CELTA-Driven Tips for ESL Teachers
ESL teaching is such a deep ocean that every time you plunge into it, you come out possessing something new. That possession could totally…
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Connected Speech: What Happens During Ordinary, Spontaneous Speech?
“A word is not just the sum of its individual sounds; just as connected speech is not just the sum of its individual words.”…
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The Expressive Power of Modal Verbs and Why ESL and EFL Students Avoid Them
By Richard E. McDorman Modal verbs have expressive power far beyond what their simple forms would suggest. I have encountered very view linguistic works…
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The Wonder of Word Lists
by Heidi Brumbaugh, Ph.D. Helping your students to improve their vocabulary is one sure way to advance their language learning. Giving your students word…
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Incorporating the Best-Available Social Network into your Course Design
By: Elliot Patton When I came to Japan to teach at my current university in 2011, the application known as LINE did not yet…
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Teaching the Challenging but Essential Academic Writing Skill of Paraphrasing
By Siqi Song, M.S TESOL Learning to write academically in English is a huge challenge for second language students. While they must deal with…
Read MoreLatest Posts
Reconsidering Quizlet
In 2017, I co-wrote an article, Quizlet – Create Engaging Vocabulary Study Sets, about the basics of using Quizlet to assist students with vocabulary…
Read More
Time Tracking Software for Educational Institutions
By Lori Wade What is the most valuable thing you can spend in whatever you are involved? Time! Wisely using available time in your…
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Which English Test is Best for You?
I sometimes tease my students by saying, “Do you TOIEC?” or “Do you TOEFL?” since those are apparently the most popular of the commercial…
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Learning to Read English
Reading is a simple task for most people. But ask them how they learnt to read English, and they have trouble remembering. Here are…
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Automated Essay Evaluation for Faster Formative Feedback
By Nicholas Walker Many ESL teachers still consider automated essay scoring and feedback to be an impossible dream. But with recent advancements in automated…
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Flesh the Skeleton
Prelude Flesh the Skeleton may seem to have an anatomical denotation for some readers. However, this terminology which I have coined over the years…
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How to Use Europeana Collections in Your Classroom?
Are you interested in integrating digital cultural heritage into your English language classroom? Do you think that cultural heritage is an integral part of…
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Unstunting Growth: (Realistic) Professional Development in TEFL
This article is designed to provide ideas and general guidelines for overseas teachers in our industry who have realized a fundamental truth – counterparts…
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Why Do We Need “Job Shadowing” Experience?
Suzana Poljak and Kristina Matika Ferrara After a lot of courses they had taken part in, the teachers in Primary school Juraj Dobrila from…
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Enhancing Performance in B1-B2 exams for Dyslectic Learners
by Maria Argyriou In general, the performance of adolescent students preparing to sit for B1/ B2 exams is reinforced by the teacher’s methodical planning…
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Identity Crisis: The Biggest Challenge Facing Adult Language Learners
I vividly remember Irma. She was the life of the class. She had the widest smile and the loudest giggle. Always armed with pen…
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How to Prepare for Your English Test
In my previous article, I discussed a few of the many English tests available online and offline. However, before you register and pay for…
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Critical Thinking – The Key Competence for the Z Generation
By Maja-Barbara Kokot The Z generation, born in the period from 1995 to 2010, succeeding the Millennials, is currently within the educational process or…
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We-ism: Consensus and Unity Spirit
We-ism is a critical cultural concept of Korea, and much of the rest of Asia, promoting group consensus and activity, over the assertion of…
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How to Teach IELTS Writing Online
Five years ago, I was teaching IELTS Writing for the British Council in Vietnam. I started to put my lessons online so that students…
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Teaching with Tunes: 6 Ways to Incorporate Music into Your Classroom
Music is all around us. With each sound that you hear, it is already a component of music. This is why music is deemed…
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Practice Makes Perfect
The lasting legacy of the Audio-Lingual method. Two students of mine who were a couple once told me a funny story about them trying…
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Nursery Rhymes Are for Adults Too
by Glenn G. Dahlem, Ph.D. Sometimes throughout the English speaking world, and even beyond, we frequently read aloud time-honored nursery rhymes and stories to…
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A Quick Primer on Lesson Planning
Lesson planning is a major part of the job of teaching. Sometimes, it’s creative joy, and sometimes, it just seems like an onerous, Sisyphean…
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The Great Brexit Balls Up for ELT
Across the UK, English schools are standing empty, and teachers are being made redundant in increasing numbers. Host families are genuinely worried about keeping…
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Fun Christmas English Games For Beginner to Intermediate Learners
Most english teachers are familiar with the 12 Days of Christmas song, this lesson plan uses that Christmas song to create a fun, songful…
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The Teacher Self-Care Manual by Patrice Palmer
A Book Review by Hall Houston The Teacher Self-Care Manual is a brief but substantial introduction to self-care, specifically written for teachers. Palmer makes…
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Empathy – We Must Learn to Speak This Language of Connection
By: Ana Sokolovic The basis of our understanding of each other is in our capacity and willingness to learn and show empathy. Empathy is…
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The 3 Best Plants to Grow in Your Classroom
Cultivating indoor plants in your classroom can be a great teaching opportunity. It is known to help improve the level of engagement of students…
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Turn Your Love for Language into a Translation Career
Do you love the English language? Are you looking for a job that will allow you to indulge in that passion? If so, a…
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In Growing Language and Literacy: Strategies for English Learners
Book Review Dominica R. Felici-Skal LDT-C Andrea Honigsfeld has created a user-friendly resource book that provides excellent support for English learners in K-8 (kindergarten/pre-K to…
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How to Publish a Book (and How NOT to!)
Every teacher dreams of compiling their best teaching ideas into a solid book at some point in their career, I suspect. It might be…
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Evidence-Based Second Language Pedagogy
A collection of instructed second language acquisition studies Masatoshi Sato & Shawn Loewen (Eds.) New York, NY: Routledge 358 pages ISBN-10: 0815392532 ISBN-13: 978-0815392538 Instructed second…
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Helping B1/B2 Level Speakers Improve Their Speaking Skills
by Maria Argyriou For teachers involved in the learning and preparatory process with students of upper-intermediate level, aiming at a B1/ B2 degree, the…
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Bringing Back Professor Higgins – Why We Should Be More Concerned with Teaching Elocution
By: Sophie Vivienne Kottmayer Tiptoeing through the minefield of international business communication in itself is already stressful enough, as speaking another language is not…
Read MorePopular Posts
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
Using Negotiation Role Plays in the English Classroom
Dale Coulter and David Wilson list and describe the five essential characteristics of a successful negotiation role play Roleplay has always been a particularly…
Teach Your Students to Remember English
By: Jonty Yamisha Breaking Down Steps for Efficient Memorization Memorization isn’t a mysterious practice. One student who can memorize a poem doesn’t necessarily have…
The Expressive Power of Modal Verbs and Why ESL and EFL Students Avoid Them
By Richard E. McDorman Modal verbs have expressive power far beyond what their simple forms would suggest. I have encountered very view linguistic works…
Reconsidering Quizlet
In 2017, I co-wrote an article, Quizlet – Create Engaging Vocabulary Study Sets, about the basics of using Quizlet to assist students with vocabulary…
Automated Essay Evaluation for Faster Formative Feedback
By Nicholas Walker Many ESL teachers still consider automated essay scoring and feedback to be an impossible dream. But with recent advancements in automated…
How to Use Europeana Collections in Your Classroom?
Are you interested in integrating digital cultural heritage into your English language classroom? Do you think that cultural heritage is an integral part of…
Critical Thinking – The Key Competence for the Z Generation
By Maja-Barbara Kokot The Z generation, born in the period from 1995 to 2010, succeeding the Millennials, is currently within the educational process or…
Identity Crisis: The Biggest Challenge Facing Adult Language Learners
I vividly remember Irma. She was the life of the class. She had the widest smile and the loudest giggle. Always armed with pen…
Enhancing Performance in B1-B2 exams for Dyslectic Learners
by Maria Argyriou In general, the performance of adolescent students preparing to sit for B1/ B2 exams is reinforced by the teacher’s methodical planning…
How to Teach IELTS Writing Online
Five years ago, I was teaching IELTS Writing for the British Council in Vietnam. I started to put my lessons online so that students…
A Quick Primer on Lesson Planning
Lesson planning is a major part of the job of teaching. Sometimes, it’s creative joy, and sometimes, it just seems like an onerous, Sisyphean…
Fun Christmas English Games For Beginner to Intermediate Learners
Most english teachers are familiar with the 12 Days of Christmas song, this lesson plan uses that Christmas song to create a fun, songful…
Interview
An Interview with John F. Faneslow
With Alexandra Chistyakova Interview with John F. Fanselow, professor emeritus at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA, and a faculty member of the International Teacher…
Interview with Bruce Peterson Author of “English from Afar”
by Sharyn Collins Bruce, thank you for doing this interview. You are an EFL trainer and your book, reviewed by Steve Hirschorn, is described…
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
Time Tracking Software for Educational Institutions
By Lori Wade What is the most valuable thing you can spend in whatever you are involved? Time! Wisely using available time in your…
How to Teach IELTS Writing Online
Five years ago, I was teaching IELTS Writing for the British Council in Vietnam. I started to put my lessons online so that students…
Empathy – We Must Learn to Speak This Language of Connection
By: Ana Sokolovic The basis of our understanding of each other is in our capacity and willingness to learn and show empathy. Empathy is…
The Great Brexit Balls Up for ELT
Across the UK, English schools are standing empty, and teachers are being made redundant in increasing numbers. Host families are genuinely worried about keeping…
Online Teaching Feature
Automated Essay Evaluation for Faster Formative Feedback
By Nicholas Walker Many ESL teachers still consider automated essay scoring and feedback to be an impossible dream. But with recent advancements in automated…
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…
Teaching Resources
Using Negotiation Role Plays in the English Classroom
Dale Coulter and David Wilson list and describe the five essential characteristics of a successful negotiation role play Roleplay has always been a particularly…
Analogies Can Teach Anything
by Glenn G. Dahlem, Ph.D. All educators have long known about testing and pretesting based on using analogies. “Nine is to eighty-one as four…
CELTA-Driven Tips for ESL Teachers
ESL teaching is such a deep ocean that every time you plunge into it, you come out possessing something new. That possession could totally…
Connected Speech: What Happens During Ordinary, Spontaneous Speech?
“A word is not just the sum of its individual sounds; just as connected speech is not just the sum of its individual words.”…
Book Review
The Teacher Self-Care Manual by Patrice Palmer
A Book Review by Hall Houston The Teacher Self-Care Manual is a brief but substantial introduction to self-care, specifically written for teachers. Palmer makes…
Evidence-Based Second Language Pedagogy
A collection of instructed second language acquisition studies Masatoshi Sato & Shawn Loewen (Eds.) New York, NY: Routledge 358 pages ISBN-10: 0815392532 ISBN-13: 978-0815392538 Instructed second…
In Growing Language and Literacy: Strategies for English Learners
Book Review Dominica R. Felici-Skal LDT-C Andrea Honigsfeld has created a user-friendly resource book that provides excellent support for English learners in K-8 (kindergarten/pre-K to…
Book Review: Refugee Tales
David Herd & Anna Pincus (Eds.) Comma Press 2019 ISBN 1912697114 EDL: Teaching English as a Detention Language ‘You, me and those who came…
Exam English
Which English Test is Best for You?
I sometimes tease my students by saying, “Do you TOIEC?” or “Do you TOEFL?” since those are apparently the most popular of the commercial…
How to Prepare for Your English Test
In my previous article, I discussed a few of the many English tests available online and offline. However, before you register and pay for…
How to Teach IELTS Writing Online
Five years ago, I was teaching IELTS Writing for the British Council in Vietnam. I started to put my lessons online so that students…
How to Improve TOEFL Listening Scores
By Josh MacPherson, Head Instructor at TST Prep You’re stuck. And, you can’t seem to improve your TOEFL Listening test scores. On top of…
Technology
Reconsidering Quizlet
In 2017, I co-wrote an article, Quizlet – Create Engaging Vocabulary Study Sets, about the basics of using Quizlet to assist students with vocabulary…
Time Tracking Software for Educational Institutions
By Lori Wade What is the most valuable thing you can spend in whatever you are involved? Time! Wisely using available time in your…
Multiplayer Video Games: a Language-learning Opportunity
By: Terry Fredrickson Ask your students what they do in their spare time and, chances are, many of them will tell you they play…
Technology in Education: How Technology Can Benefit Students and Educators
By Callum McPhillips Technology is constantly evolving. As technology develops, children are developing skills outside of the classroom by utilising new forms of technological…