Compelling Classroom Conversations

Why Are So Many EFL Textbooks So Bland, Boring, and Culturally Tone Deaf?

2011-09-28T06:00:55Z

Why are so many EFL Textbooks so bland, boring, and culturally tone-deaf? Allow me to ask a more polite question. How can English teachers working abroad and international English textbook publishers both respect local cultures and create more engaging...(read more)

The Language of Opportunity – Wabash profiles an English Teacher

2011-09-12T01:03:46Z

Small American colleges often love their ambitious graduates. Wabash College , my alma mater and outstanding private liberal arts college in Indiana, certainly celebrates her favorite sons and treats them like stars. This fall’s Wabash Magazine advises...(read more)

Becoming an Autotelic English Teacher

2011-07-07T18:49:50Z

“The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity, and the brute by instinct.” Marcus Cicero, Roman statesman and orator How do potential English teachers gain the experience and knowledge to become successful English...(read more)

Ask Your English Students to Review TED.Com videos – and Create Compelling Conversations

2011-06-09T00:58:28Z

How can you encourage your advanced ESL students to develop their speaking skills and tap their interest in our rapidly changing world? Create compelling classroom assignments that respect their intelligence, engage their curiosity, and model great speaking...(read more)

English Teachers Confront the Billion-Person Question

2011-06-05T10:34:59Z

“How can rural Chinese students develop their listening and speaking skills with very limited opportunities to speak with actual native speakers in person?” This question remains the billion person question! English language learners across Asia – in...(read more)

Speaking Together to Write Academic Definitions

2011-03-04T14:54:31Z

“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...(read more)

Fluency Requires Practice

2011-02-07T06:05:58Z

“To know and not do is to not know.” The Talmud Fluency requires practice. Our students also know that speaking English can be both satisfying and stressful. Therefore, we require speaking activities in class – and strongly suggest ways to speak more...(read more)

An ESL Author Looks at an ESL website with New Eyes

2011-01-08T07:37:29Z

Sometimes we don’t see what is in front of our eyes. Today I learned a bit more about my own website from a fellow English teacher and friendly fan. A gentleman from Tennessee called my home, thanked me for the sample conversation materials , and asked...(read more)

Discussing the New Year And Making Resolutions to Change in English Class

2010-12-31T20:57:56Z

“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.” Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), Nobel Prize winner for Literature Holidays and anniversaries often prompt personal reflections. As 2010 ends and a new year beckons, millions of English...(read more)

Dwell in Possibility: Discussing Books Enlivens ESL Classes

2010-12-16T05:00:28Z

“A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.” Emily Dickinson Cheap pleasures can sometime be the most satisfying. Reading, an activity that often costs nothing, falls into that category. Reading provides many pleasures...(read more)

Conversation Tip #10: What brings you here?

2010-10-18T04:29:30Z

Sometimes a simple, flexible question can create compelling conversations. “What brings you here?” remains one of my personal favorites. Many job interview experts like this question because it allows applicants to explain their motives. In fact, the...(read more)

Conversation Tip #9: Ask Clarifying Questions!

2010-09-21T05:28:10Z

What is a clarifying question? What do you mean? Can you be more specific? Can you give us some examples? What do you exactly mean? Sometimes our English students need help asking questions, especially critical questions that allow them to clarify concepts...(read more)

How do you teach about immigration issues?

2010-07-29T00:13:42Z

Millions of people, around the world, have chosen – or been forced – to leave the nation where they were born. Immigration has become more popular – partly due to modern technologies like planes, trains, and cars – than ever before in human history. Immigration...(read more)