ESL etc.

IATEFL’s Global Issues special interest group just launched a social network (using Ning). I have found this group’s email list to be a tremendous resource, and I look forward to seeing how this site develops. Thanks to Nik Peachey for setting it up!

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The Center for Exchange and Solidarity is an organization in El Salvador supporting education, organizing, and social justice. One component is an English school, staffed by volunteers, focused on using popular education/participatory methodology to discuss social, economic, political, and environmental issues. It seems like a wonderful learning opportunity for both the students and the teachers.

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I just made a new page featuring some news sites that gear their articles towards language learners. Most of the sites also offer supplemental materials such as vocabulary lists, audio recordings and grammar exercises. The page is posted in the links for teachers section of the website.

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I just stumbled across this blog of a teacher in Japan who does some activities based on global issues. I haven’t really looked through the archives yet, but his blog features lots of examples of student work, including projects on whaling and water usage.

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I mentioned this before and I wanted to remind you that from January 14 to February 24, TESOL is offering a free, online conference. The session are open to non-TESOL members, and are conducted through Yahoo email groups. The Electronic Village Online is run by TESOL’s computer assisted language learning (CALL) interest section, so the [...]

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The US Peace Corps has two very practical manuals on teaching English. Because volunteers are usually not ESL professionals, the manuals are very accessible. In addition to practical teaching advice, they also feature a bunch of lesson plan ideas. One deals with TEFL / TESL in general, while the other is aimed specifically at teaching [...]

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From January 14 to February 24, TESOL is offering a free, online conference. In addition to being free, the session are open to non-TESOL members. The Electronic Village Online is run by TESOL’s computer assisted language learning (CALL) interest section, so the sessions are mostly technology-focused. To participate in a session, you simply join the [...]

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Dave Willis just posted a paper on teaching spoken English on his website. I haven’t given it a close reading, but it looks like a good read for anyone interested in how the grammar of spoken English differs from that of written English. He also offers a lot of practical teaching advice. Spoken English is [...]

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The Fall 2007 issue of IJFLT is out now. There are a couple of articles on extensive reading, one of story-telling, and another on dramatizing students’ lives. It’s free, peer-reviewed and online, so check it out.

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I realize that I’m late to the party on this one, but I just became aware of the dogme approach to English language teaching. It’s a stripped down, learner-centered approach that seems to mirror my own classes in a lot of ways. A few highlights: The content most likely to engage learners and to trigger [...]

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