ESL etc. » ESL resources

IATEFL Global Issues Social Network

Dave — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:44:17 +0000

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!

The Center for Exchange and Solidarity

Dave — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:48:40 +0000

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.

ESL News Sites

Dave — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:13:56 +0000

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.

Mr. Stout’s Blog

Dave — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:48:15 +0000

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.

Reminder: TESOL EVO 2008 starts January 14th

Dave — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:43:54 +0000

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 sessions are mostly technology-focused.

I’m planning to participate in the session on effective lesson planning, although I’ll be traveling during the first week.

US Peace Corps EFL/ESL Training Manuals

Dave — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:44:34 +0000

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 large, multi-level classes.

I found this link in Larry Ferlazzo’s top ten ELL sites for 2007. Check out the list for other great resources!

TESOL Electronic Village Online 2008

Dave — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:23:40 +0000

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 associated Yahoo! group. Participants are advised to join no more than two sessions. Registration begins January 1.

For full descriptions of each session, click below. In addition to an outline of the content broken down by week, you can also find the intended audience and the required tools. The sessions that have caught my eye are the ones on lesson planning, drama, and music.

Sessions for TESOL Electronic Village 2008

The Logic of Spoken English – and How to Teach it

Dave — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 07:37:36 +0000

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 often described as untidy, disorganised, even ungrammatical. But the fact that we all use it effectively and successfully belies these descriptions. We will look at samples of spontaneous spoken English and list its salient features. We will go on to discuss why it is the way it is. Finally we will look at pedagogic strategies to make our learners more aware of the nature of spontaneous spoken language, and will design exercises to capitalise on this awareness.

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching (Fall 2007)

Dave — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:24:57 +0000

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.

ELT Dogme

Dave — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:00:16 +0000

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 learning processes is that which is already there, supplied by the “people in the room.”

Learning is a social and dialogic process, where knowledge is co-constructed rather than “transmitted” or “imported” from teacher/coursebook to learner.

Rather than being acquired, language (including grammar) emerges: it is an organic process that occurs given the right conditions.

Providing space for the learner’s voice means accepting that the learner’s beliefs, knowledge, experiences, concerns and desires are valid content in the language classroom.

Texts, when used, should have relevance for the learner, in both their learning and using contexts.

Teachers and learners need to unpack the ideological baggage associated with EFL materials – to become critical users of such texts.

Those quotes all come from this article in Humanising Language Teaching. If you’re interested, there’s a Yahoo group dedicated to ELT Dogme that’s worth checking out.