Past Issues of English Teaching Forum | American English

Browse online English Teaching Forum issues and articles dating back to 2001. To find a particular article or issue, search the past issues by year or keyword.

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English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 4

English Teaching Forum Volume 50 Number 4

The final issue in the 50th anniversary series. Contributor articles discuss “The Teaching Toolbox,” online learner dictionaries, and getting teens to work in class...

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The Teaching Toolbox: Reconciling Theory, Practice, and Language in a Teacher Training Course

Amber Vanderwoude

Noting the challenge teachers in English as a Medium of Instruction contexts face in balancing content and language instruction, the author explains a teaching toolbox technique and outlines toolbox activities that include jigsaw reading, word bank, jigsaw vocabulary, and graphic organizers.

Online English-English Learner Dictionaries Boost Word Learning

Ulugbek Nurmukhamedov

This article suggests that English language learners can benefit greatly from using learner dictionaries that are corpus-based, supply word frequency data, and offer collocation guides, authentic examples, and topical vocabulary. The author discusses teacher applications for each dictionary feature.

Getting Teens to Really Work in Class

Patricia Lauría de Gentile and Ana María Leiguarda de Orué

This article explains the brain development and behavior of teenagers as well as their special needs. The authors offer English language learning activities that meet the need for physical movement, social interaction, and reduced stress.

Teaching Communication: Back to the 60s

Adrian Palmer

This piece, a preface to a reprinted 1971 article on communication practice, focuses on the need for real communication in the language classroom.

English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 3

English Teaching Forum Volume 50 Number 3

Creating a storytelling classroom and teaching listening skills to young learners through songs are the topics of the lead articles in this issue...

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Teaching Listening Skills to Young Learners through 'Listen and Do' Songs

Mustafa Sevik

This article, which examines the use of songs to improve the listening skills of young learners, contains a lesson plan and follow-up activities and a list of online resources for songs.

The Author as Reader and Writer

Tom Miller

This introduction presents contemporary commentary on the previously published articles “Writing for the Reader: A Problem-Solution Approach” and “Motivating Learners at South Korean Universities.

Writing for the Reader: A Problem-Solution Approach

Tom Miller and Dee Parker

A “how to” piece on using the problem-solution approach to writing academic articles, this article explores (originally published in 1997) defining the audience, defining the author, and evaluating the structure of an article, and it outlines helpful questions for writers and readers.

Motivating Learners at South Korean Universities

Janet S. Niederhauser

Using a problem-solution format, this article (originally published in 1997) discusses cultural and educational factors that affect language learners’ motivation and offers strategies to raise motivation.

English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 2

Cover photo of Forum 50

This issue opens with articles on merging environmental education and language instruction and “Film Circles.” The “Reflections” section features “From Unity to Diversity… to Diversity within Unity” by Diane Larsen-Freeman...

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Going Green: Merging Environmental Education and Language Instruction

Staci Hauschild, Elena Poltavtchenko, and Fredricka L. Stoller

This article discusses content-based instruction (CBI) and the theme of environmental awareness in the classroom. It addresses not only recycling and preservation of resources, but also integrating English skills and controversial issues into real-world situations. The article presents teachers with examples of group activities and opportunities for critical thinking and encouraging responsibility among their students.

Film Circles: Scaffolding Speaking for EFL Students

Crissa Stephens, with Rocio Ascencio, Ana Luisa Burgos, Tatiana Diaz, Jimena Montenegro, and Christian Valenzuela

This article describes action research that pre-service teachers conducted regarding successful communicative activities.

From Unity to Diversity… to Diversity within Unity

Diane Larsen-Freeman

Author Diane Larsen-Freeman revisits the claims she made in her 1987 article for Forum where she noted a unified approach to language teaching.

Rediscovering Curiosity, Imagination, and Humor in Learning

Jennifer Uhler

This piece introduces three previously published articles that speak to the effectiveness of teaching the English language through curiosity, imagination, and humor. The articles introduced are “Curiosity and Comprehension,” “Using Story Jokes for Real Communication,” and “An Imaginative Approach to Teaching Writing.”

English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 1

Cover photo of Forum

First of the 50th anniversary series, this issue leads off with new articles on teaching. A commemorative section called Reflections highlights popular articles from past volumes.

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Understanding and Teaching Generation Y

Peter Reilly

This article responds to the challenges of teaching Generation Y students, who are tech-savvy and feedback-dependent visual learners. Because "Gen Y" students are less likely to engage with traditional classroom teaching methods, this article is helpful in identifying specific activities teachers can employ to utilize students' attraction to digital media, multi-tasking, and a sense of global purpose.

Destroying the Teacher: The Need for Learner-Centered Teaching

Alan C. McLean

This article advocates using English to teach content, addressing this through five areas: Reduction of Coercion (not eliciting correct answers, but engaging students in thinking); Active Learner Involvement (less teacher talk and more material chosen to engage learners), Experience Before Interpretation (handling material before interpreting it), Avoidance of Simplification (choosing materials challenging enough to learn skills for tackling new ideas), and Value of Silence (allowing students to think without forcing them to talk).

Using Original Video and Sound Effects to Teach English

Shahla Yassaei

This article outlines a lesson plan for teaching modals of speculation that express degrees of certainty, using audio-visual techniques. It identifies the teacher's lesson preparation, required materials, and specific ways to engage students in the special interactive environment. It highlights the effectiveness of audio-visual resources to represent and illustrate abstract concepts. The article also provides ideas for variations of the lesson plan, employing video and sound effects to teach grammar, vocabulary, and creative writing.

A Call to Service

William P. Ancker

This article is an introduction to the full length interview with Dr. James Alatis, who has been referred to as "the father of TESOL." The introduction highlights the benefits of TESOL professionals volunteering to serve in organizations that provide training and networking for others in the field.