This article summarizes information on how the human brain works. It presents insights from research on the human brain that informs second and foreign language teachers. This article offers seven principles that can provide a general context for learning and teaching and lists some guidelines for selecting classroom materials, strategies, and methodologies.

This article discusses the lack of quality in students’ literary criticism in degree English courses, suggesting that students have difficulty understanding literary texts in English. It recommends stylistic analysis, the analysis of structures and vocabulary, as a way that learners of English as a second or foreign language can develop a more active and independent approach to understanding and critiquing literary works.  

This article reports on the inconsistency between the expected and actual grades of learners of English as foreign language in freshman English writing classes. It discusses the differences between students’ and instructors’ perceptions of acceptable essay writing. It suggests that teachers develop valid and reliable testing procedures and help students to increase their awareness and understanding of the proficiency levels required to write essays.

This article presents reasons for using trivia (a quizzing game) to teach conversation and provides tips on how trivia-based materials fit into communicative language teaching approaches. It also presents examples of trivia-based activities that can be used in the conversation classroom. The article suggests that using trivia-based materials makes the content more interesting, meaningful, and thus motivating for learners.  

This article discusses the characteristics and needs of adult foreign language learners in terms of the quality of the learning environment in the classroom. It tries to answer what classroom dynamics mean and whether teachers can control and shape it. The article discusses the sources of anxiety and inhibition in the classroom and presents the traits of good classroom dynamics that make the learning environment more relaxed and learner friendly.

This article discusses the use of games in teaching vocabulary in language classrooms and describes how games can be an enjoyable part of this process. It offers nine games that can be used to teach words at different stages of the class.

This article reflects on the articles published at the second decade of Forum (1973-1982) to reconsider theoretical perspectives and classroom practices that are still relevant today. It discusses two recurring themes. The first addresses the meaning of linguistic competence, and the second relates to the effectiveness of language teaching methods. The article focuses on four major pieces published at different times within that period.

These “Teacher Resources” consist of reviews of two commercial publications. The first is the second edition of the book titled “Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching” by Jack C. Richard and Theodore S. Rodgers, and the second is “Language and the Internet” by David Crystal.

This article discusses the use of television commercials to help build English vocabulary and cultural awareness for students who are preparing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) environment. It presents activities  as well as a general outline for teachers to show how these activities can be used.

"Abstracts from Other Journals" discusses three articles from other journals on different issues related to second or foreign language teaching. The first is on "Linguistic Imperialism, Cultural Integrity, and EIL" by Marko Modiano, from ELT Journal. The second is "Pronunciation and Language Learning: An Integrative Approach" by Bertha Chela-Flores, from The International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. The third is "Induction from Self-selected Concordances and Self-correction" by Richard Watson Todd, from System. 

This article is about tea, the world’s most popular drink. It presents the stories, descriptions, recipes, and poems submitted by Forum readers all over the world in response to a tea survey conducted by Forum.