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1. Teaching Spoken English with The Color Vowel Chart

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   A webinar to complement The Color Vowel Chart, a pronunciation tool for teaching and learning English.

2. Nasreddin Hodja and the Importance of Context

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article introduces the tales of Nasreddin Hodja, a 15th century Turkish folk character and uses them to illustrate the importance of context, the need for multiple perspectives, and the role of the teacher. The author looks at various aspects of context, such as social, cultural, and historical contexts. The idea of multiple perspectives is explained with the current multiple intelligence theory. The author addresses the role of the teacher in terms of teaching style.

3. Letters to the Editor

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The letters to the editor include a note from Stephen Krashen on the use of L1 in the classroom as well as a letter praising the forum for providing pre-service teachers in Cuba the opportunity to discuss ideas before entering the classroom.

4. Alternatives to Current Pedagogy for Teaching the Present Perfect Progressive

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   These researchers collected 250 samples of spoken and written American English from high-level communicators and analyzed the use of the present perfect progressive tense. They compared these samples to five leading ESL and EFL grammar textbooks. This article reviews the research and findings. The five leading textbooks provided good overall structure for teaching the present perfect progressive tense, but the use of the tense was critically influenced by broad context, adverbs, temporal context and the uses of other tenses including the present and present perfect tense.

5. Applying Current Approaches to the Teaching of Reading

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses different approaches to reading instruction for EFL learners based on theoretical frameworks. The author starts with the bottom-up approach to reading instruction, and briefly explains phonics and behaviorist ideas that inform this instructional approach. The author then explains the top-down approach and the new cognitive perspective. The author also explains schema theory and how to apply it to help students before, during, and after reading. The interactive model is then discussed.

6. The TOEFL and Grammar

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article examines the implications of universities in non-English-speaking countries imposing TOEFL requirements on their students. The author points out the difference between grammar taught in classrooms and how structure is evaluated on the TOEFL. The author identifies and discusses three categories: syntax, combination, and vocabulary. The article discusses important features of the test in order to familiarize EFL teachers with the TOEFL in each of these categories.

7. From Page to Stage: Lord of the Flies

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002 (Volume 40, Number 1) Format(s): Text

   This article shares the importance of promoting drama activities within classrooms in a way that will develop language. The authors share a project they implemented in a tenth grade English classroom with the novel “Lord of the Flies.” They present the details of their preparation strategies as well as a step-by-step process. The article discusses how successful the project turned out to be as well as how drama can enhance English classrooms.

8. English Proficiency Test: The Oral Component of a Primary School

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the various problems found when teachers try to design the oral production part of English proficiency tests for young learners. The authors discuss matters such as intimidation or the possibility of relating the test too much to other conventional tests. They offer ways to address these issues, including testing for fluency, using elicitation procedures, and changing the view of the test into a more relaxed game-like scenario. The authors provide examples of where these ideas have been implemented.

9. Perspectives on Professional Growth: A Study on the Diaries of Undergraduate ELT Students

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article reports on the author's observations of undergraduate ELT students who kept diaries about their professional development during their teaching practicum. The author analyzed these diaries at two stages and categorized the entries into two categories: a concern for the needs of the children of the information age, and a desire for self-improvement and professional growth. The author decided to develop lessons on Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into future semesters of the course based on the student diaries.

10. The Challenge of Spelling in English

    In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 3 Format(s): Text

    This article addresses the topic of spelling in American English. It discusses the popularity of spelling contests in American schools, and then explains why spelling is so hard. The author then argues how important it is to understand these factors to improve spelling accuracy. The article concludes by identifying the difficulties of language learning and implications for English teaching.

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