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1. Classroom Techniques: Using Radio Programs in the EFL Classroom

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

   The article describes how to use Voice of America (VOA) radio programs to teach English to students studying in EFL contexts. A major reason why the author believes VOA programs are a good source for English learning is because they allow the teacher to teach English through content. At the same time, VOA programs provide authentic language-learning materials. The author describes four listening activities (before listening, while listening, and after listening) using VOA radio programs.

2. To the Man on Trail

   In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, a stranger seeking to get back the money that he lent to another man visits a group of revelers in their cabin. The stranger has been on the trail for 12 hours with no rest. The revelers take him in and listen to his story.

3. The Furnished Room

   In: The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories Format(s): E-book, Text

   This story tells of a man who, on the trail of a lost love, rents out a furnished room that is popular among thespians. Download the PDF or E-book.

4. The Wit of Porportuk

   In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, an old and ill chief has a large debt and cannot find the means to pay it. The lender, Porportuk, offers to have the debt waived if the chief gives away his daughter.

5. Towards Better Group Work: Seeing the Difference between Cooperation and Collaboration

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The author explains the difference between cooperation and collaboration in the classroom. Cooperation is students working together (each with individual tasks) for an end product, while collaboration is students interacting to create knowledge. The author discusses the strengths of collaboration and the teacher’s role. Also provided are guidelines for successful collaboration, sample activities, and frequently asked questions, such as what to do when students have emotional reactions to the group work.

6. Twenty Ideas for Using Mobile Phones in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Educators need to learn how best to use the increasingly popular mobile phone technology to support learning in the language classroom. This author outlines the benefits as well as potential problems and solutions of mobile phone use, giving twenty practical ideas for classroom activities, such as using a voice recorder to capture conversations outside the classroom.

7. Authentic Video in the Beginning ESOL Classroom: Using a Full-Length Feature Film for Listening and Speaking Strategy Practice

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 1 Format(s): Text

   Using film in the classroom can be effective with beginning English learners. A full-length film offers continuous context to discuss humor, culture, and language functions, real-life communication with images and non-verbal cues, increased retention due to activating the right hemisphere of the brain, and the lowering of students’ affective filters. The authors include a lesson based on their experience teaching listening and speaking skills using the movie “What about Bob.” Assessment techniques and potential problems are considered.

8. Maximizing the Benefits of Project Work in Foreign Language Classrooms

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   There are many benefits to using project work in the classroom, such as student autonomy, increased content knowledge, and motivation. This article gives ten steps for structuring project activities to maximize these benefits, using a case study on project-based learning in an English preparatory program in Turkey. Also included are recommendations for writers on how to include project-based learning in their materials.

9. Letters to the Editor

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

   "Letters to the Editor" consists of suggested vocabulary, writing, and listening activities from three teachers around the world based on their experiences.

10. Promoting Genre Awareness in the EFL Classroom

    In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 2 Format(s): Text

    The author introduces genre awareness, a concept from ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and EAP (English for Academic Purposes), and relates it to its potential use in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom. She explains genre awareness as the ability to use the communication tool that is most appropriate for the purpose and audience. She recognizes several challenges to using genre awareness curriculum in the EFL classroom. Finally, she presents several useful genre awareness classroom exercises.

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