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1. Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Working Together to Achieve Shared Goals

   In: English Teaching Forum 2024, Volume 62, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Authors Lộc Thị Huỳnh Nguyễn and Fredricka L. Stoller share their own experiences as collaborators working together in person and on two distant continents, and they offer specific, detailed tips for others who are involved in cross-cultural collaborative projects or who may have the opportunity to collaborate in the future.

2. The Trans-Cultural Comparative Literature Method: Using Grammar Translation Techniques Effectively

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

   This article explains the trans-cultural comparative literature method, which uses elements of communicative language teaching (CLT) and grammar-translation (GT) while comparing two culturally different texts. This method focuses on grammar and vocabulary, but also gives students a chance to analyze different cultures. An overview of CLT and GT is followed by guidelines for the trans-cultural comparative literature method and sample lesson plans for its use.

3. Cultural Introductions by Way of Storytelling

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

   This session, "Cultural Introductions by Way of Storytelling," examines how we can share our own unique stories in a dialogue with others using an engaging method which gives value to ourselves, while also celebrating the differences of everyone involved.

4. Teaching Techniques: Cultural Introductions by Way of Storytelling

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This introductory lesson is something I have used on the first day of class with students around the globe.

5. The Rio–Warsaw Connection: Encouraging Interculturalism among Students

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   It all began in Norwich. As they do every year, teachers from different parts of the world went in July 2012 to that beautiful little city in the east of England to take part in one of the two-week professional development courses offered by the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE).

6. Applied Theatre, Adolescent English Learners, and the Performance of Literacy

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   Youth in middle and secondary grades, between childhood and the adult world, sometimes struggle with their identities as readers and learners. Too many describe themselves or are described by their teachers and parents as “reluctant, disengaged, and/or unmotivated” by classroom texts or by the rows of books in school libraries.

7. A Ten-Step Process for Developing Teaching Units

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Curriculum design and implementation can be a daunting process. Questions quickly arise, such as who is qualified to design the curriculum and how do these people begin the design process.

8. Increasing Awareness and Talk Time through Free Messaging Apps

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   For many people, mobile phones are a part of modern life. Although the purpose of this technology revolves around language and communication, its application to language learning still appears to be underutilized. This is changing, as the widespread use of this handheld technology offers numerous opportunities to use functions that are ideal for exposing learners to communicative interaction on their language-learning journey.

9. A Postcard from America

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

   This feature article for learner use is by author Robert Olen Butler. It briefly describes the history and cultural aspects of postcards. The author provides detail about several postcards in his personal collection. He values the images and the glimpses into people’s lives as written on the postcards. A glossary of terms and images of postcards accompany the article. Appropriate for high intermediate to advanced students.

10. Developing Pragmatic Competence in the EFL Classroom

    In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

    Pragmatic competence is an important part of communicative competence, yet it is often insufficiently addressed. This article outlines a program of four lessons on the speech acts of openings and closings. Lessons examine dialogues for cultural differences regarding forms of address, abruptness, expected responses, and so on. Students also consider pre-closing phrases, ways to express politeness, and formality. Finally, students expand an artificial dialogue to make it more realistic. Activities include translation, pair work, creative writing, class discussion, and role play.

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