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Nurturing Emotional Intelligence through Literature

In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article discusses the use of literature in a language class as a way to develop emotional intelligence in children. The author suggests that literature can be motivating and can provide a low-anxiety context for children to learn English. Several response activities are suggested to develop language skills and nurture emotional intelligence. These activities include scripting, detecting feelings in text, a feeling hunt, creating a positive language dictionary, diary entries, and letters to characters.

Notes for Teachers

In: Why English? Comics for the Classroom Format(s): Text

This section includes a table of contents, information about the project, and how teachers can use these comics in their classrooms.

Is There a TA in Your Future? Upper-Class Teaching Assistants in the EFL Classroom

In: English Teaching Forum 2023, Volume 61, Number 2 Format(s): Text

Author Gene Richards argues that establishing a program that prepares and allows upper-class students to become teaching assistants (TAs) for lower-class students can have benefits for all students—as well as their teachers. The article provides suggestions for setting up and managing the program; it also includes templates for TA agreements and certificates that readers are welcome to use if they establish a TA program of their own.

Classmates as Language Learning Allies: Activities to Encourage Student-to-Student Interaction

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

This session, “Classmates as Language Learning Allies: Activities to Encourage Student-to-Student Interaction,” provides ideas and strategies for structuring pair and group work to maximize student-to-student engagement, which can be especially important in contexts offering limited opportunities for out-of-class English practice.

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.

Classroom Management Idea Book

Format(s): Text, Website

A manual and idea book on how to manage classrooms, produced by the Peace Corps (PDF).

Keep it Moving: Ideas for Fun, Active Classroom Activities

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

During this session, Regional English Language Officer Kevin McCaughey shares his approach to a dynamic classroom space: The Movable Class. Kevin explains how this approach will help you to use more group work, design student-centered activities, and become a more confident classroom manager, all while you and your students have more fun!

Enliven Your Class and Engage Your Students with Fun Facts

In: English Teaching Forum 2023, Volume 61, Number 1 Format(s): Text

Stephen Mark Silvers enlivens this article with dozens of “fun facts” while also explaining how teachers can use such facts to motivate students and develop students’ English skills in creative ways. The author, who notes that students’ responses to the facts will be “authentic and meaningful,” provides a number of sources where teachers can find fun facts to use with their classes.

Curiosity and Comprehension

In: English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article, originally published in 1977, offers teachers techniques to pique students’ curiosity, making a case that curiosity spurs comprehension and initiative.

An Imaginative Approach to Teaching Writing