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Teaching Young Learners

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

This author shares her unique approach to teaching young learners. She emphasizes that her approach involves features of communicative styles, the audio lingual approach (AL), and Total Physical Response (TPR), as she believes it is necessary to bring together all three styles of teaching to develop language proficiency. She includes a lesson plan for beginner level students to improve grammar competency.

Letters to the Editor

In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 2 Format(s): Text

This letter to the editor was written in response to the article, “Language vs. Literature in English Departments in the Arab World” by Marwan M. Obeidat. The letter addresses this controversial topic from a different point of view. Dr. M. N. K. Bose, who writes the letter, argues that courses teaching language skills are valuable to improve the English proficiency of Arab university students. He stresses that English translations of Arabic literature are more valuable than Western literature in Arabic universities.

An American Poetry Project for Low Intermediate ESL Adults

In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 4 Format(s): Text

This article discusses the author’s poetry unit, developed to expose her ESL students to American literature. Students wrote journals about poems they read and were assigned a poem about which to write a composition. The author required her students to memorize and perform one poem. While teaching the unit, the author and a colleague kept a dialog journal of their experience and insights. Both the student reactions and their dialog journals yielded positive results, allowing the author to make several recommendations for using poetry in the ESL classroom.

Module 2: Building Language Awareness

In: Shaping the Way We Teach English: Successful Practices Around the World Format(s): Text, Video

This Module of the Shaping the Way we Teach English Series contains a lesson plan and accompanying video that is focused on the details of the language within the context of language input.

Instant Feedback for Learner Training: Using Individual Assessment Cards

In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 4 Format(s): Text

This article presents the idea of using student assessment cards to train students to adopt efficient learning strategies. It discusses how individual assessment cards allow each student to see how well he or she is progressing at any point in the course. The article describes what a student assessment card is and provides detailed guidelines, including descriptions of the content on each side of the card, and about when and how to use these in the language classroom.

Determining Students' Language Needs in a Tertiary Setting

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

This article discusses students' perceptions of their language learning needs. It describes a survey conducted among university students and professors to find out how students rated their competence in particular skills and compares the results to those of their English teachers. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with the students, English teachers, and program directors. This needs analysis project helped to update the university English department curriculum and course offerings.

Module 1: Contextualizing Language

In: Shaping the Way We Teach English: Successful Practices Around the World Format(s): Text, Video, Website

This Module of the Shaping the Way we Teach English Series contains a lesson plan and accompanying video that is focused on contexualization.

Module 7: Learning Strategies

In: Shaping the Way We Teach English: Successful Practices Around the World Format(s): Text, Video

This Module of the Shaping the Way we Teach English Series contains a lesson plan and accompanying video that is focused on language learning and communication strategies.

Classroom Activities

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

These classrooms activities, which are designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students, focus on the issue’s fishing theme. Classroom activities include written and oral work, vocabulary, team work and individual work. Lessons include creating a vocabulary card game, oral story telling based on the “fish story” concept of telling exaggerated stories, and the creation of a persuasive piece. Variations are included to expand and vary the lessons.

Module 3: Integrating Skills