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Easy Reading Activities to Engage Students

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

How to engage students and help them develop the skills needed to make them better readers. Watch the webinar or download the presentation.

Try This: Current Events

In: English Teaching Forum 2016, Volume 54, Number 3 Format(s): Text

Using news in the classroom keeps students aware of events happening in local, national, and international communities, and it promotes critical thinking. This activity helps students become more aware of issues and events in the news to motivate them to have further discussions with classmates, family, or members of the community.

We Dig Worms

In: American Rhythms Format(s): MP3

In this folk song, singer Zach Ladin reminds listeners young and old of the importance of all creatures in nature. Download the song or listen online!

Morning Discussion as a Communicative Activity

In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

This article describes freshman university students in China. They started their day with Morning Discussion, a student-hosted discussion of relevant topics. BBC and VOA reports were useful sources. The discussions offered opportunities for negotiation, clarification, and building communicative competence. As students took responsibility for the topics, classroom set up, and participation, their confidence grew. This was very successful, as shown by comments in students’ weekly diaries. Instructors stayed out of debates and did not interrupt to offer corrections.

International Business Ethics: Why Discuss International Business Ethics?

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

This lesson introduces business ethics and what society may expect from corporations. The goals of the lesson are to introduce new vocabulary to discus ethics, provide a basic understanding of international business ethics, and create an atmosphere of trust in discussing the culturally sensitive topic. The lesson asks students to complete and discuss a questionnaire on international business ethics, work in groups to propose a solution to an ethical dilemma at work, and consider a case study in the ethics of gift giving. Online resources are also provided.

Using Anecdotes in Language Class

In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article discusses the usefulness of anecdotes as a technique to stimulate learners’ interest and thus create a meaningful learning context in the second language classroom. It describes the pattern of an anecdote and how it should be formed as well as the different types of anecdotes. The article offers tips to successfully implement this technique.

Supporting Language Learning Using Smithsonian Online Museum Resources

In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text

This webinar explores strategies for finding and using visual resources to tell a story.

"Imported" Communicative Language Teaching: Implications for Local Teachers

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

This article criticizes the rejection of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in non-Western contexts. Teachers sometimes avoid CLT because it includes ideas (such as autonomy and choice) that do not always fit with the educational, social, and cultural perspectives of their areas. The author defines CLT, considers the issues that come with importing this teaching method, and offers suggestions to help EFL teachers adapt CLT to their contexts to create genuine communication.

VOA Interactive Learning: Wordbooks

Format(s): Text, Website

Interactive wordbooks for business English and general English, and an idiom dictionary. Learn English and American Business English.

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