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1. The Time is Now

   In: American Rhythms Format(s): MP3

   Travis Haddix’s song 'The Time is Now' is another soul-searching examples of blues music. Download this song or listen online.

2. Week 2 - In the News

   In: Teacher's Corner: Journalism Format(s): Text

   Here's some news! In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, students practice journalism skills. This week’s activity allows students to learn the sections of a news story by writing about their interests.

3. The Resources To Succeed

   Gita realizes how important resources are when it comes to teaching her students and credits the AmericanEnglish website for the endless array of teaching materials available to help her do her job.

4. Bringing One Language to Another: Multilingualism as a Resource in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Many EFL students are already multilingual, but they may not realize the strengths they bring to language learning. This article calls on instructors to help students develop language awareness and guide them to find ways to apply what they know about language. The author shows how this process occurred in a sociolinguistics course and includes sample lessons for all ages and a variety of levels of proficiency. Lessons incorporate the students’ language knowledge in such skill areas as grammar and vocabulary.

5. Encourage Critical Reading in the EFL Classroom

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

   Using a reading lesson designed for advanced university students in Brazil, the author discusses different types of exercises that can help students become more active readers and be more critical about the reading materials. The author distinguishes between passive and active reading tasks and argues that active tasks are more beneficial because they encourage readers to read between the lines. The author describes some pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading activities.

6. The Conversation Class

   In: English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses conversation classes, drawing from the author’s experience teaching Persian ESL. The author offers eight guidelines for effective teaching: cultivate a relaxed atmosphere (with six suggestions for doing this), be alert and foster alertness, be enthusiastic and engender enthusiasm, be patient, be sensitive, think, listen, and make corrections. The article finishes with a number of suggested topics and activities for promoting conversation.

7. The Psychic Rewards of Teaching: An Interview with James E. Alatis

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

   Dr. James Alatis answers questions about teaching English as a profession, establishing the international association TESOL, and his strong belief that linguistics and language teaching will change the world. The son of Greek immigrants, Alatis shares how his early interest in languages led him to study linguistics. Regarded as "the father of TESOL," Alatis believes the best linguistics is interdisciplinary. According to Alatis, the future of TESOL will involve more audiovisual and online material, all subjects taught by ESL teachers, and more concern for cultures of other countries.

8. The Making of a City

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

   This article about urban planning is appropriate for advanced learners. The content discusses city planners, planned cities (e.g. Chicago), zoning laws, and high-rise residential districts. There are many images, a glossary, and a list of related websites. There are two short sections. One is about Columbia, Maryland, the subject of another article in this issue (“Maps and Legends”). Columbia was a completely planned, experimental community. The second section is about rebuilding Cabrini Green, a Chicago neighborhood well known for its poverty and crime.

9. Elements of the Blues

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This is the third in a four-part series of essays on the American musical style called “Blues.” The music grew out of the musical traditions of African slaves in the United States between 1619 and 1863, blended with the musical styles of Europe. It is closely related to Jazz. Blues and Jazz are the only two completely unique musical styles created in the United States. This article covers the verse structure, the instruments, and other musical elements of the Blues.

10. Lesson Observation: The Key to Teacher Development

    In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    The author describes teacher training and teacher development as separate concepts through descriptions of how observation occurs in Cameroon. While training is a planned event that gives novices ready-made answers, development is an ongoing, organic process that values teacher innovation and reflection. Observers interested in development may use of a lesson observation cycle that includes pre-observation and post-observation meetings. The role of inspectors and peers in observation is also discussed.

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