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1. Building Consensus on Teacher Assessment

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

   This article proposes a collaborative workshop for teachers and teacher trainees to identify their preferred methods of Teacher Assessment (TA).TA refers to the evaluation of teachers. Some examples are observation by colleagues or supervisors, videotaping class, and feedback from students. The pros and cons of various TA instruments and formats are discussed, including how threatening they are perceived to be. Participants also consider what should be included in their professional portfolio. It can be rewarding to involve stakeholders in the process.

2. 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.

3. On Native Language Intrusions and Making Do with Words: Linguistically Homogeneous Classrooms and Native Language Use

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

   Should L1 use be avoided in an EFL context, where classrooms tend to be linguistically homogeneous and where students have little opportunity to use English outside the classroom? This article reviews research on native language use in the classroom, how it is used (or not used), and the effects. It addresses topics such as impact on learning, teacher guilt, “covert use,” affective and processing benefits, validating the students’ own language, and solidarity with the instructor. The author concludes that a trend toward what Atkinson calls “judicious use” is reasonable.

4. Abstracts from Other Journals

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

   “Challenges for ELT from the expansion in teaching children” addresses a growing international trend of teaching English to younger learners (TEYL). Some issues raised are teacher education, student motivation, assessment, and the diversity of levels that exist in secondary school. The second article explores the topic of “Ownership” of English and the NS-NNS distinction. The study asked speakers from India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States to rate the acceptability of sentences. Their answers reflected their degree of ownership and perceptions of the target language.

5. Teacher Resources

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

   “Teacher Resources” includes summaries of two publications. In “Beyond Methods: Macrostrategies for Language Teaching,” B. Kumaravadivelu suggests ten keys to successful practice, called macrostrategies, and describes how to implement them. This is a teacher-training tool and promotes reflective teaching. “Teaching Online” by Susan Ko and Steve Rossen is useful for instructors who have not had training in teaching online classes. It covers developing the course, adapting an existing course to an online course, methods for this new educational environment, and more.

6. Teaching the World's Children: ESL for Ages Three to Seven

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

   This article discusses teaching English as a second language to very young learners. The authors talks about how important it is for children to have a wide variety of experiences when building language and literacy. The authors explain how the use of various environments, including learning centers, block centers, art or sand tables, writing areas, science and technology centers, and even libraries, can help shape the way a child learns language as well as improve other skills.

7. Story Theater

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

   This article introduces an interactive and engaging classroom activity entitled Story Theater. The goal of this activity is to provide students with a text to read aloud as they act out the storyline using props and special effects. The purpose of Story Theater is to aid fluency and memorization and to provide students with a chance to use the language and their imaginations. This activity can be used with all ages and all English proficiency levels. The author includes examples of effective Story Theater lessons.

8. English Proficiency Test: The Oral Component of a Primary School

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

   This article discusses the various problems found when teachers try to design the oral production part of English proficiency tests for young learners. The authors discuss matters such as intimidation or the possibility of relating the test too much to other conventional tests. They offer ways to address these issues, including testing for fluency, using elicitation procedures, and changing the view of the test into a more relaxed game-like scenario. The authors provide examples of where these ideas have been implemented.

9. Teaching ESL Versus EFL

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The author argues for different teaching approaches in EFL vs. ESL settings. He points out the differences in student motivation and suggests how to select different activities for the two contexts (with examples of relevant activities). He gives guidelines for the appropriate role of L1 in each classroom, and explains how the two classroom cultures differ (for example, in term of the learning styles of the students). He argues that keeping in mind these differences will help educators make more effective decisions for their students.

10. From Passive Participant to Active Thinker

    In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 3 Format(s): Text

    This article discusses how, through materials development, teachers can help students think critically and feel comfortable enough to be active participants in class. The author suggests adapting materials to be more relevant to the interests and needs of students in a particular context. Another suggestion is to create materials that help students connect their thoughts and feelings to the language they are learning. The author includes techniques to promote critical thinking and learner autonomy.

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