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1. Harmonious Learning: Yoga in the English Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   The author discusses the connection between yoga and language learning. Body position as well as visualization and guided imagery can introduce language in an enjoyable way. The lessons are modeled after a Total Physical Response (TPR) approach. The benefits of yoga in the classroom include reducing anxiety, helping students focus through silence, and embedding language in tasks. The author answers frequently asked questions and provides sample activities and suggested resources.

2. Chapter 4: Rain Forests

   In: Language and Civil Society E-Journal: Environmental Education Format(s): Text

   This chapter in the Environmental Education volume of the Language and Civil Society e-journal focuses on tropical forests and the issues surrounding their preservation.

3. Chapter 5: Oceans and Coasts

   In: Language and Civil Society E-Journal: Environmental Education Format(s): Text

   This chapter in the Environmental Education volume of the Language and Civil Society e-journal explores the present state of the world's oceans and coasts and the important role that humans play in maintaining the life and health of oceans and coastal areas.

4. Module 10: Alternative Assessment

   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 alternative assessment.

5. Passion for Life!

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 3 Format(s): Text, Image / Poster / Maps

   In “Passion for Life,” the author promotes the use of drawing to make the classroom a positive and pleasant place. This technique can help even shy students become active. After reading the poem “Life” by Mother Teresa, students choose their favorite line from the poem and draw a picture to represent it. Secondary students are asked to learn the poem by heart.

6. On Top of Old Smokey

   In: Sing Out Loud Traditional Songs Format(s): MP3, Text, Image / Poster / Maps

   This song in the Sing Out Loud Traditional Songs collection is a ballad where a mountain is the centerpiece.

7. 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.

8. Meeting Learners' Academic Needs

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

   This article suggests that language teachers can learn from the ideas of educators who work outside the field of language teaching. The author examines learner needs and discusses how the they can be met in his teaching context. The learner needs addressed in this article are the need to feel secure and important, the need to understand the learning goals, the need for time to integrate learning, the need to understand the learning process, and the need to receive feedback.

9. Information Gap in Communicative Classrooms

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

   The author argues that exchanges in the classroom must go beyond display questions and should be based on the information gap that occurs when one speaker does not know in advance what the other is going to say. The author provides examples of information gap activities to promote a communicative classroom. Activity types include practical situations, guessing games, role plays, opinion gap activities, and reasoning gap activities. The author argues that these activities have real communicative value.

10. 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.

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