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1. Assessment of Young Learners

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

   This article discusses how the trend towards low-anxiety, communicative-based language teaching and integrated language and content teaching has created a need to change assessment strategies for young learners. The author describes alternative assessment techniques such as nonverbal responses, oral interview, narratives, group assessment, and dialogue journals, and suggests how they can be carried out through regular classroom work.

2. Using Teacher-Developed Corpora in the CBI classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article argues for the use of teacher-generated corpora in content-based courses. Using a content course for engineering and architecture students as an example, the article explains how a corpus consisting of texts from textbooks and journal articles helped students learn grammar, vocabulary, and writing. The article explains how the corpus was compiled and presents examples of how students learned to analyze language use using corpus tools and dictionaries. The article ends by emphasizing the advantages of corpus analysis for self-directed learning.

3. Teacher Resources

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 1 Format(s): Text

   In this special section of Forum, four commercial publications are presented. Topics include techniques to help middle school students with reading, student involvement and choice; an introduction to the concept of genre (of interest to ESL teachers, writing teachers, etc., including genre-based assessment and the importance of audience in writing); the use of literature circles with elementary learners to foster discussion and love of literature; and a book of EFL methodology.

4. The Use of Ethics in the EFL Classroom

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

   If students are not meeting their goals, it may be that the reason is non-linguistic. Motivation is an important factor that teachers need to consider. The writer argues that carefully chosen ethics cases can motivate timid students to speak out by removing their fear of making mistakes and by encouraging them to talk about heart-felt beliefs. Since ethics cases may not have clear right and wrong answers, this sets them apart from other discussion topics. Debate will foster critical thinking skills.

5. The Children's Response: TPR and Beyond

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

   This article describes a technique called The Children’s Response, which can be used to teach young EFL learners. The technique is based on Total Physical Response (TPR), which actively involves children from kindergarten to beyond third grade. The article offers three lessons that provide practice with the form and function of the present and past tense as well as prepositions and imperative commands.

6. 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.

7. Classroom Techniques: Unleashing Writing Creativity in Students

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

   This article argues for free, creative writing in the L2 classroom. The author states that because writing can be stressful and at times paralyzing, the goal of L2 writing should not be to produce perfect, error-free work. The teacher should be a coach, dictionary, and grammar book. The author includes creative writing activities.

8. Classroom Techniques: Some Communicative Activities Based on Overhead Projectors

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

   This article offers sample activities that use an overhead projector. These activities encourage students to use the target language while recalling information they have already learned. Activities include making shapes on the projector for discussion, manipulating objects to practice prepositions, and creating dialogues.

9. NASCAR: An American Sport and Pastime

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

   This article, written for students, is about NASCAR, a popular auto racing sport in the United States. It offers the history of the sport, interesting pictures, and a piece on the importance of a pit crew. There is also a profile of Jeff Gordon, a popular and winning driver. Also included are a list of NASCAR vocabulary and websites of interest, an overview of the sport and its rules, and information on three legendary drivers.

10. Spoken Grammar and Its Role in the English Language Classroom

    In: English Teaching Forum 2014, Volume 52, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    Spoken grammar has an important role in communicative English language teaching, and teachers who understand how to teach it can improve their students’ fluency.

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