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1. Teaching Conversation with Trivia

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article presents reasons for using trivia (a quizzing game) to teach conversation and provides tips on how trivia-based materials fit into communicative language teaching approaches. It also presents examples of trivia-based activities that can be used in the conversation classroom. The article suggests that using trivia-based materials makes the content more interesting, meaningful, and thus motivating for learners.

2. Module 9: Critical and Creative Thinking

   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 critical and creative thinking in the classrooms.

3. 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.

4. Changing Homework Habits: Rethinking Attitudes

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

   There are a number of reasons why students forget, ignore, or reject homework, but what can a teacher do to encourage students to complete homework? The author argues that students' habits are a reflection of the teacher's attitudes about homework. The article introduces eight points that can help create a more homework-positive classroom. They include assigning the right amount of homework, always remembering to correct homework, accepting late submissions, and changing the time during the lesson you assign homework.

5. Keeping Discipline in the Classroom

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

   This article discusses the challenges of keeping order in the classroom and provides suggestions for fostering an environment of mutual respect. The article looks at what students expect of teachers as well as temporary games and long-term strategies that students use to take control from the teacher. Some practical solutions to discipline problems include keeping students’ attention, establishing clear rules together, and addressing discipline problems by using nonverbal and verbal cues before reacting to the problem.

6. Tips for Reading Extensively

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

   This article describes how instructors can help their students benefit from extensive reading. Ten tips cover the basic guidelines of extensive reading. Extensive reading can improve learners’ fluency, confidence, and motivation in addition to expanding vocabulary and increasing reading speed. Students should read for overall comprehension and avoid turning to dictionaries with each new word. Modeling extensive reading and reading aloud with enthusiasm may also encourage student interest.

7. 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.

8. Literacy Memoirs

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

   This article discusses the use of literacy memoirs to help students become motivated to write. This can give students the chance for reflection on their literacy skills while also improving their writing in English. The author explains how a literacy memoir workshop can work in a process writing classroom, giving a sample schedule and examples of student memoirs.

9. Classroom Techniques: - What a Feeling!

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

   This article argues for the use of collaborative writing through poems in the ESL classroom. This activity gives students the motivation to express their creativity while improving teamwork skills that are important outside of the classroom. The author describes how collaborative poetry is introduced and carried out, gives examples of student poems, and suggests how the activity can be used with other genres as well.

10. Classroom Techniques: - Nonstop Writing

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

    This article offers Nonstop Writing as a classroom activity to help students overcome the anxiety that can come with composition in a second language. Nonstop Writing is defined as timed, ungraded writing on an assigned topic. The author describes how to carry out and use this activity.

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