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Identifying Our Approaches to Language Learning Technologies: Improving Professional Development

In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 3 Format(s): Text

This article emphasizes Warschauer's Model, explaining the three positions that researchers working in the field of language technology are concerned about: determinist or technophobe and technophile, instrumental, and critical. The article discusses the importance and application of Warschauer’s Model to professional development, offering ideas for activities and lesson plans related to each position held.

Developing Writing

Format(s): Text

Developing Writing is a reading and writing skills text designed for beginning to intermediate learners of English.

Helping Students Develop Coherence in Writing

In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 3 Format(s): Text

This article discusses the need to bring coherence in writing from an abstract level to a concrete concept that can be described and taught. Teachers need to teach coherence by sharing its metalanguage with students. This can be done for example by using more specific comments such as “unclear reference” or “inappropriate conjunction” instead of vague ones such as “the essay lacks unity.” The article offers a coherence checklist for students to self-edit and to review their peers’ writing.

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.

Building Vocabulary and Improving Writing while Developing a Tourist Brochure

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

This article describes how creating a tourist brochure can help students improve their vocabulary and writing skills. The author describes how to plan writing lessons based on the creation of a brochure: viewing videos, planning the brochure, writing the brochure, getting feedback and rewriting, and displaying the brochure. In the conclusion, the author highlights the benefits of the activity as providing opportunities for contextualized writing and vocabulary learning.

Developing a Bilingual Thematic Vocabulary Workbook

In: English Teaching Forum 2020, Volume 58, Number 4 Format(s): Text

The authors describe how to create—together with students—bilingual vocabulary workbooks, ideal in situations where resources are limited and as a supplement to existing materials. The article explains how to apply the process that was used to develop vocabulary workbooks in Madagascar.

Adding Variety to Word Recognition Exercises

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

This author discusses an interactive model of reading in which there is a balance in activities between top-down processes and the less common bottom-up processes such as word recognition. The author suggests adding more word recognition activities in L2 reading pedagogy to improve reading efficiency. After identifying the challenges in using these types of activities, the author proposes guidelines for developing materials that incorporate word recognition in an engaging way.

Strange Weather: Climate Change Activities for the English Classroom

In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

This webinar will review key themes related to climate change and the environment and will provide relevant, thought-provoking activities and materials that teachers can easily use in their English language classes.

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.

Using Comics in the English Language Classroom