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1. 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.

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. Developing Voice by Composing Haiku: A Social-Expressivist Approach for Teaching Haiku Writing in EFL Contexts

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses Haiku as a simple way to use poetry to help students develop voice and audience in their writing. The author gives an explanation and example of Haiku and gives step-by-step instructions for how Haiku may be taught, from interpretation to composition to publication.

4. Adapting Authentic Materials for Language Teaching

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

   This article looks at how to adapt original materials for language teaching, using an intermediate-level text for business as an example. The discussion is organized into four sections: semantic, lexical, syntactic, and discourse elements. The author argues that the process is the same for teaching each of these four elements. Teachers can adapt authentic materials for different classroom uses, depending on their students’ ages and proficiency levels.

5. Abstracts from Other Journals

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   In “EAP Issues and Directions,” Ken Hyland and Liz Hamp-Lyons consider elements EAP researchers and teachers face. The challenges and academic needs of EAP, for both students and teachers, are addressed, along with solutions to those challenges. Teaching writing within the legal profession when the student is also an ESL/EFL student is the main topic of “Developing Legal Writing Materials for English Second Language Learners: Problems and Perspectives” by C. N. Candlin, V. K. Bhatia, and C. H. Jensen. The article includes an analysis of textbooks and suggested customized resources.

6. 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.

7. Using Comics in the English Language Classroom

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

   This webinar demonstrates the universality of comics for any language classroom, showing how multi-skill comic activities can be used with students of all ages and ability levels.

8. Establishing Textual Authority and Separating Voices: A New Approach to Teaching Referencing

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article provides practical reasoning and tools for the ESOL teacher to better teach source referencing. The author argues that students from around the world are taught different concepts for using sources. Students often assume texts present truths that do not require analysis. Many cultures teach students to memorize texts and repeat them to show mastery and shared knowledge. The author addresses plagiarism and provides classroom exercises.

9. The Trans-Cultural Comparative Literature Method: Using Grammar Translation Techniques Effectively

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article explains the trans-cultural comparative literature method, which uses elements of communicative language teaching (CLT) and grammar-translation (GT) while comparing two culturally different texts. This method focuses on grammar and vocabulary, but also gives students a chance to analyze different cultures. An overview of CLT and GT is followed by guidelines for the trans-cultural comparative literature method and sample lesson plans for its use.

10. Language & Literature in Tertiary Education: The Case for Stylistics

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

    This article discusses the lack of quality in students’ literary criticism in degree English courses, suggesting that students have difficulty understanding literary texts in English. It recommends stylistic analysis, the analysis of structures and vocabulary, as a way that learners of English as a second or foreign language can develop a more active and independent approach to understanding and critiquing literary works.

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