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1. Shaping the Way We Teach English: Successful Practices Around the World

   Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   A teacher-training course consisting of fourteen video-based modules. Each modules is a ten to fifteen minute video segment with examples.

2. Using Progressive I-Can Statements to Promote Learner Confidence in Writing

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Language learners may sometimes feel shy and unsure of their abilities and may not be able to see what they are able to do. The authors found that writing I-can statements (e.g., I can write the names of foods in English) can be a good way to build confidence. Students use their I-can records to assess their own progress. The authors offer a starting point for teachers by presenting ideas for tasks such as copying words, writing signs, and writing about the weekend.

3. Integrating Indigenous Cultures into English Language Teaching

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   The authors present a variety of EFL lesson plans focused on various cultures of the world (e.g., Bantu storytelling, Maori tattoos, Native American star quilts). Teachers are encouraged to help students connect with their own cultures to keep them alive.

4. Mind Mirror Projects: A Tool for Integrating Critical Thinking into the English Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Students often have difficulty 'reading between the lines.' This article suggests the use of mind mirror activities as a tool to improve students' critical thinking and learning skills (e.g., analysis, categorization, clarification, inferencing). The author describes a successful five-day group project from his own classroom that ended in students sharing their work through poster presentations.

5. Using Story Boxes in Language Learning

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article outlines how to bring stories alive through the use of story boxes (or bags). The author suggests that teachers use easy-to-find materials such as shoeboxes or pizza boxes. These can be filled with a variety of small surprise items related to the content. The teacher or the students can find items for these boxes. Story boxes can easily be moved and stored. They can be used in identifying themes or for vocabulary and grammar exercises, and they work well with learners of all ages.

6. Learning to Hypothesize with Confidence through Sudoku Game Play

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   According to the author, the game Sudoku offers a useful way to teach students in an EFL environment. Students learn the important words and grammar connected to language functions of confident hypothesizing and making logical conclusions. When students solve the Sudoku puzzles, they are asked to use modal verbs of certainty (e.g., must, can) and colloquial phrases such as "I bet that..." to communicate. The author provides lesson templates.

7. Reading to Speak: Integrating Oral Communication Skills

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Although students want to practice speaking English, they do not have many opportunities to do so in the Chinese EFL system. This often results in something called 'mute English.' This article suggests a greater integration of skills through reading to speak activities. The author includes activities for reading to act, reading to debate, and reading to interview. These activities move students away from a focus on form, allowing students to be creative and build fluency.

8. Between the ESP Classroom and the Workplace: Bridging the Gap

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the need to bridge the gap between ESP classroom content and activities, and workplace needs. It suggests using observation, interviews, and questionnaires from the workplace to make teaching methods in ESP classrooms match employment needs. The article offers an example of this from Morocco, where the ESP textbook was supplemented with data gathered from employers and employees in the local hospitality industry.

9. The Formeaning Response Approach: Poetry in the EFL Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the use of poetry-based activities in the English as foreign language (EFL) classroom. It claims that poetry exposes learners to content-rich materials. It presents the Formeaning Response approach, which combines language elements with personal responses to poetry, and offers activities that motivate students to attend and respond to both the form and the overall meaning.

10. Learning to Learn Cooperatively

    In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    This article discusses the use of cooperative learning activities in the classroom to strengthen students’ interpersonal communication skills and increase their participation in the language-learning process. It addresses the importance of cultural and individual differences in cooperative learning. The article offers practical suggestions and useful activities to teach learners how to get involved in such activities and to complete the activity successfully.

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