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1. Motivating Students by Modifying Evaluation Methods

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

   This author identifies three key elements to student assessment—overly critical correcting, expectations, and competitive scoring—that prevent success in the ESL environment, based on the typical Chinese educational structure. The article discusses several techniques, mostly learner-centered, that a teacher can use to provide effective assessments while also creating an environment of trust, confidence, and fairness, where a student feels safe to take risks.

2. News & Notes

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

   This entry tells readers that audio from vinyl records included in Forum over 20 years ago is now available free via the Internet at www.antimoon.com. The audio files includes shaggy dog jokes and a train story. There is also an announcement of a new journal, the Journal of English for Academic Purposes, which started last year to keep EAP teachers and researchers up to date.

3. The Lighter Side

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

   Blue is a common word found in American idioms. For example, “Once in a blue moon” means something happening rarely. And “Blue in the face” means a person is pale from exhaustion or frustration. This short section lists several idioms with the word blue in them, and gives an explanation of the phrase.

4. English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 4

   Format(s): Text

   In the October 2002 issue of the ET Forum, the lead article is an interview with Mark Warschauer on the challenges and opportunities of education. The feature article is on renewable energy; other articles cover the areas of teacher development, what works in the language classroom, giving feedback for learner training, and phonetic symbols as a stepping stone.

5. A View of the Past: The Second Decade (1973 - 1982)

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

   This article reflects on the articles published at the second decade of Forum (1973-1982) to reconsider theoretical perspectives and classroom practices that are still relevant today. It discusses two recurring themes. The first addresses the meaning of linguistic competence, and the second relates to the effectiveness of language teaching methods. The article focuses on four major pieces published at different times within that period.

6. English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 2

   Format(s): Text

   Featured in this issue are an interview with James E. Alatis and an integrated skills lesson plan for "The Making of a City." Other articles cover English as an international language, the teaching of collocations, reciprocal teaching, and tutoring in an ESOL music project.

7. Using Task Journals with Independent Readers

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

   This article discusses using journal tasks to help intermediate students with the challenges they face when they do independent reading in ESL/EFL reading classes. It describes the design, implementation, and integration of task journals designed to encourage students to think about content, reflection on the reading process, and vocabulary learning.

8. Creating Meaningful Web Pages: A Project-Based Course

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

   This article describes a nine-week course in Web design that can guide students in the production of an electronic project. It discusses the importance of project-based courses in language teaching since they offer learners an opportunity to be creative, control their own learning, and produce something tangible. The article addresses the benefits and difficulties of teaching such a course.

9. English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 2

   Format(s): Text

   This issue has a feature article and lesson plan on one-room schools. Article topics include varieties of English, ESL versus EFL, pronunciation, vocabulary strategies, and word recognition exercises.

10. 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.

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