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1. No Books and 150 Students?

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article describes the author’s experiences coping with the challenges of teaching English in an Indonesian university, such as classroom conditions and large numbers of students at different proficiency levels. The author suggests five activities that are designed to involve students in learning with little dependence on materials and little movement. The author also describes three out-of-class activities. Appendices include materials for the activities and additional references.

2. Encouraging Learners to Create Language-Learning Materials

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Student-produced materials are a powerful tool for promoting learner autonomy.

3. Engaging Students as Tutors, Trainers, and Leaders

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   While starting a tutoring program may seem like a daunting and time-consuming task, it does not have to be. The best way to approach the creation and development of a tutoring service is with a list of clear objectives. In this article, I describe the process I used to create a tutoring program with my English as a foreign language university students.

4. The Rio–Warsaw Connection: Encouraging Interculturalism among Students

   In: English Teaching Forum 2015, Volume 53, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   It all began in Norwich. As they do every year, teachers from different parts of the world went in July 2012 to that beautiful little city in the east of England to take part in one of the two-week professional development courses offered by the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE).

5. Clause Relationships and Macro Patterns: Coherence, Cohesion, and the Writing of Advanced ESOL Students

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002 (Volume 40, Number 1) Format(s): Text

   This article discusses problems that non-native speakers of English may have in making their written texts cohesive and coherent. The author provides cohesive devices that can aid students in their writing and emphasizes the organization of ideas in order to build coherence. Included are activities designed to raise students' awareness of various patterns, help reformulate sentences, aid students in creating their own texts, and increase their ability to edit their own work.

6. Teaching Students How to Write a Description with Photos

   In: English Teaching Forum 2017, Volume 55, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This Teaching Technique explains what the author describes as a pre-task for teaching students to write descriptively about a photo diary that students create themselves.

7. Enliven Your Class and Engage Your Students with Fun Facts

   In: English Teaching Forum 2023, Volume 61, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Stephen Mark Silvers enlivens this article with dozens of “fun facts” while also explaining how teachers can use such facts to motivate students and develop students’ English skills in creative ways. The author, who notes that students’ responses to the facts will be “authentic and meaningful,” provides a number of sources where teachers can find fun facts to use with their classes.

8. To the Moon! — A Launch Pad for Encouraging Students to Express Their Opinions

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Writing a persuasive essay can be a challenging task. This article outlines an activity that involves developing, communicating, and exploring opinions. Students work individually to select volunteers to go to the moon. Groups then try to agree on the selection, discussing their reasons and assumptions. A number of letter-writing assignments incorporate material from the discussions. This student-centered activity can improve confidence, critical thinking skills, and writing fluency, while students learn from and challenge each other.

9. Is There a TA in Your Future? Upper-Class Teaching Assistants in the EFL Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2023, Volume 61, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   Author Gene Richards argues that establishing a program that prepares and allows upper-class students to become teaching assistants (TAs) for lower-class students can have benefits for all students—as well as their teachers. The article provides suggestions for setting up and managing the program; it also includes templates for TA agreements and certificates that readers are welcome to use if they establish a TA program of their own.

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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