Advanced Search: Resources

1. Towards Better Group Work: Seeing the Difference between Cooperation and Collaboration

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The author explains the difference between cooperation and collaboration in the classroom. Cooperation is students working together (each with individual tasks) for an end product, while collaboration is students interacting to create knowledge. The author discusses the strengths of collaboration and the teacher’s role. Also provided are guidelines for successful collaboration, sample activities, and frequently asked questions, such as what to do when students have emotional reactions to the group work.

2. Enhancing Learner Motivation in the EFL Classroom

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

   This session, "Enhancing Learner Motivation in the EFL Classroom," addresses how to enhance our own motivation as teachers and then explore ways to enhance the motivation of our students. We will anchor the discussion on Dörnyei’s framework of motivational teaching practices.

3. Curiosity and Comprehension

   In: English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article, originally published in 1977, offers teachers techniques to pique students’ curiosity, making a case that curiosity spurs comprehension and initiative.

4. To Correct or Not Correct? Ideas for Subtle Error Correction During Speaking Tasks

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

   This webinar presents techniques designed to correct students’ grammar without interrupting the free flow of speech or the lesson.

5. Superpowering Your Lecture: Activities to Engage Learners and Gather Feedback

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

   This session, “Superpowering Your Lecture: Activities to Engage Learners and Gather Feedback,” explores several interactive, ready-to-use activities designed to motivate learners enrolled in lecture-style classes; these approaches also enable the instructor to gather crucial information about their students’ progress and understanding of the material.

6. Ten Helpful Ideas for Teaching English to Young Learners

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article offers ten suggestions for teaching young learners between the age of 7 and 12 based on language-teaching principles. They include supplementing activities with visuals, realia and movement; involving students in making visuals and realia; moving from activity to activity; teaching in themes; using stories and contexts familiar to students; establishing classroom routines in English; using L1 as a resource when necessary; bringing in helpers from the community; collaborating with other teachers in your school; and communicating with other professionals.

7. Tutorials: A Way of Building Community in the Classroom

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

   These authors from Singapore and Macao discuss the benefits of developing a sense of community in the classroom, which they say can build an environment of trust and mutual confidence with Chinese students. The authors recommend using individual and group tutorials. Although some teachers think tutorials are too much work, the authors claim it is worthwhile. These tutorials are developed with an informal structure and encourage a free flow of conversation. The article gives examples of how tutorials are used in the ESL classroom.

8. Building Autonomy through Cooperative Classroom Management

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

   This webinar demonstrates techniques that assist in creating effective cooperative and communicative classrooms, especially in classes of 20 students or more.

9. Reconceptualizing Interactional Groups: Grouping Schemes for Maximizing Language Learning

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

   While noting the research on the benefits of learner interaction, this article states that more attention needs to be given to strategies for planning successful group work while avoiding the problems that can come with group activities. The author gives guidelines for forming groups, such as how many students to put in each group, whether to use flexible or fixed groupings, and how to divide students (by personal affiliation, oral language ability, personality, L1, and academic interests). Also addressed are guidelines for designing tasks and assigning group roles.

10. Laugh and Learn: Thinking Over the "Funny Teacher" Myth

    In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 1 Format(s): Text

    The author in this article presents laughter and fun as an important part of a language classroom. The author suggests that when you laugh you learn better. Humor is introduced as a way to increase motivation and decrease anxiety. The author defines the “funny teacher” as a serious professional who uses humor to provide students with an enjoyable journey through learning. Activities are suggested for increasing fun and learning in the language classroom.

Pages