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1. Chapter 5: Speaking the Language of Peace

   In: Language and Civil Society E-Journal: Peace Education Format(s): Text

   This chapter in the Peace Education volume of the Language and Civil Society e-journal focuses on developing effective communication skills in order to carry out positive interactions in every day social situations as well as in conflict situations.

2. GoEnglish.Me: A VOA English Software Program

   Format(s): Video, Website

   Interactive, task-based American English learning program produced by Voice of America.

3. A Questionnaire Project: Integrating the Four Macro Skills with Critical Thinking

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article describes the steps of a questionnaire project that uses listening, speaking, reading and writing while developing interpretation skills and self-regulation. The project creates survey questions, collects and analyzes data, and reports results. While students work in groups, they have opportunities to brainstorm, express opinions, and ask for clarification. The article includes tips on time constraints, evaluation of data, participation, and topic selection.

4. Create to Communicate: Art Activities for the EFL Classroom

   Format(s): Text

   Looking for ways to add art activities to your English language classroom? Create to Communicate is filled with great activities and lessons that use art to foster English language development.

5. Global Topics, Local Teaching

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

   This webinar, "Global Topics, Local Teaching," explains how to develop service learning activities in the classroom.

6. Keep it Moving: Ideas for Fun, Active Classroom Activities

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

   During this session, Regional English Language Officer Kevin McCaughey shares his approach to a dynamic classroom space: The Movable Class. Kevin explains how this approach will help you to use more group work, design student-centered activities, and become a more confident classroom manager, all while you and your students have more fun!

7. The Pinwheel: A Classroom Design for Boosting Social Learning

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

   This session, "The Pinwheel: A Classroom Design for Boosting Social Learning," introduces the “Pinwheel” classroom structure.

8. Morning Discussion as a Communicative Activity

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

   This article describes freshman university students in China. They started their day with Morning Discussion, a student-hosted discussion of relevant topics. BBC and VOA reports were useful sources. The discussions offered opportunities for negotiation, clarification, and building communicative competence. As students took responsibility for the topics, classroom set up, and participation, their confidence grew. This was very successful, as shown by comments in students’ weekly diaries. Instructors stayed out of debates and did not interrupt to offer corrections.

9. Encouraging Student Voices in a Chinese Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   The author shares two activities she developed to promote student participation and encourage candid feedback. The first strategy involved having a student "facilitator" play the role of the teacher in small group discussions, providing an alternative to teacher-centered classrooms. To receive candid feedback from students, the author developed a system called no-fuss feedback. Students drew a large circle on a piece of paper and, as they listened to a list of class activities, they wrote the name of the activity in the circle if it helped them, and outside the circle if it did not.

10. Create to Communicate: Collage

    In: Create to Communicate: Art Activities for the EFL Classroom Format(s): Text

    This section contains five lesson plans focusing on imperatives, present continuous, wh-questions, contrastive nouns, and future aspect using will focusing on high beginner to advanced proficiency levels.

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