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1. Applying Metacognitive Strategies to Skimming Research Articles in an ESP Context

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   The article focuses on explaining to post-secondary teachers how to teach their students to use metacognitive strategies to skim research articles in specialized fields. The author briefly explains metacognitive strategies in reading tasks and discusses the importance of strategy training and having a purpose in reading. The author then describes a lesson plan that includes a presentation and a three-step guided practice. The author concludes by emphasizing reading strategy training in an ESP context.

2. 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.

3. Reflection as a Necessary Condition for Action Research

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

   This article explores the idea that teachers can improve their practice through reflection and action research. The author discusses the constructivist and socio-constructivist roots of action research. The case study explores the use of a project to improve learner autonomy and cooperation. Students made key decisions about the project content, the size of the groups, and the roles that each member would play. To evaluate the experience, the instructor asked students open-ended questions. A colleague-observer filled out rating scales about instructor and student behaviors.

4. Helping Professionals Prepare Presentations in English for International Conferences

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

   This English teacher in Argentina describes how she helped a local doctor prepare for a presentation made in English at an international trade conference held in the United States. The article discusses how the author prepared to work with the specific topic, ophthalmology, the use of cognates in the specialized field, tips for helping the physician with his pronunciation, and the outcome of the presentation.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. A View of the Past: The Fourth Decade (1993 - 2002)

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article reflects on the articles published at the fourth decade of Forum (1993-2002) that present theoretical perspectives and classroom practices discussed over the past ten years. It provides four articles, each of which focuses on a different theme that was preeminent in that decade. These themes consist of the efficacy of using methods developed for ESL contexts in EFL contexts, the use of portfolios as assessment tools, the integration of project work in ESP classes, and teacher autonomy.

8. Methodology in the New Millennium

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Rodgers discusses what directions English language teaching might take in the new millennium. His ten paths are: (a) student-teacher matching, (b) combination of popular methods, (c) the reimagining of curricular development, (d) a more basic content-based teaching approach, (e) use of the multiple intelligences model, (f) a return to function and genre, (g) learner strategy training, (h) lexical chunks, (i) the expansion of definitions of language, and (j) adoption of a fuller understanding of communication.

9. Raising Students' Awareness of the Varieties of English

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 2 Format(s): Image / Poster / Maps

   This article argues that EFL students need to be familiar with different varieties of English. If EFL students hope to enter a global job market, knowledge of English around the world is essential. The author, an English teacher in Japan, proposes doing classroom workshops on language variation and English as a world language to broaden students’ views of language.

10. Classroom Techniques: Unleashing Writing Creativity in Students

    In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    This article argues for free, creative writing in the L2 classroom. The author states that because writing can be stressful and at times paralyzing, the goal of L2 writing should not be to produce perfect, error-free work. The teacher should be a coach, dictionary, and grammar book. The author includes creative writing activities.

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