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1. Empowering Teachers through Professional Development

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

   This article promotes professional development for teachers. Connection to a community of teachers and greater motivation and achievement of students are just a few benefits of learning new skills, resources, and techniques. The author describes low-cost development opportunities, from individual tasks such as reading articles and keeping a journal, to collaborative techniques such as peer mentoring/coaching, forming a teacher support group, or joining a national organization.

2. Developing Voice by Composing Haiku: A Social-Expressivist Approach for Teaching Haiku Writing in EFL Contexts

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

   This article discusses Haiku as a simple way to use poetry to help students develop voice and audience in their writing. The author gives an explanation and example of Haiku and gives step-by-step instructions for how Haiku may be taught, from interpretation to composition to publication.

3. Consciousness-Raising and Prepositions

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

   This article discusses consciousness-raising as a way to help students learn English prepositions. This technique, in which grammatical forms are highlighted in some way, can be helpful to teachers, especially when instructors have difficulty finding materials. The author shares her experience using consciousness-raising in a course in South Africa for ESL teachers.

4. Twenty Ideas for Using Mobile Phones in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Educators need to learn how best to use the increasingly popular mobile phone technology to support learning in the language classroom. This author outlines the benefits as well as potential problems and solutions of mobile phone use, giving twenty practical ideas for classroom activities, such as using a voice recorder to capture conversations outside the classroom.

5. Lesson Plan: Athletes, Actions, and Adjectives

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   People who are very familiar with American football and those completely unfamiliar with it can benefit from the interactive, communicative activities presented in this lesson plan. Students can analyze examples from the NFL and create their own team names, team logos, and player descriptions. Ideas for teaching adjectives and body parts are also provided. In the spirit of the game, the plan features quick, lively group activities, all under 50 minutes each.

6. Integrating Indigenous Cultures into English Language Teaching

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   The authors present a variety of EFL lesson plans focused on various cultures of the world (e.g., Bantu storytelling, Maori tattoos, Native American star quilts). Teachers are encouraged to help students connect with their own cultures to keep them alive.

7. Mind Mirror Projects: A Tool for Integrating Critical Thinking into the English Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Students often have difficulty 'reading between the lines.' This article suggests the use of mind mirror activities as a tool to improve students' critical thinking and learning skills (e.g., analysis, categorization, clarification, inferencing). The author describes a successful five-day group project from his own classroom that ended in students sharing their work through poster presentations.

8. Using Story Boxes in Language Learning

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article outlines how to bring stories alive through the use of story boxes (or bags). The author suggests that teachers use easy-to-find materials such as shoeboxes or pizza boxes. These can be filled with a variety of small surprise items related to the content. The teacher or the students can find items for these boxes. Story boxes can easily be moved and stored. They can be used in identifying themes or for vocabulary and grammar exercises, and they work well with learners of all ages.

9. Learning to Hypothesize with Confidence through Sudoku Game Play

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   According to the author, the game Sudoku offers a useful way to teach students in an EFL environment. Students learn the important words and grammar connected to language functions of confident hypothesizing and making logical conclusions. When students solve the Sudoku puzzles, they are asked to use modal verbs of certainty (e.g., must, can) and colloquial phrases such as "I bet that..." to communicate. The author provides lesson templates.

10. Reading to Speak: Integrating Oral Communication Skills

    In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

    Although students want to practice speaking English, they do not have many opportunities to do so in the Chinese EFL system. This often results in something called 'mute English.' This article suggests a greater integration of skills through reading to speak activities. The author includes activities for reading to act, reading to debate, and reading to interview. These activities move students away from a focus on form, allowing students to be creative and build fluency.

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