ELTWeekly Issue#4, Useful ELT resources
By Tarun Patel
Pearson Longman English Language Teaching Website
On this website, there are lots of ideas and free resources for learners and teachers of English language. Try fun online activities, download free support materials and get helpful tips on learning and teaching English. Find out more about Great Teachers and how to become a Pearson Longman Author.
Pearson Longman English Language Teaching Website offers English learning content for young learners, adults, business people, teens and all.
Visit Pearson Longman English Language Teaching Website here: http://www.pearsonlongman.com
Oxford University Press ELT Website
Oxford University Press India is the leading publisher of English Language Teaching (ELT) materials for Indian schools. Specifically designed to meet the needs of English language learners, the materials include core language learning courses including readers for various learner groups.
All key ELT courses are accompanied by valuable teaching aids, including teacher’s books and audio-visual teaching aids. More recently, OUP India has also provided electronic teaching support in the form of CDs as also through the web. OUP India’s rich and extensive ELT list also includes supplementary skill-based courses in grammar, comprehension, listening and speaking, writing and extensive reading. Authoritative, innovative and using learner-centred pedagogy, the courses have been authored by renowned ELT material producers such as D.H. Howe, David Horsburgh, Nicholas Horsburgh and Paul Gunashekhar.
Oxford University Press ELT Website here: http://www.oup.co.in/schools/elthome/index.php
English Club
English Club comes from Cambridge, England. It is written mainly in British English, taking the The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English as a reference. But they have pages about other varieties of English such as American or Canadian.
English Club is divided into various main sections that you can navigate easily. Some of the most popular are:
For Learners
Lessons
- English Grammar: With help and tutorials on everything from tenses to prepositions
- English Vocabulary: Help and resources on English words, including the Top 20 Words for each subject, with explanations
- English Pronunciation: Tutorials and sound files explaining aspects of English pronunciation such as word stress, sentence stress and linking
- English Language Reference: An online dictionary of idioms, sayings, slang and more, with example sentences and quizzes
Interactive
- Grammar Help: A 24-hour ESL Help Desk with real live Teachers to answer your questions
- Play ESL Games: Play word games like Hangman, and learn English while having fun!
- Discuss at ESL Forums: This is where you can express your views and have a discussion in English
- Chat in ESL Chat: Where you can chat online with English learners and teachers worldwide
- Write an ESL Blog: Start your own English blog, and share your ideas and news
- Listen to the News in English: with texts and questions to help you
Special Interest
- Business English: Business English resources including money matters, news and professional seminars on subjects like CVs/resumes or presentations
- Learning Resources: ESL books, CDs, games and other learning aids specially chosen to help you in learning or teaching English
- English Schools Guide: an English Schools Directory to help you find the right school for you to study abroad
For Teachers
- ESL Lesson Plans: helping you find and prepare your lessons
- ESL Jobs: with regular teaching jobs from around the world
- TEFL Notice Board: where you can meet other teachers worldwide to share ideas and set up school-to-school projects
- School Admin: an area of tips, articles and tools for school managers and administration staff
In addition to these sections, you’ll find the following resources particularly useful:
- ESL Progress Newsletter
You get this free newsletter when you join English Club, straight to your email inbox- 7 Secrets for ESL Learners
These secrets will come to you by email. Just join English Club to subscribe.- ESL Webguide
A links directory specially to help you find sites about the learning and teaching of English.Visit English Club here: http://www.englishclub.com
January 3rd, 2009
ELTWeekly Issue#4, Worldwide ELT news
By Tarun Patel
The English language is going to the dogs – The Japan Times
On Friday nights, I teach private English lessons to five people and three dogs. The dogs are good students: They are very quiet and never bark or interrupt. They always come to class well-groomed, wearing smart looking T-shirts and dresses. Absenteeism is rare, with just one absence due to a veterinary visit.
For the most part, the dogs sleep right through class, making it similar to teaching high-school students. The only difference is that they are blissfully sleeping in the arms of their owners. All the dogs are small and fit conveniently into the crooks of their owners’ arms. But since this makes it difficult for the owners to write anything down, I wonder why they don’t use baby slings.
Read more here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090103td.html
(LC) SCHOOLS: Enhancing lessons with technology – nstOnline
TEACHERS can enhance students’ learning experience in the classroom by integrating technology into lessons.
However, many may feel unprepared to do so or even support students who incorporate it into their schoolwork.
Intel Corp has been training teachers to use technology in the classroom successfully under its Intel Teach programme.
In this course, teachers learn from their peers about incorporating technology into lesson plans with a focus on developing students’ thinking skills.
Read more here: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Advanced/2442282/Article/index_html
Taoyuan County hosts ‘English-language villages’ – Taiwan News
The latest craze to hit Taiwan’s elementary schools is learning English by staying at a “language village”- a formula originating in South Korea.Taoyuan County is the host of Taiwan’s first three English villages, where fifth-graders get the chance to practice their English in a real-life context, as if they were really sightseeing and shopping overseas.
Read more here: http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=824901?=eng_news
Language games — English And otherwise — sharpen the tongue – JCOnline
Believe me, I’d rather be playing Call of Duty: World at War than My Word Coach, because in the online version of “World at War,” I just earned my level-65 general stripes, and that means I finally get to burn up Nazis with a flamethrower. Fire!
But I’ve written enough about “World at War” lately, and not enough about Wii and DS teaching games like My Word Coach, which is a nice break from virtual death, and it delivers exactly what the title promises.
Read more here: http://www.jconline.com/article/20090101/COLUMNISTS21/901010304
ELTWeekly Issue#4, Worldwide ELT events
By Tarun Patel
MELTA 18th International Conference : ALIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING – June 11-13, 2009, Malaysia
The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) will host its 18th International Conference on the theme Aligning Teaching And Learning Effective Methodologies In English Language Education at Puteri Pacific Hotel, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia from 11-13 June 2009.
The conference also promises activities and competitions for teachers and students. A special feature of the 2009 conference will be a social responsibility event. For details please visit the conference website : http://www.melta.org.my/conference_2009/
2009 Asia TEFL International Conference - August 7-9, 2009, Thailand
The 2009 Asia TEFL Conference will be held from August 7-9, 2009 at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of the conference is “Collaboration and Creativity in English Language Teaching and Learning in Asia”. The deadline for submission of presentation proposals is February 20, 2009.
For further details visit: www.asiatefl.org
5th International Seminar on Teaching English in Multilingual Contexts: Current Challenges, Future Directions, April 18-19, 2009, Pakistan
Aga Khan University Centre of English Language invites you to the 5th International Seminar on Teaching English in Multilingual Contexts: Current Challenges, Future Directions to be held on April 18-19, 2009 at Aga Khan University Auditorium, Stadium Road Campus, Karachi, Pakistan.
The seminar will bring together English Language Teaching professionals from around the world to discuss, reflect on and develop their ideas, and the programme will offer many opportunities for professional contact and development. It will involve two days of talks, poster presentations, workshops, and panel discussions on the following major themes of the seminar.
- English for Specific Purposes
- English for Academic Purposes
- Business English
- Learner Autonomy
- Learning Technologies
- English in the Wider Community
- Teacher Training and Development
- Innovative Materials Design
- Critical Thinking and Language Development
- Testing and Evaluation
It will also give delegates a chance to meet leading theorists and writers, and exchange ideas with fellow professionals from all sectors of ELT, as well as enabling them to browse through the latest ELT publications in the resources exhibition.
Plenary Speakers
Plenary speakers at the 2009 seminar will include:
- Eric Baber – NetLearn Languages, UK
- Gavin Dudeney – The Consultants-E, Barcelona, Spain
- Paroo Nihalani – University of Brunei Darussalam
- Hayo Reinders - ELT consultant and writer, Holland
- Fauzia Shamim – Karachi University
- Anjum Saleemi – Govenment College University
- Mohammad Zafar – Aga Khan University, Karachi
Abstract Submission
Participants are invited to submit abstracts for their presentations latest by
Monday, December 15, 2008.Speakers will be informed of their abstracts acceptance by early January, 2009.
Registration
Registration is open to any member of the public who wishes to attend the seminar.
For further details visit: http://www.aku.edu/events/cel2009/
Language Learning in Computer Mediated Communities (LLCMC) Conference, October 11-13, 2009, Hawai‘i, USA
Hawai‘i Imin International Conference Center
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USAOnce, computers were seen as thinking machines or electronic tutors. Now the computer has become one of many devices that people use to form virtual communities of all kinds. In the field of language education, computer mediated communication (CMC) enables students to interact with one another free of space and time constraints and to participate in communities of learning with their counterparts in the target culture. The Language Learning in Computer Mediated Communities (LLCMC) Conference explores the use of computers as a medium of communication in language learning communities.
We welcome your paper proposal submissions in this exciting area – deadline March 1, 2009.
Conference highlights
- Keynote talk by Dr. Gilberte Furstenberg (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Special colloquium showcasing online cultural exchanges based at the University of Hawai‘i
- Optional pre-conference event - CULTURA: Web-based Intercultural Exchanges.
For further details visit: http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/llcmc/index.html
ELTWeekly Issue#4, Tip of the week: Blog to Teach
By Tarun Patel
Blog to Teach by Tarun Patel
Blogging can be a powerful and interesting activity to expand your reach among your students and also to help them improve their language.
Blogs can be utilized this way:
- Put your teaching materials, assignments, time table, important dates on blog
- Write summary of everyday lessons on your blog and ask students to post their comments
- Award the student who posts best comment keeping language and its importance in view
- Invite student articles to be posted on the blog and also ask other students and teachers to read those articles and offer their feedback
- Also students can be motivated to create their own blogs and post their articles, poems, quotes etc. Select the best blog and award it
Do you think something more could be added to this tip? Please send “what you think” to tarunjpatel@gmail.com.
ELTWeekly Issue#4, Quote of the week
By Tarun Patel
Dr. Willard Gaylin
English is such a deliciously complex and undisciplined language, we can bend, fuse, distort words to all our purposes. We give old words new meanings, and we borrow new words from any language that intrudes into our intellectual environment.
ELTWeekly Issue#4, Book of the week: The Practice of English Language Teaching
By Tarun Patel
The ELT book of the week for the fourth issue of ELTWeekly is:
The Practice of English Language Teaching, 3rd Edition
by
Jeremy Harmer
Book Details
Product Description
*Includes new examples from published coursebooks and reference materials *’Follow-up Tasks’ to practise the ideas presented in each chapter *Suggestions for further reading, and a detailed bibliography
From the Back Cover
The Third Edition of this classic text incorporates a broader and more detailed analysis of issues relevant to language teachers. The Practice of English Language Teaching is full of practical suggestions and samples from actual teaching materials.
Customer Reviews
J. Marren, Glen Ridge, NJ USA
Harmer was one of the two recommended texts for my CELTA English as a Second Language course. I found it heavy going, long on theory, short on practical advice for the new ESL teacher. I much prefer Scrivener, “Learning Teaching.” It’s hard to find in the US, but worth the effort.
N. Vachon
The Preface points out that the target audience of this book is postgraduate students, teachers in inservice training and practicing teachers. In other words people who have had some training in the past which they are now looking to put into practice. This is not my situation. I have none the less found the book to be very useful as a guide to the practical principles to be followed in Enlgish language teaching. Though it does not include very much in the way of sample activities or grammer rules, the principles the book discusses, if creativly applied, have the potential to offer a much more versitile range of activities then a collection straight forward lesson plans to follow or model after.
Admitedly I have not yet started teaching so I have not yet been able try it out.
T. Coates, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam
For both soon-to-be and established teachers, Harmer’s book is a good introduction to the research behind English language learning and thus the more effective ways of teaching. It is short on specific teaching ideas, but that isn’t its point. He points out ways that people learn, what some of the difficulties of learning English are and how to work on specific areas. I’ve found the book very helpful in becoming a better, more knowledgeable EFL teacher.
ELTWeekly Issue#4, Guest Article: ELT – Using Toys as Educational Tools
By Tarun Patel
With the issue#4 of ELTWeekly, we are starting a new guest article series. In this series we will have expert’s articles posted every week.
Here’s the very first article in this series:
English Language Teaching – Using Toys as Educational Tools
by Prof. Larry M. Lynch
Children love to play. Who can deny it? So why not use this universal characteristic to provide and promote English language learning as well? If you do, you can hardly go wrong. What child is going to say, “Teacher, I don’t want to play”? Sure, it’s ultimately possible – but so is a force five tornado in South America or an “Armageddon-level earthquake in Tibet. Just don’t hold your breath while you’re waiting.
Toys of all types and kinds are available worldwide. Why not turn this to your advantage to motivate your young learners? For that matter, your not-so-young learners could benefit too; especially those learners who are “young at heart”, for those of you who might be teaching adult learners. Let’s look at some “realia” or “toys” that are commonly available and could be called into play. (pun intended)
# Stuffed animals and dolls –
A perennial learner favorite even my most mature adult students give up an “Awww”, whenever I whip out the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Tigger, rabbit, puppy, Teddy or others of my stuffed animal menagerie. You can simulate conversations, use them to illustrate prepositions of place and position, as turn-taking devices or to “replace” learners in a game or activity. They (the stuffed animals) don’t mind being tossed around either.
# Soft rubber or inflated ball –
How a classroom could function without at least one of these is beyond me. One learner can “select” another in a mill drill, TPR or group activity by simply tossing the ball to someone else. That way the teacher won’t “play favorites” during the activity. A ball can be used in a relay fashion to signal the next learner in a sequence or game. If it’s dropped or mis-handled, no problem, it just bounces a couple of times or so before returning to the game. Neat, huh?
# Cars, trucks and other Vehicles –
Learners can “drive” to places in a neighborhood, from one part of the room to another or from one position on a game board to another. Small ones can serve as place markers in a board game, while larger ones can be used as props in dialogues, role plays and conversations. Don’t forget about using them for grammar and verb practice activities either. And oh yes, girls as well as boys like them too. Adults? Well I have to watch my vehicle props carefully or the adult learners will “steal” them!
# Board games –
You really only need a small selection of board games if you have even a shred of imagination. Two or three will work nicely. Some all-time favorites are ones like “Scrabble”, “Monopoly”, “Checkers” and “Chess” which both use the same alternately colored squares board. Use the boards to “create” your own games too. Don’t forget a deck or two of Playing Cards either. No, not for Poker, but for simpler, faster-playing games like “War”, “Fish” or “21” (numbers – not Blackjack!)
Please note:
I’m not a proponent of using guns or simulations of firearms of any type in the classroom – not even water pistols. No bats, hitting, or aggressive behavior promoting realia of any type normally enters my learning environments. True you can get aggressive behavior from some of the toys I’ve mentioned, but it’s easily squashed or put down without too much trouble. I just explain to the learners what’s allowed and what’s not. This of course, is by no means an exhaustive list. I’m sure you’ll come up with many of your own locally-available favorites for use in your classroom. In fact, if you have some unusual or unique realia that you use, I’d love to hear about it.
Drop me a line at: lynchlarrym AT gmail DOT com.
And good luck.
About Prof. Larry M. Lynch
Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.
For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com.
**ELTWeekly would like to thank Prof. Larry M. Lynch for granting permission to reprint this article.