Educators teaching English should utilize literature as a tool – The Comment Factory
TESL (Teaching English as a foreign language) books always try to be cool and update and reflective of the latest educational doctrines. But they are obviously composed by a bunch of middle aged didactic experts sitting in a room trying to figure out what the youth will like and and to find “cool” topics to discuss, completely forgetting what they used to think of people their age when they were young.
The rise of high-tech and the importance of scientific subjects such as physics, chemistry and biology now means that English is often just being taught in order to serve the future ability of a student to read scientific, instructive books in English. English is perceived as an obstacle that a person must overcome or a mere functional tool to understand other subjects, as it is the lingua franca of our times. English is being taught not because it is a subject in of its own. But his is travesty. As Charlemagne said, “To speak another language is to possess another soul”,
Read the complete news item: http://www.thecommentfactory.com/educators-teaching-english-should-utilize-literature-as-a-tool-1919
English-learning students on rise – Freepress.com
More than 30 languages are spoken among the students of Mankato Area Public Schools.
One out of every 25 students is enrolled in the district’s English-language learner program — well over double the ratio of the 1998-99 school year.
Read the complete news item: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_046233059.html
Why are the British so bad at languages? – Telegraph.co.uk
The Times devotes a slightly pompous second leader to the question. (Don’t you think Times leaders are miles better, by the way, since they moved to page two?) The Thunderer chides us for our laziness, concluding: “Linguistic nationalism, like economic nationalism, is a recipe for recession”.
Read the complete news item:http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/daniel_hannan/blog/2009/02/16/why_are_the_british_so_bad_at_language
Valentine’s Day / Teaching Material for the English language – Teachersnews
Valentine’s Day is one of the most famous holidays in the world. It falls on February the 14th and is celebrated across the world. It is the traditional day for lovers to express their love to each other. They do this by sending Valentine’s cards with romantic messages. It is common to leave the card unsigned.
Read the complete news item:http://www.teachersnews.net/artikel/sek__i/englisch/010367.php
TKT: Teacher, know thyself! – Arab News
JEDDAH: The British Council in Jeddah is to follow the success of the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) course with one for teachers who regularly encounter second language speakers.
The Teacher Knowledge Test (TKT) is designed for teachers at all levels of experience who would benefit from a deeper understanding of the difficulties encountered by students who use English as a second language in a learning environment … The course delivers strategies and techniques specifically designed to improve both teaching quality and the student’s learning experience.
Read the complete news item:http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=118985&d=8&m=2&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
