Some years ago I started going to evening classes to learn German. In the early stages of my studies, I frequently thought of two German speakers who I aspired to be like in my language ability. The first, Bettina, is a native German speaker in her fifties whose English level at the time was only… Continue reading Using near-peer role models for language learning

Recently I signed up for a professional development project focused on infusing rigor into ESL instruction. Knowing the 21st century challenges that my beginning adult English language learners (ELLs) face and their language proficiency level, I was quite skeptical about the idea. However, I was delighted to discover that adding rigor doesn’t have to be… Continue reading Rigor for beginning English language learners? Absolutely!

ELTWeekly, a refereed journal, and newsletter [ELTWeekly Volume 10, Issue 5 |March 2018 | ISSN 0975-3036] Reaching English-Language Learners to Ensure Equity for All [On Demand Webinar] Socratic Seminars in World Language Classes What Are Your Teaching Fundamentals? How can we use Virtual Reality to teach English? Using technology in the language classroom: So what… Continue reading ELTWeekly Volume 10, Issue 5

Join Illuminate Education for an educational webinar where they will explore the crucial issue of reaching English-language learner students (ELLs), one of the fastest growing segments of school-age population. The inability to meet the needs of our ELL populations has created disproportionate outcomes. Many ELL students have been unintentionally denied educational opportunities due to the… Continue reading Reaching English-Language Learners to Ensure Equity for All [On Demand Webinar]

The Socratic seminar is often discussed in the context of English language arts classes. Among its benefits, practitioners mention drawing on the value of open conversations to foster deep thinking and analysis, developing a group culture for learning, and enhancing communication skills. All of these benefits are equally valuable in the world language classroom, and… Continue reading Socratic Seminars in World Language Classes

What are your fundamentals of teaching? I asked myself this daunting question when I took over a college course on the foundations of education. The syllabus required that I address the history of our current school system, debates over reform, standards and testing, teacher preparation, and more. I also wanted to highlight for my students… Continue reading What Are Your Teaching Fundamentals?

Incorporating new technologies into our teaching practice does not mean we need to reinvent the pedagogic wheel. The learning principles that underpin many of the tasks, activities and approaches we commonly use today can be improved, extended or even transformed through the considered and informed use of new tools such as virtual reality. In this… Continue reading How can we use Virtual Reality to teach English?

As the English language supervisor for Kota Kinabalu district in Sabah, Malaysia, I’m in charge of assisting English language teachers in my district with their professional development needs. One of the areas that many English teachers in Kota Kinabalu seems to struggle with is technology integration in the language classroom. Teachers generally find the idea… Continue reading Using technology in the language classroom: So what if I’m not tech-savvy?

Like many people around the world, I recently took time off at the end of December and the New Year to relax at home. A common feature of any holiday season, alongside eating large meals and seeing family and old friends, is playing games. For example, my son was playing with a new video game… Continue reading Using games for win-win learning