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Seek to Understand Have you ever seen two emotional people talk past each other? Both talk and neither listen. Both want to tell the other, and don’t want to hear – or understand – what the other person is saying. This happens too often in stressful workplaces. Stephen Covey,...

“Own only what you can always carry with you; know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), Russian writer and Nobel Prize winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn, an exceptional writer of rare courage, died...

In conversation, it is often helpful to show other people that we understand what they are trying to say. A smile, a nod of the head, and eye contact are encouraging to others at work and at home. Frowning, shaking one’s head no, or looking away while others are speaking...

Class bookends, both beginnings and endings, deserve special attention. This truism becomes more important in short term summer English programs where ESL students have traveled thousands of miles to study English. As so often, I tend to learn by stumbling. Yet, over the years,...

Do English language learners, or English as a Second language students, learn better in sheltered programs? Should students receive some instruction in their native language – and if so, for how long? Are there clear differences to effectively write and speak fluently? Teaching...

“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self… Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and...

Why do you recommend using classic quotations in ESL classrooms? “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence Classic quotations,...

Have you read English Teaching Forum magazine yet? It is another outstanding resource for English language teachers whether working with adults in Africa, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, or teaching immigrants and future citizens inside the United States. Published...

How do students conduct online research for their K-12 classes? Do they systematically pursue a topic, use critical thinking to evaluate sources, and focus on the assigned topics? Or do they wander, often confused and easily distracted, from site to site? Is it possible for...

As readers of this blog will soon discover, I believe in experimenting and finding new resources. Following an emailed lead, I discovered an impressive website for teachers called Classroom 2.0 . What attracted me? The site meets me where I am – an English teacher curious...