Category

The "This I Believe" website includes a tremendous amount of free resources for teachers and students. Naturally, I also have a simple reproducible worksheet that allows students to find, summarize, and share their own favorite podcasts....

Many English teachers, especially novice ESL instructors, talk more than ideal - and allow their English students to talk too little. Ironically, many ESL instructors make this "good mistake" because they are so dedicated. What, after all, are they supposed to do while students...

Further, both award-winning films show how individuals need to connect and overcome isolation. Authentic, private conversations offer a chance for characters to find solace, friendship, and love.

How can English teachers encourage adult and university students to expand their language skills and improve their employment opportunities in a difficult economic climate? Personally, I’ve slightly modified my oral skills course this semester to provide greater emphasis on...

1. Why do (did) you want to get married? 2. Do (did) you have a checklist of qualities for a potential spouse? 3. What are the three main qualifications on your checklist? Partner? Provider? Lover? Friend? 4. When did you fall in love? Did one person fall first? Who? 5. How did...

"In sum, Compelling Conversations is a recommended resource for teachers who want to make their conversation classes more learner-centered," wrote reviewer Hall Houston. "It should be especially appealing to those who who to escape the confines of the...

Have you been looking for a good ESL manual? If you have, I think this is one to consider. The topics cover: Your Life, The Civic Life, along with the everyday aspects as dating, enjoying money, handling stress.

"Only the educated are free," noted Epictetus, a former slave and Greek stoic philosopher, over 2,000 years ago. How free are those 32 illiterate American adults?

Talking about money remains problematic, but this conversation topic is more for self-reflection than classroom application. But please bear with me. How rich are you? How much money would satisfy you? Americans, and many other people in consumer societies, sometimes seem to be...

What new English words will you learn in 2009? Which English words will you teach? Do you have a way with words? Are you a lover of word trivia and origins? Are you an English teacher? If so, consider listening to the celebrated public radio show in 2009! Forget forcing students...