Vietnam Embraces English Classes – and Looks for Communicative English Teachers
April 2, 2009
compellingconversations-admin
Good schools cultivate student curiosity, and English lessons should allow students to display their experiences and perceptions. Further, students who have been forced to take…
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Teaching Interview Skills Vital for Adult ESL, University Students
February 16, 2009
compellingconversations-admin
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,…
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How Many American Adults Can Not Read This Blog? Can Not Read?
January 10, 2009
compellingconversations-admin
"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…
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California Immigrants are Learning English – and Want to Learn More!
September 25, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
Do American immigrants want to learn English? Are the children of Spanish-speaking adult immigrants learning English? What are the recent trends in California and Los…
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How can they say that? Why is that junk on television?
September 12, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
ESL students, international visitors, and many American citizens often express shock, dismay, and outrage over television programs. How can the news show people struggling on…
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Words of solace for a crammed semester
September 8, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are,” advised President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. These words of solace often comfort me when I…
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School boards, education problems, and a new $350 million dollar high school!
September 6, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
Teaching remains an art, and excellence remains rare – especially in a bureaucratic age. The ancient Socratic methods and modern enlightenment ideals have increasingly fallen…
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What are you doing differently this semester in your ESL class?
August 30, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
What are you doing differently this semester in your English class? As a new semester begins, I face the familiar task – and pleasure –…
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Simple questions to ask English Language Learners in Week 1
July 30, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
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…
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How do you close your last class in a satisfying, summer ESL program?
July 26, 2008
Eric Roth newBlog
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…
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