Compelling Conversations logo
Sophisticated English for Global Souls
1-855-375-2665 - U.S./Canada
1-310-390-0131 - Outside U.S.
26
JUL
2008

How do you close your last class in a satisfying, summer ESL program?

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,...
21
JUL
2008

Teaching English Language Learners: What Seems to Work in American Public Schools

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...
06
JUL
2008

Teaching Quotations Creates Lively ESL Classroom Discussions, Shares Insights

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,...
27
JUN
2008

Have You Read English Teaching Forum Yet?

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...
24
JUN
2008

Teachers Urge Google to Create Search Engine for K-12 Students

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...
17
JUN
2008

Compelling Conversations site is up and running again!

Sometimes you don’t appreciate something until you lose it. My website, down and out for almost a week of tech turmoil as I changed server, host, and webmaster, demonstrates this point. The site, www.compellingconversations.com , has been restored and even slightly...
16
JUN
2008

TaLKing in English, Talking about English, and Learning Korean

Sometimes we confuse talking about English with talking in English. As English teachers, we need to gently encourage our students to talk as much as possible in English, and only sometimes in English. And as world citizens, we should learn as much about the country and host...
16
JUN
2008

We learn by stumbling

We learn by stumbling.
15
JUN
2008

ESL classes should include more conversation activities!

Conversation activities need greater presence in classrooms “Speech is civilization itself. It is silence which isolates.” -Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German novelist Conversation remains a vital social skill for our English students. Naturally, immigrants and...
15
JUN
2008

Choosing to speak English opens doors

As ESL and EFL teachers, we should encourage all English language learners! “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” -Brad Henry (1963- ), former Governor of Oklahoma Our students have chosen to speak English because...