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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...

Accommodating English teachers, students and the need for more time Sometimes time just seems to escape, and we fall behind. Despite the alarm clocks, cell phones, and wrist watches, and many labor-saving appliances, the hours just seem to rush by, the work piles remain, and time...

The art of conversation, once considered the sign of a civilized individual, seems less common today.  Yet I treasure the moments of sharing experiences, collecting news, and exchanging ideas.  I make a point of knowing my neighbors, allowing casual greetings to become long...

Make a bureaucratic procedure more engaging by asking questions “The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” -Thomas Berger (1924-2014) American novelist Can you recommend a good movie? What’s your favorite song? What’s your favorite...

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...

Why I chose not to censor Compelling Conversations to increase accessibility “Only the educated are free.” Epictetus (55-135), Greek philosopher Many English teachers have asked if I plan a “culturally sensitive” version so Compelling Conversations can be used in more...

English emerges as a lingua franca “[English] is the powerful language of resistance—it is the dialect of common sense.” -Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet English has rapidly become the international language for business, as a lingua franca. “That is to say, it...

Free Rice rewards learning through food donation “The satiated man and the hungry man do not see the same thing when they look upon a loaf of bread.” -Rumi (1207-1273), Persian poet As the price of rice, corn, and other basic food staples increased daily and food riots return to...

Importance of authentic vocabulary reflecting interests “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”  -Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), British author What are the 1000 most common words in English? Wiktionary, an offshoot of the wonderful Wikipedia, offers this...

What should every ESL student know? Beats me. One size fits all philosophies often seem a bit strange to me. Can anybody really answer this question for every international student and ESL (English as a Second Language) college student? Really? Don’t circumstances, needs, and...