Teachers Call

Topics for Presentations

Eric — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:15:38 +0000

I've been working with a couple of newish teachers this term, and have been asked this question a number of times "What are good topics for presentations"? Which is quickly followed by should they use powerpoint. (...)

What is Intonation?

Eric — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:58:01 +0000

Somebody dropped me a note the other day asking about intonation and what exactly intonation is. Well it isn't that hard a concept, although it is a little subtle at times. (...)

The Rosetta Stone

Eric — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:45:24 +0000

If you aren't familiar with the real Rosetta Stone, it is a stone artefact found in the middle east that is a critical piece of history in the understandingn Egyptian writing. It contains multiple types of writing (translations of the same text) all in one stone slab and is perhaps the single most important 'document' in the understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It is because of the multiple languages on this stone that early linguists were able to discover the meanings of many previously unknown hieroglyphics. (...)

English Pronunciation Software

Eric — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:36:38 +0000

For students who are learning a new language pronunciation is a hurdle that seems to take a long time to jump over. Long after grammar and reading skills have developed and vocabulary knowledge has been built, pronunciation lingers as a problem area. Often, the problem is more in the speaker's mind then a real source of comprehension problems - however that in itself is a problem that needs to be dealt with. (...)

ESL Sentence Examples

Eric — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:57:25 +0000

Using sample sentences taken directly from your ESL students is a great way for them to work on their editing and error recognition and corrections skills. There really isn't too much to complicate this idea as it is really quite simple in practice. (...)

Speaking Practice

Eric — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:51:29 +0000

Speaking practice activities don't need to be super complicated, they only need to provide a student with the opportunity to speak and get some kind of feedback on their speaking. Feedback doesn't mean a test mark, in this case it is more in keeping with what Krashen talks about, getting a response to your production (your speaking) so that you know if what you have said has been understood or not so that you can try to make adjustments in your speaking. (...)

How to Teach Speaking

Eric — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:42:05 +0000

A new teacher who has been observing some of my classes lately as part of her ESL Teacher training asked me this question the other day: "How do I teach speaking?". (...)

Language Activities for Listening

Eric — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:53:21 +0000

Listening is a very complex skill that takes a great deal of effort and time to master. Interestingly most of us who learn languages can understand what we hear at a higher level than we are able to produce in speaking. Basically we have a higher tollerance for ambiguity (we can figure things out despite not knowing all the words and contexts). Be that as it may, we still need to help our language students work on their listening abilities. (...)