Professional development is very important for new teachers as well as experienced teachers as it helps them face challenges in the classroom and broader school culture. The types of professional development, key considerations and the involvement and impact on the teachers are discussed.

Offers advice to sufferers of "textbookitis:" (1) writing textbooks are not necessary for high school classes; (2) the best language textbook is a dictionary--money not spent on a writing textbook could be spent on sets of dictionaries; and (3) literature anthologies can be useful additions to the writing classroom. (RL)

Discusses the value of the mystery story in the language class as a source for a variety of exercises and assignments in which students can use grammatical constructions in a natural context. (CFM)

Discusses an approach to teaching note-taking to students of English as a second language who will go on to study at the university level. (CFM)

By comparing Russian and English on the phonological and grammatical levels, guidelines are offered for teachers of English as a second language to Russian students. (CFM)

Discusses the effectiveness of a treasure hunt as an educational language-activity for students of English as a second language. Instructions for the treasure hunt and a sample list of items are included. (CFM)

Discusses the ineffectiveness of one-phase marking, i.e. direct correction of errors by the teacher, and the effectiveness of two-phase marking in which the teacher makes the student aware of an error but does not indicate what the error is. (CFM)

Discusses some practical ways in which mail-order catalogues may be used in teaching English as a second language in order to promote vocabulary acquisition, induce cultural awareness, and encourage conversation in English. (Author/CFM)

This article discusses Community Language Learning (CLL) and its unique characteristic of employing reflection as a way of learning a foreign language. The use of CLL in teaching oral English to Japanese students in Japan is described. (CFM)