In this article, the author reminisces the time he went to Georgetown University to interview Dr. James Alatis and compares the career of Dr. Alatis with his own. The first comparison is that Dr. Alatis and the author both have taught in their home country, the United States, and in other countries. Second, Dr. Alatis and the author are both…

James E. Alatis has a distinguished career in Foreign Language teaching and Bilingual Education that spans 50 years. Early in his career he served as a language researcher for the U.S. Departments of Education and State. At Georgetown University in Washington, District of Columbia (DC), he has been a professor of linguistics and Modern Greek since…

There is a line in Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" that applies to any endeavor, but especially teaching. It reads: "That which is essential cannot be seen with the eye. Only with the heart can one know it rightly." The essence of teaching is difficult to qualify, but that line leads directly into the author's most essential criterion. In this…

This article presents contemporary commentary on the previously published articles "Writing for the Reader: A Problem-Solution Approach" and "Motivating Learners at South Korean Universities." Having been out of the field of English as a foreign language for several years, the author was surprised and pleased when he was asked to write some…

For the 25th anniversary issue of "English Teaching Forum," published in 1987, the author wrote about the diversification of the language teaching field. Her point then was that during the preceding years from 1962 to 1987, the language teaching field had diversified: Where earlier there had been a unified approach to language teaching, by 1987,…

First, the author briefly outlines genre theory and sets out some broad definitions of genre. She also discusses how genre knowledge is acquired and how it has been taught in ESP and EAP. Following this, she highlights two challenges to using this pedagogy in a general EFL class. Finally, she argues that despite these challenges, teachers can…

This article looks at one way for teachers to make classrooms emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy places to learn--places where tensions and stresses are lessened and where teachers and students are concentrating, yet relaxed. "Harmonious language learning classroom" is the term the author coined to describe this kind of language…

Outlines three principles that can guide teachers in planning for explicit vocabulary instruction. Describes a vocabulary immersion approach--Word Wall--which provides teachers with a versatile mechanism for promoting vocabulary growth in their classrooms. Gives an account of the adaptations made to the original approach to meet the needs of…

Proposes some teaching methods that are based on the premise that an effective teacher should facilitate the students' intellectual and moral growth. Suggestions are made for vocabulary drilling, listening exercises, and other activities which can be given a "humanistic" focus. Activities are also suggested for language study and value…

An oral-skills lesson is proposed having three dimensions: (1) contextualization, where the students are shown the function and use of a language pattern; (2) drills which stimulate student thinking during mechanical manipulation; and (3) communication, which enables the student to use what they have been practicing. (Author/PJM)