In China many non-English majors, who often score high on English exams that emphasize reading comprehension and grammar, have difficulty finding the English words they need to express their ideas in speaking and writing. This problem is not unusual, and it is often difficult for students to use their receptive reading and listening vocabulary for…

Reading is an important skill for English language learners in today's world; it supports the development of overall proficiency and provides access to crucial information at work and in school. With English being the dominant language of the Internet, international business, and academia (including science), beginning and advanced students alike…

In this article, the author features Virginia, a state of contrasts--from the suburbs of Washington, District of Columbia, in northern Virginia to the Great Dismal Swamp in the south and from the scenic mountaintops in the west to the beachside resorts along its eastern shore. Virginia became a state in 1788, the tenth state to join the Union.…

Most teachers have seen the reactions students can have to tasks and activities that they do not find engaging: the glassy or rolling eyes, the unfocused behavior, and the cries of "Not again!" This article provides practical techniques that the author's students have helped him learn over the years to better "activate" materials and tasks in the…

In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, where acquisition of English is the ultimate goal, one of the main tasks for the teacher is to provide students with language input and activities that best aid them in their learning process. As different researchers have reported, including poetry-based activities in the EFL classroom is…

Cooperative learning, put quite simply, is a type of instruction whereby students work together in small groups to achieve a common goal. Cooperative learning has become increasingly popular as a feature of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) with benefits that include increased student interest due to the quick pace of cooperative tasks,…

In this article, the author describes some of the ways that journals can be used as teaching tools in the language classroom; in fact, the suggestions he makes could be applied to the use of journals in teaching just about any subject. He begins by describing the concept of writing to learn, which is the theoretical foundation that journals are…

Although Michigan is often called the "Wolverine State," its more common nickname is the "Great Lakes State." This name comes from the fact that Michigan is the only state in the United States that borders four of the five Great Lakes. Also referred to as the "Water Wonderland," Michigan has 11,000 additional lakes, 36,000 miles of streams, and…

Portfolios are popular in language teaching, both as a learning tool and a process-oriented assessment instrument. They require the compilation of student projects, performances, and other assignments over a semester or school year to record the growth of learning. When portfolios are used for evaluation, they are called an alternative assessment…

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…

Describes four storytelling activities which help students learn a skill and develop their personalities: (1) guided imagery, (2) fragmented storytelling, (3) creative dynamics, and (4) drawing. All techniques appeal to the students' emotional and imaginative potential, evoking a highly emotional and affective response, thus overcoming students'…

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)

A program was designed to enhance mission candidates' communicative skills and to develop their awareness of United States history, geography, and culture. In the professional record, students gather a diversity of material on a topic of interest. Relevant ideas are entered in a notebook, and students formulate positions on their topics.…

Suggests a way of looking at difficulties students have in using words appropriately, and an approach for presenting this information to students. The discussion concentrates on: (1) restrictions on words that can co-occur; and (2) rules for the grammatical marking of various noun phrases that occur with certain verbs and adjectives. (Author/PJM)