TLO 8: The Future Online in China, Africa, and India

Posted on 20 November 2013 by Andy Curtis
Andy Curtis
Andy Curtis

This TLO blog comes to you from (currently) warm and sunny South China, where we recently wrapped up the third TESOL Symposium in China, and the first in Guangzhou, at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. The symposium was sold out, with more than 400 attendees from all over China, as well as from Vietnam, Russia, and the Philippines. TESOL’s Executive Director, Dr. Rosa Aronson, and TESOL President, Dr. Deena Boraie, also spoke at the symposium, which was a great opportunity for me to learn more about TLO in China, especially as the theme for the event was “Envisioning and Creating the Future for English Language Teaching.” As I noted in my plenary talk, history is littered with failed predications, so envisioning the future can be a very tricky business—but creating the future can be even more precarious!

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The Importance of Collaborations in ESP

Posted on 19 November 2013 by Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight

Hello, ESPers worldwide!

In The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes (2012), Johns asks an important question: “What will the future of ESP bring?” (p. 18). In regard to the role of the researcher, which is of particular interest to me, she writes the following:

…researchers will continue to view themselves as taking one or several professional roles. In their widely circulated overview of ESP theory, research, and teaching, Dudley-Evans and St John (1998: 13-17) listed five key roles of the ESP practitioner:

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ESL Writing: Determine Essay Audience Using a Class Survey

Posted on 15 November 2013 by Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko

The concept of audience is crucial when writing an argumentative paper. Students should be able to understand that their awareness of their audience will help them effectively formulate their claim as well as select appropriate evidence. I usually introduce three types of audiences when we work on the argumentative paper assignment: supportive, neutral, and antagonistic.

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Best Language Learning Games: Part 1 of 5

Posted on 14 November 2013 by Guest Author
Guest Author
Guest Author

Full size imageA Guest Post by Marc Anderson
Marc Anderson is the CEO of online English training company TalktoCanada.com that teaches English online to students around the world.  During his free time he likes to read, travel, and enjoy life. 

 

It was that time again. Another school year was ready to begin, and I was moving to a different classroom down the hallway. As I packed up my things, I stumbled upon a box of homemade language games in the corner of the closet. I couldn’t help but unpack this box first when I got to my new room and be reminded of my former English language students who enjoyed playing these games and learned valuable English skills along the way.

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Google+ Education: Part 3

Posted on 12 November 2013 by Tara Arntsen
Tara Arntsen
Tara Arntsen

For part three of this series on Google+ for education, let’s talk about Google Drive, formerly Google Docs. It is free and easy to create an account and enables users to create documents, presentations, spreadsheets, forms, drawings, and more. Now, you might currently use Word or PowerPoint with your students to create materials, and so do I, however, there are some advantages to using Google Drive for certain assignments.

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Getting Ahead in English Outside of Class: Next Steps

Posted on 8 November 2013 by Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

In a recent blog post, I described how—from the very first day of class—I introduce my students to the idea of pushing themselves to speak, read, and listen to substantially more English outside of class.  In that blog post, I offered a sample of the weekly log I ask my students to complete to track their self-directed learning activities, and I promised to report back on how this project has unfolded this semester.  So here we go!

Shortly after introducing the idea of the weekly log (known at my college as the “Success Book” log), I gave my students a homework assignment to interview someone they know who has learned to speak English with near-native fluency and to uncover the secrets of those successful language learners.

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The Explosive Growth of Teaching & Learning Online in TESOL

Posted on 6 November 2013 by Andy Curtis
Andy Curtis
Andy Curtis

Since starting this blog series a few months ago in August, I’ve received a number of e-mails asking me for recommendations for reading matter in the area of teaching and learning online (TLO). A recent and relevant book is Online Language Teacher Education: TESOL Perspectives (2012), edited by Liz England. Liz refers to “the remarkable growth in online distance TESOL preparation in the world today,” which she sees as part of “the explosion in the vast and diverse uses of technology to provide support for language teacher education in general” (p. 1). Some examples of that explosion are given by Liz, who found that more than 40 universities are now offering online MA TESOL programs globally, and more than 400 private institutions are now offering online TESOL certificates.

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The Need for ESPers to Enhance Their Leadership Skills

Posted on 5 November 2013 by Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight

Hello, ESPers worldwide!

Have you ever thought about how ESP and leadership are related? In my mind, they are clearly connected through the concept of “buy in.” However, I am looking at ESP from an EOP/EOS (English for occupational purposes/English in occupational settings) perspective, and I am thinking of the role of ESPers as consultants.

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Stay Up-to-Date in EL Writing: Five Great Journals

Posted on 1 November 2013 by Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko

I truly enjoy attending professional conferences. They give me a good feel of current trends in the field and provide me with invaluable pedagogical and research ideas. However, attending a conference does not always seem feasible. Luckily, a wealth of academic journals offered in the field of applied linguistics can help me stay current. In what follows, I will briefly describe five writing journals that I frequently browse:

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Utilizing Cell Phones With Students: Sending Reminders 101

Posted on 29 October 2013 by Tara Arntsen
Tara Arntsen
Tara Arntsen

While I talk a lot on the TESOL Blog about using technology, I have yet to talk about how to use cell phones as part of your teaching, and that is something I want to start to address in this post.

Cell phones are a really useful tool for teachers because a lot of students use them every day, and studies done in countries like the United States have shown that students, especially teens, often interact more via texting than any other method. I was reminded of this most recently by Dr. Pascarella in a webinar titled Confronting the Challenges of NextGen Learning in the Age of Participatory Culture from the University of Southern California – Rossier. The webinar made me think about how teachers might integrate technology, especially cell phones, into their teaching. That question led me to Remind101.

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