Tag Archives: alexandra lowe

Volunteering: A Strategy for Speaking More English

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

For many international and immigrant ESL students, the American tradition of volunteering is an elusive concept. Many immigrant students work long hours at survival jobs and feel they have no time to volunteer. Others who may have an interest in … Continue reading

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Speaking More English Outside of Class: Meetup.com

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

If you teach English in an English-speaking country, how often have you asked your students to tell you who they practice their English with, only to discover that many of your students have virtually no English-speaking friends, and typically largely … Continue reading

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Graffiti Grammar: A Four Skills Activity

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

I recently read that “sitting is the new smoking,” or, in other words, that a sedentary lifestyle is a serious and under-appreciated health hazard. With this in mind, I have recently made a conscious effort to incorporate activities that regularly … Continue reading

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Critical Thinking About Technology: An ELT Activity

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

Our world is awash in new technology. New electronic gadgets, new smartphone apps, and new forms of social media abound. But which of these will stand the test of time? And how do these dazzling technology innovations compare in significance … Continue reading

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Discussing Global Warming and Climate Change in ELT

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

Several recent posts have explored the theme of how best to broach controversial news topics in ESL classes: “Controversy in Adult Conversation” and  “Discussing Same-Sex Marriage in ELT: A Survey Approach.” Despite warnings from a colleague that ESL students, in his … Continue reading

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Discussing Same-Sex Marriage in ELT: A Survey Approach

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

One of my goals as an instructor in an intensive English program (IEP) has been to encourage my students to pay more attention to the news in the United States. (See “Producing Newscasts for the ESL Classroom“) When students watch the … Continue reading

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Teaching Short Stories

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

At the recent TESOL International convention in Toronto, I was privileged to attend an outstanding workshop entitled “10 Tips for Teaching Short Stories” by Sybil Marcus, an inspiring teacher from the University of California, Berkeley. Presenting excerpts from two short … Continue reading

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Playing With Pronunciation

Alexandra Lowe
Alexandra Lowe

In many intermediate and advanced ESL classes, it’s common to assign a novel for students to read for class.  Less common is the assignment of a work of nonfiction. And rare indeed, in my experience, is the assignment of a … Continue reading

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