Tag Archives: Robert Sheppard

The Positive Effects of Pretesting

Posted on 14 March 2016 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending an exceptional PD workshop in Boston put on by First Literacy. The presenter was Sarah Lynn, and her topic was Brain-Based ESOL Instructional Techniques. It was a fascinating talk, rich with practical, … Continue reading →

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In Defense of My Defense of the 5-Paragraph Essay

Posted on 29 February 2016 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

I posted last month on what I see to be the value of the five-paragraph essay. Though I was responding to another author’s post, I thought I was making a fairly innocuous and common-sense point: basically, don’t throw the baby … Continue reading →

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Helping Language Learners Learn How to Learn Language

Posted on 15 February 2016 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

Last time I posted about orientation in adult ESOL, and it got me thinking about some of the notions that I try to impress upon my students at the very beginning of a course. I’m not just talking about baseline … Continue reading →

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Why We Still Won’t Teach the 5-Paragraph Essay

Posted on 12 February 2016 by Guest Author
Guest Author
Guest Author

A guest post by Nigel A. Caplan and Luciana C. de Oliveira In this blog, Nigel and Luciana address a recent post by Robert Sheppard, which defended the teaching of the 5-paragraph essay in ELT. Nigel’s son, a second grader, recently brought home … Continue reading →

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Orientation in Adult Ed

Posted on 1 February 2016 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

If you’re like me, and surely you are, the word orientation still triggers posttraumatic flashbacks to August 2002: trustfalls on the quad when Sharon Yakomoto didn’t catch you when you trustfell to treat the ensuing concussion you had to wear … Continue reading →

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Deferred Self-Correction

Posted on 18 January 2016 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

Today I’m going to discuss a technique that I’m calling deferred self-correction (an entirely forlackofabetterword term; don’t google it; four hits; other suggestions welcome). I’ve been using this technique for a long time but never really gave it much thought … Continue reading →

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In Defense of the 5-Paragraph Essay

Posted on 4 January 2016 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

In a recent post over at Talks With Teachers, Brian Sztabnik puts a price on the head of the 5-paragraph essay. Torch it, bury it, at all costs, make it go away. Why this bounty? Well, the gist of the … Continue reading →

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Emoji as a Second Language?

Posted on 21 December 2015 by Robert Sheppard
Robert Sheppard
Rob Sheppard

Depending on who you ask, the emergence of emoji might be a sign of a burgeoning new language or else harbinger of a coming linguistic dark age, or maybe just. Although 40% of Instagram posts now contain emoji; and though Emoji … Continue reading →

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