Learn from your peers with insights into classroom activities, tips for working with ELLs, product reviews, and more.
TESOL’s annual convention is one of the largest gatherings of English language teachers in the world. Whether you have attended the convention before or not, it can be a little overwhelming with so many sessions to choose from, not to mention all the vendors in the Exhibit Hall and social gatherings to attend. Here are…
By Melissa Meisterheim Planning a listening class can be difficult. Sheppard (2015) accurately described what usually goes on in class: assessment disguised as instruction. Teachers and textbooks often give a few pre-listening activities, then have students listen to something before asking them to answer comprehension questions. In response, Sheppard advocates a balanced approach to listening…
By Jennifer Johnston The English Language Institute (ELI) at Missouri State University is now one of only 25 centers in the United States to offer the world renowned CELTA certificate (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Cambridge University English Language Assessment. The ELI is only one of 3 U.S. university-based centers…
by Shaeley Santiago When two or more people converse, their ideas mix and interact to create new knowledge. Talkers walk away from the conversation with much more than they could have thought up on their own. Like flowers that rely on bees to pollinate them, we need the ideas of others for our minds to…
Technology has become ubiquitous in today’s classrooms. Regardless of whether or not an academic environment is outfitted with the latest technological equipment, students are likely to be carrying cell phones, a fact that is often the bane of many a teacher’s classroom experience. Few educators can report that they have never been frustrated by the…
Living in Iowa, it is impossible to escape the hype and media coverage of the Iowa Caucuses. Even though I try to leave political discussions out of the classroom, the caucuses are an important process. This process is new and complicated to our ESL students. As I work with students, both K-12 and adults, one…
In the current day and age of accountability, ESL teachers may find themselves thrust into the position of teaching students and training colleagues. This can be a very challenging position when an ESL teacher has not been trained on how to best support colleagues who may even have more teaching experience. However, there are some…
For most ESL educators, home visits are becoming more common. The importance of home visits is that they help to open the lines of communication between students’ parents and classroom teachers. One difficulty is their time-consuming nature. However, the positive outcomes pay off in the end. We all know that being an ESL teacher goes…
Tool: Voicethread URL: www.voicethread.com Intended Audience: All ages, levels, and skills Technology Skills Required: Beginner Ease of Use: Easy to navigate; friendly user-interface; short learning curve to create or participate in a Voicethread. Cost: Free What is Voicethread? Voicethread, a cloud-based technology tool allowing for “threading,” or ongoing asynchronous conversations in the cloud, enables users…
For those of you already using Twitter, hashtags (#) are an important addition to maximize the experience. (If you are not already on Twitter and are interested in getting started, view my #MIDTESOL14 presentation.) Here are a few ways hashtags come in handy when looking for education-related content on Twitter: Search for Tweets related to…
