ESL Classrooms: What impacts your learning of English?

Listen and share your ideas on the topic.

English Only in the Classroom

How important is it for teachers and students to only use English, or the language they are studying, in the classroom? Does it promote better learning, or are their times when the native language of the teacher and students be used instead? Share your ideas on the topic?

Randall

Raising Children: What are the challenges?

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Reading: Extensive Verses Intensive

For many international students, their past experience in reading has been very intensive reading well beyond their abilities to comprehend and digest the material. In other words, teachers sometimes give students a newspaper article on some abstract topic, and then the students struggle with their dictionaries in hand looking up every other word to understand the passage. This is very discouraging and counterproductive. On the other hand, extensive reading is reading for pleasure at or below the level of students so they learn the joy of reading and are able to see vocabulary and grammar again and again for everyday use.

With this in mind, what materials have you found most useful in learning or teaching reading skills. For me, I created a website, www.dailyesl.com, to help students see common expressions and vocabulary in common situations. Please share your ideas on the topic of reading.

Randall

Favorite Idioms

ESL students sometimes struggle with English because they don't understand idiomatic expressions that native speakers use. As students learn idioms, they will understand the language better and have a greater ability to express themselves with colorful expressions. One Website that focuses on idioms is http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com. Share your favorite idiom or Website that helps teach students this useful vocabulary.

Randall

Paying for a University Degree: What do you think?

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Unusual Experiences in Learning a Second Language

Personally speaking, when I lived in Japan for many years, I had to learn Japanese out of necessity in order to survive. However, I didn't mind trying to use the language even if I made mistakes. One time when my daughter was sick with constipation (you might want to check a dictionary if you don't know this word), I had to go to a drugstore to ask for medicine. The pharmasist didn't speak any English, so I had to rely on gestures to explain what I needed. How would YOU explain the problem using gestures? Anyway, after about 45 minutes, we finally communicated. The best part about the experience is that I gained confidence in getting my meaning across even in difficult sitatuations. So, what about you? Share a difficult or unusual experience you have had in learning English or any other language, and what they experience taught you.

Randall