I’ve got a smashing roundup of what’s going on in the World of TEFL blogs this month. Enjoy… What do you do with emergent language? – Kalinago English Pear-shaped project work and how to avoid it – Mike J. Harrison How different should intensive and extensive classes be? – TEFL Tastic 10 contemporary motivation theories …
Monthly Archive: January 2011
Jan
22
Does Sudan need English to build bridges between North and South
Whether the country decides to split or not, notes the Guardian, it will need a neutral language to continue the peace process and to speak to the rest of the world. Will it be English and, more importantly, can English really make a difference? The answer, in short, is “yes”. English language training is not …
Jan
20
UK: School curriculum has been 'slimmed down'
The number of compulsory subjects in England’s national school curriculum, notes the BBC, is to be cut to four from September by Education Secretary Michael Gove. All schools will have to teach English, maths, science and PE with experts to advise on what should be focused on. Read more on this… Sphere: Related Content
Jan
16
Brunei's education model… an unsung story
Brunei: Brunei’s education model has been an ‘unsung success story’. Research, notes Brunei Direct, has indicated its attainment levels in English were considerably better than neighbouring countries’, the chief executive of CfBT Education Trust (United Kingdom) told The Brunei Times yesterday. Read more on this… Sphere: Related Content
Jan
16
United States: National Conversations on English Learner Education
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), in partnership with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, is pleased to announce a series of regional meetings to conduct National Conversations on EL Education. Read more about this …
Jan
12
ELT World TEFL Website of the month: ELT Chat
ELT Chat With the current big bang-scale increase of the twittersphere, a new type of chat has surfaced for English language professionals. The wonderful #ELTChat is currently being moderated by Twitter TEFL heavyweights @ShellTerrell, @Marisa_C, @englishraven, and @olafelch (although the latter is on a bit of a twitter sabatical). The website has evolved out of …
Jan
08
United States: Subject Matters – Reading, Writing… and Readying for Tests
It’s the best of times and the worst of times, exclaims the unusually Dickensian CNN, for English teachers as they find themselves more accountable than ever for the academic success of their students, while balancing new technologies that change time-honored practices of reading and writing. Here are some of the modern challenges that language arts …
Jan
08
United States: Feds Make ELLs a Priority for Tests Based on Common-Core Standards
The federal government, notes Education Week, is intending to provide grants for the development of English-language-proficiency assessments that are aligned with the national common-core standards. The proposed grant competition would push the country toward more uniformity for the definition of English-language learner and common criteria for determining when ELLs should no longer get special help …
Jan
07
Vietnam: Pilot English Teaching Project is Hit by Staff Shortage and Poor Skills
Factors including a serious lack of facilities, as well as a shortage of qualified teachers have adversely affected the Ministry of Education and Training’s pilot English language teaching programme for primary school children, notes VietnamNet. Read more on this… Sphere: Related Content