This is the third in a series of articles focusing on ideas about teaching grammar to English learners. The previous two articles addressed issues relating to the presentation and practice of grammar. This one will concentrate on the third stage in the teaching process - production.

The new format for the Cambridge English Proficiency exam introduced in March 2013 should not present any unforeseen problems for the teacher or student. Existing task types have either been modified slightly or changed to bring them in line with the FCE and/or the CAE examinations (eg the Reading and Listening multiple-matching tasks). Some task types (eg the Use of English gapped sentences) have gone altogether and others which might seem to be new (eg Writing Part 1) are largely building on skills the students would already have been practising for the old exam format, ie summarising.

While children learn by doing, they also learn through social interaction. Vygotsky (1962) found that children construct knowledge through other people, more specifically through interaction with adults or more competent peers who provide assistance or ‘scaffolding’ to help learners achieve more than they could on their own. View the video.

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Visual literacy in English language teaching

*This interview was first published in Issue 141 of the TESOL Greece Journal

How can the 5 Ts of TESOL be used in different teaching contexts?

There is a general feeling that English pronunciation is not worth teaching. This is because there are many exceptions and students are generally told that they will eventually pick up the correct pronunciation. Here, Jennifer Lowe explains how to simplify the process and focus on pronunciation essentials.

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“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

With only a few weeks to go I can feel Christmas thundering towards me once again, with all the speed and head-on inevitability of an oncoming train. It always gets like this; I never seem to be able to slow it down and I know I can’t pause it. November has got to be the fastest month of the year. One minute the leaves are turning colour and falling, then the clocks go forward (or is it back?), and the next it’s the rapid, unforgiving countdown to The Big Day, with so much to do in between.

Η περίοδος των εγγραφών ολοκληρώθηκε, μέσα σε εκλογές, σε ΦΠΑ και σε μια γενικότερη αναταραχή. «Ανάγκασε», όμως, πολλούς επιχειρηματίες του κλάδου να εξασκήσουν όλες τις τεχνικές πωλήσεων που κατείχαν και να γίνουν ειδικοί στο να αντικρούσουν αντιρρήσεις κυρίως για τα δίδακτρα, την διάρκεια φοίτησης και τους μαθησιακούς στόχους των μαθητών.

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ANSWER: Getting learners to collaborate to make conversations among characters they have 'created' can provide them an opportunity to practice speaking spontaneously.  You may wish to try this group work activity, which starts with a revision of words and expressions which describe feelings and emotional states.  This activity may add some variety and provide a welcome change to the regular use of speaking activities for pairs.

TITLE: "Put on a happy face!"

LEVEL: B1 +

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