The 21st century requires English language teaching teachers to cultivate the use of language and competencies to make their students 21st-century learners. Podcasts produced by students allow them to use language in an authentic setting while practicing the skills of critical thinking, innovation, creativity, problem-solving, reflection, and…

This article uses the Stephen Crane story "The Open Boat" (freely available on the American English website) as an anchor text to demonstrate how teachers can apply Raphael's Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) technique to a text that students might be assigned to read. The article includes numerous examples and tips that teachers can…

Traditionally, many English language teachers around the world have conformed to an English as a foreign language (EFL) model. In this model, they expose their students to the standard language norms of English-dominant nations, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. However, English learners do not only need language skills to…

Second-language learners increasingly need effective writing skills in English for academic and professional purposes, as well as for personal and social purposes. To date, peace education (PE) activities in the English language classroom have mostly focused on speaking. This article presents an activity that can help fill the gap in the lack of…

The use of writing models with nonnative English speakers has received a certain amount of criticism--especially from teachers whose students copy models in their entirety or follow them too closely. The misuse of models has brought some teachers to the point where they believe that the best kind of pedagogy is to abandon writing models…

Most teachers have experienced the "blank stare" when after teaching a lesson implementing all their best strategies using their best language-learning English and at the moment of releasing responsibility--that is, moving from the teacher's responsibility to prepare students for the task to their responsibility to carry it out--the…

The authors of this article propose structured and focused classroom discussion to engage students in thoughtful dialogue. They present a model for principled discussion and suggest ways to engage students in focused discussions drawing from their experiences, offering guidance for helping students make the most of the dialogue sessions. The…

This article proposes the Teacher Observation Programme for in-service teacher trainees. The program is reflective, collaborative, and builds confidence. It enables teachers to grow in their ability to self-evaluate. Trainees who have made decisions about their own observation, who have created and used their own observational tools, and who have…

This article discusses different approaches to reading instruction for EFL learners based on theoretical frameworks. The author starts with the bottom-up approach to reading instruction, and briefly explains phonics and behaviorist ideas that inform this instructional approach. The author then explains the top-down approach and the new cognitive…