Focuses on ways of creating a congenial environment in English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language classrooms. Discusses managing group work and managing teacher biases. (Author/VWL)

Provides an interview with John Rassias, one of the most famous language teachers and teacher trainers in the world and current chair of the department of French and Italian and professor of French at Dartmouth College. (Author/VWL)

Discusses what it takes to acquire language, and suggests that second language acquisition can occur without living in the country where the language is spoken and without formal instruction. The crucial variables appear to be comprehensible input and having a good relationship with speakers of the language. Provides an example of a Mexican…

Examines the different uses of video technologies in English language teaching, including content and instructional presentation, planning for instruction, designing tasks for students, assessment, and using new technologies. (Author/VWL)

Discusses cryptograms--word puzzles that rely on a simple system of substituting one letter for another in a pre-determined pattern so that a word, phrase, or sentence becomes a puzzle--in the the English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language classroom. (Author/VWL)

Highlights binational centers, one of the most popular places for learning English in the major cities of Latin America. Discusses their history, services and programs, changes in funding and support, and accomplishments. (Author/VWL)

Provides an overview of the history and mission of the United States Information Agency, highlighting the Voice of America, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the English Language Programs Division, and professional exchange programs. (Author/VWL)

Suggests that from a pedagogical perspective, there is a cost to associating grammar with rules. Discusses reasons for underlying rules and gives implications for a reason-based approach to teaching grammar. (Author/VWL)

Provides tips on how to get started in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) private tutoring. Suggests considering three factors before getting started: readiness, market, and service. A readiness profile for private ESL tutoring and a checklist for getting started are included. (Author/VWL)

Highlights Kagan Structures, easy-to-learn, easy-to-use cooperative learning instructional strategies that promote second language learning. In classrooms where these strategies are used, students for whom English is a second language learn both English and academic content far more quickly and thoroughly than when traditional strategies are used.…

Discusses family literacy and English as a Second Language, focusing on types of family literacy programs, issues in family literacy, and future directions in family literacy. Highlights one program and lists the components of three approaches to family literacy: intervention prevention, multiple literacies, and social change. (Author/VWL)

Examines effective ways of building vocabulary among learners of English as a Second Language. Discusses using word cards, studying word parts, and using a dictionary and highlights the keyword approach. (Author/VWL)

Discusses how to help English-as-a-Second-Language learners develop effective listening skills. Suggests a process for helping ESL learners develop their listening skills and makes suggestions for how this might be achieved with authentic materials. (VWL)

Describes collaborative concerts between local schools and their community that were designed to build cross-cultural understanding in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb with a growing immigrant population. (Author/VWL)

Discusses changes in what is considered acceptable and unacceptable in English grammar and vocabulary over the years and examines what an English language teacher is to do as a result of these changes. (Author/VWL)