Teaching/Learning Principles for Oral Communication Courses Kristin Sullivan Sullivan began by introducing the textbook she recently co-wrote, leading into her presentation of the kinds of insights that come out of the book-writing process. She said that the (apparent) common wisdom of "chuck[ing] a native speaker into a classroom and suddenly...

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Learn through ENIE (English Newspaper in Education) Toshihiro Yamanishi Yamanishi's comment that he does not so much teach English as teach through English is well borne out in his exploitation of English newspapers in education (E.N.I.E.) to stimulate interesting classroom conversation practice. He led us through an introduction and sampling...

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Choosing Topics for Writing Classes Itsumi Ohmura & Margaret Orleans Ohmura and Orleans obviously share interest and enjoyment in teaching EFL composition writing—as well as a lot of experience. In a relaxed, workshop-style presentation, peppered with anecdotes from various classes past and present, they showed us many examples of their...

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Neuroscience and Psychology for TEFL Robert Murphy Murphy's basic introduction gave us just enough insight into behavioral psychology to follow his reasoning and understand his practical advice for class organization. He is concerned with students missing out on the full potential of language acquisition due to a lack of the...

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Japanese Culture Presentations Dave Pite Pite explained that 5-minute videos about Japanese culture are a project that put students in the experts' chair and give practice in explaining their own culture that comes in handy during later homestay experiences or intercultural interactions. Tenth-grade students in groups of 4-5 choose a...

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How SELHi has changed our students Norie Matsushita, Atsuko Chiba & Gareth Steele In their three-year-old SELHI program, the English department of Seinan Jo Gakuin have developed methodology for teaching and evaluating students' ability in self-expression via reading (as input of ideas), writing and oral communication. Directed by the school...

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"Podcasting" and Digital Recording for Pedagogical Purposes Kristen Sullivan Kristen Sullivan uses podcasting for the enhancement of oral skill development through the creation of student-authored podcasts as an authentic, creative activity with a positive motivational effect. While podcasting in the classroom is appealing as a technological route to educational benefit,...

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The Challenges Involved in Creating Online Tests Dr. Robert Courchêne At the University of Ottawa, where Robert Courchêne heads up the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, all students must declare either French or English as their major language. The other automatically becomes their second language of study. The institute has...

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Two Christmas Activities Chris Carman and Margaret Orleans We got an early start on much-appreciated Christmas activities this year with two presenters demonstrating entertaining ways to introduce the major symbols and practice key vocabulary. First of all, Chris Carman described his use of the DVD "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" with...

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Putting Our Heads Together: A Discussion of Textbook Abandonment and Extensive Reading various members Daniel Droukis and Paul Collet shared textbook-free courses they had designed around writing resumes, of relevance to university students. Ken Gibson described a one-week intensive fluency training course that used no written materials. Others described experiences...

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