Did you know reading for ten minutes a day can help improve memory and concentration? Reading is also a great way for children to relax. But there are hundreds and thousands of books to choose from, so how do you decide what to read with your students or children? It can be tricky.
Category Archives: Skills
Q: Skills For Success Question Time! Answers From ELT Teachers
Each unit in Q: Skills for Success begins with a question: What is the best kind of vacation? Does taking risks change our lives? What inspires innovation? Q: Skills for Success is renowned for helping students to achieve academic success in English. The Third Edition helps students to develop the techniques and critical thinking skills they need for academic study with new Critical Thinking Strategies, updated texts and topics and 100% new assessment.
Each unit builds on activities and techniques to develop your students’ critical thinking skills as they answer the unit opener questions, but the questions are directed at the students – and we wanted to hear how you would answer them!
So we asked, and for four weeks, your fellow teachers submitted their responses to a few of the questions. Read on for some of the answers! Continue reading
Developing Intercultural Competence In Your Classes
As a Spanish learner, I once faced the awkward situation of thinking I was having a conversation about new potatoes being on the menu, when in fact the hotel manager had diverged from the conversation to give me the news that there was a new Pope! Being in a Catholic Latin American country at the time, I should have been more aware of the context and cultural importance of the vote going on in the Vatican that week. However, my focus was simply on the words. Hence intercultural competence is so important and should not be ignored in the language classroom. It is especially so with English because it facilitates communication between so many people from diverse backgrounds (ELT Position Paper on Global Skills, 2019). Continue reading
12 Student-Pleasing Activities Using Graded Readers
Reading can be a challenge for students learning English. Therefore, starting with graded readers for extensive reading lessons can be a very good option. This way, the student will learn new vocabulary in a meaningful context and improve their language skills. Having an extensive reading program can also help students become independent readers.
A reading program may consist of three stages: pre-reading, while reading and post-reading. Here are some activities that you may find helpful in implementing graded readers in your lesson plans. Continue reading
The Power Of Proficiency: How English Changed My Life
Valeria, a 22-year-old computer engineer and programmer, first started learning English from her father at home in Costa Rica.
“He spent time in Canada and the States. But I think I’m better at English than him now – don’t tell him, though!”
English proficiency for a brighter future
Her father saw the opportunities that can come from learning English during his travels overseas, and now Valeria has seen them firsthand too. “I have better job opportunities, and I get paid more because I can prove I have a great level of English.” Continue reading