TEFL News
Stay in touch with what’s happening around the TEFL world and around the web.
Campaign For TEFL President Takes A Surprising Turn
As you are probably well aware, two well-known TEFL bloggers are neck in neck in the race for TEFL President: Alex Case of TEFLtastic (find his platform here at the TEFL Logue) and Sandy of TEFLtrade. I secretly made Sandy a deal: let me post his manifesto here and I would defect from my support to Alex. What did he do?
He posted it on his own blog! Well, he claims the manifesto is still on the way, but he did pick out an election team.
This convinced me that I should come clean with what I know about the candidates. Specifically, all the dirt I have on Sandy. It’s only fair to gang up on one candidate - we all know that’s how these things go.
So here it is: If you search through Dave’s family photos which are now prominently displayed on the ESL café home page, you will come across a few interesting photos.
Date: October 27th, 2007 |
3 comments
It’s A TEFL Election Year And TEFLtastic Is Running: When I Am TEFL President, By Alex Case
I’m proud to have the opportunity to announce the candidacy of one of “our own” for TEFL President - Alex Case of Tefl.net’s TEFLtastic blog. He was kind enough to outline his platform for the TEFL Logue (and free massages are involved … who knew TEFLtastic was that kind of blog?!). I don’t know if I will be running myself but stay tuned for my promises on another “when I am” topic, which Alex has committed to featuring at TEFLtastic provided I handle his candidacy well in this post.
I’d also like request that any other candidates for TEFL President post their statements on their own blogs and share the link here and also with TEFLtastic (so we can copy and paste what you’ve written and edit it to make you look silly!).
When I am TEFL President
By TEFLtastic’s Alex Case
Someone wrote a comment on my blog recently suggesting that I was trying to take over the TEFL World. To which my answer is- oh yes, so I was, I seem to have got distracted and forgotten about it…
Unfortunately, my attempts to set up a group of TEFL Blackshirt bully boys who swagger about schools scaring people into line by swinging around very heavy copies of Michael Swan only got about 100 volunteers rather than the thousands I need, and I also can’t be bothered reading through all the TEFL KGB reports from bugging and spies in your schools to see if there is anything on the transcripts I can blackmail people with between the complaints about the photocopier and the “amusing” stories of language misunderstandings. So, I’ve decided to go the democratic route. Here is my manifesto for the 2008 TEFL World President elections, which Katie of TEFL Logue has very kindly agreed to print despite the fact that she will, I imagine, be running herself. Maybe she is hoping I will say something to incriminate myself…
The carrot
Free flu vaccines for any teachers of young kids, and free massages “post workout” after all TPR kindergarten classes
All schools specialising in a certain kind of English (e.g. British English, American English, Cockney Rhyming slang) will need to provide genuine hot drinks from that country in the teachers’ room, with suitable accompanying snacks on the teacher’s national or regional holidays
Any damage to clothes due to whiteboard pen marks, broken heels from potholed streets, split trousers from squatting down to listen into pairwork etc. will be paid by the school
All shared teachers’ accommodation will be split by age, so that old buggers like me don’t have to get depressed about how much fun the young whipper snappers are having.
Beginner teachers will be banned from being given complete beginner or Proficiency classes.
Teachers will have the legal write to impound the students’ electronic dictionaries for as long as they like
The stick
Date: October 11th, 2007 |
10 comments
Dear TEFL Logue Readers,
You might have noticed that, instead of three TEFL Logue posts a day, there is now one (if you’re lucky!). Rest assured that, as I pointed out in a comment here, I have not had a lobotomy or anything. I have not run out of ideas. I have not had any crisis or anything like that.
Well, that’s not completely true. The other day the adapter on my laptop cord did actually start smoking because some electrical work was going on outside the sole wifi café in town. …
Date: September 30th, 2007 |
3 comments
Is This Exclusionary
Living in a country where YOU are the foreigner can do a number on your views. Has it changed your views on the controversial topic of …
Date: September 30th, 2007 |
No Comments
ESL Carnival At Larry Ferlazzo’s Blog
TEFL Logue readers are no doubt familiar with Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day For ESL blog. Every day he adds a new link or set of links to neat different activities online that ESL learners can use; see my review of his blog here.
Now, Larry has come across a new theme: the ESL Carnival. This is a collection of links to posts on various blogs on the same topic – in this case the topic is of course ESL. You can see an example of one carnival here. All you need to do is send a link – to a recently written (or soon to be published) post connected to English language learning – to Larry before September 30. Reach him at MrFerlazzo at aol dot com.
Date: September 9th, 2007 |
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Around The Web On TEFL: October 13
“If I could teach English to anybody, living or dead, my choice would be… ” get the results at Notes From The TEFL Graveyard. (Sadly, missing deadlines as I do, I missed my opportunity to vote here as well. For the record, I’d chose Mother Teresa. I haven’t been to Albania yet but I sure do like the Balkans. I certainly thought about David Beckham - but he’s already married, so what would be the point?)
If you’ve ever been caught in a tough situation and at a loss for language, this new mobile interpreter service …
Date: October 13th, 2007 |
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Bureacracy With A Smile And Some English…Or Not
One Czech national who is also a fluent English speaker went undercover in her country to assess the English-language readiness of Czech public officials - and found it sadly lacking. Of course any English-speaking foreigner could do a similar experiment, but she could understand their replies and conversation in Czech…when they thought she couldn’t.
She was surprised at how difficult it was to get ahold of anyone who spoke English; she didn’t hold it against a particular person if they didn’t speak English, but considered whether they knew how to reach an employee who did, or if the person spoke another common language like German.
She also felt that other countries in the region have a better record.
How are the English language skills of public officials in your host country? Do you think they could be better…or should?
My opinion may surprise you.
Date: October 3rd, 2007 |
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Around The Web On TEFL: September 30
Larry Ferlazzo’s latest includes some nicely illustrated brainteasers from National Geographic. And don’t forget your submissions to Larry’s ESL Carnival - deadline today!
Fortunately A Foreign Perspective has found a new home following Turkey’s WordPress block. If you’re having trouble accessing blocked blogs, take some advice from Cairogal (courtesy of Vagabond Blogger) on how to access blocked websites in case it happens to you!
A new “agent” who is spreading the English language…you might be surprised who!
Sometimes just one line illustrates the situation. Here, the author raises the question: does it make …
Date: September 30th, 2007 |
1 comment
Around The Web On TEFL: September 13
EFL Geek is back from vacation with a great example of why NOT to rely on electronic translators or even dictionaries too much. Hint: which is correct - “My favorite color is aquamarine” or “My favorite color is sodomy”?
Are people using English at the expense of Hindi in India?
One take on why English language progress is slower than many would like in Taiwan.
The Irish government is pressed to provide English lessons as it has made knowledge of English a requirement for immigrants.
Foreign language humor is tricky, says American author Doug Lansky, who is writing …
Date: September 13th, 2007 |
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Around The Web On TEFL: September 7
Two-tongued teaching gains ground in the US (?!)
As if two-tongued teaching doesn’t sound like enough fun, TEFLtastic has some fun and games in worksheet form, ready to be used in class.
The US Embassy is promoting English language learning in Cameroon…will this be to the detriment of Frananglais?
Not exactly TEFL, but an interesting debate on a reason given for popularity of foreign-language films.
A hotel in California catches on to the benefits of assisting its employees in learning English.
Do your students have a nickname for you? Maybe you should find out where it comes from, …
Date: September 7th, 2007 |
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