Around the web
Weekly link roundups, daily doses and forum threads.
Around The Web On TEFL: October 28
Infested dogs and English teachers go out in the midday sun . It sounds like my life story, but actually contains the reflections of a retired social worker who volunteered as an English teacher in…
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 .
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!
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 .
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.
Around The Web On TEFL: August 22
High demand and low supply of ESL classes in California...and Arizona too. An EFL teacher and graduate student in Korea explains how she's culturally enhanced Korea and how it has culturally enhanced…
Around The Web On TEFL: August 17
Can your students not draw to save their lives, and are you teaching furniture and prepositions of place? Check out Larry Ferlazzo's Blog with a link to Create a Flooplan .
Around The Web On TEFL: August 12
Courtesy of the Bootsnall Italy Logue , a link to a blog post with a variety of TEFL resources , including several specific to Italy.
Around The Web On TEFL: August 7
One Danish group uses its own language to covertly criticize a political leader in a commercial ad, proving you never know just what trouble those non-English speakers get up to!* A Texas judge rules…
Around The Web On TEFL: August 2
A Wisconsin resident wins a content which salutes bad English . EFL Geek is recognized as a quality educational blogger by Middle School World.
Around The Web On TEFL: July 27
A community college ESL instructor considers some common difficulties faced by ESL learners in "regular" (non-ESL) classes, and how - or even if - instructors can address these.
Around The Web On TEFL: July 22
Immigrants who are nurses in their home countries take classes to improve their English in the US. The English divide in Korea , put into terms of how much fluent English improves job prospectives.
Around The Web On TEFL: July 16
The web is responding to the Simplified Spelling Society's demand to alter English spelling... starting here . Thank goodness!
Around The Web On TEFL: July 12
One writer in Wisconsin who was a student in Korea struggles to remember Korean after leaving the country, and produces a unique journal in the process: have a look .
Around The Web On TEFL: July 8
The New York Times has a look at one job duty which seems to be eating up the time of much-needed ESL teachers out of proportion to its value: paperwork .
Around The Web On TEFL: July 4
How is an EFL teacher different from a pizza? Find out here . It's only one joke...but add your own! From ESL Lesson Plan: a free resource for teachers who would like to improve their grammar.
Around The Web On TEFL: June 30
English does have a separate plural "you"...in some places that is: y'all. Read Grammar Girl's thoughts on this . Indiana University turns out more teachers with tandem ESL certification .
Around The Web On TEFL: June 27
Teaching EFL can put you in a unique position to find out local views first hand: see what one EFL teacher in Russia found out about how young Russians see their country's military service .
Around The Web On TEFL: June 23
An insightful take on English language in Malaysia : where the country's official language - Malay - "fails" (ie not everyone from different national backgrounds speaks it), English prevails (it is…
Around The Web On TEFL: June 20
If you're a language lover, check out the new e-zine made just for you... ...and I know you can't skip these interesting English factoids either in that case.
Around The Web On TEFL: June 16
California Governor Schwarzenegger's advice for learning English make the International Herald Tribune...though not in positive light.
Around The Web On TEFL: June 9
One ESL teacher's memories about language in her family ( it's hard to put a one-sentence title on this one. Read it. It's nice ) Read about some new research starting on the various Englishes .
Around The Web On TEFL: June 3
A picture by picture day in the life of a teacher in Korea . Sports officials in China continue learning English in preparation for the big games.
Around The Web On TEFL: May 28
If you're a fan of food, you might want to see Gdog's master list of his Hong Kong meal diary - just one of the treats in store for you in EFL...in some places anyway!
Around The Web On TEFL: May 24
From India: Want to learn English? Turn the music on... In Thailand the news of a foreign EFL teacher's death . What are the reasons some Japanese want to study abroad? Get a sample here .
Around The Web On TEFL: May 19
If you're in Budapest, you're in for an English language stand-up comedy night coming up on May 24...for only(?) Ft 3,500.
Around The Web On TEFL: May 12
Cool video resource: Conversations With History , searchable video interviews with over 360 notable people. There may well be an interesting theme to comment on, but I just like the title: KFC vs.
Around The Web On TEFL: May 6
From TESall.com , here is your chance to be a judge at the ESL Oscars . Another look at the demand for English among young people and their parents in Korea.
Around The Web On TEFL: April 30
Read about some research suggesting that English language learners retain new vocabulary faster than those who already know English. EFL Geek has some tips for showing movies in class .
Around The Web On TEFL: April 26
Looking for a gym in Mokdong? One innovative teacher has found a way to get you a discount: tell 'em Gdog sent you !
Around The Web On TEFL: April 21
Get the low-down on online learning in intensive courses from An ELT Notebook. See why foreign language high schools in Seoul are planning to stop requiring TOEFL scores from applicants.
Online TEFL Forums
A variety of online forums or message boards for both EFL teachers – at Dave’s ESL Café and ESL Base to name a few - and students.
Around The Web On TEFL: April 18
Some startling news about views on foreign language ...based on a survey in Australia.
Around The Web On TEFL: April 14
Kids in Tennessee are studying Spanish in pre-school ...kind of like in Florida . A serious look at some of the risks of teaching in Korea courtesy of EFL Geek.
Around The Web On TEFL: April 9
A Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova puts into the words some of the classroom management issues related to teaching kids...I have a sneaking suspicion this may be applicable outside Moldova too.
Around The Web On TEFL: April 4
More ESL teachers and more money to pay them needed in Montgomery, Alabama. Insights Into TEFL offers up a creative take on the traditional telephone activity: "making an appointment." Learning…
Around The Web On TEFL: April 3
Check out a short but sweet time-killing concentration activity from Teacher Dude's BBQ And Grill.
Around The Web On TEFL: March 24
Homemaker or housewife, hangman or spiderman....see some more examples of (and opinions on) politically correct language in ELT. Bilingual toys continue to gain popularity in the US.
Around The Web On TEFL: March 20
Need to group students? Here are some fun ways to do it . If you're feeling insecure about your second language skills, here's reason to feel worse: some birds are bilingual .
Around The Web On TEFL: March 16
Like Wikipedia? How about WikiEnglish ? And just in time "wiki" is added to the online Oxford English dictionary .
Around The Web On TEFL: March 11
A language-learning trick many of us could get used to: learning a language by visiting cafes . The year 2007 has already had some TEFL milestones , according to one blogger.
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of March 5, 2007
Check out the topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : If you want to teach English but you're not sure you want to commit to a full year , what can do you?
Around The Web On TEFL: March 7
Next time I teach kids, I want a microphone . See how one teacher has used an extensive collection of audio books to help her students learn English. Is EFL behind the times technologically ?
Around The Web On TEFL: March 3
From a teacher in China: why students need communication skills . The role of English in Ghana and in Sri Lanka too.
Around The Web On TEFL: February 28
Get some lateral thinking puzzles while you appreciate the photography at gdimension. It makes me proud to be from the Chicago burbs: read about an honest-to-goodness immersion program . In the US.
Around The Web On TEFL: February 24
A Test of Kazak as a Foreign Language is on the way. From Japan, why it's good to encourage young learners to guess . From the Costa Rica Classroom...
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of February 19, 2007
Check out the topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : Optimusdinkus wants to work abroad - NOW - and is looking for suggestions .
Around The Web On TEFL: February 19
Get the latest " Another Day In The Life Of... " a kids teacher in Thailand, courtesy of An ELT Notebook. From Georgia, a new foreign language may be added to the roster in: American Sign Language .
Around The Web On TEFL: February 15
The Mayor of Nashville vetoes an ordinance which would make English the state's official language . For your new class: English for Football Purposes .
Around The Web On TEFL: February 12
Online classes are a thing of the past: now you can learn by sms . Short but sweet: Bulgaria will need more foreign language teachers .
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of February 5, 2007
Check out the topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : SquareTortoise isn't from the EU, has little experience, only moderate German skills and a CELTA - with a resume like…
Around The Web On TEFL: February 8
Find out how a Regina, Canada first-grade class is welcoming twenty Karen students coming from a Thailand refugee camp: they are children first, refugees second .
Around The Web On TEFL: February 3
An Iowa school activity the TEFL Logue thinks would be useful everywhere: A Day In The Life Of English Language Learners .
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of January 29, 2007
Check out the topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : Sean Luxembourg gets his TEFL certificate in February, and wants to know what the "best country in South America" is to…
Around The Web On TEFL: January 31
Get ready for the Top 100 Misspelled Words in English : here at the TEFL Logue, surprisingly or not, the most often misspelled words include langauge and Louge.
Around The Web On TEFL: January27
Want to get a better idea of what's in store for you during your TEFL training? Check in with ESL Base's TEFL Course Diaries ...and return to your favorite because the most popular blog will win 400…
Around The Web On TEFL: January 23
British police learning Polish ? The International Herald Tribune on the lack of popularity of foreign language films in the US .
Around The Web On TEFL: January 20
Is Yoruba language in jeopardy thanks to English ? See what the TEFL Blog has to say... Get some Insider Secrets On Teaching English Overseas .
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of January 15, 2007
Check out these topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : When you're living away from "home" for long periods of time, you're bound to miss family and friends (at least a…
Around The Web On TEFL: January 15
As if you needed any more reasons to become bilingual: it delays the onset of dementia .
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of January 8, 2007
Check out these topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : Ryan J's school offers a minor in TESOL, but he's not sure if that would help him get a job later on.
Around The Web On TEFL: January 12
The Mandarin Immersion program in one California elementary school sparks a debate - but you won't guess why. Some thoughts on using ipods to learn from the TEFL Blog at ESL Base.
Around The Web On TEFL: January 9
A teacher who made the move from Korea to Iraq. And quite similarly, a couple who work in Afghanistan and a link to their book for sale. Learning a foreign language with podcasts is on the rise.
Around The Web On TEFL: January 7
One view on why at least some soldiers should learn foreign languages . And coincidentally, from the Air Force Times, some free online language courses available to active duty soldiers.
Around The Web On TEFL: January 4
Read about one experienced EFL teacher holding classes in a Mexican rehabilitation clinic : it gives participants something to do and a useful skill...and makes it "easier to talk to girls" in other…
Around The Web On TEFL: January 1 (2007!)
Bring in the new year with some neat reads on TEFL: More evidence that the practice of studying Chinese in the US is picking up .
Around The Web On TEFL: December 27
The concept of English as the main language of instruction in schools in the Phillipines get more complex. Even Kansasians know: the US has a ways to go with l earning foreign languages .
Around The Web On TEFL: December 21
Check out the scoop on teaching in Vietnam from one satisfied EFL teacher. Does It Matter If We Only Speak English?
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of December 11, 2006
Check out these topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : Travelgirltiff is starting to think that teaching English might be a great way to get out and see the world...
Around The Web On TEFL: December 15
Reporters Without Borders congratulates Wikipedia for not censoring its own site in order to gain official approval in China: the English-language version has just been unblocked , the Chinese…
Around The Web On TEFL (The Post Formerly Known As The Daily Dose)
I bet you thought I forgot. Nope. The idea is this: like any EFL teacher worth his or her salt, I'm going to raise your interest in the topic (timely news stories about EFL) and then help you help…
Daily Dose: December 5
From the Sophia Echo...a write up of the meeting of the Association of Language Testers of Europe .
Fun And Delicious Communicative Activity: The Recipe Forum
If you’re looking for a fun (and delicious) communication activity for a group, consider Glenn Gainer’s Recipe Forum – which seems just the ticket for the holiday season.
Daily Dose: December 4
If you want to be assured of a job sometime down the road, get certified in Globish right away...the replacement for English. Ireland is facing some challenges with students who don't speak English.
Daily Dose: December 3
It's not EFL but it should be: France proposes teaching kids wine appreciation . One blog entry with links to English language versions of Korean visa rules . Short but sweet...maybe.
TEFL Forum Threads for the week of November 27, 2006
Check out these topics currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : Kathsmee is doing a TEFL course in Barcelona in January and plans to teach in Chile for six months or so .
Daily Dose: December 1
Learning Chinese is now all the rage in Israel as well. Speak Spanish like Bob Dylan ...one man's unique experience of foreign language learning.
Daily Dose: November 30
Download any number of free electronic language courses . Get the Guardian's take on choosing a TEFL course . English and grades are not important in which Korean industry ?
Daily Dose: November 29
English for taxi purposes? Taxi drivers in one UK town will have to pass an English test . How polyglots gained a big competitive advantage ...and other language stories.
Daily Dose: November 28
Changing that pesky English spelling for the EU? It's not just Americans... Brits need to learn foreign languages too . Speaking second languages at work when not everyone can understand.
Daily Dose: November 27
Will studying Chinese become the new trend in US grade schools? Is Korea's hefty investment in English language learning paying off Is your accent important? Not so much.
Daily Dose: November 26
Did you know that month, silver, purple and orange don't rhyme with any other English words? Read up on all sorts of trivia here .
Daily Dose: November 25
Are you a language nazi (or a soup nazi)? There's no excuse for bad English on message boards according to this author. Will US students soon be studying Chinese in middle school?
Daily Dose: November 23
Get an English language summary of an article in Korean about EFL teachers in Korea. Blogging is a think of the past...now it's on to vlogging .
Daily Dose: November 22
Japanese actors take two-month intensive English courses to prepare for the first... sushi Westerns ? Language is an important ingredient for preserving culture.
Daily Dose: November 20
Guy Courchesne has a bit to say about getting a work permit in Mexico - this post is an excellent resource if you're thinking of working there.
Daily Dose: November 19
If you're learning Icelandic, your wait for that spell- and grammar-check is over. A blogging EFL teacher in France speaks his mind about grading your language : is it really good for your students?
Daily Dose: November 18
More opportunities for TEFL training are on the way in Malta . A US judge finds a school principal guilty of segregation for placing students in ESL classes based on something other than linguistic…
TEFL Forum Thread for the week of November 13, 2006
Check out this topic currently being discussed on the TEFL Forum at BootsnAll : Nuo wants to get overseas to teach, and found a site that looked fantastic...
Daily Dose: November 17
This author thinks English proficiency in the Philipines leaves a lot to be desired. The English language puts another notch in its belt: Al-Jazeerah's English language news .
Daily Dose: November 16
Author Chang-Rae Lee , who immigrated from Korea to the US at an early age, speaks about his books and provides an interesting perspective on being an outsider and assimilating.
Daily Dose: November 14
Find out what problems face English language learners in Yemen . Get The Daily Kimchi's opinion on the three essentials for teaching English in Korea.
Daily Dose: November 13
Discover why Korean students are finding it necessary to go to Japan to take English exams . Find out why those spiffy Harrow hats are coming to China .
Daily Dose: November 11
Get your blog fix here - two Europe blogs and four Korea blogs: Find out how this new EFL teacher's journey to teach in Moscow is going following her TEFL course in Prague.
TEFL Forum Thread for the week of November 6, 2006
Check out this topic currently being discussed on the Volunteering and Working Abroad forum at BootsnAll : Asheai is wondering if being not only young but also female will make it harder to be taken…
Daily Dose: November 10
Is Chinese about to replace English in the Czech Republic? An American university professor of Japanese language got her start teaching English in Japan (also see what the National Council of Less…
Daily Dose: November 9
What's an ESL burglary suspect? While I am deeply indebted to google news alerts on any and all news containing "esl"...find out what else this abbreviation abbreviates here .
Daily Dose: November 7
An aspiring Singaporean author writes about integrating English into the local culture . Jackie Chan admits that plurals and past tenses might be the real enemy.
Daily Dose: November 5
Discover what it's like to be a Peace Corps volunteer English teacher in Kyrgyzstan (and also just how to get rid of bad luck by spitting on money).
Daily Dose: November 4
Browse through a plethora of cool lesson plans, including the monthsly winners, at OneStopEnglish.com's Lesson Plan Share section - choose a few to use when you're short on time.