Resource Description: What fashion means to one person will be completely different from the next. Fashion, has always been a fascinating and almost relaxing subject in my class. It is especially popular amongst my female students (trying not to be stereotypical here) . This activity is a step towards a session on ‘Fashion’ for ESL learners with an aim to learn plenty of vocabulary ,adjectives and to be able to confidently present one’s personal views and opinions about fashion and dressing up styles.

Resource Type: Lesson Plans

Resource Description: This is a YouTube channel with free English as a Foreign Language videos lessons: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDPZQ3ykSD4qM2boqah8rw?sub_confirmation=1

Here you can find grammar lessons, pronunciation lessons, vocabulary lessons, and even a daily video on phrasal verbs.

Resource Type: Teaching Tips

Resource Description: An overview of videos teachers and students can create for the English classroom and for outside of class practice. Plus: Basic filming tips from framing to zooming.

Resource Type: Teaching Tips

Resource Description: In this webinar, participants reflect upon the reasons why flipped classrooms make sense for language teaching classes in the context of language teaching methodologies.  They further learn how flipped classrooms can assist teachers to connect better with their learners.  Participants also learn about essential steps of flipping their language classrooms for better language mastery and student motivation. 

Resource Type: Virtual Seminars

Resource Description:

The test can be used both for assessing and building the linguocultural competence of ESL students. We understand this competence as the ability and readiness to interact with representatives from other cultures, formed on the basis of knowledge about the own and foreign linguocultures, capacity to interpret cultural information in language and skills of communication in accordance with social norms, that all serve to attain the aims of interpersonal communication.

Resource Type: Assessments

Resource Description: A website www.colwords.com with 1200 English Colorful words. Colorful words are common words that sound just a bit funnier that other words. Words such as babble, grunt, cringe, fidget, lurk, and scorch.  Each word is illustrated with one or more sentence and picture.  

Resource Type: Activities

Resource Description: During this innovative seminar, the overlap between Language and Social Justice will be explored. The presenter introduces the theory behind Human Rights Education (HRE), and also demonstrates how the practice of teaching human rights can enrich and empower English Language Learners of all ages. Participants acquire creative ideas for making their classroom instruction more relevant to real-world events.

Resource Type: Virtual Seminars

Resource Description: In this video, veteran video makers from the Video and Digital Media Interest Section (VDMIS) share the equipment they use to make videos.

Resource Type: Teaching Tips

Resource Description: Many empirical investigations have demonstrated that explicit Focus on Form (FOF) methods are more effective than implicit Focus on Meaning (FOM) methods (Norris & Ortega, 2000), because in FOF instruction learners’ attention is drawn to linguistic form while FOM instruction requires learners' attention to communicate (Ellis, 2001). However, this piece of research focused on both the effectiveness and feasibility study of FOF vs. FOM in reading class. In this quasi- experimental study, 20 adult EFL learners of pre-intermediate level were divided into two experimental groups which received two different types of instruction. During a ten-session treatment, the first group was provided with FOF instruction (Dictoglass task), while the second group was provided with FOM instruction (Discussion task). The results revealed a significant difference between two experimental groups. The FOF group scored significantly higher than the FOM group. Regarding the students and teachers’ perspectives towards feasibility of FOF in reading class, the students believed that FOF was feasible in reading classes, while  the teachers were not unanimous in this regard, but towards feasibility of FOM both groups held positive attitudes. Generally, the data revealed that both FOF and FOM have feasibility in reading classes. In terms of feasibility, both methods are equally well- functioning, but as to developing reading skill FOF proved a bit more effective than FOM.

Resource Type: Teaching Tips

Resource Description:

This is a card game used to practice the syntax of causal phrases. The game is based on the party game “Cards Against Humanity” and functions in similar way. This activity is meant to put into practice causal phrases taught at the beginning of class, based on those in found in Unit 18 of Business Benchmark textbook (Brook-Hart, 2013, pp.85-86). The activity was originally designed for a Business English class that prepares students for the Cambridge BULATS exam. Hence, the game has a business theme.

Resource Type: Activities

Resource Description: The edTPA is a student-centered multiple measure assessment of teaching, completed by teacher candidates seeking initial certification in teaching ESOL in several states within the United States. Stanford University faculty and staff at Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) developed edTPA. 

Resource Type: Teaching Tips

Resource Description: More and more, language teachers are looking for ways to do professional development that are closely related to their own classroom contexts. Teacher action research is one such way as it enables teachers to develop skills to investigate issues important to them and to their learners. We will discuss practical tools to begin your own classroom inquiries and to learn more about what works and why it works in your classroom. 

Resource Type: Virtual Seminars

Resource Description: Over 250 short, easy conversations under 19 topics with high-quality audio, free for everyone to use. http://www.rong-chang.com/easyspeak/. Topics include school life, jobs, housing, taking the bus, social networking, sports, and foods. 

Resource Type: Activities

Resource Description: This virtual seminar concerns extensive reading and how it may be used to help learners not only learn to read but to help them increase their vocabulary knowledge, and improve their writing, speaking and listening abilities. Learners use the books they read as a basis for performing vocabulary, writing, speaking and listening activities. Extensive reading can be blended into any language course and program, regardless of the focus or methodology.

Resource Type: Virtual Seminars

Resource Description: Is it acceptable to use “impact” as a verb? “They” as a singular generic pronoun? How should ESL/EFL instructors or students decide? Curzan offers a lively historical perspective on well-known grammar/style rules and an insider’s look at completing the annual ballot for the American Heritage Dictionary usage panel.

Resource Type: Convention Plenary & Keynote Sessions