Teaching and Learning English - Recently Updated Pages

teaching materials

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:53:07 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Site Rules

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:47:27 CST

There are two simple rule on this wiki, which override all others:

offensive language, racist language or abusive online behaviour towards any other wiki user or contributor will not be tolerated;
all content must be about, or in some way related to, teaching or learning English

When adding stuff to this wiki, please keep these two rules in mind at all times.

Locked or Deleted Pages
Any page will be locked if the page is subject to repeated offensive or irrelevant edits. Once a page is locked, you will not be able to edit or add to it in any way. If edits are seen to be too offensive, racially motivated, or too abusive, in the opinion of the moderator(s), such pages as are affected, as a last resort, may be permanently deleted.

Follow the Rules - Respect Other Users!
We would ask all wiki users to keep to these simple rules for the enjoyment and benefit of all users.

Ask TheEnglishTeacher

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:25:06 CST

For Learners of English

This wiki has been set up by teachers of English with a lot of experience and knowledge about the English language. So, if you have any questions about English which you would like TheEnglishTeacher to answer, please put them on this page.

TheEnglishTeacher can of course respond to any comment or query left on this wiki - but, this page has been created especially for you as a learner to ask a question. Do remember that the answer to your question will of course be totally public, and anyone visiting this wiki will be able to read it - and, of course, that is also true about your question

Home

valodas — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:26:12 CST

WELCOME!
Hi and welcome to this wiki! The Teaching and Learning English wiki is for all learners or teachers of English from anywhere in the world. The simple aim is to provide a forum where you can share your ideas, views or tips on the English language.

Are you a learner of English?
If you are a learner of English, perhaps you have had a teacher you will never forget, or an experience which has really helped your learning. Perhaps you have some great tips for other learners about how to accelerate English language learning? You may have found a great book or online site - recommend this to others. Or, maybe, you actually do not like learning English - it could just be something you 'have to' do! Tell us about it, and others can reply to your message.

Are you a teacher of English?
Wherever you live, whatever your nationality, and however long you have been teaching English, why not share your thoughts about what works (or does not work!) in the English language classroom for you? Or, maybe you have a question for other teachers of English - again, use this wiki to post your question, or questions. Someone, somewhere is bound to reply!

Do I have to be a member?
No. You can edit any part of this wiki, or add to any part of this wiki, and stay totally anonymous. Or, you can simply add your name manually to your posts. If you do decide to join, you will then have a username. Joining is free. If you join, you will then receive updates from the Wetpaint.com team about what is happening on this wiki, or you can receive alerts whenever someone contributes to a page which you are watching.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some useful links for you ....

The Holistic Educator - a blog by Ibrar Butt, looking at a range of issues from an educational perspective! An entertaining and informative read at any time! And, of course, something you can contribute to whenever you want.
OpenLearn - the Learning Spaces site gives free access to Open University materials for learners or teachers from anywhere in the world.
a4esl.org - free online activities for students of English as a Second Language
English-to-go.com - more free activities for students and teachers of English
Free-English.com - games and activities for learners
About.com:English as a 2nd Language: free lessons, links and resources for teachers and learners
Englishlearner.com - free exercises, quizzes and games for all levels
Primary Resources.co.uk - free activities and resources for primary teachers of English language.
Primary School.com - primary resources for English as a Second Language
English-avenue.com - primary English lessons for kids.
Interactive Whiteboard resources in English - from Birmingham City Council
valodas - free language learning software

You Tube stuff

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:51:31 CDT

Listen to Cat .....

Just in case you thought he had lost it ....We think you'll find this .... cool.

Click on the links below, listen, watch and enjoy ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO_OKr24cEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRE7CMNXUs0

How to 'do grammar'?

TheEnglishTeacher — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:19:40 CDT

A Small Introduction ... and a BIG Question!
Nitta and Gardener (2005:3) say there has been "a theoretical shift from 'how to teach grammar' to 'how learners learn grammar'". This statement can be viewed within the context of an increasing 'focus on form' where 'grammar' and 'doing grammar' are increasingly fashionable, even within a 'communicative methodology'. (cf. Thornbury, 2001).

Here, we'd love to open up a teachers' debate about grammar - all thoughts, views, experiences or tips are more than welcome!

The first question we would like to ask you is:

what do you understand by 'grammar'? Is it 'just' things like tenses, articles, prepositions? Or, does it include spelling, vocabulary (verbs, prepositions and articles are surely words, after all!), word formation and other aspects of language?

Add your comments to this article (click on 'Edit the content', or simply add a comment at the bottom of this page.

The Consciousness-Raising Approach (C-R approach)
One way of 'doing grammar' which is often discussed is called the 'C-R approach' - the Consciousness-Raising approach, where learners are exposed to a lot of natural input, containing naturally occurring items of language. It is often said (cf. Thornbury, 2001) that there are 3 key stages to the C-R approach. These are:

noticing: when learners become aware of specific language points occurring in real use
understanding: when learners understand the meaning and function of the language points and they also perceive the need to include these language points in their own interlanguage*
hypothesising/testing: new input will eventually lead to spontaneous output, where the learner puts the new language points into practice, thereby taking some 'risks' with the new language

Several questions:

Do you think learners 'notice' better in a classroom or in a natural context (e.g. watching a film, travelling in an English-speaking country) ?
How, if at all, do you provide your learners with opportunities to 'notice' new language?
How important is risk-taking in learning a language?
How does a C-R approach relate to learners' interlanguage*?

Add your comments to this article (click on 'Edit the content', or simply add a comment at the bottom of this page.

* interlanguage: a learner's developing knowledge of the L2 (second language) which is always changing in response to L2 (second language) input, and leads to a learner's reorganisation of their L2 understanding and output.

References:

Nitta R & Gardener S (2005) Consciousness-Raising and Practice in ELT Coursebooks, ELT Journal 59: 3 - 13
Thornbury S (2001) Uncovering Grammar, Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann English Language Teaching

Learners of English

TheEnglishTeacher — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 18:45:33 CDT

Are you a learner of English somewhere in the world?
This is a wiki for learners of English anywhere in the world. It is an English language wiki for anyone who is learning English or studying English.

What can I do on this wiki? The Choice is Endless - the Choice is Yours!
On this wiki, you can add pages, edit anything which is put on the site, share the content with friends, colleagues or family, and ... learn English while having fun and interacting with other learners.

Maybe you would like to:

ask a question about something which you don't understand?
share something which you have done to help you improve your English?
tell lots of people about a really great teacher of English? (If you are going to name him/her, it is best to get his/her permission first!)
tell lots of people about a really great school of English?
practise what you have learned by sharing it with others? Don't forget that teaching others is a great way to reinforce your own learning!
or, contribute pictures or stories or articles?
.... the choice is endless ... the choice is yours!

Teachers of English

TheEnglishTeacher — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 18:32:13 CDT

Are You Teaching English Somewhere in the World?

If you are a teacher of English, why not contribute an article, a teaching tip, or a point of view to this page? Or, why not create a whole new page? This site is designed so that you can do whatever you want with it .... so, why not enjoy the thrill of publishing your great ideas on the worldwide web?

Or, why not ask a question? English language teaching in the 21st century takes place in a very globalised context - and, for this reason, a totally open wiki is a great place to share and interact with other teachers of English. Any visitor to this site is able to contribute anything, as this is the real meaning of a wiki - if it is to work, it needs people like you to join in.

Got nothing to contribute? Share with others who may have something to add ...
If you don't have anything to contribute, but you have friends who are also teachers of English, and who may have something to say ... why not click on 'Email this page' to the right and send this page to your friends? Or, simply send them a link to http://helpwithenglish.wetpaint.com