For Advanced ESL Reading and Writing Students

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Happy New Year guys! I hope that you had a fun time ringing in 2015 and you've gotten enough r & r (rest and relaxation.)  I know that you were very busy at the end of the fall semester.

Many of you are probably back in your home countries and you won't be returning to us at the IEI. We will definitely miss your intellect, hard work, and kind spirits. Before leaving for break, some of you asked me what you should do to continue to hone your writing and reading skills. So, here are a few suggestions that I've compiled with your level (500) and learning experience in mind:

Grace Kelly, a famous american actress, reading 

Grace Kelly, a famous american actress, reading 

1. To read faster 

All of your reported in your student feedback that you found speed reading to be very helpful. Well, the author and research behind the speed reading we did in class, Paul Nation, has several free books that you can read online to continue reading for fluency. You can select one that seems to be your level and time yourself as you read, just like we did in class. Go to the Free Graded Readers section of Nation's page. Choose a reader at the 4,000, 6,000, or 8,00 word level. If you need to test yourself, start with the 6,000 level. If you can read and know 98% of the words on the first page, great. Try the 8,000 level. Can you do the same? If you can't read 98% of the words, go down a level.

2. To write faster

Next, you'll want to keep up your Quick Writes. Are you wondering how to do that without a writing prompt from me? Have no fear! Here is a great resource written by the editors of wordpress.com for writings with a number of interesting prompts. There are 365 prompts, one to go with every day of the year. That means you can do a little bit of writing in English every.single.day---Yippee! Write as much as you can for ten minutes without worrying about grammar or spelling.

3. To expand your vocabulary

If you wish to continue working on the Academic Word List, here are a variety of vocabulary exercises to help. Remember, it's not enough to be able to recognize the word or say its definition. You need to be able to use these words in your writing.

Another option to continue to develop your vocabulary is to hear and see how words are used in the news.  The BBC's Learning English has a great section devoted to words in the news to help viewers learn more vocabulary.

4. To revise and edit your writing

 Now that you aren't always able to get teacher feedback on your drafts, you're going to need to be sure to do careful editing before you submit applications or send important emails. Two universities in Indiana (my home state!) have helpful resources so that you can review your writing carefully. Indiana University helps you to proofread for common surface errors and Purdue University has one of the most comprehensive guides on English grammar and writing for ESL students. The OWL website will be a place you'll want to visit again and again to look for information on how to document sources, extra grammar explanations, or business writing. 

5. Still thirsty for more?

Don't forget about the resources on the IEI's website. If you have any questions about other steps you can take to keep working on your English, let me know! I'd be very happy to hear from you.

Wishing you all the best!

--Abby

Writing a TESOL conference proposal

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Writing a TESOL conference proposal

It wasn't until my first year teaching at the University of Oregon that I felt confident enough to try to write a TESOL proposal.  During grad school, I suspected conferences were better left to the 'experts' and I neglected to consider what or how I could contribute to the field.  If you're in grad school and thinking the same, don't.  Try it out now--you surely have ideas that would benefit others.

Without a buddy I don't know if I would have taken the plunge either.  Danielle Bus and I were working together at the University of Oregon when she suggested that we should try writing something out.  We had some shared experiences over the course of the year that raised questions that we wanted to investigate. We invited some more senior instructors to join us to try to widen our perspective.  

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What motivates students?

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What motivates students?

This past semester, some of my colleagues and I at the Intensive English Institute participated in a book club.  We read a wonderful book---What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain (2004). I had actually started to read this independently, and then I realized how much better it would be if I could relate it to language teaching by discussing it with others in the TESOL field.

Several chapters gave me lots to chew on---but one area that I'm really still puzzled about is student motivation.  Bain points to the research of Deci, Richard, and deCharms that suggests that if students suspect any sort of manipulation due to external reward, they might lose interest. But, at the same time, he mentions that without external motivation, intrinsic fascination might also diminish.  According to Bain, the most successful educators he has worked with aim to avoid extrinsic motivators and instead work to develop intrinsic motivators for students. 

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Cumulative Review Game

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Cumulative Review Game

As the school year winds down, many are probably searching for ways to remind students what they have learned.  I know that I was just a few weeks ago.  In addition to wanting to show students how much progress they made, I wanted to have students think about all that they had learned, but it was important to keep such a review student-centered.

Of course, there are the old standards, Jeopardy and Password.  These have been pretty successful in previous semesters.  But, this May, I was searching for something different. I needed something else--the class had entered in January with virtually no English.  After speaking to Maggie Courtright, my reading component leader, I had a solid plan for a review lesson.

Do you remember the game Outburst?  Well, this happens to lend itself very well to the language class.  It might actually work in several content areas. 

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Summer Reading

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If you're like me, you start a vacation with the best of intentions, plans to work on your professional development goals.  But suddenly, rather than curling up in an office, you're on the couch binge-watching a season of something you had no time to watch during the busy school year. (House of Cards, anyone?)

In addition to your plans being thwarted because of Netflix, you might be lacking motivation to get reading because you don't even know what you're teaching next semester.  I hear you.  So, with that in mind, I've thought of three topics that I could learn more about regardless of my upcoming teaching schedule. 

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2 apps for (almost) daily use

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Classes and teaching duties ended last week for the semester.  Whew--it's been a whirlwind of a year!  Over the past two days, I've attended Faculty Summer Institute; I'll be posting later on what I've gained from the conference.  This week, as I've reflected on the last semester and classes I taught, I've been thinking of the new tools that I used to help manage class.  Two of these are free apps that you might wish to use too.

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