This manuscript is a conceptual article that intends to address 'playful creativity' as an underexplored but potentially insightful component of TESOL programs. To this aim, playful creativity is first defined under a critical purview of traditional and recent conceptualizations of creativity. Afterward, 'creative TESOL' is briefly addressed.…

A creative approach to teaching can factor into a long-lasting professional career and has the potential to attract passionate newcomers to the field of education. When creativity is valued, teachers can use these abilities to meaningfully design instruction, to create a vibrant learning environment, and to support student self-confidence. For…

When it comes to teaching vocabulary in foreign language classes words are often taught in isolation, without regard to the context in which they appear. The paper draws attention to the importance of teaching words in context so that the meaning of a word often results from the meaning of a larger construction it is part of. After presenting the…

The present contribution focuses on Benigni's auteur film "La vita è bella" (Italy, 1997) as a tool for the development of language competence in L2 English, Spanish and German, as well as of translation skills from Italian into these languages. The project, developed at the CLASS Language Centre at the University for Foreigners of…

The relationship between creativity, play, and language learning has been of increasing interest over the past decade, but the role of humour itself in SLL remains significantly under-explored. The present study examines humorous language play initiated by a bilingual EFL teacher and taken up by his post-beginner students in a Thai university…

After a discussion of cognitive schemata, identified as representing a "gestalt" stored in human memory, this paper explores three pedagogical modes: the use of drama, humor, and suspense in the classroom. Ways that each pertain to cognitive and communication theory are discussed, and classroom examples of how each mode provides…