The method of learner-created knowledge--where students engage with others in order to connect what they know with new knowledge to construct new meaning--ties into a broader support for learner autonomy in English language teaching (ELT) and learning. In countries like Cameroon, the social power orientation is mirrored in classroom practices, and…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of education has found a new normal, with new online courses, tools, educational apps, and artificial intelligence gaining in advancement and popularity. Interactive video is a multimedia tool that allows the viewer to actively engage with the content in the video by making choices and inputting data. In this…

One of the biggest challenges seasoned English language teacher Mina Gavell has faced in the classroom is how to liven up reading classes. Not only is reading inherently a quiet and solo task, but the standard skills teachers are trying to build in their students--skimming, scanning, making predictions and inferences, guessing vocabulary meaning…

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2010) encourages teachers and their students to "use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the classroom," and local boards of education around the world, including here in…

Twenty-first-century learners are "plugged in," fluent with technology, and motivated by social media. Why not embrace their passion and use social media to engage them in authentic and meaningful English-language learning that allows them to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in a familiar and motivating context? Author…

From a cultural perspective, humor may be a universal feature of all cultures, but what is considered funny varies greatly from culture to culture. In this article, the authors demonstrate the importance of understanding kinds of humor that differ across cultures and offer clear suggestions for teaching three kinds--verbal irony, memes, and…

Traditionally, many English language teachers around the world have conformed to an English as a foreign language (EFL) model. In this model, they expose their students to the standard language norms of English-dominant nations, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. However, English learners do not only need language skills to…

During a recent English class at the Universidad Tecnológica El Retoño (UTR) in Aguascalientes, the teacher, Celeste Fernández, asked a student a question. When the student paused for a few seconds, other students shouted out answers. Ms. Fernández reminded those students, "Give her time to think, please!" This short moment shows the…

When you want to learn about teacher training in Namangan, everyone knows--ask Mamura. Mamura Alimova is a senior teacher in the English Philology Department at Namangan State University, located in the beautiful Fergana Valley of eastern Uzbekistan. Ms. Alimova, through her involvement in countless projects, has established herself as an…

Most teachers who use textbooks know that they are restrictive by nature. Units jump from topic to topic without recycling much vocabulary. One effective solution to truly developing reading fluency in terms of word recognition may be Narrow Reading (NR)-- that is reading several texts about a single narrow topic. NR may involve reading five short…

Yurany Monsalve sees learning English as an opportunity to help students open their minds to different people, countries, and cultures. She believes that learning English is the path to her students achieving their dreams by teaching them values and social skills. This article tells the story of how she commutes (by plane!) between two teaching…

Dr. Santosh Kumar Mahapatra did not grow up speaking English, and studying English in secondary school was not easy for him. In fact, he almost failed the subject in Grades 10 and 12. Later, after he earned a master's degree in English Literature but still felt he could not speak the language well, he improved his English-speaking skills while…

Sarina Monh, a lecturer at the prestigious Royal University of Phnom Penh's (RUPP) Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) in Cambodia, comes from a family of teachers. Her father's family taught Khmer literature and mathematics, while her mother's family members were doctors, nurses,and midwives who trained and mentored others. Still, she said,…

In this article the authors describe how a specific technique--having learners create cartoons based on a reading passage--helped learners explore their understanding of reading passages and helped the teachers reflect on what the learners had comprehended.

Student-centered instruction is a shared goal in English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) settings that embrace communicative language teaching (CLT) principles (East 2015). Student-centered classrooms create opportunities for learners to have consistent and meaningful interactions--two-way exchanges of ideas--using their second language…