This study explored the effects of teachers' individual reflection (IR) and group reflection (GR) on critical incidents (CIs). A group of preservice teachers (N = 7) were presented with real instances of CIs to consider during 12 teacher training sessions. In each session, the trainees read the first part of a CI, describing what happened, when it…

Writing a journal is a good way to improve one's English skills. The author, although she did not feel good at writing in English at all, discovered that, once she began keeping a journal in English, she progressively became able to write longer, more accurate, and more detailed sentences. Through keeping a journal she became aware of errors she…

This study explores ways in which TESOL graduate students were engaged in service-learning at a public university in the midwestern United States. It describes the experiences of both domestic and international students with service-learning that was incorporated into a hybrid graduate-level TESOL course. Data were collected throughout the…

Short-term study abroad programs are growing in popularity, and educators and researchers are exploring effective tools to enhance the learning and cultural experiences of students in these programs. Dialogue journals, writing journals in which students respond to instructor prompts and in turn initiate topics for further written discussion, are a…

Using Blogger, a free Google-powered weblog-generating website, English as a second language (ESL) instructors can create motivating and empowering learning opportunities for students. Instructors can generate their own blogs, including not only a class blog that builds a community-learning setting online, but also a teacher's homepage to…

This qualitative study reviews the effects of real-time captioning on vocabulary acquisition of a novice elementary English language learner (ELL). Triangulation of data was completed through review of teacher journaling, captioning transcripts, and student pretest and posttest assessments. Results illuminate improved retention and usage of…

This study discusses a method to promote raising critical consciousness in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom via creative writing activities by having students write journals and/or personal letters from the perspective of individuals from outside groups that have been marginalized or vilified in the students' dominant culture.…

This article explores the power of English language learners' digital stories as student-centered projects and offers practical suggestions for language teachers interested in trying digital storytelling. The article explains pedagogical practices and digital storytelling in the context of contemporary scholarship on inclusive pedagogy,…

Lists and describes 10 tips for successfully implementing writing tutorials as generated by English as a Second or Other Language teachers and based on the points they commented on in their journals and class discussions. (Author/VWL)

Presents useful tips for improving classroom learning. These include inviting native- and nonnative-English-speaking students to engage in world building while improving their language and cultural knowledge; highly motivated conversational activities; students' revision of their oral presentations; having students record classroom activities; and…

Describes the use of short stories to promote written and oral language skill development in college-level students in an English-as-a-Second-Language writing and oral fluency class. (GLR)

This study investigated the use of dialog journals and peer response to them in a semester-long student teaching practicum. Subjects were nine teachers of English as a Second Language, focusing on the indicators of peer help occurring in the writing and responses and on evidence that peer responses promote reflection. A number of journal excerpts…

Immigrant English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in secondary schools can benefit from contact with ESL college students. Their older peers can become mentors and role models, providing access to information on postsecondary education. The article explains how a pen pal project can bring these two groups together and describes how to create…

Focuses on student involvement in determining course structure through journal writing. Successful student writers become highly skilled at directing the course of their own learning. The data in the journals inform teachers about what is occurring in learners' heads. Reflective journal writers are adopting a professional approach to their…

Discusses the use of "buddy journals" between pairs of native and nonnative English-speaking students to help develop the English literacy skills of both groups of students. Guidelines are provided for matching student pairs, evaluating student writing, and allowing for midcourse changes, as well as sample journal topics. (15 references) (MDM)