A Treasure Box of Insights and Ideas on AI

There are certain presenters you can count on to deliver quality takeaway, and Susan Gaer is one of them. Never a person to shy away from new technology, she was the teacher who got us to take out our smartphones back in Texas at TESOL 2013 and discover the possible mobile learning lessons we could…

Developing the Right Mindset for Using AI

TESOLers in Tampa had a myriad of sessions on AI to choose from. Presenters approached the subject from different angles and explained how they had been using ChatGPT and other AI tools in their classrooms over the past year or so. In the context of academic writing, the consensus is that both teachers and students…

Free and Practical Tools for Vocabulary Practice

I went to a few Teaching Tip sessions at TESOL 2024, and I was amazed how much the presenters were able to pack into twenty minutes. The truth is that having double the time would have been better, especially for Q&A and sharing, but that’s for the event organizers to take into consideration. (When filling…

Mindfulness and Positivity in Our Teaching Practice

I hadn’t been to an in-person TESOL event since 2019, and my experience in Tampa was celebration of sorts. I could once again see old colleagues and meet new ones. I gave and received hugs and handshakes. Smiles, business cards, and stories were also exchanged. I was very grateful to immerse myself in the convention…

Pondering Translingualism

In 2009, I posed the question, “Is it all right for the teacher to use the student’s native language?” (See post.) In that post, I recalled a work experience early in my teaching career when I caved in to the school’s request that I hide my knowledge of Russian. I’d be surprised by this request…

The Impact of a TESOL Convention

I’m still running from conference room to conference room (and sometimes from the TCC to the Marriott). It’s the last day of TESOL 2024. I wish there were three of me so that I could attend all the sessions I’m interested in, but sadly I have to make my final selections. I’m happy to say…

Reducing Repetition in Writing

Some of my students are discovering how ChatGPT can assist them, but I’m pleased to see they are still keeping themselves in the driver’s seat, so to speak, generating their own writing and having the final say in what wording captures their meaning and desired tone best. For example, a student might feed an email…

The Benefits of Learning (and Teaching!) Grammar

Here’s a simple truth. Some people like grammar, and other’s don’t. Also, grammar can be learned directly or indirectly. So, should we teach it? Should students watch a grammar video or study a chart in a textbook? I’m all for learning a language through through conversation and authentic sources, including movies and books. They provide…

What We Gain from Digging Deeper

In my previous post, I explored different ways we create emphasis, and I included cleft sentences. The effort I put into making that list will pay off even more as I move forward to create a new YouTube lesson, which will offer students more examples to illustrate the patterns used for stressing words and highlighting…

10 Ways to Emphasize Ideas

Language is truly amazing because we often have multiple tools at our disposal. Think of all the ways we can ask a question. Imagine our friend had a job interview.– We might ask about it directly: How did the interview go?– We could use a tag question to broach the subject: The interview was today,…

12 Captivating Questions for Conversation

Sometimes what we need is a set of engaging discussion questions. An online search will bear fruit. I found a robust list of 95 Funny Hypothetical Questions compiled by Susan Box Mann. Some are intriguing though outlandish, for example (#2), “What would you do if you found out you could stop time?” Others wouldn’t be…

GRE Words: Fill ‘er up!

How does one get their fill of vocabulary? A few sips at a time. Trying to take in too much at any level doesn’t lead to great results. Private students usually come to me having already mastered words on the General Service List (GSL). They also know most of the Academic Word List (AWL), at…