Issue 36

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Issue 36

Deconstructing Discussions

by Dan Cornford This article takes as its starting point discussions as planned tasks. However, it is not designed to set out a practical step-by-step guide for classroom activities, but rather to encourage readers to deconstruct and consider in more detail the underlying principles of successful…

IH Has Got Talent!

by Katie Wilson About the talent show One question I like to pose to students at the start of a new session is to reveal something surprising about themselves, whether it be a unique hobby, an interesting job title, or the amount of travel they have done. From mechanical engineers to veterinarians,…

It’s the Way I Tell ‘Em!

by John Carry A few years ago I signed up for an online teaching course and midway through it, I was set a question which went something along the lines of ‘What, in your mind, makes a good lesson?’ This got me thinking. I had once seen an interview with Mickey Spillane, the author of the Hammer…

Mind the Stress in the Classroom

by Brita Haycraft The text below is taken from a blog by Brita Haycraft that was based on her one-hour talk ‘Trick and Techniques for Better Spoken English’ given at the British Council in London on 8th October 2013. Brita said that “They are among various exercises I give to groups of 16-18…

The Importance of Fishing in Academic Management

by Alex Bishop I have to start this article with what may be a first in the IH Journal. No – not some groundbreaking EFL eureka moment that would make me the new Scott Thornbury, but an apology to my Nan. Nan, sometimes when I’m on the phone to you in the lounge I am distracted by the computer…

Your 9 Inspirational Ideas for YL Departments

by Andy McNeish IH Madrid has been snooping on you! A bit like GCHQ, the CIA, the NSA, or the News of the World, IHM (IH Madrid) has been monitoring your communications. Before you get too worried, I should say that it’s all above board and that you should be very happy about this. So, it’s nothing…

Reckless Inconsistency or . . . How to Deal With ‘How-do-you-spell-it’ Syndrome?

by Elena Lysytsia Why does spelling appear, on the one hand, to be simple and something any reasonably intelligent person should be able to do but, on the other hand, cause so many children to feel nervous and frustrated? Do we pay enough attention to spelling in our classes considering the fact…

Of Quality And Qualities

by Mark Wilson Teacher qualities matter at least as much as teacher competences, and we shouldn’t forget it. True foundations? The way in which teachers are assessed is supposed to enhance the quality of what they do. As part of a recent wide-ranging study entitled Applications of Quality Management…

¿Medir el progreso de un alumno?

por Juan Castro Gallardo y Esther Suárez Este artículo ha sido inspirado por la excelente reflexión que se hizo sobre el tema ‘control progress’ en la conferencia de directores de estudios (DOS conference 2014) el pasado enero en la ciudad de Londres.

Progrès et stratégies d’apprentissage : en parle-t-on assez ?

Estelle Hélouin Les étudiants en parlent Durant la conférence des directeurs pédagogiques cette année, le thème de la progression des étudiants est revenu à plusieurs reprises. Un sondage réalisé à l’échelle internationale faisait ressortir le progrès comme étant l’un des critères les plus…

From Budapest to the World: We Need Your Support!

by Katalin Hári There is one activity that I have pretty much each and every student I teach do at some time or other. They need to imagine that English teachers are to be replaced by robots and they are taking part in designing the prototype. As I think you’ll understand, I find reading how they…

How’s that Language School Going?

by David Will Some time ago I wrote an article entitled, “So you want to open a Language School?” (I.H. Journal, Issue 29, Autumn 2010) and this article is best read in conjunction with that one. There’s been so much interest and correspondence from you all (much appreciated) that I’ve decided to…

IH Tripoli – Life After the Revolution

by the Director of Studies and teachers of IH Tripoli It is just over 3 years since the beginning of the revolution in Libya and we asked the DOS and teachers of IH Tripoli to give us a personal account of how things have changed and what day to day life is now like in Tripoli and at the school.

Developing Teachers

by Sandy Millin No matter how good you are at independent professional development, there comes a time when nothing less than a piece of paper with an official stamp of approval will do. It looks great on your CV, and a good course provides you with time to try out and reflect on what you’ve learnt.…

Technology Column - Stepping Outside the ELT Bubble

by Shaun Wilden Every so often it’s good to go outside the profession to see what others are doing. In my case I like to look at what is happening with technology in education as a whole as I think, we, in ELT can learn a lot from how tablets and mobiles are being utilised in the state system. One…

Young Learners - Project Work and Young Learners

by Kylie Malinowska At the 2014 IH DOS Conference I shared some ideas for using project work to tackle common problems in YL classrooms and the feedback I got from participants was overwhelmingly positive. And why wouldn’t it be? Nothing quite beats project work for developing the whole child and…

30 Things to Enhance your Teaching - Learner Autonomy and Metacognition

by Lizzie Pinard Learner Autonomy is one of those ELT buzzwords, which everyone bandies about glibly. However, when you scratch beneath the surface, things are not as simple as they might have appeared at first glance. While Holec’s (1981:3) definition of autonomy, i.e. the ability to take charge of…

Book Reviews: Viewpoints, Black Cat Publishing

Reviewed by Diana England, IH Torres Vedras Overview “A radically new approach to studying the culture of English-speaking countries around the world.” This is how Blackcat publishers (www.backcat-cideb.com) are promoting their new coursebook. The course materials consist of student’s book, with…

Book Reviews: Collins Academic Skills Series - Numbers

Reviewed by Edward Evans, IH Moscow Overview of the books Collins Academic Skills series is a new set of books covering several aspects relevant to academic study. They are designed in particular for students from abroad who are studying, or intending to study, at an English-speaking university. The…

Book Reviews: Collins Academic Skills Series - Research: Improve your Reading and Referencing Skills

Reviewed by Shawn Severson, IH Porto As the title implies, this self-study course is for students going to an English-speaking country or on an Erasmus experience, where English is the language used at the university. For a language teacher, this resource could be useful in presenting research…