Correct errors in EFL

Correcting Student Errors in EFL

When and how to correct students errors in the EFL classroom is an issue of concern for every EFL teacher. What should we correct, when should we correct it, and how should it be corrected?
How do we give students the feedback they need and want to improve without damaging fluency and motivation?
Research Suggests . . .
Research tends to indicate that three types of errors should be addressed: high frequency errors, stigmatizing errors, and errors that block meaning or the understanding by the listener. I might add another: errors in using the target language of the lesson.
When and how should these errors be corrected? There is, unfortunately, no conclusive evidence/research about these issues.
Research seems to indicate that the most effective ways to deal with errors and offer corrections seem to include:
When hearing an error, speak the corrected statement
Listen for errors and make a general review of them at the end of the activity segment
Encourage peer correction
Correct the student personally (use this less than the other methods)

Choosing a song for EFL class

Songs are a ready source of authentic language. They can be exploited in countless
ways to practise any of the language skills, and students enjoy learning through them.
But how do you go about choosing from the millions of recorded songs available, and
what should you keep in mind when selecting a song for your lesson?


Why are you using the song?
Having a clear purpose in mind, and not just ‘doing’ a song to fill a spare five minutes, is essential. Adult classes may see a song as a waste of their time if you don’t choose and plan your material carefully. You’ll find interesting teaching points in most songs, so if you’re looking for something to kick-start the week or bring a bit of life to a lesson after a weekly test, you might consider choosing a song based on a recently-covered topic, or a topic you’d like to introduce next. Alternatively, you might want to present or revise a grammar point, in which case you might have to search a bit harder to find something fitting. Search engines are a useful place to begin in most cases. The language skill you want your students to practise will also affect your choice of song: a slower tune will be often be preferred for listening tasks; longer songs are well suited to practising reading; repetitive lyrics are great for teaching structures and pronunciation.

Teaching

Teaching is sharing knowledge and something good about life. Teaching is giving inspiration to students and how they could be the best and good of what they are. Teaching is the teacher as a good example of truth and righteousness.

Facebook in the classroom

Facebook is so big and popular that it doesn’t care if you don’t like it. Like a clever and over funded football team it’s risen to the top the social networking scene and nearly levelled all the competition. So, this year I’m going to use it with my ESOL class.
How?
I’ve created a Facebook profile with a general title, another email address and a pictrure of my classroom door as a profile picture. I also uploaded some pictures of the institution where I work. I posted my status as ‘starting teaching soon.’
What I hope my students and I will get out of using Facebook
1. I’ll have their email addresses in one handy place and will be able to contact them if I need to.
2. I’ll be able to post links to webpages, links to videos in youtube, links to files and homework that students can do at home.
3. Students will hopefully talk to each other. They might even link to other people on Facebook. This is okay though, any contact in English is ‘work’
4. Students might be ‘engaged’. As soon as they start using English to write to a friend, comment on a picture or update their status – they will be doing so because they want to and therefore really using the target language.

Problems
1. I don’t really want my students to be my friends on my  Facebook page, so I made another. I want to maintain a healthy and professional distance – I’ll have to ignore their friend requests if they search and find me.
2. Students might not find Facebook engaging. They might find that reading other people’s status updates is boring, ‘Ana is making a cup of tea’ for example.
Other Ideas
Of course, using Facebook is nothing new. Check out Web’s Random Ideas and Using Facebook as a teaching tool . Even Facebook themselves have some great ideas


 http://chrisspeck.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/using-facebook-for-esolefl/

Dangerous Technology ?

Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended. Is such progress avoidable? If not to be avoided, can events be guided so that we may survive? These questions are investigated. Some possible answers (and some further dangers) are presented.

_What is The Singularity?_ The acceleration of technological progress has been the central feature of this century. I argue in this paper that we are on the edge of change comparable to the rise of human life on Earth. The precise cause of this change is the imminent creation by technology of entities with greater than human intelligence. There are several means by which science may achieve this breakthrough (and this is another reason for having confidence that the event will occur):

1. o The development of computers that are "awake" and superhumanly intelligent. (To date, most controversy in the area of AI relates to whether we can create human equivalence in a machine. But if the answer is "yes, we can", then there is little doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed shortly thereafter.
2.  o Large computer networks (and their associated users) may "wake up" as a superhumanly intelligent entity.
3. o  Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent.
4. o  Biological science may find ways to improve upon the natural human intellect.

http://twitterforteachers.wetpaint.com/page/Twitter+in+the+Classroom

Twitter in the classroom

Professors who wish to engage students during large lectures face an uphill battle. Not only is it a logistical impossibility for 200+ students to actively participate in a 90 minute lecture, but the downward sloping cone-shape of a lecture hall induces a one-to-many conversation. This problem is compounded by the recent budget cuts that have squeezed ever more students into each room.
Fortunately, educators have found that Twitter is an effective way to broaden participation in lecture. Additionally, the ubiquity of laptops and smartphones have made the integration of Twitter a virtually bureaucracy-free endeavor. This post describes the two main benefits professors find when using Twitter in lecture.
http://mashable.com/2010/03/01/twitter-classroom/

How much homework is too much?

For most parents and children, homework is a necessary evil. Resigned to the nightly struggle, families squeeze school assignments into their evening routines.
But when kids as young as 5 years old bring home packets of worksheets from kindergarten, and older children struggle to carry book-filled knapsacks, moms and dads are right to wonder: How much homework is too much? And what should we do about it?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/how-much-homework-is-too-_n_810488.html

How much homework is enough?

How much homework is enough? Well, like so many other things in life, the answer depends on who you ask. For some of my students any amount of homework is too much. For others, no amount of homework is too much. Ask teachers and parents, you get the same range of answers- for some any amount of homework is too much for others no amount of homework is too much. It all depends on who you ask.
I really haven’t heard any kids say that they want to do homework for the love of learning. Maybe doing homework for the love of learning is too much to ask of students. There’s no grade given for the love of learning, and it’s probably just as well because it seems to me that kids don’t have time to love learning. They’re too busy doing projects, writing essays and studying for tests and exams.

http://www.teachersatrisk.com/2007/10/09/how-much-homework-is-enough/

Special Education Teachers

Special education teachers work with children and youths who have a variety of disabilities. A small number of special education teachers work with students with severe cognitive, emotional, or physical disabilities, primarily teaching them life skills and basic literacy. However, the majority of special education teachers work with children with mild to moderate disabilities, using or modifying the general education curriculum to meet the child's individual needs and providing required remedial instruction. Most special education teachers instruct students at the preschool, elementary, middle, and secondary school level, although some work with infants and toddlers.
The various types of disabilities that may qualify individuals for special education programs are as follows: specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, traumatic brain injury, and other health impairments. Students are identified under one or more of these categories. Early identification of a child with special needs is an important part of a special education teacher's job, because early intervention is essential in educating children with disabilities.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos070.htm

Discipline in an EFL class.

Discipline in your class is a very necessary ingredient for you as the teacher to provide, so that there is an atmosphere that will be conducive to learning. It is your job as a teacher to enforce class discipline to promote this environment where learning can occur for all of your students, but having said that, how do you actually keep control of your class? The discipline in your class is indubitably related to the level of teaching and the challenge of the content that you are teaching. What do I mean by this? If you are teaching something that your students find boring and uninteresting, then you are more likely to have restless students, and this is when the misbehaving is likely to begin. So, you need to provide interesting lesson material every day, to be enthusiastic about your topics, and thus try to get your students enthusiastic too. Of course, this is much easier said than done!

English grammar. Gerunds

A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would, for example: subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of preposition.
Gerund as subject:

• Traveling might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (Traveling is the gerund.)
• The study abroad program might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (The gerund has been removed.)

Gerund as direct object:

• They do not appreciate my singing. (The gerund is singing.)
• They do not appreciate my assistance. (The gerund has been removed)

Gerund as subject complement:

• My cat's favorite activity is sleeping. (The gerund is sleeping.)
• My cat's favorite food is salmon. (The gerund has been removed.)

Gerund as object of preposition:

• The police arrested him for speeding. (The gerund is speeding.)
• The police arrested him for criminal activity. (The gerund has been removed.)

A Gerund Phrase is a group of words consisting of a gerund and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the gerund, such as:
The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.

Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than what we're trying to do.

Finding (gerund)
a needle (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
in a haystack (prepositional phrase as adverb)
The gerund phrase functions as the direct object of the verb appreciate.

I hope that you appreciate my offering you this opportunity.

my (possessive pronoun adjective form, modifying the gerund)
offering (gerund)
you (indirect object of action expressed in gerund)
this opportunity (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
The gerund phrase functions as the subject complement.

Tom's favorite tactic has been jabbering away to his constituents.

jabbering away to (gerund)
his constituents (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
The gerund phrase functions as the object of the preposition for.

You might get in trouble for faking an illness to avoid work.

faking (gerund)
an illness (direct object of action expressed in gerund)
to avoid work (infinitive phrase as adverb)
The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.

Being the boss made Jeff feel uneasy.

Being (gerund)
the boss (subject complement for Jeff, via state of being expressed in gerund)

Punctuation

A gerund virtually never requires any punctuation with it.

Points to remember:

1. A gerund is a verbal ending in -ing that is used as a noun.
2. A gerund phrase consists of a gerund plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s).
3. Gerunds and gerund phrases virtually never require punctuation.

Warm-up activities. EFL class

Games and activities are an important part of almost every EFL classroom.  Games and activities create situations where students can use the target language of the lesson in a playful situation (a game) or in presentation or production (study or activation) exercises.  Games and activities allow opportunities to use language repeatedly and to build a habit from the structures provided.
Most EFL classes should start with a “warm-up” activity to help the students relax and settle into the class.  The warm-up is often a game, just to start things on a “fun” level.  Structured activities will be provided to students during the practice and production stages of the lesson as well, and if time allows a short language game may also be used at the very end of the class.
The basic idea is to let the class play, have a couple laughs and some fun right at the very beginning – work them very hard in the middle – and finish up the class with some fun.  Following this process, where the class begins and ends with anxiety-reducing activities or games, we should find the students more motivated for their next class.
Every experienced EFL teacher has several favorite games and activities that require minimal preparation – ready to go at any time.  These games and activities also come in handy should you be asked to teach a class for someone else – when you don’t know the students and have not had an opportunity to prepare.  Such surprises are not uncommon in the EFL teaching world.

News of the Future. The Voyager

March 13, 2025 - The latest efforts in getting in contact with the Voyager probes have not been successful and today it was officially announced that we have lost the contact with them forever. The last signal from Voyager 1 was received in November 2020 and from Voyager 2 in March 2020.

Voyager 1 was launched into space in September 1977 with the primary target to explore Jupiter and Saturn and their moons and rings. It is today the farthest human-made object from Earth, with a distance of about 22.6 billion kilometers from our Sun, or 150 times farther away from the Sun than Earth. Voyager 1 was also the first human object to enter interstellar space about 10 years ago.

Our beautifull planet would be more beautifull.........

Movies in an EFL class

Use dramatic scenes from movies and films as a basis for drama / dialogue practice. Famous, popular or memorable movie scenes work best. Have learners take the roles of characters in the movie scene and do the same lines as the original actors imitating accent, gestures, discourse, etc. Students can also put their own personal "spin" or "interpretation" on the scene and dialogue for added interest. Encourage the use of the local variety of English for added impact. Here are some famous line starting scene suggestions:
Dirty Harry - "Go ahead, make my day."
The Terminator: "I'll be back."
The Godfather, Don Corleone: "We're going to make him an offer he can't refuse."

You get the idea. Just expand to use the full scenes surrounding these famous lines. For maximum punch, have the learners get into "costume" as well as character.

Body language in an EFL class.

Body language is an important medium through which people communicate with each other. It refers to facial expressions, gestures, tones of voices and body movement, etc. that people use to express their thoughts and feelings in communication. As an important part of language, body language is often used when words fail to express the speaker’s ideas and when the speaker wished to save both time and trouble.

In the English as a Foreign Language classroom, body language plays an even more important role. It helps to cultivate students’ characters and inspire students’ motivation in study. Nowadays classroom teaching is the main form of school education and the teacher plays an active role in classroom teaching. As teachers are usually respected, what they say and do is likely to be imitated by students, sometimes subconsciously. What a teacher says and how he or she acts influences students greatly. In order to improve teaching efficiency, an English teacher can consciously use body language in the classroom to bring the class to life. In the course of a lesson, the use of body language by the teacher to explain things that could otherwise be explained in words help students use their imagination and visualize things. Body language, too, helps to improve the students artistic appreciation and moral character.

Brainstorming before speaking tasks

Brainstorming is an activity used to generate ideas in small groups. The purpose is to generate as many ideas as possible within a specified time-period. These ideas are not evaluated until the end and a wide range of ideas is often produced. Each idea produced does not need to be usable. Instead, initial ideas can be be viewed as a starting point for more workable ideas. The principle of brainstorming is that you need lots of ideas to get good ideas.

Music in EFL classroom.

The use of music in the classroom can make the entire learning process more enjoyable and can stimulate "right" brain learning. Six years ago researchers reported that people scored better on a standard IQ test after listening to Mozart. Other tests soon followed: Rats raised on Mozart run through mazes faster and more accurately. People with Alzheimer's disease function more normally if they listen to Mozart and the music even reduces the severity of epileptic seizures.

Using music to introduce an exercise is a great way to activate vocabulary and get students thinking in the right direction. Take a piece of music or song which you associate with a certain activity or place ("New York, New York" sung by Frank Sinatra) and play the first 30 seconds of the piece. You will be surprised at how quickly associations come to students' minds - many more than if you introduced the lesson by saying, "Today we are going to talk about New York City

Games in an EFL class

One useful strategy to encourage language acquisition is using language games. When using games in the classroom, it is beneficial for teachers to have a complete understanding of the definitions of games, which usually are defined as a form of play concerning rules, competition, and an element of fun. Teachers should also consider the advantages of games: the ability to capture students' attention; lower students' stress; and give students the chance for real communication. Lastly teachers need to assess how to use games appropriately in the classroom. It is important to choose an appropriate time and integrate them into the regular syllabus and curriculum. However, because of the limitations of the syllabus, games often cannot be used, as much as they should be. Therefore, it may be challenging for teachers to try to add some games in class in order to develop students' English proficiency of the target language.

Video in EFL class

Video has been proved to be an effective method in teaching English as a foreign/second language (EFL/ESL) for both young and adult learners. Video can be used in a variety of instructional settings—in classrooms, in distance learning sites where information is broadcast from a central point of learners who interact with the facilitator via video or computer, and in self-study and evaluation situations. It also can be used in teacher’s self and professional development or with students as a way of presenting content, initiating conversations, and providing illustrations for various concepts. Teachers and students can always create their own videotapes as content for the class or as a means to assess learners’ performance.

Technology in an English class

The use of technology in EFL/ESL classroom have many advantages. Firstly, it can increase student motivation and minimize learners’ pressure and fear. Next, it is used as a tool for recycling content and let the students work at their own pace. Then, it is directed to different learning styles and promote social development depending on the tool.
So technology offers powerful supports in ESL/EFL language teaching. All teachers should be the learner at the same time learning to use the new technology to help their teaching. The technology help the teachers achieve the teaching goals easily and the learners will develop their 4 skills of English in the same time.

Newspapers in an English class

Newspapers are a useful tool in the ELT classroom for improving reading skills and enhancing students' knowledge of current affairs. There is a danger of putting students off reading newspapers if articles are used in the same way as course books, with tedious comprehension activities. If used in a more inspiring way, newspapers can help students to develop not only reading skills but also writing, grammar, vocabulary and speaking skills

Poor teachers

Pay and conditions worldwide

As in most fields, the pay depends greatly on education, training, experience, seniority, and expertise. As with much expatriate work, employment conditions vary among countries, depending on the level of economic development and how much people want to live there. In relatively poor countries, even a low wage may equate to a comfortable middle class lifestyle.[8]

There is a danger of exploitation by employers. Spain in particular has encountered widespread criticism given the overwhelming number of small to medium businesses (including TEFL schools) which routinely dodge the teachers' social security contributions as a means of maximising profits. The result is that most teachers are entitled to less unemployment or sick pay than they would be entitled to if their salaries and contributions were declared in accordance with the law. Similar situations increase in countries with labor laws that may not apply to foreign employees, or which may be unenforced. An employer might ignore contract provisions, especially regarding working hours, working days, and end-of-contract payments. Difficulties faced by foreign teachers regarding language, culture, or simply limited time can make it difficult to demand pay and conditions that their contracts stipulate. Some disputes arise from cross-cultural misunderstandings. Teachers who can't adapt to living and working in a foreign country often leave after a few months.

Reading strategies

What’s the secret to teaching reading strategies?

The key to teaching reading strategies is to teach it without bringing it to the forefront of the lesson. It is recommended to teach the strategies (without naming them) only after the students accomplish some task based on the reading strategy. Students of Junior High school age are still too young to understand and remember the names of the strategies and it is pointless in lecturing and naming reading strategies. Once they have processed information, the teacher can mention the reading strategy in a by-the-way manner in terms of what they used and how it may help them in the future.

Read more at Suite101: How to Teach Reading Strategies: EFL/ESL Teaching Methods for Motivating Students to Read | Suite101.com http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-teach-reading-strategies-a17034#ixzz1KfoRaui4

ESL, ELT,EFL TESOL,TEFL Bloggers

“PPP” – means Presentation, Practice, and Production

“Presentation” is where the target language (the language to be taught to the students) is “presented” to the students generally through eliciting and cueing of the students (to see if they know it – generally someone knows some or all of it) and then providing the language if no one does.

The target language is usually put on the marker board either in structure (grammar-type) charts or in dialogs. Presentation features more “teacher talk” than the other stages of the lesson – generally as much as 65-90% of the time. This portion of the total lesson can take as much as 20-40% of the lesson time.

Next comes “Practice” where the students practice the target language in one to three activities that progress from very structured (students are given activities that provide little possibility for error) to less-structured (as they master the material).

These activities should include as much “student talk” as possible and not focus on written activities – though written activities can provide a structure for the verbal practices. Practice should have the “student talk time” range from 60-80 percent of the time – with teacher talk time being the balance of that time. This portion of the total lesson can take from 30-50% of the lesson time.

“Production” is the stage of the lesson where the students take the target language and use it in conversations that they structure (ideally) and use it to talk about themselves or their daily lives or situations. Practice should involve student talk at as much as 90% of the time – and this component of the lesson can/should take as much as 20-30% of the lesson time.