Teacher Discussion Forums

I am lost for a definitive answer to give my students as to when to use which of these verbs when forming questions, the texts I have access to are not clear enough... help.
Brian

Norm, The dictionaries give them british phonetics, the problem is that they have co-opted the schwa for both the schwa sound and the "er" sound. So they get confused and fustrated, and rightly so I would say. So I have had them start over from scratch for their phonetics of those two sounds. It is ...

Hi Roger, I am actually not Molly, I am Brian her husband and just use the same account... anyways, I have in just six short months come to the same conclusion about the public schools, it is hopeless. I was talking about setting up an assessment for the private school we are employed by, they loan ...

Norm, I am currently teaching in China and had no formal phonetics training, unless you count what I learned some thirty years ago in first and second grade elementary. Much of what I teach has been picked up on the fly, learning the "international" phonetics the Chinese learn and then teaching them...

Stephen, Thanks for the input. The age group where there is a problem is upper primary and lower junior middle. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be a problem with the youngest students or adults. I hadn't considered face being an issue, but I should have known. Thanks for the heads-up. Regards, Mo...

We have a problem at the school here in China. They allow the students and or students' parents to choose which classes the students take and at what level they start. The resulting dichotomy in the classroom is predictable. We use primarily the New Concept English textbooks one and two. I am curren...

Hi Roger,
Thanks for your tips. One question - I am working on the pronounciation of each letter, but I am wondering how to make THAT interesting. Know any games or activities? Also, where do you find English Wonderland? The local bookstore here has very few resources. Thanks,
Molly

I am teaching a young learners class (five to eight) in China. The students are all very bright and try hard. Any ideas for teaching basic phonics that are fun and interesting? I realize I need to keep it simple and concrete. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks alot.
Molly