Teacher Discussion Forums

The Economist started an online debate today (October 20) on technology in the classroom that I think some might find interesting. Proposition: The continuing introduction of new technologies and new media adds little to the quality of most education The two opening statements both make compelling c...

Sorry it has taken me so long but I haven`t had the time to finish this post so, until I have time to finish it... I am not sure if this is the right book, but I think it might be "Esl Teacher's Activities Kit" by Elizabeth Claire (isbn #0130804789). I would need to have a look inside so if any of y...

I am a little bitter that the resources for teaching these ages are so poor. Textbooks that language publishers give us largely miss the boat. From what I understand of the EFL publishing business it is the process, and not the authors, that is to blame. This is a good month-long lesson plan I have ...

I received a private message asking me to elaborate on some of the more challenging activities that I consider appropriate for five-year-olds from a previous post http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/viewtopic.php?t=5228 . Please feel free to add any activities or make any comments about their suit...

Children love having responsibility. Get the four-year-olds to help the younger children, to work in groups. Children also seem to love getting positive attention from older children. Just be careful that the older children don`t stifle the younger children by making the younger children do things e...

While we are on the topic of music... Rhythmic chants (simple Jazz chants) are a great tool if you are trying to teach a theme based unit. Get the class standing up and then chant out what you want the class to practice in a call in response format while moving around and staying in rhythm. If you h...

Hi, I am writing a business plan for an English education venture and need to find some numbers to back it up. I have spent days trying to find statistics on the number of English learners worldwide, in Japan, in China and S Korea without any success. Does anyone know of a reputable source where I m...

To add to the acting out stories idea. One thing I do is that I first read/act out a story to my class. I like to use stories that the children already know, like "Little Red Riding Hood," and then change them. So, for example, at the end of "Little Red Riding Hood" when the woodsman is about to cho...

I don`t have any qualifications in teaching EFL to young children but I have five years experience teaching full time in kindergartens Japan (Ehime and Nagano) including two years of immersion (seven contact hours a day, five days a week). I applaud EFLwithlittleones` plans to introduce serious appl...

Thanks again, Every little bit of information helps, even if it doesn`t come from an expert. I have no experience in these matters to draw on so I really appreciate your help. I have the music recorded, although not professionally. I will probably try going to the big JALT conference in October with...

Thanks for the reply Emile, I will contact you shortly. I have a few follow-up questions, now. Some of my songs could be adapted very effectively to print or video so I am wondering now if I were to approach a publisher how far along should the product be? Should I go find someone to illustrate? or ...

Hi, I am wondering if there is anyone out there who is familiar with how to get children`s esl music published. I have been writing my own songs for a few years because there is very little music that teaches useful language for young students. I can not figure out what the appropriate avenue is for...