Search found 160 matches

by strider
Thu May 22, 2008 1:25 pm
Forum: Business English
Topic: how to handle an awkward teaching situation?
Replies: 10
Views: 19172

As they say, is this a problem or an opportunity? Why not split the class into 2 parts, those that support this idea and those who oppose it? The 2 teams take turns to present the idea and try to convince the others? Or how about assigning the subject for homework, 3 paragraphs on defining the idea,...
by strider
Mon Apr 16, 2007 3:09 pm
Forum: Assessment
Topic: Do you use the CEF?
Replies: 1
Views: 3545

Yes, I use it when I give information to business managers about results/progress/targets for their staff.

The concept of 'can-do' statements is very easy for non-specialists to grasp.
by strider
Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:44 pm
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Conflictive classroom
Replies: 3
Views: 2301

Hello connie , and welcome to the cafe! I think Sally has given some good advice (as always!). In fact, there are many experienced teachers who have visited this forum in the past, you will find a lot of ideas by using the 'search' function (at the top of the screen). Try searching for key words lik...
by strider
Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:23 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: are drinking
Replies: 5
Views: 1985

IMHO it sounds weird to me. But then again, I don't get invited to those kinds of parties.
by strider
Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:03 am
Forum: Business English
Topic: Course / trainer evaluation
Replies: 3
Views: 3186

Thanks for your responses keith and eslweb . I appreciate your ideas and will incorporate them in my evaluations (I particularly like the tip about a two-sided form, English on one side and the student's language on the other). I did some research on the web concerning this question, and I found som...
by strider
Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:54 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Wanted: Some very simple stories for Adult beginners
Replies: 4
Views: 3344

You could also uses resouces like The Reader's Digest for short (and funny) stories - but remember, these will have 'advanced' expressions in them.
by strider
Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:29 am
Forum: Business English
Topic: difficult MD
Replies: 5
Views: 3590

Hi justinonthemove, He sounds like an interesting guy! Remember it is ten times harder to unlearn something than to learn it. Maybe it's better to focus on words or grammar mistakes that could cause confusion, and leave the other details for later. For example, in French, business people often make ...
by strider
Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:20 am
Forum: TOEFL
Topic: getting students to talk
Replies: 2
Views: 3780

Hello Leenie, I notice that your location is France - I take it you're teaching in a French University? I agree you have a real challenge here, mainly because the students don't want to be bothered to speak in English when everyone speaks French. Maybe you need a 'carrot and stick' approach - find s...
by strider
Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:41 pm
Forum: Business English
Topic: Course / trainer evaluation
Replies: 3
Views: 3186

Course / trainer evaluation

My employer has asked me to start using assessment forms at the end of a training course. The forms have to cover what the student thinks about the training, progress and , gulp, the trainer. However, it's up to me to design the forms. So, I'm trying to find some examples in order to get a few ideas...
by strider
Mon Nov 06, 2006 4:10 pm
Forum: Business English
Topic: Great article to exploit
Replies: 1
Views: 3008

Great article to exploit

Did you see this article on the BBC website today?

Title : Workplace jargon isolates staff

It's full of buzzwords and gobbledegook - great for advanced business learners.

Here's the link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6118828.stm
by strider
Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:18 am
Forum: Business English
Topic: Expedited freight?
Replies: 3
Views: 2775

I'm not really sure, but it's a term I hear from time to time. I think the word is, as you say, 'expedite', as in freight that has to be sent quickly (or, as quickly as possible). But I think the word has come to mean simply freight that has been sent (eg, We have expediated the freight, as requeste...
by strider
Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:08 am
Forum: Pronunciation
Topic: Thick Indian Accents
Replies: 7
Views: 23061

Another possibility is to download podcasts. (I've done this recently to get Scottish accents.) It may be possible to get transcripts, too - try googling newspapers/magazine/TV news with Indian cities as keywords, or something like 'India news podcast' or 'bollywood podcast'. I think that, by doing ...
by strider
Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:39 am
Forum: Business English
Topic: Tips for student fluent in reading but unable to listen?
Replies: 6
Views: 3827

Hi Erika, I have never experienced the same problem, so I'm just thinking aloud here. First, have him read aloud. Work a lot on pronunciation. As his mouth is working on spoken English, his ears will be learning, too. At first, he can read the text directly. Later, try having him look at the page, t...
by strider
Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:20 pm
Forum: Business English
Topic: BBC: A free online resource I just discovered
Replies: 3
Views: 3434

Hi Genosha,

You're right, the BBC is a great resource. Have you seen this http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... ndex.shtml ? It's an aid for pronunciation, including listening and IPA phonetic symbols.
by strider
Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:15 pm
Forum: Video in the Classroom
Topic: Free downloadable video clips?
Replies: 2
Views: 7642

Hello jimbo, I just found some short videos on www.adbusters.com There are 4 or 5 ads and a CNN interview. The ads are on a very controversial subject (consumerism, globalization, etc) so they are topics that people like to talk about. I was able to download them without difficulty but the quality i...