discussion group for students *and* teachers of English

[raffi]

Greetings! I am a Moscow-based ESL teacher from the US starting a community project called englishcircle. It is open to all students *and* teachers of English.

If you are interested, please feel free to join. Feel free to pass information about this on to students, other teachers, and anyone else who may be interested.

I'd be curious to learn of similar such projects and to learn what results they have yielded.

Below is a description of englishcircle with information about how you can sign up.

Thank you!

Dear friends, colleagues, and everyone else,

I have created created a discussion group called "englishcircle" through the online community service SmartGroups.

I am inviting you to join because I think it might be of interest to you or someone you know.

If you are interested, please go to http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/englishcircle
to sign up.

Pm if you need any help, or to learn more what it's all about...

About englishcircle
In my experience teaching English, I have found that the most productive learning happens when the English class stops feeling like a class. True English learning happens once the class feels like life itself, not something separate from life. Part of what makes that happen, in my opinion, is when we can surrender our roles as students and teachers. When we can become ourselves.

This electronic group is an attempt to do so. It is about just "hanging out", drinking tea or coffee (in a sense) together. And talking about whatever we feel like.

It may also be a chance to explore any aspects of studying or teaching English.

I find that the most interesting things in life happen when we are Simply Open, open to serendipity, to the unexpected. My hope is that the discussion group will make that happen.

I have many things I would like to talk about. And I would like to listen to what others have to say.

And it is a place for potentially deep dialog between students and teachers of English as a foreign language.

Why englishcircle?

I think the best EFL learning takes place when we can demonstrate our courage and slowly (or quickly) step out of our roles as students and teachers and just be ourselves...to the extent we feel we can.

I feel we have many ideas about how the learning/teaching of English takes place. Many questions still remain, in my opinion. My hope is that this space will inspire people to ask the hard questions. My hope is that teachers will rise to the challenge and try answering the questions students have...and the other way around.

This group is also about sharing. So, people in this group can use the information here at their own discretion.

Respectfully,
Raffi