language illuminated
Make Connections
As you introduce new grammar topics, make connections with related grammar topics that students have already learned. This is good for review, and it also helps students catch on to the new material easier.
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an overview of the TOEFL, IELTS, and YLE exams
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language illuminated
Translating Noun Cases
Many languages have noun cases. We don’t teach cases in English, but there definitely are some correlations between cases and English grammar. Maybe it would be a good idea to acknowledge some of the cases used in the students’ native tongue(s) and explain what English uses instead.
language illuminated
Is It Okay to Break Grammar Rules?
People break grammar rules all the time. Is that okay? Which rules can we break? In what situations is it okay to break rules? Are there rules to breaking rules? Here’s a look at which rules you can break in casual writing.
language illuminated
How We Term Clauses
You have to be careful with the terms ‘independent’ and ‘dependent’, since they don’t always actually reflect what we might assume they mean.
language illuminated
Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Processing
We generally teach the structure of a grammar point, and the usage follows. That works well enough for receptive skills, but for productive skills, it feels backward. Maybe we should try the reverse approach.
language illuminated
Identifying Grammar vs Using It
Learning a grammar point shouldn’t just be about knowing how to use it. How to use a grammar structure doesn’t matter until after they’ve determined what they want to say.
language illuminated
Why You Don’t Need to Speak Another Language to Teach English
Have you ever been asked, “How can you teach students English if you don’t speak their language?” I get that a lot. It’s not necessary to know the native tongue to teach English. Here’s why.
language illuminated
Communicating Without Words
Using words is the most obvious way to communicate, but it’s not the only way. It may not even necessarily be the best way. Using alternate ways of communicating may be more fun or more effective.
language illuminated
How Technology will Help English Teachers
– guest post –
With educational technology becoming a source for learners to increase their skills and knowledge, how can teachers utilize this technology instead of competing with it?
language illuminated
Vocab-Building through Associations
There’s a lot of vocabulary to learn, but thankfully plenty of words are related to each other. Learning words by associating them with each other helps us to remember those words later. You can help students establish and strengthen those connections in your students’ minds.
language illuminated
The English Alphabet is Confusing
While our alphabet has only 26 letters, it has about 40 unique sounds. There’s a lot of different sound-spelling combinations to remember, which makes spelling and pronunciation difficult for non-native speakers.
language illuminated
In Favor of the Oxford Comma
The comma which comes between the last two entries of a list is called the Oxford Comma. Many people omit it, but including this comma may improve communication