ETAS Journal Editors’ Choice

Derek Callan in conversation with Matt Firth

Setting up online, creating content and teaching under lockdown

ETAS Journal Editors’ Choice Volume 37, Number 2 (Spring/Summer 2020), pp.19-21

I chose this interview that our editor Matt Firth did with Derek Callan because it might very well interest many of you out there right now. Derek Callan is a teacher and coach who has a robust and successful online presence. In the interview he talks about how he achieved his online ESL status and about:

Marianne Pickles and Amy Devine: How video games can help people to learn English

ETAS Journal Volume 37, Number 1 (Winter 2019), pp. 28-30

Article: Interview with Phil Dexter

ETAS Journal Volume 37, Number 3 (Summer 2019), pp. 25-29

Article: Interview with Professor Sylvie Donner 

ETAS Journal Volume 36, Number 1 (Winter 2019), pp. 50-51

Stefanie Giebert - Jeans stories: Staging globalisation

ETAS Journal Volume 35, Number 2 (Spring 2018), pp. 24-25
I have selected this best practice report because it compellingly demonstrates how the arts can enrich a regular university Business English course. Stefanie Giebert shares her experience of staging an evening of short plays about fashion and the global textile industry with EFL learners at University level.

Eva Göksel

Abstract 

THE INTERVIEW: Professor David Crystal 

On bridging the vocabulary gap, the failure of traditional dictionaries, and semantic targeting

ETAS Journal, Volume 36, Number 2, (Spring 2019), pp. 14-17

Penny Ur: Vocabulary review: just reminding is not enough

ETAS Journal Volume 36, Number 2 (Spring 2019), pp. 28-30

I have selected this article because of its practical take on vocabulary revision. In addition to asking tough questions about what does and does not work when revising vocabulary, Ur also provides concrete examples of how to counter some of the challenges in a classroom setting. 

Eva Göksel 

Multiple review and vocabulary acquisition through reading 

Patricia Daniels: A Doctoral Journey: The first steps

ETAS Journal, Volume 35, No 2 (Spring 2018), pp. 50-51

I recommend this article for people looking at taking the next step in their academic career after a DELTA or Master’s. Like many before I was daunted by the complexities of getting started. However, Patricia's words unpicked the mysteries, and she presents a clear pathway for anyone interested in going down the PhD route.

Birte Horn: Project-based learning in the Business English Classroom

ETAS Journal, Volume 36, Number 1, (Winter 2018), pp. 40-41

I have chosen Birte Horn’s article because of the manner in which she creatively utilises project-based learning in a Business English context.  It is evident that this project, which focusses on developing a start-up company, is a means of encouraging student engagement and collaboration through participation in numerous authentic business activities. 

Claudia Harsch: How external tests can support teaching and learning in the foreign language classroom. 

ETAS Journal, Volume 34, Number 1, (Winter 2016), pp. 29-32

“A classroom is a centre of inquiry in all its forms”: Thomas S.C. Farrell on teacher research

ETAS Journal, Volume 34 Number 2 (Winter 2017), pp. 20-21

Research is a word which often ‘frightens [teachers] away’. Maybe because we assume it will not only be time consuming but the whole prospect of where to start and how to conduct research can be extremely daunting.  However, in his interview with Daniel Xerri, Thomas Farrell explains why this should not be the case.

Simon Borg: Supporting teacher research in English Language Teaching

ETAS Journal Volume 35, Number 3 (Summer 2018), pp. 40-42

How is teacher professional development defined and what forms can it take? And what are the conditions required to make it meaningful and effective?

Chia Suan Chong: Understanding intercultural communication

ETAS Journal Volume 31, Number 1 (Winter 2013), pp. 26-27

The number of people using English to communicate is constantly growing as English dominates as a global lingua franca particularly in the business world, but do we actually understand each other?

The situations Chia Suan Chong uses in this fascinating read on intercultural communication will be all too familiar to some:

Patricia Daniels: A touch of drama: A teacher’s personal and professional reflection

ETAS Journal, Volume 35, Number 2 (Spring 2018), p. 34-35

Katharina Hegy-Bûrgin: A very special school, indeed

ETAS Journal, Volume 27, Number 3, (Summer 2010), p. 12-14

For language teachers, it is second nature to adapt our lesson plans and objectives to our students’ needs, and Katharina Hegy-Bûrgin’s article is an excellent example of how we do that, in her case in a school for partially sighted and blind people.

Hildegard Elisabeth Keller: Listen & Watch: An Audio-Play Project

ETAS Journal, Volume 35, Number 2, (Spring 2018), p. xx-xx

Let’s face it: Teachers are often pressed for time with a syllabus to follow, exams to prepare their students for, and more often than not piles of marking to do. In addition, language teaching should ideally involve elements of performance and play: where can teachers find the time to generate and integrate creativity into their teaching?

Phil Chappell: An Introduction to Systemic Functional Grammar

ETAS Journal, Volume 30, Number 3, (Summer 2013), p. 24

Grammar- some people love it and some people hate it, others manage to understand it just enough to get by.

As language teachers, there is no way around it because our students expect us to be experts on all grammar points and be able to explain them in a way that everybody understands, not to mention the expectation that we have an inexhaustible mental list of examples to rattle off at a moment’s notice.

Benjamin Haymond - The future of presentations is storytelling with data: Now what does it mean for the EFL profession?

ETAS Journal, Volume 34, Number 3, (Summer 2017), pp. 35-36

Dina Blanco-Ioannou: ELT for Personal Growth and Success by Dina Blanco-Ioannou

Few would argue that motivation and confidence are vital for learning to take place. Whilst we, as teachers, are aware of this and try to foster these aspects in the classroom it is not often that we incorporate whole activities intended to help students focus on their self-esteem or self-worth.

Daniel Xerri: Teachers want to know answers to questions: Dudley Reynolds on teacher research

ETAS Journal, Volume 34, Number 3, (Summer 2017), p. 12-13      

'Research needs to be on everyone's agenda'

Daniel Xerri: In imitation of Hockney: The value of teacher versatility

ETAS Journal, Volume 34, Number 3, (Summer 2017), p. 14-15      

Daniel Xerri begins this very thought-provoking article about teacher versatility by discussing an art exhibition on Hockney he had recently attended. While I am not familiar with Hockney or his works, I felt immediately inspired by this artist and his artistic versatility. Xerri makes a very astute connection between Hockney and how, as ELT professionals, we can draw inspiration from re-inventing ourselves and our craft.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Kevin Stein: Shaken not stirred: Seven ways to start your class differently

ETAS Journal, Volume 34, Number 2, (Spring 2017), p. 22-23

Although research-based articles are extremely important in helping to inform teaching practices, I believe that it is also important for teachers to engage with one another and exchange practical tips and ideas. Kevin Stein's article, in the Voices of Experience (VoE) section, Spring Journal 2017, does just that. His ideas are practical and prompt critical reflection.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Kevin Stein: Shaken not stirred: Seven ways to start your class differently   

ETAS Journal, Volume 34, Number 2, (Spring 2017), p. 22-23                          

Enjoy reading our selection:

Oksana Hera: Give your learners a business perspective

ETAS Journal, Volume 34 Number 1 (Winter 2016), p. 18

Emilia Siravo: Testing from a language learner’s perspective

We live in an education world where people want tests. Governments, universities, employers: they all like numbers. This has created an environment where we, as teachers, worry about the balance between testing and learning. As teachers we have often erred on the side of being wary of tests. They take up time, they create a negative atmosphere and they pigeon-hole students.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Alan Maley: Creative writing for students and teachers: Some practical ideas

ETAS Journal Volume 32 Number 1 (Winter 2014), pp. 30 - 31

By encouraging students to write about their own lives in simple words, teachers can practice vocabulary, engage students and fulfil many other laudable aims, but most of all, they can provide their learners with a chance to see that they, too, can be creative and ‘own’ their life experience through telling others about it.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Marjorie Rosenberg: Creativity in the Business Context

ETAS Journal Volume 33 Number 3 (Summer 2016), pp. 25-26

What is a Business English teacher? Is it an English teacher who teaches a course from a business coursebook? Or is it an expert in business? Frankly, we might ask that if they were experts in business, why are they teaching? Maybe that is a debate for another day. However, I think most teachers are teaching because the world of economics and business did not appeal. A vocationally driven occupation attracted us more, perhaps, than a self-image of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Adriana Millikovsky: Why bring art into our English classroom

ETAS Journal Volume 32 number 2 (Spring 2015), page 34-35

Adriana Millikovsky begins her article by illustrating how to use art in the classroom. By doing this we can see ourselves using art in the classroom before we even know how or why it can help our students

Enjoy reading our selection:

Vedrana Vojkovic-Estatiev: Three features of a MOOC that can help your online writing course

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 2 (Spring 2016), pp.27-28

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Marjorie Rosenberg: Learning styles

ETAS Journal, Volume 31 Number 1 (Winter 2013), pp. 23-25

Marjorie Rosenberg takes us on a journey – a journey that may change your view of your learners and inspire your teaching.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Jane Revell: Wake up your inner elephant!

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 3 (Summer 2016), pp. 26-28

Enjoy reading our selection:

Rob Dean: There's more to it than coloured pencils and bits of paper: Creativity-based activities and approaches in the classroom

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 3 (Summer 2016), pp. 28-30

Enjoy reading our selection:

Marjorie Rosenberg: Creativity in the Business English context​

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 3 (Summer 2016), pp. 25-26

Enjoy reading our selection:

Beyond language teaching – towards Global Citizenship: Teaching English as a life skill

Mark Fletcher

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 2 (Spring 2016), pp. 20-21

For this edition of Editors’ Choice, I have chosen an article by Mark Fletcher on going beyond the standard English language syllabus and helping students achieve their real-life needs. In this easy-to-read and practical article, Fletcher offers his view on why and how we can help our students develop global skills.

Enjoy reading our selection:

Teaching creative writing to dyslexic students

Rachel Harris

ETAS Journal, Volume 32 Number 1 (Winter 2014), p. 49

Enjoy reading our selection:

What’s in a word?  How cultural identity narratives are hidden in our language

George Simons

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 1 (Winter 2015), pp. 29-30

Enjoy reading our selection:

The use of literature in ELT

Daniel Xerri and Stephanie Xerri Agius

ETAS Journal, Volume 30 Number 1 (Winter 2012), pp. 18-23

Enjoy reading our selection:

Is the native speaker dead?

Barry Tomlin

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 1 (Winter 2015), pp. 27-29

Enjoy reading our selection: 

Judith Mader and Rudi Camerer: Testing intercultural competence in academic and corporate contexts: The WHAT and HOW

ETAS Journal, Volume 33 Number 1 (Winter 2015, pp. 40 - 42)

Enjoy reading our selection:

George Jacobs: Writing for publication in language learning journals: Some suggestions

ETAS Journal, Volume 29 Number 2 (Spring 2012), pp. 54-57

Dear Readers, 

Enjoy reading our selection:

Sandie Mourão: Picturebooks for teenagers: The house that crack built

ETAS Journal, Volume 32 Number 3 (Summer 2015), pp. 33-34

Enjoy reading our selection:

Brigit Zogg: The secret lives of Walter Mitty and Stanley Stone, or: Writing inspired by reading 

ETAS Journal, Volume 32 Number 3 (Summer 2015), pp. 28-30