What's New

October 22, 2018

What Happens to ESL Programs When the Money Dries Up?

A Personal Story  This blog entry grew out of my experience of working for a community-based ESL program that closed when its funding was not renewed.  My disappointment that the […]
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September 25, 2018

Increasing and Preserving Academic Learner Engagement through Enhancing EAP Curricula

In the recent past, I began to notice an eerie phenomenon happening with the learners at the private language institute where I teach. Learners who had been highly motivated, eager […]
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August 6, 2018

Summary of “Mutual Empowerment in Challenging Times”

On July 18, a large audience gathered in the Tishman Auditorium to hear Dr. Diane Larsen-Freeman’s thoughts on “Mutual Empowerment in Challenging Times.” Dr. Larsen-Freeman is a prolific author who […]
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June 1, 2018

ESP and Entrepreneurism

Many ESL teachers start their career in an entirely different field. Ex-nurse, ex-accountant, ex-actor, ex, ex, ex. TESOL is a field of career shifters who all share one goal: to […]
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April 27, 2018

A Dialogue with International Graduate Students in New York (Part 2)

In her recent post on this blog Roshii Jolly shared some of her thoughts, experiences, and questions related to teaching and learning. Here, in this post, she shares her interview […]
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March 30, 2018

A Dialogue with International Graduate Students in New York (Part 1)

So, I’m going to begin with my general questions first because they haunt me. Maybe haunt is a strong word. But I’ll ask anyway because I feel safe in this “Uncharted” TESOL […]
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February 28, 2018

Letters on the first and last day of class

In this era of text messages, instant messaging, and Snapchat (whatever that may be) I somehow find myself more attracted to the old-fashioned paper letter. It’s not that I send […]
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November 30, 2017

Fire in the Kitchen or: The Importance of Modeling in Teacher Education

Many years ago, fresh out of college, I entered my MATESOL program under the direction of a famed and inspiring methodologist, with high hopes. I didn’t know what to expect […]
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October 13, 2017

Nudging for Success: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Student Outcomes

Everyone is trying to come up with reasons why students succeed or fail, and the reasons are many. I personally leave the traditional solutions to other practitioners, as I tend […]
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September 27, 2017

NNEST Power!

As a TESOL trainer in Canada, I have the privilege of teaching trainees that hail from a variety of places and bring with them a rich diversity of teaching backgrounds: […]
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