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2 Powerful Techniques to Increase Student Engagement with Academic Vocabulary Part 1

Help!  My academic vocabulary students just don’t get it that a substantial vocabulary is necessary for more than passing English proficiency exams! This was an issue that came up over and over, and my co-workers and I were constantly hashing out just how we could convince students that passing the TOEFL wasn’t enough to guarantee …
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One Fun ESL Speaking Game for Adults

Beginner-level adult ESL students LOVE to play games, but their low English proficiency can seem limiting when you’re trying to come up with something engaging but practical, fun but not a time-waster.  (Don’t teach beginners? Keep reading because this game is easily adapted for all levels!) Playing the ESL speaking game I have…Who has…? is a …
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Create Listening Labyrinths Using Minimal Pairs: a Step by Step Guide

I love to create listening labyrinths because they make fantastic informal assessments of students’ ability to discern the difference between two sounds. The icing? Students love them! Let’s say you have students who often use a short i sound when they need a long e sound (and vice versa). Here’s what you do: Here’s how to create listening labyrinths. Before …
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Pronunciation Truly Matters!

Some of my most vocal students harbored a deep belief that they spoke English rather flawlessly, at least when it came to pronunciation. They would often complain about their classmates’ accents. They’d even protest at having to work with a partner who they couldn’t understand easily because of the classmate’s accent. I know this because …
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