EFL Teacher Trainer/Materials Writer Robyn Shifrin

Why is she still there?

If Betsy DeVos Scraps the Federal Office for ELLs, Would It Matter? If U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos scraps the long-standing federal office that supports English-learners, a broad community of advocates and experts, including two former directors of the office, warn the move could harm students who already lag their peers on every academic measure.

"Call them ESL, EAL, ENL, ESOL, or TESOL teachers, but please do not call them ELL teachers. Beyond serving students who are identified as English learners, they are masters at understanding the intricacies of language and translating that understanding in order to make content accessible. Their skillset is the product of an understanding of second language acquisition and linguistics, as well as language teaching methodologies."

Why I Refuse to Call My Colleagues "ELL Teachers" | TESOL Blog TESOL guest blogger Michelle Benegas takes on the terminology in the field and shows how it causes ESL teachers to be undervalued as professional educators.

A Phrase For Our Time: Merriam-Webster Adds 'Dumpster Fire' To Dictionary Editor Peter Sokolowski predicts the phrase is here to stay. "It's been used so broadly in the last two to three years ... that people in the future will have to know what it meant."

March 8! Happy International Women's Day. How are you celebrating it?

International Women's Day - #PressforProgress Press for progress to help accelerate gender parity.

FYI

NEW Teaching Grammar Communicatively 5-Week Massive Open Online Course! Starts September 25, 2017 | AE E-Teacher This is a program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and administered by FHI 360. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Puts English in perspective...

Proportional Pie Chart of the World’s Most Spoken Languages [2000x3261] Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet.

Input? Any additions? At least three countries I've lived in weren't represented...

Greetings Around the World We sent our producer Blaine around the world to ask people how they greet each other. Produced, Directed, and Edited by Cut.com For licensing inquiries: http...

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy!

4th of July Cartoon Lesson - Home School House Rock - Fireworks Fourth of July American History Lesson in Cartoon with Rock n Roll music. This video is part of a playlist with many hours of homeschooling videos and lesson...

Interesting. But I'd still like more (research) analysis on the "aberrant" Americans who draw their circles clockwise.

How do you draw a circle? We analyzed 100,000 circles to show how culture shapes our instincts Did you start at the top or bottom? Clockwise or counterclockwise?

Noam Chomsky on the Dangers of Standardized Testing “The assessment itself is completely artificial. It’s not ranking teachers in accordance with their ability to help develop children who will reach their potential, explore their creative int…

Good article.

Why Americans Smile So Much How immigration and cultural values affect what people do with their faces

who knows (and likely has even used the expression "sheeting rain" (as a compound noun -- or perhaps adjective/noun depending on your grammatical perspective -- totally irrelevant info btw)? ps -- where did you grow up / have lived for a good long while? -- or study English! :)

April 22...get your lesson plans together! :)

Earth Day 2017 | Environmental & Climate Literacy | March for Science This year's Earth Day on April 22 will focus on climate literacy to empower global citizens with knowledge to inspire action for environmental protection.

Great share, Ira. I'm passing it on.

7 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions 7 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions

Have You Ever Heard The Term ‘Piss Poor?’ I Had No Idea It Comes From THIS! Fascinating! We can learn a lot about ourselves by looking to the past. History not only provides us with a nostalgic glimpse at how things used to be — like with these classic childhood toys —

Gosh all Potomac! Wish I'd seen this sooner...

10 Old-Fashioned Swears to Spice up Your Cussin' Taboos against what we would consider pretty mild exclamations led swearers of years past to come up with creative substitutions, and they've left their mark on our vocabulary.

Fun!

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he’d prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud

September 15. I'm in!

Global Collaboration Day Global Collaboration Day is a celebration for students, educators, and organizations as we promote the need for connecting all schools!

Great!

13 Common Sayings to Avoid Teachers should avoid the reflexive language of anger or frustration. Here's a list of these sayings, framed as opportunities to constructively address difficult student behavior.

Facebook English: 14 Super Pages to Learn and Teach English How to use Facebook for learning English? What pages to like? I've collected 14 amazing pages that will rapidly improve your English. Read more.

Want to Change Academic Publishing? Just Say No Companies shouldn't make millions from the free labor of professors.

Everyday Grammar: Past Unreal Conditionals

This Grammar Rule Will Affect You Affect and effect are easy to mix up, but you can use them correctly!

Hi all! I need your help! Non-native English speaking teachers, please share some intercultural communication "what?!" moments. Either in your country or abroad. In the classroom or out of it. These can be experiences where foreigners have had a communication and/or cultural "challenge" in your country with you directly or experiences you have had outside of your country (as a foreigner with intercultural communication challenges). And be sure to mention where it happened. Thank you!!!! MUCH appreciated!!! Please message me if you'd prefer a private forum.

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Yep. And not altogether easy...(translate into cultures in the ESL classroom).

How Teachers Can Help 'Quiet Kids' Tap Their Superpowers Remember that quiet kid in class who never spoke up? In New York, teachers are learning how to make sure the ideas of introverts don't get overlooked.