Try this activity right now. Open up The Huffington Post or Silicon Valley News and read an article that you’re not very familiar with. Now, in 30 seconds, give me your opinion. Go!
Not easy, is it?
As teachers we often say, “give me your opinion” in order to hear our students speak. We really don’t care [...]

Google just launched a puzzle called “A Google a Day“. The webpage gives you a trivia question each day that encourages you to use google to find your answer. What’s more, if you search for the answer from this page, your search will be “spoiler free” because you’ll be searching for the answer through a [...]

Does the idea of networking scare you? Does it bring to mind images of parties and events in which you stand around and talk to strangers while you nervously hold a drink in your hand, secretly looking for the clock to see if it’s time to leave? These kinds of parties are not only nerve-racking, [...]

Clients often ask me which is better, private lessons (1-1) or classes? My answer always depends on what the client wants to learn. I often ask two questions, “What do you want to improve?” and “What kind of classes have you taken before?”
Regarding the first question, if the client wants to learn how to speak [...]

I read a blog post today from Chad Fowler called “How Learning a Second Language Changed My Life.” I think it’s a great story, and I would like to share my own thoughts about how people can learn a second language on their own.
First, find out what kind of learner you are. Answer these questions [...]

Have you ever finished a classroom discussion where getting the learners to talk was like pulling teeth? The learners just don’t seem interested in speaking up, or when they do answer questions, their answers are too short.  I recently read a blog post titled, “26 Reasons why most brainstorming sessions fail (and what to do [...]

Disney’s new Earth movie is visually stunning.  Cascading waterfalls, tremendous oceans, golden deserts, and crisp arctic snow…what a wonderful way to spend an evening, and what an amazing glimpse into the natural world!  From a language trainer’s perspective, the movie is also an excellent opportunity for nonnative speakers of English to improve listening skills. It [...]