“Is it OK for me to put students right when they say something unacceptable?” “Should I express my political views in class?” The worst moment in my teenage years was when my parents had invited some family friends. All the members of their family came, including Wayne, the daughter’s new Read more…
“What differences are there in the ways different cultures have a discussion?” We asked John Donald Redmond, BA, MEd, pc former Head Instructor, Richmond Campus Learning Centre, Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Canada, what issues there might be when having a discussion in multilingual conversation class. Students from a culture that focuses Read more…
“What kind of language do I need to steer my students to avoid?” Most learners want to be understood as much as understand, and this involves a need to not only know the language item in question, but to apply it appropriately. Hymes (1972) termed this communicative competence and defined Read more…
“Is it acceptable to use the term non-native speaker?” I am a non-right-handed, non-male, non-young teacher of English as a foreign language. However, I am white British, and the language I teach is also my first language. For some (both employers and learners) in TEFL; this puts me in a Read more…
“I live in a country where there is a lot of bureaucracy and form filling, where a hundred words are used where we would only use ten. Is it OK for me to use my English course to show them that there is a better way?” It depends how you Read more…