ELT News Think Tank

This Month's Think Tank Panel

Marc Helgesen

Peter Viney

Setsuko Toyama

Roger Barnard

Panelists: Marc | Peter | Setsuko Guest Panelist: Roger Barnard
Date: July 2000 (Marc Helgesen's column updated, July 2003)

Topic: "Is it worth giving my students English homework during their school holidays?"

Marc Helgesen

It seems like the school year gives students three months to learn English, followed by two months to forget.

The key, of course, is getting students to take responsibility for working on their English. They are doing it for themselves and not just because it's required. I like this month's question because it made me think about what I can do to help me students do just that. I'm giving them some options (and I've avoided the obvious one: study!) and have them choose what they want to do. Here's the list I'm giving my classes. (If you use it, don't forget to add your snail mail and email address to #10). Enjoy.

Ten ways to stay in touch with English this summer.

Here are some easy things you can do to improve your English.
Decide which you'd like to do. In September, we'll talk about what you did.

1. Read easy English books. Read a few 'graded readers.' Remember: Easy is good. Choose books that you can read without a dictionary. Read for fun. You don't need to answer any questions or translate anything. You can even find some readers on the Internet. Check out EFL Reading. There are also lots of interesting articles at Penguindossiers.com.

2. When you sing karaoke, sing some songs in English. Be sure to think about the meaning.

3. If you like music (who doesn't), choose an English song you like and really think about it. What does it mean? If you don't have the lyrics (words) to the song, you can often find them on the Internet. Go to a search engine like ask.com or google.com and type the musician's name and "lyrics". Read through the words with a friend. Listen to the song and talk about what it means. Maybe sing it, too.

4. Use your telephone. Exchange mobile phone numbers with someone else in class. Have phone conversation in English at least once a week. Tell your partner about what you are doing. Find out what your partner is doing.

5. Write to Key Pals (e-mail pen pals). You can get free key pals at www.efcafe.com & www.eslcafe.com. Hint: Notice which people seem interesting to write to. Why? What do they tell you about themselves? If you just say, "Send me email" it isn't very interesting. Post a message that tells a little about yourself. Also, send emails to 4-5 other people. It's a good way to get the conversation started.

6. Go to student sites on the Internet. One place with lots of good stuff (quizzes, jokes, etc.) is Activities for ESL students. There's a lot to do at www.eigotown.com too.

7. Find "Easy to understand" sites on the Internet. When you're on the Web, it's easy to end up at sites too difficult to understand. To find things you can read easily, try using search engines designed for younger learners. Here are a few of my favorites:www.yahooligans.com, KidsClick!, www.ajkids.com, www.4kids.org

8. Listen! If you have the tape or CD for your textbook, listen to it. Sometimes listen while looking at the page. Other times, close your eyes and try to imagine the conversations. Or listen on the Internet. Check out the "podcast" list here. (Podcast info added July 2005 - ed.)

9. TV in English. If your TV is stereo, try watching TV in English. TV and movies are often very difficult to understand. Here's a good way to try: Watch the 6:00 news (any channel) in Japanese. At 7:00, watch NHK's News in English. Since you already know the main news stories, they'll be easier to understand.

10. Send me a post card or an email. Tell me about your summer.

Have a great summer!

Panelists: Marc | Peter | Setsuko
Guest Panelist: Roger Barnard

Marc Helgesen, Miyagi Gakuin Women's College

Co-author of English Firsthand and Active Listening

<<Back Number | Top | Recent Issue>>