July 2002
One: The ESL MiniConference Summer SurveyPlease take three minutes to answer a few survey questions, so that our editorial team can build the ESL MiniConference project in directions which will benefit you.
Two: Meet Anthea Tillyer
Anthea Tillyer is a true Internet Pioneer. She started the famous TESL-L listserv a decade ago, and in this ESL MiniConference interview shares insights from her activities at the cutting edge of the movement towards using Web technologies in ESL/EFL. Other featured interviews are Liz England (Social Consciousness), Charles Mickelson (ESL Program Administration) and Bill VanPatten (Second Language Acquisition).
Three: Another Viewpoint on Phonemic Awareness
At NJTESOL/NJBE's recent summer institute, Lynda Franco, of the Center for Applied Linguistics, outlined a reading-skills curriculum for elementary school ELLs which places phonemic awareness front and center.
Four: Practical Suggestions for Teaching English to Visually-Impaired ESL Learners
Lorna Joy Swain shares several ideas to help ESL teachers provide better instruction to visually impaired students. (See also a related article on Post-It Index Tabs)
Five: Is Reading Aloud a Legitimate Classroom Activity?
John Harbord, who teaches ESL in Hungary, analyzes a thin line separating the useful from the irrelevant where reading out loud is concerned. (See also related articles on rethinking the bias against reading out loud as well as suggested lessons incorporating the activity)
Six: ESL Teacher Training Syllabus
ESL MiniConference Editor Robb Scott outlines a 14-week course for training new ESL teachers, with links to related articles on the ESL MiniConference site.