Part 2 Writing for Maximum Creativity: Think You're Creative? Try This!

Re-Tell a Tale

We're picking up from Peter Pan here. As English language teaching professionals and writers, let’s continue to show some creativity as we began in the first part of this series. How about a few twists in the plots to make the story less predictable? How about a unique twist or change in the ending, characters, intent, personality or plot? It’s been done before. So pick one, two or more, put your thinking (and writer) cap on, free your muse and allow your creativity full reign. Why should H.C. Anderson, Mother G., that Barrie fellow and those Grimm brothers have all the fun?

Cinderella

This one’s already been re-done a slew of times but they still haven’t gotten it right! Surely you can put in a couple of good plot twists, and a surprise ending that’ll keep readers on their toes. My Fairy Godmother grants me a “wish” and you think I’m gonna ask for clothes? Get outta here! I can think of a few other things to wish for under those conditions. Man, what Alfred Hitchcock could do with a plot like that! He’d have Cindy take care of her situation in some very “special” ways. How about you? What would YOU have Cindy do? My devious little mind is already puttering away with ideas for that “Stepmother” and her offal. (Pun intended - No, stop that!)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Now we all know that child protection services, civil rights act defenders, the ACLU, the NAACP, labor unions, Amnesty International, the FBI, CIA and a host of other government, religious and private agencies would have a field day with this one. This story would certainly be a challenge to work on. Let’s see, a comedy twist, change of venue, plot reversal, perhaps a ticklish murder mystery? (Has anyone seen or heard from “Sneezy” lately?) How about a “gangster” version called “Get Grumpy”. The English language teaching and learning possibilities boggle the mind. Why don’t you take a stab (pun intended) at this story?

What’ll it be then? Humor, mystery, adult, crime, science fiction, western, drama, weird, whimsy or even raw, stark naked terror strike your fancy? Come up with your own alternative fractured fairy tale version. It’ll not only be a challenge, and loads of fun, but an immeasurable boost to your creativity as you weave, cavort, shoot, stab, stumble, plot, whinny and twist your way through as yet uncharted territory – for you. Fractured fairy tale versions abound online (no peeking now!) but whip and work your muse to develop new strains of tired old themes. Let me know how you make out. (Oops, no pun intended)

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line.

Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author for prompt response.

Effective Ways to Use the Internet for Learning English or a Foreign Language

There are many ways to learn a new language:

You can go live in a country where the language is spoken, attend a formal language course, get a private language tutor or use books and written materials. Other ways to learn a foreign language are to listen to CDs or audiocassette tapes, watch TV, movies and video programs, memorize phrase books, use the Internet or employ a combination of all the above.

But not everyone can arrange to live in a foreign country. Native speakers of the language may not be available. Written or recorded commercial materials may not be available in the language you’re interested in (Cochimi, Cibemba or Kukapa, anyone?) True, many major languages like Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese broadcast TV programs via cable. Even Korean, Catalan, Arabic and Japanese have venues available in cosmopolitan areas worldwide; but the vast majority of the world’s thousands of spoken tongues are simply not at large outside of their local areas. So what’s a prospective polyglot to do?

The Internet
One answer of course, is the internet. Plug “foreign language courses” into an internet search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN and more than 70 million hits instantly come up. From Afrikaans to Punjabi, and Hebrew to Zulu, thousands of listings lay before you only a mouse click away. How exactly then, can the internet be used to tackle learning a foreign language? Start off effectively by using these six ways:

1. Do an initial evaluation

The first thing you may want to know is where you are in the scheme of learning the language. An initial language skills evaluation is in order; are you a raw beginner? False beginner? Intermediate level? Higher? Let’s take English as a second or foreign language as an example. English proficiency diagnostics tests are free online at:

• General English Test with instant results http://nll.co.uk/test/english.shtml

• Parlo http://parlo.com/ (diagnostic tests in English, Spanish, and French)

• Upper Intermediate Test

http://www.wordskills.com/level/caeform.html

If you score above 80% in this test, you should take the next one and also show your teacher or tutor a copy of the results.

We’ll continue with additional ways to effectively use the internet for English or foreign language teaching and learning in parts 2 and 3 of this article posting.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Want more information, have a comment or special request? Contact the author for a prompt response.

Writing for Maximum Creativity: Think You're Creative? Try This!

Being As Creative As Possible
In Colombia or elsewhere, if you're teaching English as a foreign or second language you're going to have to be as creative as possible. For EFL teaching or learning, try these creative writing activities to give your class room sessions a true boost.

Re-Tell a Tale

An online survey was done to determine the most popular fairy tales of all time. You’re familiar with all the winners. They’re some of your and my favorites.

Showing Some Creativity

But let’s show some creativity shall we? How about a few twists in the plots to make the story less predictable? How about a unique twist or change in the ending, characters, intent, personality or plot? It’s been done before. For example, “Little Red Riding Hood, first published in 1697 by Charles Perrault as a warning to errant ladies in the court of Louis XIV, has undergone a series of metamorphoses including one by the Grimm Brothers in 1812, before arriving at its present-day version. So pick one, two or more, put your thinking (and writer) cap on, free your muse and allow your creativity full reign. Why should H.C. Anderson, Mother G., that Barrie fellow and those Grimm brothers have all the fun?

Little Red Riding Hood

Why was “Red” really on the way to Grandma’s? Or was it Grandma’s she was headed for? Who (or what) is the “wolf”? Why’s he set on “Red”? What really going on? Tell me why she couldn’t tell the difference between Grandma and the wolf – at 100 yards? Let the lion (or wolf) tamer out. Is “Red” an animal lover? Is she a “fox”? If so, what happens when “foxy” Red Riding Hood meets wolfie? What, pray tell, do we do about the wolf? You’re not gonna, (gulp!) KILL him are you? The SPCA might give you a problem about that.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Hey, what was “Goldie” doing in the woods anyway? And by herself too? Where did the bear family go? Excuse me, but the last time I checked, bears don’t eat porridge! So anyway, what DO you do with an intruder you catch in your house who’s already trashed the place? How about a quirky, fun or humorous ending here? Is it add-a-player time? Feeling peckish? There’s still some porridge left.

The Three Little Pigs

Give me a break! Pigs don’t live in houses, they live in a sty. Have you ever smelled one of those? I’m telling you – it’ll put you off ham and pork chops forever. Anyway, how come wolfie doesn’t wise up? Have you seen the commercial where he shows up at house number three with a bulldozer? By the way, is this wolf the same one who’s been bugging that red-headed girl? Didn’t we get rid of that hairy bugger in another story? Maybe he’s twins or another family member has dropped in? Well anyhow, YOU figure it out. I’m going to go have some porridge – oops! Wrong story. Sorry.

Peter Pan

Doesn’t anybody have a problem with a kid who doesn’t ever get out of the sixth grade? Why don’t they kill that crocodile? (Didn’t anybody see “Jaws”?) If you can fly, why stay on an island? Paris in the spring is nice, but in winter it’s the pits. That’s when I’d try Buenos Aires. How and what do those “boys” eat? And if Wendy’s the only girl around all those “lost boys”, I can see some problems coming up. What would happen if Peter took a wrong turn and wound up in Kabul, Amsterdam or the south Bronx? Yikes!

... to be continued in the next post ...

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line.

Get Sean Connery to Help to Improve Your English Language Speaking Fluency

MEDICINE MAN

In their scientific research for a cancer cure, Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco have a great scene for using prediction when they are trekking through the Amazon with a native Indian guide. One of them gets “high” from a locally-produced medicine from the bark of the Yocco tree. The ensuing scene is simply hilarious. The following scene, when they suddenly face a “danger” together, is also a good one. You’ll love the dialogue line, “Go ahead, cry all you want.”

Photo: Embera Indian family on the Jurubida River, Choco, Colombia

Using Popular Films to Improve Speaking Skills

During the course of my 15 plus years of English as a foreign language teaching, I have come across a number of popular films which not only aid EFL learners in improving their English language speaking skills, but are enjoyable for them to watch. In each of these films a scene is selected and the dialogue and setting are exploited for cultural, linguistic and connected speech elements. While there actually many such films, I’ll mention five of my English language learners’ favorites in this series of articles.

In the film, “Medicine Man”, two scientists are looking to find a natural medicine cure for cancer. When they think that they might have found one, the source of it is suddenly destroyed. Not only do they have to find the suspected source again, but also prove that it really works. In the meanwhile the local Indian groups are distrustful because the rain forests are systematically being destroyed by development in the name of progress. They are losing their homes.

Are there jungles or rain forests nearby to your EFL learners? What’s the difference between the two? What kind of wildlife and flora are common in your area? What is cancer? How does a doctor diagnose cancer? What are the treatments for it in your area or country? Are these treatments effective? Why or why not? Talk about natural remedies and medicines in your area. Have you or your learners ever tried any of them? Did they work? Is there a commercial form of these natural medicines available? What are they? How much do they cost? Do they work better than natural remedies?

Have your learners practice and act out the scene in pairs or small groups. Write in changes to the scene dialogue. Add dialogue to the scene as well. Update the dialogue into more modern or colloquial English language. May the dialogue funnier, more serious or use idioms and expressions common to the area where the EFL learners live.

Create vocabulary lists, puzzles like crosswords or word searches from the key vocabulary in the scene. The extent of possibilities are limited only by the imagination of you and your English or foreign language learners. Above all, have fun!

Key Film Elements

While many popular films contain selected scenes which could be used to illustrate cultural, linguistic and connected speech elements, these five have proven to be useful and well-received by a variety of English language learner profiles. If you can get a hold of any or all of them, give them a try and watch your learners’ motivation and English language speaking skills skyrocket.

By the way, let me know how well this works for you. If you have any questions or would like one of the worksheets I use to accompany each of these film scenes, just drop me an e-mail. I’ll be happy to help.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Part 4: The English-Speaking ExPat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad

Part Four

Here, in this multi-part article series, we’ll take a look at several additional money-making abroad opportunities you can seek out or create for yourself while living in a foreign country or traveling extensively abroad. Wherever you may be and whatever is common to the country or region where you might be living and traveling, you can rest assured that there are many editors, web masters, site owners, publishing houses and others with available cash in hand, who are interested in seeing and knowing or experiencing more related to the area.

Photo: scene at the Santiago de Cali University in Cali, Colombia

More About Schools and Institutes
Let’s get back to schools and institutes again. Whether they have native English speaking teachers or not, there’s one thing they don’t have – and that’s enough authentic English language materials to work with. How does this benefit you? Plenty! You can write or prepare materials for the teachers and staff to use in classes. Create a menu from one or more of your favorite restaurants back home. Write it up use photos, drawings and images to dress it up a tad, and be sure to write descriptions of each dish, beverage and dessert; then print or publish it as an authentic menu (which, by the way, it is).

In addition, you can create simple games and puzzles that foreign language teachers will fight over. Word search puzzles, crosswords, coloring books, illustrated poems and nursery rhymes, riddles and tongue-twisters can all be written up, illustrated with your photos or graphics, then bound into a published or photo-copiable book you can sell in lots to kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and English language institutes at a tidy profit. These types of materials are cheap, quick and easy to produce. You’ll almost never run out of ideas, topics or themes to keep you cranking out an almost endless supply of highly sought-after materials. Walk into almost any large educational institution from primary to secondary schools through trade and technical schools, to even English or foreign language institutes and university language departments, with a selection of your custom-prepared materials and you’ll almost surely walk out with cash in hand and standing orders for more.

There’s More, Much More
In this multi-part article so far, we haven’t even come close to touching the tip of the iceberg yet when it comes to the cornucopia of money-making possibilities you have before you while living or traveling abroad. The only real limits to your possibilities are those that your imagination and creativity may have.


Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on how to get your copy of his full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “The English-Speaking Ex-Pat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad” by send an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "Making Money Abroad" in the subject line. Contact the author directly if you need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website, want more information, have a comment or special request?

Picture Perfect: The English-Speaking ExPat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad

Additional Money-making Suggestions

Whether you’re a native-English-speaking ex-pat or not, there are still many more ways in which you can pick up some good, steady wads of cash while living in or extensively visiting a foreign country. This can be especially true if the local language of the country is a foreign one. Here are some additional money-making suggestions you might want to consider for establishing or boosting your overseas or travel-related income.

Photo: Ansel Adams, 1984 courtesy of www.jimalinderphotography.com/.../portraits.htm

Picture Perfect

Not only will English language rags and websites worldwide crave your local stories and cultural news, but they’ll pay good coin of the republic for pictures of it all too. Don’t think that just because you’re not an Ansel Adams or Margaret Bourke-White doesn’t mean that you can’t hawk images online and off. If you have even rudimentary photographic skills they can pay off quite handsomely. Photos of what, you ask? Everything and almost anything will be subject matter for you. Like we said, the clothes and fashions, the food, occupations that are new and unusual to you will likely be of interest to many others – who’ll have cash in hand to pay for them. For example, take a look at one stock photo website which accepts photos for sale worldwide at: http://www.hq-art.com/.

It’s almost a standing joke on me now, I hardly eat anything without taking a few photos of the food first. And not just my plate either. My dining companions usually don’t squawk too much about me taking a quick shot or two of their food either before they dive into it.

By the way, get photos of people eating their food too.

Other good photo-selling topics are recreation, festivals and holidays, architecture and unique-looking people shots of kinds. I have an increasing store of vendor, student and every-day life photos from around my corner of Latin America. Look at what kinds of photos appear in local newspapers and magazines. Take your own “versions” of these types of shots, and BINGO – you’ve got a saleable portfolio that editors in other lands may pay quite generously for.

Wherever you go, whatever you do in and around your new digs, get documentary, close-ups and “art” photos of it all too, from great to small – and then SELL them! Say, do you know what the Colombia-Ecuador dish “Yaguarlocro” looks and tastes like? See what I mean?

More About Schools and Institutes

Let’s get back to schools and institutes again. Whether they have native English speaking teachers or not, there’s one thing they don’t have – and that’s enough authentic English language materials to work with. How does this benefit you? Plenty! You can write or prepare materials for the teachers and staff to use in classes. Create a menu from one or more of your favorite restaurants back home. Write it up use photos, drawings and images to dress it up a tad, and be sure to write descriptions of each dish, beverage and dessert; then print or publish it as an authentic menu (which, by the way, it is).

In addition, you can create simple games and puzzles that foreign language teachers will fight over. Word search puzzles, crosswords, coloring books, illustrated poems and nursery rhymes, riddles and tongue-twisters can all be written up, illustrated with your photos or graphics, then bound into a published or photo-copiable book you can sell in lots to kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and English language institutes at a tidy profit. These types of materials are cheap, quick and easy to produce. You’ll almost never run out of ideas, topics or themes to keep you cranking out an almost endless supply of highly sought-after materials. Walk into a large educational institution with a selection of your custom-prepared materials and you’ll almost surely walk out with cash in hand and orders for more.

There’s More, Much More

In this multi-part article, we haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg yet when it comes to the cornucopia of money-making possibilities you have before you while living or traveling abroad. The only real limits to your possibilities are those that your imagination and creativity may have.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on how to get your copy of his full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “The English-Speaking Ex-Pat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad” by send an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "Making Money Abroad" in the subject line. Contact the author directly if you need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website, want more information, have a comment or special request?

The English-Speaking ExPat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad: Can You Write?

In the first part of this series, we’ve been looking at a number of highly viable options that you – the English-speaking ex-pat can apply to not only survive, but even grow and prosper while living in or extensively visiting a foreign country or region. If you’re going to be abroad a year or more, you’re all set to cash in big time in numerous ways. However, if your time abroad is going to be limited to a few weeks or so on foreign soil, don’t despair – you can still get some useful, money-making mileage out of the trip, perhaps even for many months to come.

Can You Write?
Can you write fairly well too? Great. How about writing stories, poetry or short articles about your former home as well as your new one? Articles about your new home would be of interest to newspapers, magazines, websites and other periodicals back home. The “Jerkwater, USA Times” may well be interested in the local holidays, foods, clothing, customs and culture that now surround you. Local newspapers, magazines and periodicals in your new digs will appreciate you as a source of first-hand information about you hometown. What did you eat? What’s the food like? All Americans don’t live off of fast food like the world-renown hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and apple pie we all know and love.

What foods and snacks do you miss? For me it’s the warm, soft pretzels sprinkled with salt and topped with mustard from Center City Philadelphia. The loaded-with-grease Philly cheese steaks cross my mind too often too. I can’t seem to get a really good knockwurst wrapped with a slice of fried bologna where I live now either. What are yours?

Don’t forget holidays, local festivals and typical celebrations from home either. They’re all fodder for lots of money-making venues. In Pennsylvania Dutch country we celebrated “Faschnahct Day” on Shrove Tuesday every spring. How about where you were from?

Can You Cook?
Not only do people want to know about your previous customs, habits, celebrations and food, but they’d like to taste it too. Don’t worry if you’re not a Pasquale Carpino. How about a small outdoor café in your front yard or breakfast nook in a portion of your living room? What about a portable stand that features a few of your hometown favorite snacks? If I made pretzels here, they’d likely sell like hotcakes since nobody else makes them. Heck, for that matter, almost nobody even knows what they are! Whatever your prime dishes are, I’ll be you could get a few decent recipes off the internet or from family or friends back home. What do you think?

One of my ex-pat co-workers who originally hails from Texas stunned the neighbors when she started to make old-fashioned corn dogs. No one had ever seen (or tasted) anything like them! She now has a flourishing food business from her house selling all manner of hometown-style goodies, sweets and snacks. Oh, and guess what? There’s no competition either, because nobody else knows how to make any of these foods. She’s effectively created and cornered the market.

What are the specialty foods, snacks and goodies where you hail from? Can you re-create local versions of them? If so, you just might have a top-notch money-making scheme on your hands. It’s all the better too if you and your family also like to eat them yourself.

In part three of this multi-part series we’ll look at several additional money-making opportunities you can seek out or create for yourself while living or traveling extensively abroad that have the potential to provide you with income, not only now, but for months or even years into the future.


Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on how to get your copy of his full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “The English-Speaking Ex-Pat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad” by send an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "Making Money Abroad" in the subject line. Contact the author directly if you need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website, want more information, have a comment or special request?

Part 1 The English-Speaking Ex-Pat’s Guide to Making Money Abroad

Are You an Ex-Pat or Gap-Year Traveler?
So you’ve done it. You’ve decided to escape the rat race once and for all. Gone are 60-hour work weeks. Gone are the 5am wake-ups to brave a hard overnight snow and sub-freezing temperatures to get to an office where corporate back-stabbing and vile gossip flow like polluted drops from a leaking roof. Criticism and complains are squeezed forth like the juice from a bitter lemon. Forget making lemonade advice – you just got the freak out of the whole situation.

Or are you taking a year-long gap year break from your studies to refresh and revitalize your body and spirit before once again resuming the mind-altering plunge into academic life?

Could it be your imagination or does the air smell sweeter, the grass look greener and the food taste better in your new environs? Everything is new and interesting. You’re stimulated on every side. Life seems fresh and new again. Whatever it is, the die is cast. You have a new home. You may be working on a new language, making new friends, savoring new tastes and having a few financial problems with getting the steady income you’d envisioned. Extensive travel and expat living are most frequently life-altering experiences.

Without the family, professional and social networks you build after years growing up and living in your native land, suitable income streams can often be much harder to establish. You won’t qualify for “unemployment compensation” if there’s even such a thing in your new home. Sure you have your “main” occupation – you know, the one you studied in the university for, worked in for umpteen years or even retired from.

But many countries place an “embargo” on foreign nationals working in key, often high-paying, occupations. It promotes unemployment among their own citizens, they say. That’s absolute balderdash – but no matter. Let’s look at a number of highly viable options that you – the English-speaking ex-pat can apply to not only survive, but even grow and prosper.

Native English Speakers
If you’re a native English language speaker you have a mountain of options available to you right there, in more ways than you might think. What might those be? We’ll take a peek at some of them now.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language
This is large, broad category which encompasses several opportunities, so don’t pooh-pooh it just yet. Many people where you now live want to or need to communicate better in English for work, future employment, education and study, travel, romance and a myriad of other personal reasons. It can be as simple as you “conversing” informally with someone on a regular basis to allow them to improve their listening and speaking skills, up to more formal employment as an English teacher at a school, company or institute. There are more options than just these available however.

In the next of this multi-part post series we’ll look at several additional money-making opportunities you can seek out or create for yourself while living or traveling extensively abroad whether you teach English as a foreign language or not.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "Making Money Abroad" in the subject line. Contact the author directly if you need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website, want more information, have a comment or special request.

Part 3 These Film Genres Can Turn Your Most Reluctant EFL Learners into Language Learning Stars

More on the Use of Film Clusters
In this third and final installment of this article series we continue with the concept that not only are clusters of movies, films, videos and documentary clips stimulating, interesting and enjoyable for your English as a foreign language learners, but the broad selection of available genres and types offers a substantial range of English language teaching and learning didactic aids. We previously identified a film cluster as simply a group or series of related movies, clips or videos. First though let’s continue the last part of our brief overview of the genres in which most films are classified.

Popular Film Genres
Let’s take an additional, final look at a few of the more commonly available film genres, what they are and exactly how we might use them in our English as a foreign language classroom settings.

The final group of the more widely known movie and film types includes:

Science-Fiction (also known as Sci-Fi) or Fantasy – If your imagination and tastes are truly vivid then likely this genre is one of your favorites too. Combining the real with future possibilities, this genre of films provides fuel for almost any range of imagination. Special effects are often the key here as many characters, settings and conditions are purely imaginary. You know these film series examples, don’t you? “Star Wars”, “Matrix”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Harry Potter”

Animated – Actually not just for children, this genre does frequently feature films and stories for the young (or the young at heart). A number of Disney and children’s movies that portray classic stories from ”Peter Pan” to “Toy Story”, “The Simpsons” and the “Shrek” series comprise good examples of this genre. Films which are produced by the relatively new “Pixar – graphic pixels generation process” are generally also included in this genre. Can you say, "Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo"?

Comedy – Designed to get you, and keep you laughing, this pleasant, for-all-ages genre is one of the most enduring. Humor can be culture-specific or broad and general enough to appeal to viewers of many different cultures and languages. This genre includes many of your favorite movies starring Jim Carey, Eddie Murphy and England’s hilariously soft-spoken Mr. Bean who has captured smiles worldwide. Classic comedies have value too. The Marx brothers, Groucho, Harpo and Zeppo starred in a number of comedy films as did Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the Three Stooges (Larry, Moe and Curly), the late Don Knotts and several other classic comedians of note.

War and Military – Another on again, off again genre in popularity there are occasional films which are of merit. Some notable recent examples are the films, “Saving Private Ryan” with Tom Hanks, “Black Hawk Down”, “The Hunt for Red October” with Sean Connery and “They Were Heroes” starring Mel Gibson.

Improvement of multiple English language skills and competencies
These genres in which most film clusters are classified, feature a character or story series (usually in the same genre) like the Star Wars saga, the Matrix sequels, the Indiana Jones series of adventures, James Bond, Harry Potter, the Die Hard series of films, King Kong remakes, Tarzan, Batman, Spiderman and numerous others also have sequels, trilogies or multiple parts. For the improvement of multiple English language skills and competencies such as listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, in-context use of idioms and expressions or applied use of connected speech elements in English language learners, such film and video clusters or related series can be invaluable.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Want more information, have a comment or special request? Contact the author using the e-mail address above.

Part 2 These Popular Film Cluster Genres Can Turn Your Most Reluctant EFL Learners into Language Learning Stars

On the Use of Film Clusters

As we noted in part one of this three-installment article series, not only are clusters of movies, films, videos and documentary clips stimulating, interesting and enjoyable for your English as a foreign language learners, but the broad selection of available genres and types offers a substantial range of English language teaching and learning didactic aids. We previously identified a film cluster as simply a group or series of related movies, clips or videos. Here in part two, we’ll continue to get a brief over view of the genres in which most films are classified.

Photo: Idi Amin, subject of the film documentary-drama, “The Last King of Scotland”

More Popular Film Genres

Let’s look at a few more of the commonly available film genres, what they are and exactly how we might use them in our English as a foreign language classroom settings.

Here are some additional listings of the most widely known movie and film genres or types:

• Documentary – Informative, realistic and notoriously difficult to film, this genre is, and should be, a popular one with not only teachers, but with parents and learners alike. A good recent example is the film, “March of the Penguins”. What are some of your other recent or classic favorites?

• Police / Detective / Crime – Oh man, this one is one of my personal favorites too. The ole “cops and robbers” theme has been around since the days of old time radio and very likely is here to stay for years to come. “Dirty Harry” starring Clint Eastwood and the “Bad Boys” series with Will Smith and Malcolm Lawrence the vigilante series of films with Charles Bronson are examples you probably already know and love.

• Thrillers / Suspense – “Fargo”, the “Alien” series of films, the “Jason Bourne” trilogy of films head up examples of this genre which strives, from one scene to the next, to keep you breathless on the edge of your seat for as much of the film as possible. Special effects are the order of the day here too. Say, do you know what a stunt man is? Do your EFL learners?

• Historical – This genre features the lives and biographical stories of famous people. Through this genre we can get a glimpse into what makes a person develop into a notable or historic figure and what their life at one point might have truly been like based on historical documents, interviews and other factual data. The films “Frida” about the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and , “The Motorcycle Diaries” which chronicles the cross South American travels of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the gut-wrenching “Schindler’s List” and Mel Gibson’s “Brave Heart” are only a few of the many excellent examples of this genre.

These are additional genres into which most films are classified. Film clusters feature a character or story series, usually of the same genre, like the Star Wars saga, the Matrix sequels, the Indiana Jones series of adventures, James Bond, Harry Potter, the Die Hard series of films, King Kong remakes, Tarzan, Batman, Spiderman and numerous others also have sequels, trilogies or multiple parts. So, for the improvement of multiple English language skills and competencies such as listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, in-context use of idioms and expressions or applied use of connected speech elements in English language learners, such film and video clusters or related series can be invaluable.

What are some of your favorites?

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Want more information, have a comment or special request? Contact the author at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

Using Film Clusters to Boost Your EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension Skills

Use of Film Clusters
Who doesn’t like movies? Not only are they stimulating, interesting and enjoyable for your English as a foreign language learners, but the broad selection of available genres and types offers a substantial range of didactic aids for the EFL professional. So just what is a film cluster? It is simply a group or series of related movies, clips or videos. Some films and character series like the Star Wars saga, the Matrix sequels, the Indiana Jones series of adventures, James Bond, Harry Potter, the Die Hard series of films, King Kong remakes, Tarzan, Batman, Spiderman and numerous others also have sequels, trilogies or multiple parts. For the improvement of listening comprehension, vocabulary, idioms and expressions or use of connected speech elements in English language learners, such clusters or related series can be highly effective in several applications.

Image: The visually-impaired Mr. Magoo

Film Genres or Types
The more widely known movie and film genres or types include:

Horror or Terror – “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Saw”, “Halloween”
Romance – “Titanic”, “Pretty Woman”, “An Officer and a Gentleman”
Drama – “Man on Fire”, “Code Name: Swordfish”
Action / Adventure – “Die Hard”, James Bond
Westerns – many films starring John Wayne, Clint Eastwood or Lee Van Cleef
Sci-Fi or Fantasy – “Star Wars”, “Matrix”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Harry Potter”
Animated – a number of Disney and children’s movies or cartoon characters
Documentary – “March of the Penguins”
Police / Detective / Crime – “Dirty Harry”, “Bad Boys”
Thrillers – “Fargo”, the “Alien” series of films, the “Jason Bourne” trilogy of films
Historical – “Frida”, “The Motorcycle Diaries”
Comedy – many movies starring Jim Carey or Eddie Murphy
War and Military – “Saving Private Ryan”, “Black Hawk Down”, “The Hunt for Red October”

Lesson Stages
While a number of methods can be employed to determine what the learners like or prefer, one way to reduce your background preparation and movie titles search is to use a cluster, or series of related films. For the first film in a cluster or series of related films, some extensive pre-viewing preparation needs to be done. Lessons with a video or movie clip component basis typically have three basic stages:

Pre-viewing activities that activate the schema of the learner and introduce or warm-up the learners to the theme or topic

While-viewing lesson stage aspects that can be applied as the learners watch the film, documentary segment or movie clip

Post-viewing activities such as comprehension questions, discussions, written exercises and presentation preparations

Film Cluster Aspects
There can be a distinct advantage in using clusters or a related group of films or movie clips such as:

The settings, characters and topics become familiar to the viewers
Less pre-viewing and introduction are required
EFL Learners develop an interest in continuing the series
Film trilogies, remakes or sagas may be easier to acquire for the time, resource and cash-strapped English language teacher
Multiple aspects of the film series or cluster can be explored through repeated or multiple viewings in addition to different lessons
The level of vocabulary in English, American and British or other English accents, connected speech elements, register and additional linguistic or cultural elements tend to remain consistent throughout the film series or cluster

Summary
Everyone likes movies of some type. We as English language teaching professionals know that not only are they stimulating, interesting and enjoyable for our English as a foreign language learners, but the broad selection of available genres and types offers a substantial range of didactic aids. If you want a sure way to help lower the Affective Filter (Krashen-Terrell, 1983) you must definitely give the regular use of clusters of films, movies or video clips a try. For some interesting clusters to start off with, consult the other articles in this series or e-mail the author for the full article set.


Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Want more information, have a comment or special request? Contact the author at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

Are You an Earthworm or an Octopus?

English as a Foreign Language Teachers:

Are You an Earthworm or an Octopus?

Scott Ginsberg asks a Question
When Scot Ginsberg of “My name is Scott” name tag fame asked this question he originally referred to an online web presence. In the teaching of English as a foreign language or in foreign language teaching and learning I’d like to apply the question in a different venue.

“Are you an earthworm or an octopus?"

That is, do you expand and develop your teaching approaches to reach the different learning styles and intelligences of your students? Or does your teaching style merely mimic your own personal learning strengths and your strongest intelligences? This could happen far more easily than you might realize. Noted EFL researcher and EFL text author Jack C. Richards (2004) reinforces this notion when he says, “Student learning styles may be an important factor in the success of teaching and may not necessarily reflect those that teachers recommend."

The Earthworm
Like an earthworm, according to Scott, do you reach out in only one direction at a time, progressing and teaching only on one track? If your EFL or foreign language classes favor one particular type of learner you may inadvertently handicapping the other learners in your class groups. But an opposite effect may be difficult to achieve as noted by Spratt, Pulverness, and Williams (2005) stating, “It is not possible for the teacher of a big class to meet the learner characteristics of each learner all the time. Over a number of lessons teachers can try to vary how they teach so that they can meet the needs of a range of learners.”

The Octopus
Have you ever seen a live octopus? Tried to hold or catch one? You can hardly tell which way is up and where it’s headed. It seems to be going in several different directions at once and be able to change directions or forms instantly. When you teach to multiple learning styles and multiple intelligences, you’re not being flaky, indecisive or unstable, but flexible, like an octopus, to the point of reaching out to your learners in several different directions at once from a single, central core – the theme of your teaching – to address the varied needs of your distinctly different learners.

Reading competency researcher Mary Spratt (2005) said, “EFL learners are not all the same. They do not all learn the same way” and that “We must not limit EFL learners by thinking they can only learn in a particular way.”

The Multiple Intelligences
Multiple Intelligences theory developer Dr. Howard Gardner (pictured above) identified nine distinct areas or “intelligences” in which each person has decidedly different levels of development. These are:

Verbal – Linguistic
Visual – Spatial
Bodily – Kinesthetic
Logical – Mathematical
Musical – Rhythmic
Naturalist
Inter-personal
Intra-personal
Spiritual

Becoming an Octopus
If this is so, then as English or other foreign language teaching professionals, we must direct our efforts to discover ways of truly reaching out to all our learners, recognizing and teaching to their diversity. We cannot be like the earthworm, continually striking out in only one direction at a time. Our approach then, must be more like that of an octopus, stretching out in multiple directions from a central teaching and learning theme at the same time. Only then can we be assured that we are truly reaching and teaching all of our learners in the best possible ways.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Want more information, have a comment or special request? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Teaching a Group of Wildly Diverse English or Foreign Language Learners

A Truly Diverse Group of Foreign Language Learners

Can you imagine having a really diverse group of EFL learners all in one English as s foreign language class? Okay, let’s give you your class of 25 learners then.

Their names are:

Al Capone, Augustus Pinochet, Lady Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Paris Hilton, Shakira, Pele, Fernando Botero, Michael Jackson, Halle Berry, Osama Bin Laden, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, Pierce Brosnan, Fidel Castro, Oprah Winfrey, Charlie Chaplin, Whoopi Goldberg, Mike Tyson, Frank Sinatra, Martin Luther King, Jr., Celia Cruz and Mr. Bean.

There, is THAT diverse enough for you? Do you think you’re going to be able to teach all the learners in this class the same way? Certainly not. You can just bet they don’t all learn the same way, so teaching a group this diverse will be a true challenge.

So, what are you going to do? Let’s briefly look at some useful approaches that might be successfully applied.

The Theory of Dual Psychology
The theory of Dual Psychology simply states that our brain is divided into two distinct hemispheres. Each hemisphere is the seat of particular intellectual abilities. The right side of our brains, for example, manage insight, 3 dimensional shapes, art, imagination and music in addition to the control of the left side of the body. The left side, in contrast, manages number skills, written language and reasoning, spoken language, scientific thought and the control of the right side of our bodies.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

The Multiple Intelligences
Multiple Intelligences theory developer Dr. Howard Gardner (pictured here) identified nine distinct areas or “intelligences” in which each person has decidedly different levels of development.

These are:

Verbal – Linguistic
Visual – Spatial
Bodily – Kinesthetic
Logical – Mathematical
Musical – Rhythmic
Naturalist
Inter-personal
Intra-personal
Spiritual

Hermann’s Brain Dominance Model
The late researcher Ned Hermann, identified four key aspects of human personality which in turn gives us insight into the manner in which people interact not only with each other but also with their environment. Basically these four types of brain organization between the limbic and cerebral systems are:

- Theorist
- Innovator
- Organizer
- Humanistic

An additional didactic tool we might apply is to adapt to meet learner needs using a variety of exercise types during the course of teaching our wildly diverse group of learners. Here are some recommended exercise types that might be useful:

• COGNITIVE PAIRS
• CLOZE EXERCISE
• FILL in the BLANKS
• WORD or LETTER UNSCRAMBLE
• RE-ORDERING a SEQUENCE
• TRUE or FALSE
• GIVE a DESCRIPTION
• EXPOSITORY WRITING
• COMPLETE the PHRASE or SENTENCE
• PROBLEM-SOLVING
• ERROR CORRECTION
• COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
• WRITE the QUESTION
• COMPLETE a CHART or GRAPH
• MAKE a COMPARISON
• SELECT an ITEM FROM a GROUP
• RE-WRITE or RE-STATE
• GIVE an OPINION
• DRAMATIZATION
• COMBINE EXERCISE TYPES

Armed with this array of methodologies and didactics we’re now ready to tackle of wildly diverse group of English language learners. In continuing, we’ll look at how the use of these theories, didactics and strategies might be implemented in the EFL classroom. We’ll also consider factors which impact English language teaching and learning and how to successfully address them.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Still More of What`s to Do and See for English Language Teachers in Acapulco

Still More

Several day and weekend trips are possible from “fun city” Acapulco, should you need some extra diversion after a hard week of teaching English as a foreign language. The town and beaches of “Pie De La Cuesta” are among the foremost for those who genuinely need to relax and escape the hustle and bustle Acapulco’s heavy tourist traffic generates. You can swim, sail or languish on an empty, sugar-colored beach, scuba dive, water ski and even go fishing in salt or fresh water – minus the crowds and stratospheric prices. And all this mind you, for the price of a large bag of potato chips back home.

Interested?

Then let’s go.

Photo: beach scene in Pie de la Cuesta

On La Costera

On La Costera across the street from Sanborn’s Department store, take a green bus with a white stripe along its side. It’ll be marked “Pie de La Cuesta – Playas”. Hop on, pay your 5 pesos (about 50 cents) and you’re on your way. After winding through the heart of residential Acapulco as it ascends into the hills you’ll pass over their crests and along a ridge with spectacular cliffside views of the Pacific. The forty minute bus ride nears its end when you enter the seaside resort of Pie de La Cuesta where you’ll pass under an arch to enter the town. There’s only one street running down the narrow peninsula stretching a couple of miles along the Pacific side with Laguna de Coyuca on the other side.

Pie de la Cuesta
The clean, uncrowded beaches of Pie de La Cuesta are devoid of swimmers for large segments of the year, and with good reason. Every year, a few people drown here when the ferocious rip tides, undertow or unusual wave formations catch them unawares. Be careful and ask at one of the beachfront hotels if you’re not sure whether it’s safe to swim here at the time you’re visiting. There are times of the year when the waters can be amenable. The Laguna de Coyuca is a much safer, better bet. Hotels, resorts and tempting little seafood restaurants dot the sides of the road on either side until you reach the Mexican Military Base where the bus will turn down a road to the right. You can get off here and take a leisurely walk back to sample any number of places along this stretch of road.

Laguna de Coyuca
Several small clubs likewise dot the shores of the lake. At any of these you can find facilities to fish, swim, water-ski, jet-ski, canoe or take a casual boat trip around the lake’s environs. Prices are typically more reasonable than in Acapulco. The scene here is tranquil, so don’t expect wild happenings after dark. This is a place to just relax to after a week of EFL classes. If you’re staying overnight, hotels are fairly abundant (there are more than a dozen) and inexpensive. Just walk along and take your pick. To return to the thrills of Acapulco, take any bus marked “La Costera” for the same 5 pesos. Round trip transportation cost for a day trip: about 80 cents!
You’re going to just LOVE living and teaching English as a foreign language in sunny ACAPULCO!

See you there?

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

More of What's to Do and See for English Language Teachers in Acapulco

More in Acapulco

So, you want even more of what’s to see and do in Acapulco during your travels? A weekend retreat in Acapulco is just what the doctor ordered after a hectic week of teaching English as a foreign language in Mexico City or environs, Cuernavaca, Taxco or Chilpancingo Guerrero state’s capitol city.

What else to do?

You can get WET, that’s what!

Photo: Here’s a quick look at the AKA TIKI cruise vessel in Acapulco harbor.

Besides the miles of picture-perfect beaches fronting the city, Acapulco is a water sports and activities capitol. There are numerous cruises, tours, outings, day excursions and fishing trips to be had.

For instance:
The touring yacht “AKA TIKI” has Margarita, Sunset and moonlight cruises around Acapulco Bay. Daytime “Margarita” cruises begin at 11:00 am, lasting to around three in the afternoon. Sunset cruises shove off about 4:00 pm, staying out until 7:00 pm. The “Moonlight” cruise for true nightowls (or romantics) departs at 10:30 pm, creeping back in as the clock strikes one. Reservations: 484 – 6140 or 484 – 6786, 484 – 3893 FAX

Then there’s the delightful Parque Aquatico CICI along La Costera near Playa Icacos. Here you can get wet in any number of imaginative – or not so imaginative – ways. Dive in, jump in, slide in, swing in or just fall into the crystalline blue waters to cool off and have fun. There are performing dolphins you can play with, swim with and touch, and the “Sky Coaster” that lets you experience “a sensation similar to a dive from the cliffs of La Quebrada”. Your body starts from 100 feet up and reaches speeds of nearly 80 miles an hour! For a preview check out their website at: www.cici-acapulco.com.mx

The park’s open 365 days a year and from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. You can also call for the latest, and seasonal, prices at 484 – 1970 or 481 – 0294.

Acapulco’s Cliff Divers
It virtually goes without saying you’ll go to see the world-famous “Clavistas” of Acapulco: the men and boys who risk life and limb to dive from dizzying heights into waters of uncertain depth for the adulation of the crowds (and a few pesos in hand). Yes, divers can be injured or even killed, but fortunately, this is rare.

Several day and weekend trips are possible from “fun city”, should you need some extra diversion. Pie De La Cuesta is among the foremost for those who genuinely need to relax and escape the hustle and bustle Acapulco’s heavy tourist traffic generates. You can swim, sail or languish on an empty, sugar-colored beach, scuba dive, water ski and even go fishing in salt or fresh water – minus the crowds and stratospheric prices. And all this, mind you, for the price of a large bag of potato chips back home. Interested?

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Contact the author for no-obligation quote and rates. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

LIVING IN ACAPULCO: Some Essential Information for the English Language Teaching Professional

Living in Acapulco

We noted previously that a day or weekend retreat in Acapulco might be just what the doctor ordered after a typical week of teaching English as a foreign language in Mexico City or environs. But how can you get accurate, up-to-date information?

photo: An evening stroll along main thoroughfare, Costera Miguel Aleman, in Acapulco

To keep up with the local and latest national / international news you can read one of Acapulco’s three major newspapers. “El Sol de Acapulco” which costs 5 pesos and is published daily by the Organizacion Editorial Mexicana (Website: www.oem.com.mx ). This paper features extensive international and national as well as local news coverage.

Less extensive internationally but with good regional and local coverage is found in “Novedades Acapulco”, a daily, family-oriented paper available city-wide for 5 pesos. (website: www.aca-novenet.com.mx )

For up-to-date regional news for the Mexican state of Guerrero, “Diario Guerrero” is the paper to read. It isn’t web based, and features political news and events for the four pesos you plunk down. For sending commentary or just putting in your two cents worth, you can e-mail: diario17@prodigy.net.mx

WHAT’S AROUND TO DO AND SEE IN ACAPULCO?

You’re kidding, right? Well. If you’re NOT kidding, here are some suggested sites to give you a modicum of ideas.

An over-abundance of information exists on things to do and see, as well as places to drop a few bucks in the city. With more than 10,000 operating websites to provide ideas, you’ll be up to your eyeballs on the web for weeks. We’re listing a few of the better ones to help start you off. One place for you to start is the Frommer website giving an overview and some useful general information at: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/acapulco/

Mexico travel information on-line with the Traveleye website provides extensive things to do and see listing worth checking out in advance to give a more than a few ideas. Go to: http://www.traveleye.com/northamerica/mexico/thingstodo.shtml

Fodor’s website is also a good one to take a look at with detailed info and maps to give a good overview of the city, its environs and an avalanche of optional activities. Visit them at: http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=acapulco@7 or start at their homepage: www.fodors.com

So if you’re considering teaching English as a foreign language abroad, consider Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific Ocean coast.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original articles and content for your blog, newsletter or website? For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Getting to Acapulco for a Day or Weekend English Language Teaching Retreat

Getting to Acapulco

Getting to Acapulco is pretty simple; from Mexico City, it’s a six-hour, 230-peso* bus ride from the South Terminal (Terminal Sur - metro stop: Tasqueña) on frequently-departing Grupo Estsrella Blanca buses. The ultra-deluxe buses feature one or two full-length movies, extra-wide, plush, reclining lounge chairs and a freshly made sandwich and cold beverage of your choice handed out as you board. Buses take the non-stop toll expressway directly to the coast. Second class transport lines (180* pesos, 6 ½ to 7 grueling hours) still use the old route through the mountains passing Cuernavaca, Taxco and Chilpancingo, Guerrero state’s capitol city. A day or weekend retreat in Acapulco might be just what the doctor ordered after a typical week of teaching English as a foreign language in Mexico City or environs.

*Quoted prices are subject to change

photo: Playa Popular, a local’s beach site in Acapulco away from the tourists

Getting Around Acapulco

It’s ridiculously easy to traverse the city. In fact, if it got any easier, you’d have to be carried around on the wings of angels. The main thoroughfare, Costera Miguel Aleman, follows the crescent-shaped shore virtually from one end to its other several kilometers away. Blue taxis are abundant costing ten* to fifteen* pesos for most destinations within the city. Blue and white city buses follow “La Costera” too and are a bargain 3* pesos. Even bus lines that venture up the rolling slopes of Acapulco’s residential districts pass briefly along “La Costera”, mostly near the Zocalo. Green and white city buses wind their way up and over the cliffs to locales outside but near the city and set you back a whopping 5 *pesos for a journey of 30 to 40 minutes. We’ll be taking one of these day trips to “Pie de la Cuesta” later when you might need another relaxing break from teaching English as a foreign language in Mexico City and environs, Cuernavaca, Taxco or Chilpancingo, perhaps.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. Need professional, original content for your blog, newsletter or website? Or for comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

An Acapulco Treat

Pacific Ocean Caresses

The sea retreated as she broke the grip of the tumbling waters. Soft swells revealed an ever-lengthening expanse of smooth, mocha-colored skin. Warm rivulets of salty water ran down her from long wavy auburn hair. She had been swimming hard against the retreating tide. The breeze rustling the palm fronds she watched along the beach felt like the gentle breath of angels.

“Here’s an Agua de Pipa with ice”, I offered.

We were here on my vacation break from teaching English as a foreign language to business professionals and adults in Mexico City.

“Just what I need. I’m parched”, she quickly responded as I held out the dark brown ball that was a chilled, wet coconut.

A hole had been sliced into its top to admit a long yellow straw. She sipped for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity to her salt-cracked throat, the sweetness contrasting the Mexican Pacific’s salt. Whirling abruptly, she dropped into the blue wooden lounge chair next to me, throwing a cartoon character towel across her dripping torso. Her feet buried themselves in the moist, warm sand. Shade from the blue and white canvas beach umbrella blocked the late morning Acapulco sun.

Raggedly-clad vendors plodded their way along the beach hawking chili-powder-sprinkled mangoes (see photo above), cheese-filled roast plantain slathered with pastel-yellow sweet cream, and clear plastic sandwich bags of brightly-colored soft drinks with straws protruding from their twist-tied tops.

Coconut Oil Caresses

“Would you like a nice, relaxing neck and back massage?”

Looking up, the face of a middle-aged black woman appeared. Her sun-bleached brown and black hair in neatly-done dreadlocks.

“Only 10 pesos to do your head and neck.”

Stepping behind me, she began to massage my neck and shoulders briskly, the scent of perfumed coconut oil adding to the sensation.

“A full body massage is only 50 pesos”, she added.

Much drier now from the sun, heat and towel, my wife chimed in, “Go ahead and get one. I’ll treat you for Father’s Day.”

An Offer I Didn’t Refuse

Together they made me an offer I didn’t refuse. The Rasta woman spread our large cartoon character towel on the crystal sand. I prostrated myself on its moistness and in moments began to drift wonderfully away to the sensation of a thousand magic fingers on my sun-tanned skin and the aroma of perfumed coconut oil.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com