3 Facts You Need to Know About Learning a New Language

It’s a pretty challenging task when you think of it, but with time and effort, nothing is impossible. Learning a new language can be a rewarding experience, especially when you earn those appreciative glances and admiring compliments on your newly-acquired skill. We don’t think much of learning to talk when we’re young – it’s a natural ability, and this is why kids pick up any number of languages with an élan that’s hard to come by for adults. But there are reasons to learn a new language, no matter how old you are. Sure, the older you get, the harder it becomes, but that’s no reason to turn down a challenge.

So if you’re ready, here are a few facts you need to know about learning a new tongue:

• You either use it or lose it: If you want to become fluent in a new language, you need to keep using it. You need to listen to people talk it and you need to converse in it yourself, on a continued basis. If you don’t, you’re likely to end up forgetting it. Learning a new language is just like any other skill – it requires continuous honing through regular use. I took a course in Japanese a couple of years ago, but it pains me to admit today that I only remember how to ask the question “What’s your name?” and respond to it. Once the course was over I had no incentive to keep speaking the tongue; of course, the fact that there was nobody to talk to didn’t help much either. So if you learn a new language and want to remember it, continue to find avenues where you can use it.

• A language is a way to keep mental disorders away: It’s been proven and is now official – learning a new language stimulates your brain and makes your mental processes more active. You’re boosting the blood flow to your brain and this helps keep your neurons and blood vessels in great shape. When you push your brain and attempt to learn a new language, you postpone and even prevent the onset of debilitating mental disorders like Alzheimer’s disease that can impair your memory and make you lose your power of cognitive reasoning.

• It’s easy when you can’t be choosy: Try moving to a country where no one speaks any language other than the local vernacular. You’d be surprised at the speed with which you pick it up. Sure, it’s going to be difficult at first and you may have to resort to sign language and face a ton of misunderstandings and funny situations, but in the end, it’s all going to be worth it because you’re going to be speaking like a native in a matter of weeks. When there’s no other language to choose to converse it, you’re forced to learn the local lingo, and this makes you pick it up faster.


This post was contributed by Katie Wilson, who writes about the online universities. She welcomes your feedback at KatieWilson06@gmail.com. After graduating from college she took time off to pursue a writing career. Katie writes for online education sites offering tips, advice, and general information regarding education, learning, and studying.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Passionate Writing Assignments That Motivate Language Learners

Even Ernest Hemmingway Had to Learn to Write


We said in the first article of this series that there are no native writers of English or any other foreign language for that matter. Each of us, no matter what our first language is, must learn to write in a clear, logical manner that promotes easier reading. Even the legendary Ernest Hemmingway had to “learn” to write. And so it is with our foreign language learners. So here in the second article of this series, we’ll continue with some passionate writing assignments which will motivate our English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners to strut their stuff on paper or the keyboard and screen without undue concern for “correctness” that might inhibit the free flow of words and ideas.

4. Compiling of Specialized Lists

How about writing a list, and then of course, expounding in detail on its content? It can be a list of anything (almost) that motivates your learners. From the “Ten Best” discos, restaurants, boutiques, bars, movies, sports cars, game web sites, video games or videos, hot entertainers or whatever else, you can derive a writing assignment piece which allows you to really “strut your stuff”, so to speak. Doing so thereby produces a worthwhile piece of writing far and above the usual “dreck” that passes for essays and compositions these days. The language learners need only to choose their topic, draft their “list”, then detail the elements of each list item to the best of their knowledge and abilities. And finally “Voila!”, a paper you can read without your soul filling with tears – or worse.

5. Help and Advice or Answers to Peer Topic Questions

How about inviting your language learners to write an “answer” to a common or at least plausible situation question? You know, kind of a “Dear Abbey” type of question and detailed answer response to the question, situation or problem. Producers turn this kind of drabble into soap operas that make millions.
“You see, there’s this really cute gut in my English class who I like but he’s kinda seeing this other girl who I can’t stand – but my best friend told me that he said he was going to quit that girl, so I’m thinking, what should I do to…?” (Remember to break for a commercial right before all the “juicy” parts)

6. Relevant Link Lists

Are your language learners internet or video game addicts? Well then, it’s highly likely they can easily come up with a list of links or websites useful to them and their “passion”. So let them! Allow them to create a list, then detail each item on it. They could compare the links, contrast them or illustrate any variety of relationships between the links they’ve chosen to write about. How did they find them? How often do they use or visit? Why? Ask for and expect details – and the unexpected. As long as it’s not a list of best porno sites of whatever, you should get some good really interesting results for this writing assignment. Just remember to set some “ground rules” for the writing and topics. If your language learners are anything at all like mine are, you’ll be glad you did!

Passionate Writing Assignment Ideas That Are Coming Up

Okay, so we’ll wrap it up for this second article of the series now. In the next installment of “Motivate Your Language Learners with These Passionate Writing Assignment Ideas”, we continue once again with some Task-Based-Learning writing ideas to keep the words and ideas flowing from the pens, pencils or computer (or even typewriter) keyboards of your English as a Foreign Language learners. If your language learners like watching videos, playing video games or enjoy one or more of a score of other performing arts, then you’ll be “in the clover” when using our upcoming writing assignment ideas. See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 130 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Infants Learn Earlier Than Thought

Scans of young brains by UW researchers show infants are far more aware of their surroundings than they may appear to be.

By Isolde Raftery The (Vancouver) Columbian

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2008700779_brains03.html



Until recently, humans could safely view their brains as fatty, spongy masses of electrifying wonder. Brains are, in a sense, a secret place no one else can tap into unless we let them; they are our memory banks and central control centers that dictate how we behave and reason and interact with others.

But in the past decade, neuroscientists across the world have started to peer into the young brain to determine exactly how we learn. Examining their findings, researchers say that learning starts at birth, and perhaps even earlier.
"It's too late to wait until the age of 5 and expect that teachers in schools are going to be able to catch them," University of Washington professor Patricia Kuhl said. Kuhl is co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Science in Seattle (ILABS).

"Children who are behind stay behind."

Currently, researchers at ILABS secure babies with nylon caps with suction-cuplike electrodes that can read their neuronal activity. Next year, ILABS researchers will be the first in the world to use a $2.5 million machine to test the faint magnetic fields that emanate from a child's brain.

The money for the magnetoencephalography machine came from the state's Life Sciences Discovery Fund, which includes the tobacco-settlement bonus. The nylon cap brain scans show that infants are far more aware of their surroundings than they may appear. Within days, little ones can recognize familiar faces and sounds. Soon after, they start mimicking vowels. And at 6 months of age, babies can distinguish between the sounds of all languages (the adult brain cannot).

The MEG machine will be able to identify precisely what part of the brain is stimulated when an infant interacts with her mother, for example, as opposed to a stranger.

Danielle Kassow, researcher at Thrive By Five Washington, a public-private venture that aims to increase early education across the state, says that improved brain research has confirmed older empirical research and pushed lawmakers to fund early-education programs.

In Washington, where kindergarten teachers say fewer than half of their students are ready on Day 1, that work began in 2006 with the launch of Thrive and the state's Department of Early Learning. In Clark County school districts, curriculum directors have started using brain studies to pick textbooks and help teachers hone instruction.

The role of parents

That children soak up their surroundings isn't groundbreaking. An oft-cited study from 1995 showed that there's a gap of 32 million words between children on welfare and children from affluent homes. Children from impoverished families are more likely to hear directives, Kuhl said, in the form of "do this" and "do that."

In educated families, she said, "Conversations are more varied — what you dream about, what you can imagine, what other people think — more complex thoughts that provide the kinds of stimulation that kids' brains need."
Acquiring a rich vocabulary isn't like cramming for the Graduate Record Examination, however. Professor Maryanne Wolf of Tufts University writes in her 2007 book, "Proust and the Squid," that words inform concepts that enrich a child's understanding of the world. If those concepts are learned, she argues there is "less ability to infer and to predict." Genetics lay out our neurological blueprint, but parents wire our brains, Kassow says.

Babies develop signals to get an adult's attention — they might cry, look at the adult, coo or reach out their arms. When the adult responds, the baby is soothed by the attention, as evidenced by the reduction in cortisol levels, known as the stress hormone. Researchers who study child attachment have argued this for years, and brain-scan research confirms their work.

Studying language

In 2008, ILABS studied how 9-month-olds process language spoken to them. One group was placed in front of a television where another language was being spoken. Another group spent time with an adult who spoke that language, and a third stayed in the native English-speaking environment.
The UW group found that children who learned from adults were on track to becoming native speakers. Brain scans of children who were supposed to be learning from the television showed no advancement. Those infants appeared transfixed by the television but hadn't learned a thing.

"Babies need people to learn a language," Kuhl said, which may help explain why autistic children are linguistically delayed. Autistic children are less interested in interacting with their parents, and therefore aren't getting the same language inputs as non-autistic children.

Read to your child

The bottom line, scientists say, is that no amount of teacher training, brain scans or curriculum research can trump the parent-child connection. They say that parents should start reading to their child in utero. And when the child is born, keep reading aloud, as it introduces the baby to the cadence of written language.

"You can read an 8-month-old racing results, stock prices or Dostoyevsky (pictured)," Wolf writes in "Proust and the Squid," "although an illustrated version would be even better."

Wolf says that connection between being read to and feeling loved is the best prescription for developing a vocabulary, learning concepts and, ultimately, learning how to read.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

Teaching Kindergarten — Who Me?

Teaching Kindergarten—Who Me?

Guest post by Linda Rister Price January 2009

As a dedicated high school and university EFL/EAP teacher of over 35 years experience few teaching situations throw me anymore, so when I was asked if I would come and talk to my granddaughter’s kindergarten class, I said,

“Of course. No problem.”

The teacher went on to explain that every year the school liked to have guests come in and talk about their areas of expertise, and since I had lived overseas for so many years, perhaps I would like to talk about my country. “Excuse me, the United States?” No, naturally not. “Columbia” she said looking puzzled. I gently explained that though I lived in Colombia (please, the country is spelled with two o’s) for over 37 years, I was very much American, but I would be very happy to tell the children about this tropical paradise.

Given my normal tendency to ignore anything that isn’t imminent, I dismissed this project from my mind and went on with my life. About two months later, the teacher once again made contact about the “Teach-in Day” and was I still up for it?

“Sure, let me have the details,” I said.

A lengthy letter followed outlining all the details. She asked if I could give the lesson in Spanish —yikes— for their Salsa and Chips ESOL class period. It was scheduled for Thursday right after the kids finished talking about fire safety and climbing all over the fire truck. (Again, I’m not kidding.) And furthermore, she wanted to invite another class to join hers. What have I gotten myself into I thought.

A flurry of letters followed since I had previous commitments and dreaded exposing my deficient Spanish to the scrutiny of ESOL peers that I didn’t know. And preparation—never did I spend so much time preparing for my university classes. I spent for at least 20 to 30 hours preparing for a tiny 20 minute class. I had no materials for this age group—what do they do anyway in kindergarten?

I thought a map as a reference might be nice, but where to get one? I finally downloaded one from the Internet and had it blown up at my neighborhood photocopier. I mounted it on dark blue sponge board. I searched and searched in U.S. magazines for tropical fruits, minerals, and pop stars of Colombia (like Juanes, pictured above). I wasted hours and hours before my son said why didn’t you go to Google and click on images. If looks could kill, he would never have reached his 36th birthday. Still, this excellent idea put me back on track, and I was able to make up for lost time.

I decided to teach the kids a folksong. I know two in Spanish: The Mexican “La Cucaracha” from my early school days and “Los Pollitos” from Colombia. The first thing I discovered when I downloaded the words and music is that Los Pollitos is from Costa Rica not Colombia. Too bad—there was no going back now. I simply tossed out that all the kids in Colombia learn this song. Two web sites (www.mamalisa.com) and (www.juegosycanciones.com/songs.html) were very helpful. I made another trip to the photocopier to enlarge those cute yellow chicks and the words. Wow, black and white enlargements are inexpensive, but color—no way was I spending $35 bucks for this! I went home and got out my granddaughter’s markers and started filling in the colors. Did I mention I hate teaching young children because of all the manual arts you have to use?

The big day finally arrived. I gave my spiel and asked if anyone understood everything I said. Only two or three small brown hands of the most excited brown-eyed and brown-haired youngsters went up. All the blue-eyed, yellow-haired kiddies just looked at me. When I asked if they would like for me to repeat everything in English so they could understand, they solemnly nodded yes. The teachers all shouted out “Please.” Next we sang Los Pollitos, rubbing our stomachs for hunger, shivering from the cold, and huddling under the wings of mother hen.

Finally, I showed real bananas as a fruit grown in Colombia and gave them to the teacher to be passed out after lunch. But the biggest hit of the program was when I handed out a Colombian coffee bean to each child. They enjoyed the smell and were proud to receive a token from me. One even commented to his teacher that he was going to make his father coffee from his bean.

Despite feeling inadequate and totally unprepared for this age group, I did enjoy myself. Will I do it again? No way, you couldn’t pay me enough! Adios, and my most sincere respects to Kindergarten teachers everywhere.


Linda Rister Price studied Information Science as an Undergraduate and earned a Masters in Education (Curriculum and Evaluation) as well as a Masters in English as a Foreign Language. She is an English as a Foreign Language teacher of more than 35 years experience. She lived and worked in Cali, Colombia for over 37 years where she taught all levels of English there to students ranging from second grade to university students.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, "If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Top Ten Test Anxiety Strategies

Top Ten Test Anxiety Strategies

By Nanthalia Mcjamerson, Ph.D

Many strategies are available for dealing with test anxiety and stress. Whether you are searching traditional or contemporary resources on this subject, you will find a few fundamental or basic recommendations that you can immediately put into practice.

Those basics are summarized as The Top Ten List that follows:

10. Deep Breathing Techniques.

Beginning the list of anxiety-reducing strategies with "breathing" does not mean that it is least important of all strategies. Rather, deep breathing is presented first because it is the most overlooked and underestimated strategy for dealing with anxiety and stress. Because it is simple, we find it hard to believe it is powerful. Yet, virtually all experts, from classic to contemporary, include deep breathing on their lists. For example, in the classic Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Martha Davis, Elizabeth Eshelman, and Matthew McKay provide guidance and explain that good breathing habits can enhance your psychological as well as your physical well-being.

A breathing exercise that is easy to use is recommended by Iyanla Vanzant in her book Acts of Faith. Her suggestion is to "check in on your body" and take a few deep breaths. Vanzant claims that "with a simple breath you can release the stress and replace it with what you need. Turn anxiety into peace, anger into joy, tension into love, and fear into faith."

An additional benefit of deep breathing is the fact that it is under your control and thus you can engage in deep breathing whenever you desire to do so or deem it necessary-before, during and after a test or other stressful event. Additionally, breathing is FREE!

9. Talking/Expressing/Venting.

Another simple, but important, strategy for relieving anxiety is talking or venting. When you express the anxiety or fear, you remove the negative emotion from your body. Once you have relieved the tension, you can use your energy to focus on learning other helpful strategies and learning the content necessary to perform well on the task at hand. Find a good listener and, thereby, "clear your mind".

8. Pre-Test Preparation.

This technique is on "everybody's list" because a great deal of anxiety is produced by a fear of the unknown. When you become familiar with the material, the anxiety is reduced. First, find out what you need to learn. Second, make a study plan. Finally, take action by following your plan. For every new "gem" of information you acquire, and old "block" of stress will disappear.

7. Injecting Fun and Humor.

Yes, high-stakes testing is a serious matter; however, the more serious the situation is, the greater the need for comic relief. In fact, laughter has been scientifically researched and found to be beneficial for meeting a variety of challenges. Many advocates have brought humor to the forefront for healing as well as for stress management.

6. Social Support.

You can meet practically any challenge if you have a good social support system. Support systems can take many forms: friends, family, mentors, role models and others. There are no special qualifications for membership in your support network. For example, one teacher candidate identified her 12-year-old son as her greatest supporter and encourager. Also, when you study the lives of outstanding achievers, you discover that they had all types of "members" in their support networks.

5. Self Care 101.

What seems to be the discovery of this decade is the importance of taking care of self first instead of the tradition of taking care of self last. When preparing to meet a challenge such as the teacher licensure examination, people often say, "I have to give up everything to prepare for the test." Ironically, that is one of the worst solutions. It is not hard to imagine that good care of self would produce higher energy levels, higher motivation, greater endurance, a clearer mind, and better performance. Yet, this philosophy was not a part of our basic training for education or life. It is not too late; it is the perfect time as you prepare to meet this testing challenge.

Self-care can include exercise and nutrition. Also, engaging in or developing hobbies have been proven to be very effective. Consider window shopping or real shopping or building something. Take frequent five-minute mental vacations or a lunch "vacation" with friends on a weekly basis. Create your unique set of activities. Such strategies can build tremendous momentum for achieving your goals.

4. Renewal Activities.


If you become discouraged or your energy wanes, find strategies for renewing yourself. Seek resources and reserves of all kinds. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Effective People, calls this strategy "sharpening the saw". Like a sharp saw, according to Covey, people who take the time to renew themselves can return to their activities and challenges refreshed and ready to do their best. I have a friend in the fast-paced business world who recommends planning a variety of activities (before you need them) for what he calls "a stress-emergency kit".

3. Relaxation Techniques.


When your thoughts seem to get "blocked" while studying or during testing, it is often because of physical tension. This type of problem can be solved with relaxation techniques, which range from advanced yoga to simple wiggling of toes or playing with handsprings. Other methods include changing your perspective or expectations (reframing). Whatever techniques you choose, practice them ahead of time so that they will be readily available when you need to relax in order to succeed.

2. Positive Attitudes.

There is a very popular motto that indicates you should believe in yourself; however, it is not enough to simply say it. It is important to take actions to help you develop such an attitude. Affirmations and visualizations are effective elements of a productive positive attitude. Conduct a "treasure hunt" for those types of resources.

1. Celebrating Personal Strengths.

A key strategy for reducing test anxiety is reflecting on and celebrating all the personal strengths, talents, skills, and characteristics you possess. This is the self-worth factor, which is extremely important in developing confidence and endurance for meeting challenges and reaching goals. One method is taking an inventory of your positive qualities and achievements. Convert your list of qualities and achievements into a poem that is all about YOU.

Nanthalia W. McJamerson, Ph. D., is a counselor, poet and Professor of Education at Grambling State University. She and her husband are in a partnership to provide educational and empowerment workshops, motivational speaking, inspirational books and poetry prints. They are also the owners of a Black History radio station at http://www.hjmcradio.com


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries worldwide. Get your FREE, pdf format report on CD or via e-mail, "If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Teaching English in Colombia: Halloween

Teaching English in Colombia

Did you know that Halloween is celebrated in Colombia? It’s a big time holiday too. Adults and children alike dress up in costumes and make up. Employees in many offices, banks, supermarkets and retail stores also wear a simple costume, face paint or special make up. “Why do Colombians celebrate Halloween” I’ve asked many times. I’ve been teaching English in Colombia for more than a decade now and still no one can really tell me how Halloween came to be adopted on such a large scale in Colombia.

“We never celebrated Halloween when I was a child” Doris Lopez says watching two of her grandchildren “suit up” as “the Flash” and a Princess. She adds, “My children never celebrated Halloween or went “trick or treating, either”. Her children, now in their mid thirties, do take their children out using the expression, “Tricky, tricky Halloween” to solicit casndy, sweets and treats from neighbors.

One Halloween Costume “Rule”

When celebrating Halloween in Colombia there’s one unwritten rule though. It’s that you can’t wear a full-face mask or “alter” your appearance beyond the recognizable. Why? I think primarily because there is a certain “element” of people who would use the holiday to disguise themselves and commit crimes. Just think, someone walks into a bank or large store dressed in a gorilla suit, then robs the place and its customers. After leaving the scene, the perpetrator need only ditch the suit and would be totally immune to recognition of any type. The person could even be standing right there when the police arrived and no one would be the wiser!

Private Celebrations in Schools

Many primary and secondary schools sponsor their own activities for their charges on the school grounds inviting parents and family members to participate in games, dramas, parades and costume-judging and other types of contests. During classes, a variety of activities are included such as coloring books, specially-prepared foods, treats and baked goods. Spooky stories are read, watched or listened to. A realia like plastic spiders, ghost figures, witches, Jack-o-lanterns (curious because pumpkins are not grown in Colombia) and assorted “monsters” are used for decoration, name tags and in a variety of other ways.

A Highly Commercialized Festivity

Merchants are always keen to get into the act as is likely true worldwide. Not only are there “specials” on a broad range of packages of candies, lollipops and sweets, but commercial shopping centers sponsor Halloween activities and have a “Trick or Treat” session from about 4:00 pm to around 6:00 pm. During that time parents bring their children to the mall to go from store to store where treats are handed out to them. The larger malls here in Cali can have upwards of 80 stores and shops making for quite a “haul” if the little tykes can hold out long enough to hit the majority of them. Costumes and make up run the gauntlet from queens, fairies, princesses and folk costumes (pictured above) through a menagerie of animals, cartoon characters, super-heroes (Batman, Wonder Woman and Spiderman predominate) to pirates, Jedi, wizards (look out Harry Potter) kings and Ninjas. Vampires and soldiers are generally frowned upon. There are Halloween parties held at many homes in the evening too featuring Cali’s music of choice – Salsa. Have you ever seen Spiderman dancing Salsa with a Power-Puff Girl? It’s a real hoot. It’s no wonder teaching English in Colombia continues to be so interesting.

On the day after Halloween, “All Saints Day” or the “Day of the Dead” is celebrated, but that my friends, is another story.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 125 countries worldwide. Get your FREE, pdf format report on CD or via e-mail, "Creative, Dynamic Ways to Motivate and Teach English as a Foreign Language to Diverse Groups of Reluctant Learners" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

More Easy Techniques for Memorizing Names in Spanish

Memorizing Names in Spanish

In the previous, part two segment of this three-part series entitled, "Quick Tricks for Memorizing Names in Spanish", we began with examples of easy ways to memorize last names in Spanish. Remember that these techniques can also be easily applied to memorizing first names or last names in ANY language based on their sounds. Here, in this final article post segment, are more examples of memorization techniques for common last names in Spanish.

The name Ocampo makes me picture “camping”. Señor Ocampo with his big nose (or other prominent feature) goes camping and his nose is sticking out of the tent because it’s so big.

Palacios is the same as “palace”. If you can picture the person or their prominent features associated with a palace, you’re home free with remembering their last name.

Rojas sounds much like “rojo”, the Spanish Word for the color “red”. Paint the person’s face a really bright red (in your mind!) and when you “see” them you’ll always picture the bright red color for their name – Rojas.

Quesada is an easy one for me to remember because it sounds very close to “queso”, the Spanish Word for “cheese” (also a cheese called cuajada). What kind of association could you make knowing that? Mine is really funny. Humor is an excellent tool for using as a memory aid. Nope, I won’t tell you mine. You’ll have to make up your own. It’ll be much better if you do.

The last name Toro is also the Spanish Word for “bull”. Knowing that, you should have little trouble picturing the person and associating their most prominent features with their name.

Torres, a name which is also the word “tower” in Spanish, is another fairly easy association to produce. If you play chess, the person might be the rook.

Uribe is the name of the current President of Colombia. I picture President Alvaro Uribe Velez with his arm around the person’s shoulder, make the person’s prominent features even more prominent and my association is well under way.

Valdez You’ve almost certainly heard of Juan Valdez, (pictured above) the arriero who symbolizes Colombian coffee, haven’t you? Well just associate him and his mules with the person whose name you want to remember and you’ll have a powerful, visual memory aid to recalling their name instantly at a glance.

Vélez is a last name similar in sound to “vela”, the Word for “candle” in Spanish. Picture the person with their head decorated with candles or completely covered with candles. Accentuate some of the person’s facial features. See the little flames burning on each candle? Now you won’t ever forget their last name, now will you?

The common last name of Zapata is very close to the word “zapato” which in Spanish means “shoe”. Imagine the person wearing a very large shoe for a hat, perhaps or getting hit in the head by a big floppy shoe. How about getting hit by the shoe, picking it up, and then putting it on their head as a hat? The funnier, more graphic, sillier and outrageous your image is, the better it will ultimately act as a memory aid for you. You might likewise consider an association to the famous Mexican freedom fighter Emiliano Zapata.

These examples of keys to aid in memorizing some of the 85 more common last names in Spanish are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. As you begin to memorize first and last names by associating images with prominent physical or personality characteristics of the people you meet with those names, the process will become increasingly easier and faster.

Memorizing Names in Spanish and Other Foreign Languages

Remember, we said before that you can use images of famous people or their occupations to help you associate people whose names you want to recall. The process will effectively operate no matter what types of names you’ll need to recall. You just need to be as imaginative (and outrageous) as possible in forming your name to face associations to make them more effective.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 125 countries worldwide. Get your FREE, pdf format report on CD or via e-mail, "Creative, Dynamic Ways to Motivate and Teach English as a Foreign Language to Diverse Groups of Reluctant Learners" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Quick Tricks for Memorizing Names in Spanish

A Guinness Book of Records Mentalist Recommends

Guinness Book of Records Mentalist Enrique Ortega Salinas often memorizes 60 to 100 or more first and last names at once, and suggests that you “begin to memorize first and last names by associating images with prominent physical or personality characteristics of people you meet with those names”. Other association types might include using images of famous people or their occupations.

Here, in Part Two of this three-part article post series, are some examples that will help to illustrate the process continuing from part one entitled, “How English Teachers Can Learn EFL Student Names”.

The last name Arboleda is partly like the word “arbol” meaning “tree” in Spanish. You might picture a tree growing out of the person’s head or ear or other prominent facial feature.

Bermúdez is rather like the island country of Bermuda. If you can link a person named Bermúdez with the island of Bermuda, you’ll certainly never forget their name.

Castillo sounds a bit similar to “castle” which is the meaning of the name in Spanish. Picture the person in a castle or coming out of one.

The name Castro is almost always associated with the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Picture his long beard, moustache and military uniform. Find a way to mentally associate the person with Fidel and you’ll surely have a much easier time recalling their name when you need to.

Delgado can mean “thin” or “slender” in Spanish so you might Picture the person being excessively thin or being squeezed thin to help you remember the name.

The last name Díaz has nearly the same sound as “dias”, the Spanish Word for “day”. It’s like the expression, “Buenos Dias” or literally “Good Day” which is used as “Good Morning” in Latin countries. Or associate the person with actress Cameron Diaz.

Domínguez sounds almost the same as “domingo”, the Spanish Word for “Sunday”. Picture the person at church, coming out of mass or in another way relate them to Sunday as an aid to memorizing their name.
Duque is pronounced like “duke –ay” in English. Make a mental image of a royal Duke and associate it with a prominent physical feature or characteristic of the person you’re trying to remember. It always works for me.

Flores is the Word for “flowers” in Spanish so creating a related memory image to remember a person with this name shouldn’t be too difficult. Just picture the person holding your favorite bouquet!

To remember a person named Gómez if you like chewing gum, just imagine the person chewing a huge wad of gum. See how their jaw sticks out from the wad they’re chomping. It’s kind of humorous isn’t it? Great! That’ll help you to remember their name.

The last name Hoyos reminds me of a “hole”. You might picture the person climbing out of a hole, digging one – or falling into one. How about the person digging a hole, falling into it, then climbing out of the hole, sort of like a mini-movie? Be sure to include imagery involving a prominent feature of the person to aid in linking the person’s face and name in your mind.

How about imagining a person named Londoño (pronounced Lon-don-yo) with the city of London? You could paint all kinds of imagery with this scenario. Use Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye or the Tower of London, even the faces of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles or Lady Diana to help your association along.

Mosquera is a common last name among Black families. The name sounds a lot like “mosca”, the Spanish word for “fly”. Picture the pesky insects flying all around the person’s face you want to remember or picture “Spanish fly”.

Coming Up in Part Three of Memorizing Names in Spanish

In the next and final part of this three-part series entitled, “More Easy Techniques for Memorizing Names in Spanish”, we’ll continue to look at more examples of easy ways to memorize last names in Spanish. Remember that these techniques can also be easily applied to memorizing first names or last names in ANY language based on their sounds.

See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 125 countries worldwide. Get your FREE, pdf format report on CD or via e-mail, "Creative, Dynamic Ways to Motivate and Teach English as a Foreign Language to Diverse Groups of Reluctant Learners" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

How English Teachers Can Learn EFL Student Names

Learning Names in English as a Foreign Language

Names are an integral part of any language.

Many first and last names cross linguistic and national boundaries, but many others are unique, indigenous to one language, culture, country or region. (such as the late Idi Amin, pictured)

It’s always an important skill to be able to learn, remember and recall the names of key people in your environment wherever you might now live (or plan to live), from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Remember, you can use images of famous people or their occupations to help you associate people whose names you want to recall. The process will effectively operate no matter what types of names you’ll need to recall. You just need to be as imaginative (and outrageous) as possible in forming your name to face associations to make them more effective.

English as a Second Language Names

But wait, you’re a teacher (or learner) of English as a foreign or second language, so something more practical like memorizing a quick 100 new words of foreign vocabulary or the names of a new class of forty or more students is a snap, right? It is for people like Enrique. “Everyone has the potential to be a genius”, he says. Adding, “Your brain is an incredible computer you can learn to manage”. So who’s Enrique?

Enrique Ortega Salinas

Formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records with 320 numbers memorized in one view and 52 playing cards memorized in 49 seconds, Uruguay-born writer Enrique Ortega Salinas travels extensively throughout Latin America training others to accomplish seemingly amazing feats of mnemonic manipulation.

Enrique often memorizes 60 to 100 or more first and last names of his seminar attendees at once, and suggests that you “begin to memorize first and last names by associating images with prominent physical or personality characteristics of people you meet with those names”. Other association types might include using images of famous people or their occupations. We’ve worked together on various occasions for going on two years now. We’re applying his world-record-breaking memorization techniques for English and foreign language teaching and learning. Here’s a snippet of how we met.

Passing from one to the other of us lined up side by side, Guinness Book of Records memorization record holder Enrique Ortega Salinas came face to face with me. I was about number 17 out of around thirty people.

“What’s your last name?” He asked me in a low key voice.

“It’s LYNCH. You know like when they hang someone?”
I pantomimed a noose-tightening gesture to illustrate.

“Oh, like linchar?” (It’s the equivalent word in Spanish.)

“That’s right.” I responded.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a university English as a foreign language professor.”

“And what’s your first name?”

“It’s Larry.”

“Hmmm.” He thought a moment or two before responding.

“I picture your students pulling you by the tie. They want to lynch you and you’re yelling at them in English.”

I laughed a little and responded, “I hope not.”

Enrique moved on to the next person. He was in the process of memorizing the last and first names of everyone at his demonstration session. He continued until he’d reached everyone. Then a few minutes later, he went back and calmly recited each of our names in turn. There were no mistakes.

Memorizing Vocabulary and Name Lists

Fortunately for us mere English language teaching mortals, he shares some of his techniques for rapidly internalizing lists of unrelated words or foreign vocabulary including first and last names. From a phone book or from asking around, find out the most common first and last names in the foreign language you’re learning. For your EFL learners create puzzles and word searches containing commonly used first and last names. Personally, I like to use word search and cross word puzzles of famous people with common first names like Danny (Devito), Ray (Charles) Robert (Deniro), Julia (Roberts), Pamela Sue (Anderson), Josephine (Baker) – you get the picture.

In the continuing installment, we’ll delve into the all-important aspect of learning new and often strange sounding names with unique spellings. Good techniques for English as a foreign language teachers as well as EFL and ESL learners too.

See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 125 countries worldwide. Get your FREE, pdf format report on CD or via e-mail, "Creative, Dynamic Ways to Motivate and Teach English as a Foreign Language to Diverse Groups of Reluctant Learners" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

¿No Habla Ingles: Should Immigrants to an English-Speaking Country be Required to Learn English?

The “Need” for Spanish?
When an AP news Wire service website recently posted an article on the fact that in certain cities in the USA, Spanish is replacing English as the lingua franca, hundreds of online reader comments ensued at “The Theologian’s Café”. The article, entitled “In Miami, Spanish is Becoming the Primary Language” detailed how English-speaking American citizens were moving out of the region as the need for Spanish began to encroach on their ability to function in the area, find work and conduct their everyday affairs.


Nearly 500 Comments from Readers
On the one hand, some readers felt that the US is a country of immigrants, a “melting pot”, so that acceptance of the Spanish language was the proper way to go. Other readers commented that the US should be more of a bi-lingual or multi-lingual country. But other readers opposed the apparent “takeover” of Spanish in the predominantly English-speaking USA, further citing that using their own first language (L1) is fine, but immigrants should at least make an effort to learn English. One reader even commented, “If I moved to Spain, I’d learn Spanish”.

Chinatown, Little Italy, Jackson Heights
Another strongly-emphasized point was that although the origins and culture of the USA are English-based, many cities with high immigrant populations have historically exhibited “clusters” and ethnic neighborhoods where the use of the English language was minimized or practically non-existent. The are many cities with a “Chinatown”, “Japan Town”, Little Italy, German-speaking, Polish-speaking, Russian-speaking, Spanish-speaking or other foreign language, religious or ethnic-based cultures where residents may use their original first language on an everyday basis. In New York City there are scores of “ethnic, religious and language or culture-based neighborhoods like “Jackson Heights” where Colombians predominate. These same or similar “pockets” exist in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston and San Francisco, even Paris and London among many other cities across the USA and world wide, for example.

Additional Factors to Consider
Opinions expressed also took some additional factors into consideration. “I could understand older people not learning English”, said one comment, “…but younger immigrants should make an effort to learn the language”.

Comments from non-Spanish-speaking residents brought out the fact that many of them, “no longer felt comfortable” living in an environment where Spanish was becoming a requirement.

What Do You Think?
So what do you think readers, should non-English-speaking immigrants to the US or other English-speaking country be required to learn English?

If you move to the province of Quebec, in Canada, for example, Canadian immigration laws require you to learn French within one or two years. From personal experience I can tell you that if you immigrate to France and don’t learn to speak French, you’re in a lot of trouble, in more ways than one.

Would you try to learn a new language if you relocated to a foreign country where English, or your first language, wasn’t the lingua franca of the country? Should learning a new language be mandatory or voluntary?

Post your comments, opinions and ideas please!


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, "If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Improve Your English Language Speaking Skills by Cutting Out Speech Fillers

Listen to Anyone Speak Casually in English
Listen to almost anyone speak casually in English and you’ll most certainly hear them use a constant flow of gap fillers, hesitations, pausings and discourse markers that stall their speech or conversation. You know the ones I mean like, uh, ah, hmm, errr, umm and so on. Others you might hear that are frequently used are Huh, oh, well .., so .., and … but uh …, let me see …, the list could go on and on.

Photo: Hilary Clinton reacts during the 2008 Presidential Campaign

While some discourse markers have a true place in oral discourse of many different types, most often they are unconsciously inserted as fillers or hesitations and do not serve to enhance or promote speaking, but rather heavily detract from what is being said.

English language learners
This can be especially true with English language learners and those who may speak English as a foreign or second language. In addition to the above-mentioned aspects, fillers may also be inserted when the speaker is thinking or searching mentally for the correct lexis and vocabulary. Not only is the distracting and annoying to listeners, but can negatively impact even the speakers themselves. If such is the case with you, what can you do to help minimize the problem?

What You Can Do
Here are five simple steps you might take to help to improve your oral discourse and speaking ability in English.

• Record yourself and others speaking in English
• Note what “fillers” you use, how and when
• Repeat short oral discourses practicing without using the fillers you noted
• Have a friend, peer or teacher listen to you speak and ask them to make note of
your use of “fillers” and unwanted discourse markers
• Watch, record and imitate experienced speakers to improve your skills


Try One Month
Working with these techniques to aid you in cutting out speech “fillers” will help you to improve your English language speaking skills in a very short time. Once you are aware of what you’re doing when you speak in English, and knowing when you use “fillers” will go a long way in allowing you to dramatically improve your spoken English. Try out some of these English language speaking skills improvement methods for one month practice period and you’ll see.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

English Language Teachers: Do You Know These ELT Industry - Related Acronyms?

English Language Teaching Professionals Need to Understand

ELT, EAP, EGP, L1, MT, NNL, TESOL, TBE, LEP, and SLAM- Do you know what these commonly-used English language teaching and learning acronyms happen to stand for? In order to be able to read and comprehend many articles, publications and presentations relating to the teaching of English as a foreign or second language, you need to be aware of these and other frequently-used industry acronyms.


Photo: A cruise ship passing through the Panamal Canal using seaspeak for all ship-to-shore communications

ELT – English Language Teacher/ing
EAP – English for Academic Purposes (such as in a trade school or university)
EFL – English as a Foreign Language (in locations where English has no official status)
EGP - English for General Purposes (also known as conversational English in some areas)
EIL – English as an International Language (Includes PoliceSpeak, Seaspeak, techno-speak and Airspeak)
EOP – English for Occupational / Other Purposes (English for work or non-academic use)
ESP – English for Special / Specific Purposes (specialized English and vocabulary)
EST – English as a Second Tongue (in locations where English has official status and use)
LEP – Limited English Proficiency (low-level English speakers who may have extensive English class study time with little improvement)
SLAM – Second Language Acquisition Methodology (refers to the teaching and learning of foreign languages other than English, i.e. non-TESOL applications)

And How About THESE ELT Acronyms?

L1 – first language (or Mother Tongue)
L2 – Second language
L3 – third language
MT – Mother Tongue (or First language)
NNL – Non-Native language
TEFL – Teaching of English as a Foreign Language
TEIL – Teaching of English as an International Language
TESL – Teaching English as a Second Language
TESOL – Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages
TBE – Teaching of Business English (to companies and executives or employees)

There Are Some Others

On occasion additional ELT industry-related acronyms are used. These presented here are some of the most frequently-encountered ones. Familiarity with these will aid your comprehension of a variety of English-teaching and foreign language teaching related texts.
Next time you need to decipher a trade or technical journal article on an English language teaching and learning topic, knowing these acronyms can help to save you from a headache due to incomprehensible input.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-book, "If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business? How about an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Part Two - Learning English or a Foreign Language: 6 Effective Ways to Use the Internet

Let’s Continue Learning English or Another Foreign Language Using the Internet

So, you can’t go live in a country where English or the foreign language you want to learn is spoken, attend a formal language class, get a private language tutor or use books and written materials because you may not have good access to any? We said in part one of this article post that some other ways to learn English or another foreign language are to listen to CDs or audio-cassette tapes, watch TV, movies and video programs. But available to almost all are the vast resources of the world wide web – the internet. We’ll continue here to examine three additional ways of using the internet to learn a foreign language.

Photo: A Language-learning computer room at the Santiago de Cali University in Cali, COLOMBIA

4. Help in developing listening skills
Considered to be the most difficult of the language skills to develop, listening cannot be taught. Rather, you must practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. Every week, twice a week I passed a street vendor at the same spot, absolutely clueless as to what he was saying. I knew what he was selling – I just peeked over at his wares. But his entreaties in street Spanish fell on my language-clogged ears for months. Then one evening, without warning, it happened. Just two days before, his cries were the same incomprehensible slur they’d been for months. That one evening however, when he launched into his huckster’s spiel I suddenly understood every word. My listening comprehension skills had clicked in. Why then? No one knows. Especially not me, and I’m a post-graduate-degreed Language Education Specialist!

Practice your listening skills with radio programs in your target language for a change at www.live365.com which has live global feeds 24 hours a day in multiple languages.

Foreign language internet radio and foreign news radio in 27 European, 4 Middle Eastern, 9 Asian languages and audio feeds from 19 African countries are broadcast on: http://www.multilingualbooks.com/online-radio.html

5. Playing games and having fun
Vocabulary is often referred to as the "building blocks" of language. Knowledge of vocabulary is one aspect that separates the language learning levels. The more vocabulary and lexis you know, the more communicative you are.

Here are some unique language activity sites that help build your language as you “play”:

• The http://www.manythings.org/ site offers “interesting things for ESL students” like songs, jokes, quizzes, word games, puzzles, slang and even podcasts to help stimulate English language acquisition.

• The foreign language course site at:

http://www.foreignlanguagehome.com/topics/courses/index.htm has activities in 27 languages including Finnish, Mandarin and Quechua.

• At the Transparent Language site you can play games in any one of more than 100 languages from Afrikaans to Farsi or Guarani to Yoruba. And yes, they have Zulu too. Check out all their listings here: http://www.transparent.com/games/

6. So what language tickles your fancy?
While the selection of language courses, tutorials, news feeds, music and other audio – visual materials online is extensive, ALL the world’s 6912 languages simply aren’t available. Sorry. But many are and here’s how to find yours if it’s online.

• 108 FREE online foreign language courses are posted at: http://www.word2word.com/coursead.html

• The PARLO language website offers courses in English, Spanish, French and Italian at: http://www.parlo.com/parlo21/home/courselist/courselist_en.asp

• The E. L. Easton Language Institute offers 14 languages online from Albanian to Japanese, Latin to Croatian to Russian and Spanish. The site is online at: http://eleaston.com/languages.html

• A plethora of language learning activities for the world wide web are online for practice activities from the University of Hawaii here: http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/lss/lang/nflrc.html

Although the internet may not be the complete answer to all your foreign language learning needs it nonetheless can be a tremendous resource in your efforts to “habla español”, “parlez francaise”, or “sprechenze Deutcsh”. The prestige, financial gains, personal satisfaction, envy and opportunities that frequently follow with knowledge of a foreign language are without equal. Why don’t you start today trying out some of these effective ways to use the Internet to learn English or a foreign language. By the way, if you do find Cochimi, Cibemba or Kukapa, please let me know – I’m still looking! Any other informative, constructive comments are also welcomed.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Learning English or a Foreign Language: 6 Effective Ways to Use the Internet

There are many ways to learn a new 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 class, 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.

Photo: Student in a language-learning computer room at the Santiago de Cali University in Cali, Colombia

Can’t Go to Live in a Foreign Country?
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, Portuguese and English 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?

Use a Search Engine
One answer of course, is the internet. Plug “foreign language courses” into an internet search engine like Google or Yahoo and more than 7 million six hundred thousand 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.

2. Become familiar with language learning strategies
How do YOU learn? Knowing this can make the daunting task of foreign language learning less like study and more like play. Are you a Visual – Spatial learner who likes pictures, drawings, graphics and extensive use of color? A Musical – Rhythmic type that would benefit from having your lessons and materials set to music, rhythm or rhyme? Perhaps you’re the athletic type who’d derive more success with learning by motion, movement, mime or even dance? Playing the works of Mozart in the background while studying has been shown to enhance learning in a number of areas.

To find out more about your manner of learning visit these sites for starters:

• Learning Styles Explanation http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

• Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/ilsweb.html

• The Success Types Learning Style Indicator http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/LSTIntro.htm

3. Practice reading skills
Literacy is one of the 21st century’s most innately valuable compound skills. After all, you’re reading THIS now, aren’t you? Few would wish to be illiterate in their new foreign language so practice of reading skills is paramount. Online newspapers, magazines, newsletters and blogs can provide the needed practice and learning materials.

Check out these reading comprehension skills sites:

• How to Read Your Textbook More Efficiently http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/lrnres/handouts/1422.html

• Self-study reading lessons http://www.english-to-go.com/

• Read the article in the following address: http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/quiz/read1a.html

In the address that follows, take the quiz to verify your understanding of the reading passage: http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/quiz/read1

To Be Continued …

In part two of this multi-segmented article post, we’ll continue to examine ways of using the internet to learn English or a foreign language by means of the internet.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language: 21st Century Skills EFL Teachers MUST Have

The Little Red One-Room School House

Like the little red one-room school house, the days of computer illiterate and digitally-challenged English as a foreign language teachers are gone. Nowadays English and foreign language teachers must routinely conduct any number of digitally-based or online tasks.

Digital and Online Tasks

• Conduct online class sessions
• Communicate with learners between class sessions using e-mails
• Create and manage online groups
• Develop and post digital EFL materials
• Create, write and post to blogs and websites like ESL Base
• Participate in online ELT discussion forums
• Conduct online reading and research
• Both upload and download EFL materials to and from ELT websites

The list could go on and on. The world of teaching English as a foreign or second language is now, by far, a digital - and global one.

Passing to the Forefront

If EFL teachers are to continue in their respective positions, have any thought to higher salaries beyond the traditional “standard of living” pay raises, or want any increased responsibility and recognition to be able to pass to the forefront of their fields, the time has long since come for their incrementing their digital and online skills.

Modern, Digitally Competent EFL Teachers

The modern, digitally competent English language teacher should be abreast of 21st century teaching and learning tools.

Ask yourself for example:

• Do you have a personal or English Language teaching website or blog?
• Do you give and receive assignments via e-mail or online class room site?
• How frequent or intensive is your participation in English language teaching forums online?
• Are you familiar with and make use of English language teaching materials available at online websites for teachers?
• Are you keeping up (or trying to) with what’s happening in the field of English and foreign language teaching theory by researching, reading journals, reports, and blog posts (like this one) on the internet?

It’s Almost Never Too Late

If you find yourself needing a boost in any of these skills, getting the upgrade assistance you need may be as simple as completing a free online course or two. You might also see what help is available at your school, company or institution. A quick Google search (you DO know how to do THAT, don’t you?) will turn up hundreds if not thousands of other options.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Ten Terrific Technology Projects for English or Foreign Language Learners

Do your English or foreign language learners own or have access to any high-tech toys like Ipods, MP3 or MP4 players? How about a PC, digital camera or cell phone with picture-taking capacity? What about access to an audio, digital or analog (cassette tape) voice recorder? Using these devices and other high-tech toys, a host of fun, effective learning projects can be assigned to and undertaken by your English as a Foreign Language learners.

Here are some starter suggestions that could be used with ESL (English as a Second Language), EFL (English as a Foreign Language) or foreign language learners:

1. Your EFL or foreign language learners can prepare essays, oral or written presentations on why or why not they should use their high-tech toys in class, in addition to suggestions on how they could effectively do so.

2. Have the class individually write a summary or give an oral presentation of a favorite song on your Ipod, MP3 or MP4 player.

3. Another useful task is to get the EFL learners to describe the action, setting or scenario of a music or other type of video on their MP4 player.

4. Get the learners to give a written or oral discourse of a popular performer or music group complete with song and/or music video examples.

5. How about having your class prepare an ad or commercial describing the features and benefits of your digital camera, Ipod, cell phone, MP3 or MP4 player. They could record, film and produce their “commercial” using whatever high-tech devices are available.

6. For an interesting out-of-class project, you can assign the learners to conduct a survey series of what brands / makes and models of digital technology products your EFL class has. The follow-up would be an original report or presentation of some type.

7. Have each of your learners describe what they like and/or dislike about a high-tech toy they own. They could also then expound on why and how they overcome any “deficiencies” or dislikes they may have and how these affect them.

8. Your learners could give an oral, audio-visual or written presentation on how high-tech toys are useful in business and education. They can expound on how their parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, etc. make use of these items.

9. Past, Present and Future: Learners can explain orally, in writing or via an audio-visual presentation, what they, or others they know, did in the past without the devices they have now, what they currently employ their devices for, and what they think these devices will develop into in the future. Students can draw pictures, create collages or use realia in their presentations. My classes really like and get into like this one.

10. Another interesting out-of-class project that appeals to many English and Foreign Language learners is for you to assign them to survey high technology web sites, stores, shops and suppliers for the different makes, models and brands of a particular high-tech toy for various features and prices. They can then report these findings to the class utilizing charts, graphs, images, photos and even realia.


Using these devices and other high-tech toys like Ipods, MP3 or MP4 players, Personal Computers (desktop or laptops), digital camera or cell phones with picture-taking capacity, and audio, digital or analog (cassette tape) voice recorders, this host of fun, effective learning projects can be assigned to and undertaken by your English as a Foreign Language learners to enrich and enliven your classes. Try one or more of these suggestions, modified to suit your classes and teaching situation in one of your next class sessions. Then watch your English or Foreign Language learners progress like never before.



Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. 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 the 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