Speaking/Conversation
Recent Newsletter Articles
Mastering English Conversations: Practical Dialogues for Adult Learners
Teaching conversation skills to EL adults can prove successful through fostering communication skills with interactive dialogue practice, cultural nuances exploration, and targeted language acquisition strategies. Read More
50 Shades of Meaning
Explicit vocabulary instruction can often be a neglected vein of ESL instruction. This article provides research-based, user-friendly ideas to grow students beyond a surface level knowledge of words to deeper vocabulary comprehension and usage. Read More
A Walk in My Shoes: Videos to Help Everyone Have a Place at the Table
This documentary video series features stories from first-generation college students and aims “to create awareness about the diversity, the challenges, the opportunities and the benefits each student brings to campus.” Watching the videos would be an excellent way to begin a conversation about a number of important topics, such as the barriers that first-generation college students face, the value of persistence, and the importance of “making room at the table” for diverse voices in educational spaces. Read More
Fun Minimal Pair Activities for English Learners
Where to begin with easy and effective pronunciation instruction? Read on to learn about two pronunciation activities targeting minimal pairs that are a great starting point for teaching pronunciation, as well as where you can find the recordings and materials from ATLAS’s latest pronunciation webinars. Read More
Resources for Volunteer Tutors Series: Classroom Activities for Adult ESL Learners Video Series
As a part of a brief, weekly series in MN ABE Connect, Literacy Minnesota’s Training Department is back with another valuable resource for volunteers – the Classroom Activities for Adult ESL Learners Video Series. This resource is a veritable treasure trove waiting for you and your volunteers to explore! Read More
Language and Literacy ESL Roundup!
If you’re an ESL teacher who missed this year’s Language & Literacy conference, or if you just weren’t able to make it to all of the sessions, have no fear! All of the conference sessions were recorded, so even though the conference is over, you can still continue to learn with and from your ESL colleagues. Check out the videos and resources from these ESL-focused sessions for ideas to invigorate your teaching this winter. Read More
Stay Warm, and Keep Learning! Winter Webinars from Literacy Minnesota
Winter is here in Minnesota, but you don’t have to brave the snow and cold to participate in training webinars from Literacy Minnesota! Join volunteers and teachers from all around Minnesota for free professional development webinars on a wide variety of topics including low literacy, reading fluency, pronunciation, and remote instruction. Read More
“Teacher, Only You Understand Me” – Pronunciation Study Circle
All adult EL teachers have heard stories from learners of struggling to make themselves understood outside of the classrooms, but it can be difficult to know where to begin to help. Pronunciation is such a large topic; how can a teacher tackle it in a multicultural classroom when there are already a hundred other skills to teach? Never fear: the Pronunciation Study Circle is here! Read More
Speaking and Listening Opportunities for Beginning ESL: Phone Instruction with Worksheets
Remote learning and instruction by telephone automatically lends itself to several rich opportunities for speaking and listening. Using this mode of instruction provides unique learning opportunities to the student that may not be readily available in the traditional classroom setting, and it can be achieved by utilizing the same worksheets already used in class. Read More
Using Volunteers to Teach Conversation – Virtually!
Volunteer tutors keep learners connected to schools and learning. Even volunteers with relatively limited teaching experience can make a big difference with helping learners practice conversation. Connect volunteers and learners for one-on-one practice over the phone or on a WhatsApp video call, or have volunteers lead small groups of learners in Zoom breakout rooms. Read More