English Toolbox Tips

In our last contest, we asked you to tell us about the most startling example of culture shock you've experienced in your overseas postings. Several of you wrote about your experiences in Asia, including Donna M., currently in California. While teaching in South Korea, Donna was often surprised to find out at the end of a teaching day that she was expected to join the school's director and the other teachers for dinner and karaoke that evening. "They never gave me any advance notice, nor did they care if I had already made other plans for the evening: I was just supposed to drop everything and go out on the town with them in order to bond better as a team. I finally told them that I wouldn't go unless I had at least 24 hours of notice." Nice way to stand your ground, Donna: you get five free English Toolbox credits!

For our next contest, tell us how and why you are (or are not) using CALL in your classroom. Have you set up a blog or web page that the students can access outside of class? Do you use the internet in your class sessions? Or do you think this is all a diversion of resources and energy that distracts from, rather than enhances, learning? The most persuasive argument will earn the sender five free English Toolbox credits, even if s/he isn't a subscriber. Send your thoughts to info@englishtoolbox.com by 5 November to qualify.