English Toolbox Tips

The subject of our contest this week was using audio in the classroom, pro and con. Quite a few respondents bemoaned those who rely too much on the cassettes or CDs provided with some well-known textbook series: "... that's not teaching, that's just listening!" was one typical reply. Others said that using too much audio material was "lazy" on the part of the teacher. Mario P. in Palermo, Sicily, is anything but lazy: he uses a software program to record audio from internet radio. Mario scans stations from all over the world to get a range of accents, records snippets, then plays them for his students to help them with listening comprehension. We will provide the link for the software to anyone who writes us; in the meantime, we are happy to provide Mario with five free English Toolbox credits!

For our next contest, tell us how you keep in touch with family and friends while living overseas. Do you use a phone card, or Skype, or e-mail or IM (or a combination of all)? The most interesting reply will earn the sender five free English Toolbox credits, even if s/he does not currently subscribe. Send your contributions to info@englishtoolbox.com by 30 June.

Labels: EFL, teaching English, TEFL