Logical

For a long time, I had falsely assumed that the common mistakes that every Spanish speaker makes when speaking English resulted from their inability to disconnect from their mother tongue when learning and communicating in the second language. But I've recently discovered another type of mistake, which has nothing to do with one's first language. It comes from trying to apply logic to the English language. If the opposite of popular is unpopular and pleasant changes to unpleasant , why can't we say that someone is unpolite? The past of peak is peaked and the past of leak is leaked. So what's the problem with saying speaked? If we say yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon and yesterday evening then why don't we say yesterday night? If I like to play then I enjoy to play, right? If what I'm saying makes sense to you then I can conclude that you're understanding, right?

Announcing WikiProfe!

The latest addition to MyProfe is WikiProfe! Now, it will be easier and faster to get the information you're looking for no matter where it is located on MyProfe website. Don't take my word for it. Go and take a look for yourself.
http://www.myprofe.com/wiki

I can't live without my....

During the last few years, accept for my cell phone and mp3 player, I have been pretty much on the fence with respect to all those portable computer and communications gadgets. I never got a laptop, a PDA, a pocket PC or a GPS navigator. So when I started giving classes to my new client, Research in Motion, it was pretty obvious what was gonna happen next. These are the people who make the Blackberry cell phones. It took them less than two weeks to convince me that I needed one of their phones to organise my life and, I have to admit, they were right! Now I don't have to look for a computer to check my email. It comes directly to my phone. I can store all my music, audio and text files. It has a nice camera for those unexpected photo opportunities. It has voice recognition and hands free so that I can talk while I'm driving and GPS for when I get lost. As far as I can tell, I have everything I could possibly need, from my calendar and agenda to my flickr pictures, all in my pocket!

Basics

Language teaching, more than any other subject, provides an unlimited choice of subject matter, methods and materials. It is perhaps the only classroom where a discussion of the weather or the latest news would not be considered unprofessional or irresponsible. And therein lies the danger, both on the part of the student and of the teacher, of losing sight of the objectives of the class. The teacher, first and foremost, has to make sure that the students are called upon to use all four language skills at some point during each class. The teacher must take to the class on a regular basis a variety of reading and listening materials to avoid that the students become accustomed to and therefore limited to the teacher's voice and way of speaking. The students, on the other hand, must filter what is presented in each class and take what is useful for them.

Video Language Class

The portable cassette player had an important impact on the traditional language class back in the early 70’s. This invention made it possible, for the first time, to bring voices other than that of the teacher into the classroom. Exposure to a wide variety of accents is the best way to prepare students for the real world of English speakers. Not long after the introduction of the cassette player, came the videocassette recorder or VCR, which was also incorporated into the language class but to a lesser degree and, some would argue, with less success. Over the years, the quality and capacity of these recording devices have improved greatly and are now considered an integral part of any language class. However, the challenge of how best to use these devices is the same today as it was in the days of the cassette player. Simply watching the film is not enough.