Sube Blog

The Game Students will work in teams. Each team will get two stacks of vocabulary words color-coded by grammar (types of speech): verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc. The student selects two cards from the top of each stack and quickly creates a sentence out loud before the timer's buzzer rings: 60 seconds or less. The game can be easily adapted for either ESL or SSL; the vocabulary list is in both languages. Just remember to always teach in the target language and use TPR to describe new words. Never translate. Objective Students will use or create vocabulary cards from new and learned vocabulary...

Humanistic Imagination in the Classroom I discovered a fascinating article called Humanistic Imagination: Soul Food for the Language Class by Dr. Gertrude Moskowitz. Through research and storytelling, she shows that when we are given the chance to draw on imagination, we can stretch, grow, open up, and astonish ourselves. For example, Moskowitz describes how her Asian students were able to push past their traditional roles using drama techniques and how her 15-year-old English student, who could neither read or write, was empowered when his ability to draw was acknowledged and nurtured in a classroom activity. The article provides a wealth...

Terralingua is a wonderful organization dedicated to preserving biocultural diversity of life through an innovative program of research, education, policy-relevant work, and on-the-ground action. Their online publication called Langscape has a new call for entries. They are looking for interviews, articles, case studies, stories, poetry, expressions of art and photographs, that express ways to achieve a better world in which our biocultural diversity can thrive. The issue is called Biocultural Diversity: An Emerging Paradigm in a Changing World. The focus is biocultural approaches to conservation, development and education. Here is an excerpt from their website where you can find out how you and your students can be a part...

Our first guest post below is by Jessica Peterson. Jessica is an English Language Fellow working at Rajamangala University in Chiang Mai Thailand.  Her previous experience includes time as a Fulbright English Language Assistant and high school ESL teacher. An Introverted Teacher Reflects on Language Learning As both a reader and an introvert, when I first came across Susan Cain’s (2012) book Quiet, I was intrigued.  Cain manages to take her subject of introversion and explain it in a way that not only is illuminating but also challenges the ways in which we often subtly favor extroversion. Although textbooks on language learning generally...

This article, Is Data Visualization Art, explores the creative process of data visualization and asks the familiar question, "but is it art? In the article they explore the different phases of the creation process of data visualization and encourage those working with the medium to recognize the "art" in their work. In a Wikipedia definition of The Arts, they say "Whether or not a form of creative endeavor can be considered one of "the arts" can be contentious due to the cultural values attached in Western culture to the term "art", which can imply that it is a field elevated...