What’s New from American English

Hello everyone,

American English Live Webinar Series 9 begins on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.   The presentation is titled, “Random or Intentional? Putting Learners in Groups that Work” and will be at 8 am and 1 pm ET. Though not mandatory, registration is encouraged. Registered participants will receive email reminders with links to pre-session readings and online discussions.  Here is the link for registration: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020WS9

Throughout the month of September the theme on American English at State Facebook page is Kindness and Giving. On American English for Educators Facebook page the theme is Cultivating Classroom Community. They can be found in Box and Sharepoint.

The newly relaunched English Access Microscholarship Program Facebook page is off to a great start. This month we are asking our followers what Access means to them. We have selected our first two guest member moderators to help us keep the conversation going on this page. This opportunity is open to all Access HQ members. Please share as appropriate with relevant audiences in your area.

The Access Teachers’ Corner Facebook group topic for September is Grammar in Action and this week’s focus will be on Experiential Learning of Grammar.  We will explore what experiential-based lessons are and how to facilitate experiential-based lessons in our classrooms.

Our next Faces and Places across the United States conversation on American English at State Facebook page will go live on Tuesday, September 29th, at 11 a.m. DC time. A promotional graphic will be included in next week’s materials. Please cross promote.

American English at State Facebook Page

Description: The American English at State Facebook Page is aimed at English language learners. Please share it as appropriate with relevant audiences in your area.

September’s Theme: Kindness and Giving                September’s Language Point: What’s the difference?

New and Continuing Content :

  • Faces and Places across the United States is a series of live casual conversations with Americans across the country. Our next interview will go live on Tuesday, September 29th, at 11 a.m. DC time. A promotional graphic will be included in next week’s edition of What’s New.

Graphics that are in the Box and Sharepoint for you to cross-post/use:

  • Vocabulary/concepts related to kindness and giving: goodwill, charitable, kind gestures, and more free ways to give.
  • What’s the difference: made of/made from, bored/boring, fun/funny, and few/a few.
  • English #IdiomsAndSayings: to keep one’s eyes on the prize.
  • #FoodForThought features the quotation: “Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

·         #WomenWednesdays features organizer and activist Dolores Huerta.

  • #EPluribusUnum highlights the diversity of the United States. This month celebrates Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month and we’ll share a graphic featuring former poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera.
  • #EducationUSA consists of a vocabulary graphic about studying in the United States; next week’s term is “faculty.”

 

American English for Educators Facebook Page

 

Description: The American English for Educators Facebook Page is aimed toward engaging English language teachers around the world.

 

September’s Theme: Cultivating Classroom Community

 

Graphics that are in the Box and Sharepoint for you to cross-post/use:

  • #WordyWednesday features theme-related vocabulary; the week’s term explains sharing.
  • #SolveThisScenario posts ask educators how they would respond when fellow educators disagree with the idea that students should moderate their own classroom disputes.
  • Promotional graphics for our YouTube playlists are “Approaches to Feedback and Assessment in English Language Teaching” and “Teaching English for Specific Purposes.” Graphics are included with this week’s materials.
  • Our #MeaningfulMonday graphic shares a quote about the importance of compassion in a community.
  •  #TeachingTip graphics share theme-related articles and strategies; this week’s graphics feature the activities “Peaceable Being” and “Class Compact” based on the Peaceable Classroom model.
  • American English Live Series 9 will begin on Wednesday, September 23. Promotional graphics for the series and session 9.1 are included with this week’s materials. More information can be found below.
  • We will continue sharing teaching tips from English Teaching Forum, classroom management techniques, and additional resources from americanenglish.state.gov.

 

American English Live Webinar Series 9

 

Description: The American English Live Webinar Series hosts live events for teacher professional development on the American English for Educators Facebook page.

 

American English Live Webinar Series 9 begins on September 23, 2020.  The series will take place from September 23 – December 02, 2020.  These 60-minute sessions will be held every other Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. ET from Washington, D.C. (check http://timeanddate.com for the local time in your region).

 

All promotional graphics and language can be found here in Box and the event announcement is also here on Facebook.  A new Zoom link will be shared closer to the start date for those who do not have access to Facebook. Though not mandatory, registration is encouraged. Registered participants will receive email reminders with links to pre-session readings and online discussions.  Here is the link for registration: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020WS9

 

Presentation Dates and Titles:

 

September 23, 2020 – 8 am and 1 pm ET

Presentation: Random or Intentional? Putting Learners in Groups that Work

Presenter: Kim Carroll

 

October 7, 2020 – 8 am and 1 pm ET

Presentation: Dynamic Ways to Increase Student-to-Student Interaction

Presenter: Dieter Bruhn

 

October 21, 2020 – 8 am and 1 pm ET

Presentation: Discussion Strategies for Meaningful, Effective Conversation Practice

Presenter: Kelley Calvert

 

November 4, 2020 – 8 am and 1 pm ET

Presentation: Amplifying Voice and Choice in the EFL Classroom

Presenter: Lindsay Lyons

 

November 18, 2020 – 8 am and 1 pm ET

Presentation: Superpowering Your Lecture: Activities to Engage Learners and Gather Feedback

Presenter: Kim Chilmonik

 

December 2, 2020 – 8 am and 1 pm ET

Presentation: Strategic Corrective Feedback in the EFL Classroom

Presenter: Juli Sarris

 

 

Access Teachers’ Corner Facebook Group

 

Description: The Access Teachers’ Corner Facebook group is primarily to support teachers who work with English Access Microscholarship Students.  All Access teachers (and other educators) are welcome! Please invite educators in your area to join.

 

September’s Topic: Grammar in Action!

 

This Week’s Content:

  • Grammar in Action! with a focus on Experiential Learning of Grammar.
  • We will explore what experiential-based lessons are and how to facilitate experiential-based lessons in our classrooms.
  • Our Expert Amanda Hilliard will present several activities including one activity using the 4-step cycle for implementing experiential learning and another for teaching imperative verbs experientially.
  • We will examine the benefits and challenges of using experiential learning in the English language classroom.
  • We will share our Expert Amanda’s AE Live webinar, entitled Bringing Grammar to Life.

Link to group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AccessTeachersCorner/

 

American English YouTube Channel

Our American English YouTube channel is an outstanding resource for English language teaching and learning. The channel has a total of 721 videos, divided into sections aimed at English language learners and English language teachers.

 

We encourage you to use these resources freely and to invite teachers and learners in your area to subscribe to our channel.

 

Featured Section: For English Language Teachers: Deep Dives into Professional Development by Topic

 

This newly added section features 15 thematic playlists. Twelve playlists consist of our full-length professional development webinars organized by topic; these consist of short video clips that highlight teaching tips by topic. See this document for a detailed index of these 12 topics and which videos can be found on each playlist. We’ve also downloaded 11 of these playlists into Box and SharePoint for you to access offline if needed.f

 

Full Box link: https://state-low.box.com/v/YouTube-Playlists-for-Teachers

Full SharePoint link: https://bit.ly/WebinarsByTopic

 

Featured AE Animated: Closely Related Words + Kindness

Description: Are you a helpful person? A little kindness can go a long way! It might just be enough to make someone’s day better. Listen to this conversation to hear about ways to be kind and learn about some closely related words.

 

Full YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/UtFlnWlv9dE

Shortened YouTube Link: http://bit.ly/YTKindness

Full Facebook Link: https://business.facebook.com/watch/?v=809782043209417

Shortened Facebook Link: http://bit.ly/FBKindness

 

OPEN MOOCs: English for Journalism, Professional Development for Teacher Trainers, TESOL Methodology, and English for Business & Entrepreneurship

 

Promote our new name and logo for the Online Professional English Network (OPEN):

We are excited to let you know that the American English E-Teacher Program is now the Online Professional English Network (OPEN)!  Thousands of educators and other professionals around the world have participated in this program. Learn more about the program’s impact and our new look in this video!

Video is available in the Box and Sharepoint folders.

 

For upcoming MOOCs: Promotional graphics, information about course start and end dates, and enrollment links can be found here in Box.

 

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MOOC: English for Journalism – COURSE EXTENDED!

This course is designed for non-native English speakers interested in developing the skills needed for a career in modern journalism. In this course, participants will explore print and digital media while expanding vocabulary and increasing the ability to research and develop local and global news stories. Module One will provide an introduction to the history and principles of journalism. In Module Two, participants will learn how to research, pitch, and interview. Module Three will focus on the language for writing newspaper and magazine articles. Module Four will cover the basics of broadcasting the news. Module Five will focus on the growth, impact, and challenges of the digital media age.

 

Participants can enroll in this course until October 9, 2020. Participants may log in and complete coursework at any time during the course. However, all coursework must be completed by October 19 to pass.

 

Shortened Enrollment Link: https://bit.ly/EnglishforJournalismMOOC

Full link: https://www.canvas.net/browse/fhi/courses/english-for-journalism

 

Dates to remember

Enrollment close date: October 9, 2020 ET

Course end date: October 19, 2020 ET

 

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Professional Development for Teacher Trainers

This teacher-training MOOC, designed for both new and experienced teachers, gives participants methods for creating, presenting, and evaluating effective teacher training workshops. This course was developed with Arizona State University. This course begins with an optional week-long orientation from October 5 to October 11. This is a facilitated course led by an instructor.

 

Participants can enroll in this course until October 23, 2020. Participants may log in and complete coursework at any time during the course. However, all coursework must be completed by November 16 to pass.

 

Shortened Enrollment Link: http://bit.ly/TeacherTrainersMOOC

Full Link: https://www.canvas.net/browse/fhi-pd/courses/prof-dev-teacher-trainers

 

Dates to remember

Enrollment close date: October 23, 2020 ET

Course end date: November 16, 2020 ET

 

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TESOL Methodology

This teacher-training MOOC provides learners with strategies for teaching, speaking, listening, reading, and writing to English learners of different ages and contexts. They will discuss best practices for TESOL in the 21st century. This course was developed with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This is a self-paced course. Self-paced MOOCs offer participants the opportunity to complete the course on their own schedule.

 

Participants can enroll in this course until November 20, 2020. Participants may log in and complete coursework at any time during the course. However, all coursework must be completed by November 30 to pass.

 

Shortened Enrollment Link: http://bit.ly/TESOLMethodsMOOC

Full Link: https://www.canvas.net/browse/fhi-pd/fhi-umbc/courses/tesol-methodology

 

Dates to remember

Enrollment close date: November 20, 2020 ET

Course end date: November 30, 2020 ET

 

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English for Business and Entrepreneurship

English for Business and Entrepreneurship is an OPEN MOOC for learners. It is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their language skills and knowledge of business and entrepreneurship at the same time. Participants will receive step-by-step guidance on the basic elements of starting up a new business. This is a self-paced course. Self-paced MOOCs offer participants the opportunity to complete courses on their own schedule.

 

Participants can enroll in this course until December 18, 2020. Participants may log in and complete coursework at any time during the course. However, all coursework must be completed by December 28 to pass.

 

Shortened Enrollment Link: http://bit.ly/BusinessEnglishMOOC

Full Link: https://www.canvas.net/browse/fhi/courses/english-business-entrepreneurship

 

Dates to remember

Enrollment close date: December 18, 2020 ET

Course end date: December 28, 2020 ET

 

English Teaching Forum

New Issue:

The new issue of English Teaching Forum (Volume 58, Number 2) is available on our American English website. Download it for ideas about teaching using simple English Wikipedia and  to learn a new game called Mingle Bingo and much more.

 

Link: https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/english-teaching-forum-2020-volume-58-number-2

Shortened Link:  https://bit.ly/FORUM_58_2

 

22.33 – A Podcast of Exchange Stories

ECA’s podcast can serve as a teaching tool to help English language learners develop their language and critical thinking through stories. From native speakers from the United States to foreigners from around the world, students will have access to the diverse sounds of global English. Audio and transcripts for each episode can be downloaded directly from the website eca.state.gov/2233.

 

If you’re developing creative ways to make use of the 22.33 podcast in the classroom or virtually, please reach out to share your experience with the ECA podcast team at ecacollaboratory@state.gov.

 

Full SharePoint Link for this week’s content: https://usdos.sharepoint.com/sites/ECA-A/LDraft/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=aZS3Q5&cid=c588ec8b%2D5b71%2D4911%2Da75b%2D82b1786c93e2&FolderCTID=0x012000344E3BB88E1F954CB8105AF16709252C&viewid=64e11280%2D1f82%2D46d2%2Dbd69%2Df3766c4e28d9&id=%2Fsites%2FECA%2DA%2FLDraft%2FShared%20Documents%2FWhat%27s%20New%20with%20American%20English%2FWhat%27s%20New%20%2D%20September%202020%2FWhat%27s%20New%20September%2021st%2C%202020

Full Box link for this week’s content: https://state-low.box.com/v/WhatsNewSeptember21st

Full Box link for older graphics organized by theme : https://state low.box.com/v/AmericanEnglishGraphicsByTheme