New post, new series--TEFL Forum

Most foreign nationals working at universities and colleges in Japan will find themselves asked to do language-related tasks--translation, copy editing and proofreading, language and cultural informant, etc. But the number one task is 'foreign language teaching', most popularly 'English language teaching'. Indeed, that is the number reason why so many 'English native speakers' are hired to work at this level, even when the official reason is to teach a speciality.

With all that in mind, I'd like to start a new series or regular type of article here at Japan HEO Blog covering language teaching. We have already featured some ELT-related articles here. Before we kick off the new series (with an article on teaching pronunciation in the communicative classroom), let's review what those previous articles are and where you can find them quickly if you have not yet read or at least skimmed them. The following list is of the original content, not the linked newspaper articles that relate to ELT:

http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2009/09/do-japanese-efl-students-need-katakana.html

http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2009/09/breaking-down-theory-vs-practice.html

http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-is-research-in-elttefltesolalsla-so.html

http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2009/04/ten-reaons-why-english-education-in.html

http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/03/teaching-as-foreign-national-at.html

Next we will post a link to an article that is about 'phonological models', downloadable in pdf (you need Adobe Acrobat Reader). Then we will follow with an article about teaching pronunciation (as 'applied phonology and phonetics') in relatively large EFL classes at a university in Japan.