Now online - my new virtual store - 13 categories
books - videos - audios - and more
hundreds of products - Amazon search - everything for the English language learner and teacher
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Friday, August 21, 2009
Start Your Own Interactive eLearning Site
How about your own interactive eLearning site where students can log in and work on their lessons or assignments 24 hours per day, 7 days per week?
Do you think it'll cost a lot?
Well, you might be wrong - because if Option 1 (see below) is right for you it'll cost you NOTHING to have your lessons hosted with us. That's right ZERO - ZIP - NADA!
Here's what I'm talking about:
Option 1:
Lessons you upload are open to the general public & FREE -
Our service is free
Option 2:
Lessons you upload are open to general public & you charge a fee -
There is a monthly charge for our services based on your storage size and bandwidth use
Option 3:
Lessons are private available only to your own students (free or pay)
There is a monthly charge for our services based on your storage size and bandwidth use
Included is all hosting, eLearning software installation (Moodle) and support that you need to get started teaching online.
Click here to see sample courses
Click here to learn how to get started teaching with us
Click here to email us
Do you think it'll cost a lot?
Well, you might be wrong - because if Option 1 (see below) is right for you it'll cost you NOTHING to have your lessons hosted with us. That's right ZERO - ZIP - NADA!
Here's what I'm talking about:
Option 1:
Lessons you upload are open to the general public & FREE -
Our service is free
Option 2:
Lessons you upload are open to general public & you charge a fee -
There is a monthly charge for our services based on your storage size and bandwidth use
Option 3:
Lessons are private available only to your own students (free or pay)
There is a monthly charge for our services based on your storage size and bandwidth use
Included is all hosting, eLearning software installation (Moodle) and support that you need to get started teaching online.
Click here to see sample courses
Click here to learn how to get started teaching with us
Click here to email us
Friday, January 30, 2009
New Site for English Teachers
I recently joined a new site that I believe has some great resources and networking opportunities. It's called My World Education. You can view my profile here: http://www.myworldeducation.com/profile/MarcyCoate
Please add me as a friend so that we can connect.
You can create groups at My World Education. I've created one called "English Teachers in Italy". I hope it will become a great way for all English teachers based in Italy to connect. Whatever your native language and no matter where you teach, if you're in Italy and you teach English, you're welcome to join our group.
Here is the page for the group: http://www.myworldeducation.com/group/englishteachersinitaly
More exciting new resources coming from various sites, so check back soon to find out more!
Please add me as a friend so that we can connect.
You can create groups at My World Education. I've created one called "English Teachers in Italy". I hope it will become a great way for all English teachers based in Italy to connect. Whatever your native language and no matter where you teach, if you're in Italy and you teach English, you're welcome to join our group.
Here is the page for the group: http://www.myworldeducation.com/group/englishteachersinitaly
More exciting new resources coming from various sites, so check back soon to find out more!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
eduFire: a cool site where you can teach/learn & find lots of resources!
I just signed up to teach English classes using a site that is called eduFire. It's really a great site because you can sign up as a student or a teacher and have/give lessons online. There are a variety of subjects, but since I'm an English teacher...guess where you can find me? (under "languages", of course!)
The funny thing is that when I signed up I was thinking, "Wow, there are already a lot of other English teachers here"...and the problem is that I was considering this fact in a negative way because I was seeing the other teachers as my "competition".
I got a very pleasant surprise, though. I immediately started receiving "friend" requests, like you do on the social networking sites. Those nice people I saw as "competitors" want to be my friends! Jon is one of them, and you can see that he was so kind as to write a comment here on my blog (see the article about Useful Links). Thank you, Jon, for the great suggestion to add the link to eduFire's flash cards.
The flashcards are available in several languages, and I believe you will find them very helpful, whether you are a teacher or a student.
Here is the link: http://edufire.com/games/flashcards
I will also add this to the links page on my website for those of you who are accustomed to going directly there for your lesson & activity links.
Have a great day/night. Ciao for now!
Marcy Coate
The funny thing is that when I signed up I was thinking, "Wow, there are already a lot of other English teachers here"...and the problem is that I was considering this fact in a negative way because I was seeing the other teachers as my "competition".
I got a very pleasant surprise, though. I immediately started receiving "friend" requests, like you do on the social networking sites. Those nice people I saw as "competitors" want to be my friends! Jon is one of them, and you can see that he was so kind as to write a comment here on my blog (see the article about Useful Links). Thank you, Jon, for the great suggestion to add the link to eduFire's flash cards.
The flashcards are available in several languages, and I believe you will find them very helpful, whether you are a teacher or a student.
Here is the link: http://edufire.com/games/flashcards
I will also add this to the links page on my website for those of you who are accustomed to going directly there for your lesson & activity links.
Have a great day/night. Ciao for now!
Marcy Coate
Friday, September 19, 2008
Useful Links
Click here for a list of useful links for teachers and students of English.
Included in this list you will find online dictionaries, games and other fun activities for every level and for all ages, articles, advice, lesson plans, and many other resources.
If you have a link you would like to add, write to me at: info@accelerationenglish.com
Marcy Coate
Included in this list you will find online dictionaries, games and other fun activities for every level and for all ages, articles, advice, lesson plans, and many other resources.
If you have a link you would like to add, write to me at: info@accelerationenglish.com
Marcy Coate
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Challenges Learning English (Part Three)
This is Part Three of my article on challenges that English Language Learners (ELLs) face. If you prefer to read this article in Italian, please go to: http://accelerationenglish.blogspot.com/
Challenge 7) Articles & Prepositions – sometimes the smallest words can the most challenging! In English, the definite article is often omitted, and prepositions can be a problem for many students, even at more advanced levels. I have many advanced students who are able to carry on long conversations in English about a variety of subjects, but they continue to have difficulties with articles and prepositions.
SOLUTIONS: Expressways to Learning by Dr. Jack Hoes; Acceleration English; various sites on the Internet (check back for a list of links!)
Challenge 8) Among the most difficult challenges for intermediate and advanced students are phrasal verbs and verbs that are followed by a preposition - verbs that are followed by another word or words, that change the original meaning of the verb. An example is the verb “to pick”, which we use to indicate choosing something, or the harvesting of food. However, if we say “to pick up” we don’t mean “to choose something in a vertical manner”. Neither do we mean “to harvest food using an upward motion”. We mean “to take something into the hand and lift it”.
These verbs can be confusing for ELLs. To add to this confusion, we also say “I’ll pick you up at 8:00”, but we don’t mean that we will physically lift the other person using our own strength. What about the term “pick-up truck”? These vehicles don’t physically lift people or objects by themselves, but the term is fairly descriptive and is usually understood by my ELLs in Italy.
Then there is the slang expression “pick up” which indicates the seeking of new acquaintances to form a romantic attachment. Many things that a native English speaker takes for granted can be quite difficult for an ELL to master.
SOLUTIONS: Expressways to Learning by Dr. Jack Hoes; Acceleration English; various sites on the Internet (check back for a list of links that I am preparing)
Challenge 9) The Alphabet – I’d like to begin by asking a question that I ask of all of my ELLs, whether they are beginners, intermediate or advanced level students. Everyone knows the ABC song, but when someone spells their surname for you over the phone, can you write it correctly with no errors? (Can you spell it correctly without having it repeated for you several times?)
I ask these questions because this is an area where many ELLs are weak, yet teachers assume that they have mastered the alphabet.
SOLUTIONS: Basic alphabet practice in class (dictated spelling); Expressways to Reading by Dr. Jack Hoes; Acceleration English by Marcy Jeanine Coate; various sites on the Internet (check back for list of links that I am preparing)
Challenge 10) Another area where ELLs are often weak is the interrogatives (who, what, where, etc.) If you are confused about the meaning of the first word in a sentence, how can you possibly answer that question?
SOLUTION: More practice with interrogatives in class; The Square by Santina Spiriti; Acceleration English by Marcy Jeanine Coate
Challenge 7) Articles & Prepositions – sometimes the smallest words can the most challenging! In English, the definite article is often omitted, and prepositions can be a problem for many students, even at more advanced levels. I have many advanced students who are able to carry on long conversations in English about a variety of subjects, but they continue to have difficulties with articles and prepositions.
SOLUTIONS: Expressways to Learning by Dr. Jack Hoes; Acceleration English; various sites on the Internet (check back for a list of links!)
Challenge 8) Among the most difficult challenges for intermediate and advanced students are phrasal verbs and verbs that are followed by a preposition - verbs that are followed by another word or words, that change the original meaning of the verb. An example is the verb “to pick”, which we use to indicate choosing something, or the harvesting of food. However, if we say “to pick up” we don’t mean “to choose something in a vertical manner”. Neither do we mean “to harvest food using an upward motion”. We mean “to take something into the hand and lift it”.
These verbs can be confusing for ELLs. To add to this confusion, we also say “I’ll pick you up at 8:00”, but we don’t mean that we will physically lift the other person using our own strength. What about the term “pick-up truck”? These vehicles don’t physically lift people or objects by themselves, but the term is fairly descriptive and is usually understood by my ELLs in Italy.
Then there is the slang expression “pick up” which indicates the seeking of new acquaintances to form a romantic attachment. Many things that a native English speaker takes for granted can be quite difficult for an ELL to master.
SOLUTIONS: Expressways to Learning by Dr. Jack Hoes; Acceleration English; various sites on the Internet (check back for a list of links that I am preparing)
Challenge 9) The Alphabet – I’d like to begin by asking a question that I ask of all of my ELLs, whether they are beginners, intermediate or advanced level students. Everyone knows the ABC song, but when someone spells their surname for you over the phone, can you write it correctly with no errors? (Can you spell it correctly without having it repeated for you several times?)
I ask these questions because this is an area where many ELLs are weak, yet teachers assume that they have mastered the alphabet.
SOLUTIONS: Basic alphabet practice in class (dictated spelling); Expressways to Reading by Dr. Jack Hoes; Acceleration English by Marcy Jeanine Coate; various sites on the Internet (check back for list of links that I am preparing)
Challenge 10) Another area where ELLs are often weak is the interrogatives (who, what, where, etc.) If you are confused about the meaning of the first word in a sentence, how can you possibly answer that question?
SOLUTION: More practice with interrogatives in class; The Square by Santina Spiriti; Acceleration English by Marcy Jeanine Coate
My next article will include some general resources that are very helpful for students and teachers.
Wishing you all happy learning & effective teaching!
Marcy Jeanine Coate
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Challenges Learning English (Part Two)
This is Part Two of my article on challenges that English Language Learners (ELLs) face. If you prefer to read this article in Italian, please go to: http://accelerationenglish.blogspot.com/
Challenge 4) The order of words in a phrase in English is often very different than that of the student’s native language: adjectives go before nouns (in Italian they normally go after nouns) the position of an adverb in a phrase depends on which verb, the type of adverb, and whether the phrase is affirmative, negative or interrogative.
Challenge 5) Asking a question in English can be confusing for ELLs whose native language doesn’t require a different word order for interrogative phrases. In Italian, if I want to ask you, “Is this your car?” I use the exact same word order as the affirmative phrase, “This is your car”, changing the inflection of my voice at the end of the phrase to indicate that it is a question.
SOLUTION: To address Challenges 4&5 I have been using a method called The Square. It was created by an Italian woman, Santina Spiriti. I have found the method to be refreshingly unique and quite effective. Unfortunately, their information is only available in Italian, but anyone who would like to know more about this method can contact me. The method utilizes a poster to teach Mrs. Spiriti’s “Question System”. Since the poster is 100% in English, it is possible to use it with students who do not speak Italian, and I would be happy to help you order posters and to arrange for training in the use of this method.
Challenge 6) The verb tenses in English don’t necessarily correlate 100% to the tenses in the native language. Italian grammar is much more complex than English grammar, so one would think that English grammar should be easy for Italians to learn. It’s simpler! However, most Italian ELLs have a great deal of difficulty in knowing which tense to choose when they need to express themselves in English.
Often this is because while the traditional scholastic methods thoroughly explain how each tense functions in English, most courses never show any type of correlation of the various tenses in Italian and their equivalents in English. So the question, “Which tense do I use to express this idea?” is never answered for most Italian ELLs. Therefore, quite often when they use the Present Simple tense they should really be using Present Continuous, and they use Present Perfect when they should be using Past Simple, etc.
SOLUTIONS: Challenge 6 is a big one! I use different methods to help students overcome it: The Square by Santina Spiriti; Expressways to Learning by Dr. Jack Hoes; my own Acceleration English; and information that I have gathered over the years from various sites on the Internet. I will compile a list of these resources and add them here, so keep reading my blog for these updates!
Challenge 4) The order of words in a phrase in English is often very different than that of the student’s native language: adjectives go before nouns (in Italian they normally go after nouns) the position of an adverb in a phrase depends on which verb, the type of adverb, and whether the phrase is affirmative, negative or interrogative.
Challenge 5) Asking a question in English can be confusing for ELLs whose native language doesn’t require a different word order for interrogative phrases. In Italian, if I want to ask you, “Is this your car?” I use the exact same word order as the affirmative phrase, “This is your car”, changing the inflection of my voice at the end of the phrase to indicate that it is a question.
SOLUTION: To address Challenges 4&5 I have been using a method called The Square. It was created by an Italian woman, Santina Spiriti. I have found the method to be refreshingly unique and quite effective. Unfortunately, their information is only available in Italian, but anyone who would like to know more about this method can contact me. The method utilizes a poster to teach Mrs. Spiriti’s “Question System”. Since the poster is 100% in English, it is possible to use it with students who do not speak Italian, and I would be happy to help you order posters and to arrange for training in the use of this method.
Challenge 6) The verb tenses in English don’t necessarily correlate 100% to the tenses in the native language. Italian grammar is much more complex than English grammar, so one would think that English grammar should be easy for Italians to learn. It’s simpler! However, most Italian ELLs have a great deal of difficulty in knowing which tense to choose when they need to express themselves in English.
Often this is because while the traditional scholastic methods thoroughly explain how each tense functions in English, most courses never show any type of correlation of the various tenses in Italian and their equivalents in English. So the question, “Which tense do I use to express this idea?” is never answered for most Italian ELLs. Therefore, quite often when they use the Present Simple tense they should really be using Present Continuous, and they use Present Perfect when they should be using Past Simple, etc.
SOLUTIONS: Challenge 6 is a big one! I use different methods to help students overcome it: The Square by Santina Spiriti; Expressways to Learning by Dr. Jack Hoes; my own Acceleration English; and information that I have gathered over the years from various sites on the Internet. I will compile a list of these resources and add them here, so keep reading my blog for these updates!
See Part Three of this article for more challenges that ELLs face and some solutions that I propose.
Please take a look at the sneak preview of my site and let me know what you think: http://accelerationenglish.googlepages.com/
Marcy Jeanine Coate
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