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Articles on TEFL, education & research

Some of these articles are original work and first appeared on the pages in this web. Others have appeared in other publications and quite a few from back issues of the CELT Athens Newsletter which these pages have replaced.

ON TEACHING & LEARNING LANGUAGES

1. Companions - An Aid or a Snag?  by Marisa Constantinides
   This is an article about companions (a kind of glossary accompanying a coursebook) published a long time ago in ELT Review. At the time, they used to be published by Greek publishers who 'pirated' rights and copyrights and some of who built publishing empires with these profits! Some of the features of these publications have since changed and even UK publishers publish their own, but their basic use is still pretty much the same.

2. What have they understood?     by Marisa Constantinides  
   This short article presents some ways of checking learning and discusses the reason why we should try to avoid questions of the 'Have you understood?' type.

3. The Power of Words  by Olga Gouni
   Every day we transmit and receive thousands of messages in many ways - language is just one of those ways. Words are the means we use in order to communicate with others and process incoming information. Read this article to find ways of using positive ways of handling behaviour problems.

4. Focus on Teaching Grammar by Marisa Constantinides
   In this article I have attempted to explore some of the possible causes of difficulty and offer some suggestions for an approach to introducing ‘difficult’ grammatical areas to Greek learners. In order to do this, I have selected one such area and will use it in the discussion as a means to illustrate some of the issues involved in teaching and learning the grammar of English. The points I make should apply to other areas of grammar.
   First appeared in ELT Review, Issue 6, 1985 

5. Watching Young Learners at Work - From Practice to Principle  a report on a presentation by Marisa Constantinides. Based on a presentation at the PEKADE (Panhellenic Association of Teachers of English in the State Sector) Annual Event on May 10 1997. The workshops and comments were based on three activities on video with a young class in their first year of English.

6. Are you Playing Games or Being Serious? by Marisa Constantinides
   Ten games for serious or heavy areas to spice up your lessons.

7. Games in the Young Learners' Classroom - their Educational Value for Cognitive & Linguistic Development by Marisa Constantinides
   In this article I shall be looking at the kinds of games children engage themselves in from a different viewpoint, not the one of a foreign language teacher but that of an educator. The analysis included here may help us understand the educational objectives of using games in the language classroom and equip us with a better battery of arguments when faced with comments against using games.

8. Peace Education & ELT by Marisa Constantinides
   In this short article, I have attempted to interpret my reading on this area and translate it into consistent as well as linguistically valid classroom practice.
   This article is based on a paper presented at the annual PANCRETAN CONFERENCE held in Aghios Nikolaos, Crete in 2006 and was first published in the May 2007 issue of Teachers' Voice Magazine.

 ON TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

1. What kind of FL School are you working for?  by Marisa Constantinides  
   The microclimate of a foreign language institution is often the product of those in charge of teachers. Read and answer this questionnaire about yourself if you are in a position of authority. If you are teacher, find out how your school rates 

2. Hall of Fame teachers by Marisa Constantinides
   An article attempting to compare criteria set out for assessing teachers, against attributes mentioned by young and older learners as characteristic of teachers who have rightfully gained a place in their private “hall of fame”.
   This research report first appeared in CELT Athens Newsletter 11 and was later reprinted in ELT News (2000)

3. The Art of Being Creative by Marisa Constantinides
   Creativity, one of the more recent concerns of our profession, has been a frequent subject of talks at conferences by many speakers, including the writer of these lines. Developing creative thinking skills in our learners with a view to enhancing their language learning potential is indeed valuable and exciting but what about the teachers themselves? How can they become more creative?
   First appeared in CELT Athens Newsletter, Issue 6, Summer 1996 

4. Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications - EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Directorate-General for Education and Culture - 2004.  The conference produced some interesting papers and presentations on the content and scope of teacher education programmes. View papers and presentations by clicking here.

   ON LANGUAGE

1. Wicked Greek  by Marisa Constantinides
   What do others think of us Hellenes? If some the opinions about the people of Greece are inaccurate, that, in part has to do with quite a lot of trash which people write either seriously, or for fun. The following snippets come from a book for travellers to Greece, whose title is "Wicked Greek". (PDF format - Acrobat Reader required)
   from CELT Athens Newsletter 12

ELT ISSUES IN GENERAL

• The New Face of Large School Chains by Marisa Constantinides
  New faces and new developments in a Greek ELT market which is becoming more business oriented.

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