Articles on a variety of topics useful to those in ESL ministry.
When it comes to the Christian life there are several fundamental and foundational habits. Perhaps you can think of a few, like reading the Bible, or gathering with other believers for worship and encouragement (what we often call “church”), or maybe giving to the church that you are a member of. All wonderful good, godly […]
Assumptions of Prayer Read More »
Grief is a universally difficult experience. However, some forms of grief come with particular circumstances that make it painful, messy, and challenging to resolve. These forms of grief are called “complex grief.” One form of complex grief is the grief of losing a loved one to suicide. People who lose a family member or friend to
Actively using English is critical for people who are learning the language. Because many of the people coming to our English classes don’t speak English very much outside of class, it’s vitally important to their success that they speak English as much as possible while in class. However, one of the most common mistakes teachers
Get Your Students Talking Read More »
The Disney Pixar movie “Inside Out” offers viewers a feature-length glimpse inside the emotional life of an 11-year-old Midwestern girl named Riley. When her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, Riley’s world is turned upside-down (and inside out). Her first day in her new school was memorable (and one she would love to forget).
Inside the Mind of an International Student Read More »
As classes start up again this fall, it’s a good time to look at classroom rules and the impact they have on student learning. Every “rule” should be necessary to move us toward our end goal and provide each student with a fun, supportive, healthy learning environment. Fortunately, for most adult ESL classes rules don’t need
When people find out that I teach ESL (English as a Second Language), they often ask me the same question: “How can you teach international students if you don’t know all those languages?” Actually, you don’t have to be able to speak the languages of your students to teach them English. They’re in the class
Learn My Language, Touch My Heart Read More »
What if you don’t speak the language? You possibly will have noticed that the three examples of how my wife and I bridged the gap between an ESL/TESOL activity and sharing the gospel were with people whose language my wife and I already spoke. But what can be done if no one in your program speaks
Bridging the Gap – part 5 Read More »
“What’s with those girls?” Our student ministry building was just across the street from the Dental School of one of the largest universities in the world, and their volleyball team needed a place to practice. We had a basketball/volleyball court behind our building, so when the coach asked if they could practice on our court, my
Bridging the Gap – part 4 Read More »
Celebrating Important Milestones by Dr. Lloyd and Wilma Mann I met my wife, Wilma, in Costa Rica as a young, single missionary. Her university training was in teaching elementary students, but she has prepared herself extensively in teaching English as a second language. She taught ESL at the local community college for some eight years, until the
Bridging the Gap – part 3 Read More »
Friendship and an Invitation to Study the Bible When I met Alejandro[1], the first thing I did was get to know him on a purely social level, outside the religious context of the church. I could have chosen any number of activities from sports, cultural events, or inviting him to spend some time with my wife
Bridging the Gap – part 2 Read More »
