Teaching Matters: Observing and Leading Class Discussions
April 28, 2026
Chimayo Press
“The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man’s observation, not overturning it.” —Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873), British novelist/politician What do you do while…
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Teaching Matters: The Art of Teaching “Unplugged”
April 24, 2026
Chimayo Press
“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” – Thomas Berger (1924-2014), American novelist What is teaching “unplugged?” How does…
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Teaching Matters: Avoiding Good Mistakes in Using Infographics
May 19, 2018
Chimayo Press
Correlation is not causation but it sure is a hint – Edward Tufte (1942-), American Statistician and Professor We live in an age of big…
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The Value of Playback: Recording Student Presentations and Making Good Mistakes in Real-time
March 27, 2018
Chimayo Press
“Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.” – Dr. Richard Carlson (1956-), bestselling American author and psychologist Creating a classroom atmosphere of…
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Worksheet: Express Opinions and Improve Critical Thinking with Consumer Product Reviews
December 26, 2017
Chimayo Press
“A man’s most valuable trait is a judicious sense of what not to believe.” — Euripides (485-406 B.C.E.), ancient Greek playwright Why use consumer product…
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Review: Balancing Fluency and Accuracy Activities in the Classroom
July 20, 2017
Chimayo Press
“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.” —Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), German novelist and 1946 Nobel Prize winner What’s the…
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Now available: Listen to Compelling Conversations Vietnam on ESL Garage!
June 20, 2017
Chimayo Press
“One of the secrets to life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.” —Jack Penn (1909-1996), South African plastic surgeon, sculptor…
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The Importance of the Academic Word List
January 14, 2017
Chimayo Press
“One forgets words as one forgets names. One’s vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die.” – Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), British author and journalist …
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Making Introductions, Part 2: Small Talk
November 4, 2016
Eric
“A conversation can be easy. Just ask a question and then listen.” -Robert Bly (1926-), American poet and author Previously on the blog, we discussed…
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Making Introductions, Part 1: Shaking Hands
October 27, 2016
Eric
“From small beginnings come great things.” – American proverb First impressions matter. The gateway to many compelling conversations remains the greeting. As the proverb says,…
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