My Favorite Icebreaker Activities for New University Classes
by Tory Thorkelson As someone who used various versions of Find Someone Who to warm up my classes at the beginning of my career, I am constantly trying to come […]
Tools and Tips to Help Your Students Write an A+ Essay/Research Paper
Tory S. Thorkelson, M.Ed. More and more students are being asked to write undergraduate papers and yet, even where writing classes are offered, there is never enough time to cover […]
Some of My Favourite Sites and Groups for Professional Development
By Tory Thorkelson According to edglossarry.org, “[i]n education, the term professional development may be used in reference to a wide variety of specialized training, formal education, or advanced professional learning […]
Media Bias and Critically Evaluating Information
By Tory Thorkelson In 2016, Vanessa Otero created a chart showing how biased various media sources available in the US were (see: http://www.allgeneralizationsarefalse.com/). While there was some disagreement about how […]
Where I Teach: South Korea
By Tory Thorkelson Where do you teach? A private University in Seoul, South Korea. According to the Complete University Guide, “[there are 43 national and almost 180 private universities and […]
The ‘Painless’ Course Creation Cycle: Tips and Tricks from an EFL Veteran
Tory S. Thorkelson, M.Ed. Imagine being called into your Department Chair’s office three weeks before a new term begins. With all the real (and imaginary) reasons for this meeting going […]
Posterama Ideas for the ESL/EFL classroom
Posterama Ideas for the ESL/EFL classroom As I depend more and more on technology in the classroom, despite the potential for a technical problem or two to throw a wrench […]
Pronunciation and Accent: A Teacher’s Perspective
Pronunciation and Accent: A Teacher’s Perspective Although it is perhaps less common than it used to be, every year a number of students approach me with concerns about their pronunciation […]
Teaching in Korean Universities
Teaching in Korean Universities As I end my 20th year in Korea, and my 18th as a Professor at a University in Seoul, I have been reflecting on what life […]