All posts by Setareh Dabbagh

The power of music in second language learning


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Source: Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

Music, as one of the fine arts, has its own status among its fans, and the influential and contributing role of music in various areas of life is undeniable. In language learning, music has been linked to better linguistic performance and is used as a tool to enhance language learning. Recent research has shown that ”happy” background music positively influences second language learners’ accuracy and fluency. In this blog post, the effective role of music in the language learning process will be discussed from three standpoints: culture, stress, and motivation.

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Questioning as a Learning Method


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Source: bigstockphoto

As an ESL teacher, the majority of my teaching has recently been shifted to questioning. This is mainly because I’ve been teaching university Pathway courses lately, and the role of critical thinking has been the highlight of these lesson plans. In order to help my students become better critical thinkers, I need to ask critical questions. And that’s why I believe we should create the culture and context before asking critical questions, to ensure learner engagement as well as academic excellence.

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Moving backwards!


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Paradoxical direction arrow
Source: Pixabay.com

It is clear that one of the goals of ESL students is to improve their listening comprehension skills. This goal might turn into a concern however, when they are preparing for an English proficiency test like IELTS, where achieving a certain score could be life-changing. This has led IELTS instructors and tutors to come up with multiple techniques and tips to help their students. In this blog post, I am going to share a technique that I personally developed and applied in my IELTS class, and discuss how it was viewed by my students.

I call this technique “moving backwards,” and my hope is that it will help my students to improve their listening skills while doing an IELTS listening practice test.

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Personal Learning Styles and Reading Skills


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Source: pixabay.com

In this blog post, I’d like to point out the importance of taking learners’ personal learning styles into account when they are asked to do a reading task. This idea is interesting for me personally because I think not all the techniques and strategies which exist to help us do a particular task can work for all in the same way.

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Observation is a new Reflection!


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Source: bigstockphoto.com

For all ESL teachers, observing other teachers and being observed are not uncommon parts of the job, especially for those who are at the early stages of teaching. Many novice and inexperienced teachers wouldn’t mind it; on the contrary, they appreciate the opportunity to observe more seasoned teachers.

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My Transformational Journey as Interlanguage


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Source: pixabay.com

Hello everyone! My name is Interlanguage and I’m here to share my transformational journey with you! A journey which was supposed to take me to my dreamland of Second Language! Instead, this journey made me an excellent version of myself!

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Speaking English like a native speaker or an expert user?


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
Image by Naassom Azevedo from Pixabay

According to IELTS Cambridge books, an expert user of English is someone who has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate, and fluent with complete understanding. This user gets the score of 9 in the IELTS speaking test which is the highest score in this English proficiency exam.

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Strategic Investment and Online Learning


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

In recent decades, language-teaching methodology has seen a sharp rise in training more independent and autonomous learners through what is known as Strategic Investment. (Brown, 2001). Strategic Investment is a learner-centered approach, with a focus on employing methods to internalize the learning process.

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“To Take the Road or Not to Take the Road… That is the question!” – Robert Frost Meets William Shakespeare


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
An old poetry album, opened on a table showing a poem written in calligraphy.
Image by Ulrike Mai from Pixabay

Reading poetry is like taking a journey while listening to relaxing, inspiring, and melodious music. Poetry goes beyond mere words to communicate the innermost thoughts, feelings, and struggles mankind goes through. Reading and reflecting on poetry is a great medium for building deeper bonds with oneself and with others.

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In Praise of English Language Learners


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
A chalkboard sign saying, "Well done!"
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

As an English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher, I think I have a responsibility to remind my students of the incredible job they have done as additional/foreign language learners. I think as teachers we sometimes forget the challenges our students are going through! This letter is to all additional language learners, wherever they are.

Dear EAL learners,

I acknowledge you. I admire you. I celebrate you! You’ve already done an incredible job. Whether you are at the beginning level, where your journey has just started, or you have been in this for quite a while, you are amazing and here is why.

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