tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.comments2011-04-13T11:37:29.016+08:00A Teacher in TaoyuanHall Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16333231225730156242noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-5674145554426249262011-04-13T11:24:24.597+08:002011-04-13T11:24:24.597+08:00Thanks for the endorsement, Scott!
The concern yo...Thanks for the endorsement, Scott!<br /><br />The concern you raise about calibrating difficulty of task (and difficulty is always a subjective experience) and attempting to find the right edge or right balance is an important one. Kind of like a Buddhist koan: What is the sound of one part of the brain listening? <br /><br />In materials design (such as the English Firsthand series), I proposed designing 3 tasks for each listening extract: a top-down task (focusing on inferring intentions, claims, the upshot of the extract, usually involving a pre-listening activity), a bottom-up task (focusing on particular lexical or grammatical or pragmatic features, again involving some kind of pre-listening "priming".). And one a "compensatory task" – designed for the "weaker listeners" (or for the weaker listener in all of us, I've been there!) that essentially is based on the transcript. This 3-pronged approach doesn't solve the koan, but it attempts to recognize the underlying and let the teacher decide which task or tasks to do, or which to do first.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03268218200222174162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-38085679779040741802011-04-08T16:17:29.549+08:002011-04-08T16:17:29.549+08:00Great post - thanks Michael (and Hall). As the pro...Great post - thanks Michael (and Hall). As the proud owner of Michael's new book, I can heartily endorse it. I don't know of a better book on listening.<br /><br />One thing that has always concerned me, as a teacher and teacher trainer, is how exactly to calibrate the degree of difficulty in a listening task, especially in a classroom context (as opposed to, say, self-study). Techniques like pre-teaching vocabulary, schema-activation, simplified texts, repeated playings, etc, are designed to take the 'pain' out of listening, while maximising the chances of comprehension. On the other hand, making listening 'easy' may not be the best preparation for real-life listening events. Finding the balance, e.g. working at the very edge of the learner's listening competence, may be the answer - but it's difficult to judge, especially in a classroom setting. I often get the sense that task design favours the "good listeners", while the weak ones simply coast along.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-52776029331794190812011-02-27T11:13:02.421+08:002011-02-27T11:13:02.421+08:00Thomas:
Yes, that would be fine.
Hall HoustonThomas:<br /><br />Yes, that would be fine.<br /><br />Hall HoustonHall Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16333231225730156242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-75871494706877290492011-02-27T01:13:16.601+08:002011-02-27T01:13:16.601+08:00Hello there,
This is a inquiry for the webmaste...Hello there,<br /> <br /> This is a inquiry for the webmaster/admin here at hallhouston.blogspot.com.<br /><br />Can I use part of the information from this blog post above if I provide a link back to this website?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />ThomasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-36829822740949389582011-01-27T02:21:42.844+08:002011-01-27T02:21:42.844+08:00Thanks for the hints. I'm sure my students wou...Thanks for the hints. I'm sure my students would like to do some of the activities in the drama and improvisation text.<br /><br />JonTefl Jobs Londonhttp://www.tefljobslondon.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-64566588890038971762011-01-21T16:35:39.626+08:002011-01-21T16:35:39.626+08:00Lindsay, great to hear from you. I wish I could be...Lindsay, great to hear from you. I wish I could be there for the talk, but somehow I get the feeling it's not in Taiwan...Hall Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16333231225730156242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-63068599930436340542011-01-21T16:32:14.343+08:002011-01-21T16:32:14.343+08:00Hi Hall
Was very happy to have you on board, and ...Hi Hall<br /><br />Was very happy to have you on board, and thanks for the essay! I'm actually giving a talk on critical thinking in... about two hours!Lindsay Clandfieldhttp://www.sixthings.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-64880411684098404962010-12-17T17:13:37.614+08:002010-12-17T17:13:37.614+08:00Useful list - thanks!
There are lots of free onli...Useful list - thanks!<br /><br />There are lots of free online Christmas activities & teaching materials on our website here, including song quizzes and activities for the IWB: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/christmas.html" rel="nofollow">Christmas Lessons, Songs, Worksheets and Teaching Resources</a><br /><br />I've also put together a big page of links to free teaching materials on Christmas:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.esolcourses.com/links/christmas.html" rel="nofollow"> Christmas Teaching Materials</a><br /><br />Happy Holidays!Sue Lyon-Joneshttp://www.esolcourses.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-1875741475794290392010-12-17T13:45:22.327+08:002010-12-17T13:45:22.327+08:00Thank you for stopping by, Nick. The Keddie title ...Thank you for stopping by, Nick. The Keddie title is an excellent one. Listening Extra sounds interesting. Perhaps I'll order that for Christmas.Hall Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16333231225730156242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-28931188506012152792010-12-17T13:35:38.856+08:002010-12-17T13:35:38.856+08:00Two I'll add that I really love are Images by ...Two I'll add that I really love are Images by Jamie Keddie and Listening Extra by Miles Craven. Both are wonderful resources.Nick Jaworskihttp://TurklishTEFL.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-13503020333798835722010-11-26T09:05:37.818+08:002010-11-26T09:05:37.818+08:00Ok, Alex, that sounds good to me. Can you provide ...Ok, Alex, that sounds good to me. Can you provide a link to your website here so I can see how you plan to use the information???Hall Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16333231225730156242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-57749345508262229542010-11-25T20:21:56.679+08:002010-11-25T20:21:56.679+08:00Hi,
I have a question for the webmaster/admin h...Hi,<br /> <br /> I have a question for the webmaster/admin here at hallhouston.blogspot.com.<br /><br />May I use part of the information from this post above if I provide a backlink back to your site?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />AlexAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-33596040866503884952010-10-16T21:24:59.780+08:002010-10-16T21:24:59.780+08:00Thanks for the mention Hall!
It's great to kno...Thanks for the mention Hall!<br />It's great to know you've found my ideas useful :)little_miss_bossyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09423142937875532976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-23239649749130010262010-08-25T12:09:55.921+08:002010-08-25T12:09:55.921+08:00Great piece. Occasionally think about putting my r...Great piece. Occasionally think about putting my rejected book ideas into e-book form, and the fact that I've never got round to it seems to show that the publishers were right not to entrust me with a big project!self publishing a bookhttp://www.publish-book.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-82590258817877956962010-08-25T11:52:40.278+08:002010-08-25T11:52:40.278+08:00Helpful post, useful info - I didn't know that...Helpful post, useful info - I didn't know that Booksurge had merged, I suspect that Amazon wasn't making the profit they'd hoped from the unit.self publishinghttp://www.publish-book.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-6756959986793070172010-07-17T18:27:27.194+08:002010-07-17T18:27:27.194+08:00Great piece. Occasionally think about putting my r...Great piece. Occasionally think about putting my rejected book ideas into e-book form, and the fact that I've never got round to it seems to show that the publishers were right not to entrust me with a big project!<br /><br />The last comment seems to be spam, just cut and pasted part of Ken's, which is a common trick (you can delete this part of my comment when the spam has gone if you like)Alex Casehttp://www.tefl.net/alexcasenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-77859148894944344632010-07-10T22:48:15.286+08:002010-07-10T22:48:15.286+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.self publishinghttp://www.publish-book.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-22610917001789683532010-06-23T02:54:35.346+08:002010-06-23T02:54:35.346+08:00Thank you for the information and inspiration.
Li...Thank you for the information and inspiration.<br /><br />Like many other hectic English teachers, I tend to learn to collect information and intend to complete ambitious projects. Alas, between focusing on student assignments and wandering around the internet, less gets done than hoped. Your focused, practical agenda gives me a roadmap to change this self-sabotaging pattern.<br /><br />As Thomas Edison noted so long ago, "vision without realization is hallucination."Eric Rothhttp://www.CompellingConversations.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-58013002674679309652010-06-09T22:05:26.288+08:002010-06-09T22:05:26.288+08:00Thank you Dani for your comment! It's so amazi...Thank you Dani for your comment! It's so amazing to hear about someone from Brazil following the challenges. I'm going to jump start the 30 Goals Challenge for the summer! I have the Chapters for the 2nd edition outlined! Hugs from Germany!Shelly Terrellhttp://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-50315119905910081432010-06-09T19:56:38.428+08:002010-06-09T19:56:38.428+08:00Thank you for sharing your book with us. I follow...Thank you for sharing your book with us. I followed the challenges, but I was just learning about how to use technology and couldn't really engage in accomplishing the goals. The book reaches me now on a better timing as I feel more prepared... Big hug from Brazil.Dani Lyrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06994434604485514131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-73221122761962096712010-06-05T19:10:05.475+08:002010-06-05T19:10:05.475+08:00Thank you Ken for this insight. I now feel a more ...Thank you Ken for this insight. I now feel a more accomplished e-author. Indeed, if ever I broke my sales record, might have to start practicing my autograph:-)<br /><br />What you said is interesting. I often wondered how (un)lucrative it was to write resource books. After all, I don't know too many writers who have retired early from the proceeds. Now I know why.<br /><br />It's also true, and perhaps a little sad that free online materials are replacing books. I suppose in part, I have myself to blame for that. <br /><br />There are a lot of people out there who refuse to buy ELT materials. I spoke to a colleague just last week on the matter of charging for my sites. He said he would never pay even $5 a year - not because he didn't like the sites, but it was against his principles. Oh well. <br /><br />Thankfully, there are a good number of people who do like to buy books and materials. I spent about $10,000 on them (went a bit mad) when doing my Master's - worth every penny. I still like holding, smelling, leafing through a new book.Sean Banvillehttp://seanbanville.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-79934091324630715292010-06-01T18:09:08.300+08:002010-06-01T18:09:08.300+08:00Thanks for that informative and entertaining post,...Thanks for that informative and entertaining post, Sean. One part made me laugh so loud, my wife Dede heard it downstairs and asked me to share what I'd heard. When I've finished writing this, I will do just that.<br /><br />The part that made me laugh was this:<br />"I got five orders, which made it my most successful day ever. That was nearly five years ago. I was really pleased with that first day. The fact that I've never matched those heady sales figures since has never really worried me."<br /><br />The fact is, you're probably selling more copies than 'the glossy book containing only 23 activities'. It's an open secret that, with a number of high-profile exceptions, resource materials in book form are not big sellers. From the publishers' point of view, they add gravitas to their lists, and from the author's point of view, there's a certain satisfaction in seeing one's life's work in printed form. <br /><br />There was a heady moment about ten years ago when photo-copiables became very popular, at even higher prices that you talk about. Sales of the books of ETT sketches quickly re-vamped by Macmillan took off like a rocket. Like the firework variety, they fell to earth just as quickly.<br /><br />As for high sales of resource material nowadays, forget it. A certain high-profile UK publisher recognised this last year when they announced the end of their resource book series.<br /><br />What you've actually hit on as well is the fact that teachers can find so many resources online for free (yours as a golden example) that they maybe don't feel the need to buy such material in book form. This is the first sign that online is replacing books, something that will presumably increase.<br /><br />But again, thanks for the warmth and good humour of this story.Ken Wilsonhttp://kenwilsonelt.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-84304738704002227212010-05-12T15:58:02.629+08:002010-05-12T15:58:02.629+08:00Thank you Lindsay and Gilles for your friendly com...Thank you Lindsay and Gilles for your friendly comments. <br /><br />Gilles, Booksurge (now Createspace) pays the author 35% of the list price each time a book is sold. However, the author's cut varies with the publisher. According to <a href="http://www.millcitypress.net/selfPublishersCompared.aspx" rel="nofollow">this article</a>, Lulu pays 31%, while iUniverse pays only 20%.Hall Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16333231225730156242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-13469980350893214362010-05-12T08:33:11.222+08:002010-05-12T08:33:11.222+08:00Your post was so helpful, thanks so much. I have m...Your post was so helpful, thanks so much. I have many books on my computer, some are ready to be published, but I had not idea where to start. One question, how does the pricing work? From what I read, they set the price (probably according to demand) but how does that translate to the writer's share? Thanks again, Gillesgilleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135666510223166513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29518890.post-82626494690033202942010-05-10T20:06:29.226+08:002010-05-10T20:06:29.226+08:00Thanks Hall, I am looking forward to these posts, ...Thanks Hall, I am looking forward to these posts, because I've often thought of self-publishing something in the future. I like your latest title a lot and am keen to find out your experience.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04695741096305904325noreply@blogger.com