Romance with blogs, adverts and Web 2.0

I haven’t written anything for days. It’s ever present on my to-do list but once I get started with daily tasks, it ends up being the one procrastinated.

Number one rule to write better is to practice often, something I advise my ESL students to do. Freestyle writing technique is the easiest method to use in developing the habit of writing. It allows you to get lost in your thoughts and words,oblivious of grammatical errors so you can capture your ideas and emotions in its raw form. Needless to say, you have to do the editing after scribbling everything down.

In this age of blogs, web 2.0 and  Google calendar to organize my personal activities, I still rely on my old-fashioned pen and notebook to doodle notes, dates, tasks,  what-have-you which is I guess why this blog template appealed to me. I have not totally succumbed to technology although I guess I’ll go nuts without internet.

Speaking of technology, I was trying my hand on being internet savvy by attempting to figure out html syntax (I’m guessing that’s what you call it). I wanted to take a shot at creating a  customized Craigslist advert for Tim. Viewing the page source was dizzying I wanted to give up right at first glance. Days later, I’m proud to announce that I’m slightly html literate than I was a week ago. Thanks to W3, it’s an amazing site for webpage design dummies like me.

Another interesting discovery today was when I checked Dmegs online directory and saw that English Notes was on the top 10 sites and blogs under education / online school category. I guess my ESL students are the driving force behind this pleasant surprise clicking away when they're bored.

Another work week gone by so quickly. I don't have plans for my Friday night maybe I'll just grab my pen and notebook and write away.

Impact of Positive Words to ESL Students

People who naturally notice negative information over positive information are more susceptible to stress, research has revealed. The findings increase our understanding of what makes people vulnerable to stress and could lead to new forms of therapy.
~ PhysOrg.com

To equate negativity to stress is nothing new nor does it take a rocket scientist to figure this out. It seems that the more we think we dislike something because it is difficult, the longer it is for us to grasp it and therefore the more stressful it becomes.
This is true in learning English as a second language as well. Learning a new language in itself can be challenging but the hurdles are harder to overcome when students are not interested to get over it. To recognize that these challenges cause a lot of stress to ESL students is already a step towards finding a better method of helping them learn the course or better yet like it.
It is therefore good to have a pocketful of positive vocabulary when dealing with mistakes. Here are few examples:


I don’t say………
The sentence structure is not right
Instead……….
We can improve your sentence.

I don’t say………
The grammar is wrong.
Instead……….
Let’s look closely at the sentence and correct the grammar

I don’t say………
I can’t understand what you mean.
Instead……….
Please give examples so I can understand you better.


The good relationship I have with my students is a proof that words have tremendous power and that positive ones build great friendship and draw warm response that creates a great learning atmosphere and also builds self-esteem to empower them towards excellence.