MSI Press Blog

   This excerpt continues last week's post. Really Getting into It In high school and college, I joined the debate team. Debate taught me how to use language with purpose—how to wield subtleties, double entendres, logic, and evidence to persuade. That training sharpened my awareness of how language functions beyond vocabulary lists and grammar charts. When I later began learning foreign languages, I instinctively looked for those same tools of persuasion and nuance. Speech competitions reinforced this skill even further. Standing before an audience, I learned how rhythm, tone, and word choice could sway listeners. Political speeches—whether for student council elections (which I won) or workshops I conducted later—added another layer of practical application. Each of these experiences deepened my understanding of English as a system of communication, and I carried that awareness into my study of other languages. Getting Into It Even More My academic path added anothe...

Continuing in what seems to be coming a trend -- we keep coming across videos of readers -- teachers and language learners -- who have fallen in love with How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by Boris Shekhtman. The falling in love is not surprising; this book is the darling of diplomats and international journalists, both groups of individuals that Boris spent his life teaching. What is a little more surprising is the number of people who have quietly made videos about the book and its contents -- and which we stumble across upon occasion, such as today. The latest we have found is an entertaining as well as informative video by an English teacher, Charles Wood and editor of Language Tutor Online, who talks about applying the every simple and very effective principles in the books. You can listen to it HERE . For more posts about Boris Shekhtman and his books, click HERE .

  Shenan (CB) Leaver, author of Mommy Poisoned Our House Guest , was recently interviewed by the Mission Village Voice , where his book is being serialized. From the MVV introduction to the column: "Mommy Poisoned Our House Guest is collection of anecdotes about a 'detail-oblivious' homemaker and traveler, told from the point of view of CB, her mentally challenged son. The simplicity of language has made this book a favorite with ESL students, and the humorous 'conclusion' about life from a child's point of view endears it to anyone with a sense of humor. The reason CB's mother worked with him to write the book was to teach him the impact of literacy -- why people write and why people read. Even though it has been impossible for him to learn to read and write very much, through the joint preparation of the book he did learn a lot about literacy. CB is a 42-year-old CHARGE Syndrome, on of about 4-5 worldwide his age. He was given 0% chance of living, dispro...

Laura Dabbs works at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she is pursuing her MA-TESOL degree.  Laura teaches Community English Classes at UAB and formerly taught ESL and GED classes in Georgia at Dalton State College.  Working at a diverse university as afforded her the opportunity to see first-hand how personality traits, learning styles and learning strategies play a role in a variety of educational and professional situations.  Laura and her family have enjoyed a multi-cultural household by hosting foreign exchange students from various locations around the world. Her book, co-authored with Betty Lou Leaver,  The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom: Bringing Hidden Dynamics to Light for Individual and Group Harmony and Success . explains why some classrooms become dysfunctional and suggests what to do about them. The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom was released in September 2019. A sequel for teacher education is planned for this year. R...