Dear readers,

It is February, Saint Valentine’s month. Also, it is a new beginning for all teachers. For this issue, we have done our best in order to start this semester enthusiastically with you. The editorial team hasn’t just been resting; we came up with many new interesting features for your Newsletter.

The 'themed' Newsletters continue and this month’s topic is cultural awareness. The picture above is taken at a Belgrade kindergarten performance where children were wearing traditional costumes and singing traditional songs. And although not all the children came from the same cultural background, there was no difference, together they preformed perfectly. There are no cultural boundaries if from an early age children are introduced to different cultural values. Since this topic is of great importance, we decided to keep it in our future issues as a regular section, the Culture Corner. In addition, we felt that it is important for our Newsletter to have a variety of topics and therefore we have given university students the chance to have their own section, the Students’ Corner, allowing them to work independently on topics of interest to them. In this issue, students from University of Novi Sad had the chance to write for this section. And, you can still send contributions from your primary and secondary school students as we have reserved another section for them, calling it Young and Teenage Learners' Corner.  

The holiday season is over so let’s start this semester the best we can!

If you have any comments or suggestions, do get in touch! We expect your e-mails, feel free to contact us at melt@elta.org

Irena Miladin
On behalf of the Editorial Board

We would hereby like to thank all the contributors and encourage them, and all of you, to continue making our newsletter and magazine fantastic as it is!

You can take part, as well, and share your thoughts with us! Send us your comments and suggestions – here are some guidelines to help you:

1.What are your favourite sections of Newsletter / MELT and why?

2.What do you think about this issue?

3.Any further comments or ideas regarding Newsletter / MELT?

The editors are happy to receive all your suggestions and articles at melt@elta.org.yu

Read the guidelines and fill in the form.

Do you know who is who in ELTA?

My Dream Fulfilled
By Danijela Djordjevic
Danijela Djordjevic, a YETI, says that the dream of probably every student or teacher of English is to visit Great Britain, to see all those things s/he has only seen on television and read about  in books or magazines. It was her dream as well until. Read the whole article(MS Word 260KB)

2008 Winter Seminar – in a nutshell
8 -12 December 2008
By Marija Kovac
After attending her first Winter Seminar, Marija Kovac says: ‘It is unfair to sum up 5 days into a page or so, but I am more than willing to share my impressions’
Read the whole article (MS Word 560KB)

25 February 2008, 1815 - 1930
Hot Corner workshop for English language teachers
‘Working with Large Classes’
Presenter: Dragana Filipovic
Large classes are common in Serbia and they pose great challenges. Actively engaging students in these classes is not easy but there are a few strategies that will allow you to grab their attention! The aim of this workshop is to find ways of making learning in large classes as effective, productive, and enjoyable as possible.

For all information and applications please contact sanja.eric@britishcouncil.org.yu

26 February 2008, 1815 - 1930
Happy Hour workshop for English language teachers
‘Student Self-evaluation’
Presenter: Vera Savic
Student self-evaluation plays an important role in developing children’s learning-to-learn skills. If guided and used carefully, regular self-evaluation is very effective in enhancing students’ learning autonomy and motivation for English language learning. As an integral part of the English language teaching/learning process, student self-evaluation becomes a useful tool in progress monitoring.

For all information and applications please contact sanja.eric@britishcouncil.org.yu

1 - 2 March 2008, Budapest
IATEFL LMCS SIG's 2008 Event
Teaching & Enjoying the Words & Music of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen & Joni Mitchell
Plenary speakers are: David Boucher (author of Dylan & Cohen: Poets of Rock & Roll) and Jim Scrivener (ELT author & Dylanophile).
To register please complete registration form and send it with your payment by Friday, 1st February 2008. Please send registration to David A. Hill, LMCS Conference, Maros utca 44/A.1.4, 1122 Budapest, Hungary.
Please send speaker proposal forms to David A. Hill, LMCS Conference, Maros utca 44/A.1.4, 1122 Budapest, Hungary or email to: futured@hu.inter.net

24 – 26 March 2006, Vienna, Austria
IATEFL YL SIG Conference: Integrating Drama and Storytelling in ELT
On the occasion of the Austrian EU Presidency, the Centre for Information on Foreign Language Teaching and In-service Training (IFU) in Vienna in co-operation with the IATEFL YL Sig is organizing the international event in Vienna in March.
There will be several plenaries and about 40-50 presentations, talks and workshops with various European experts on drama and storytelling for teachers from all types of schools (primary, secondary and vocational). There will also be a reception in the Vienna City Hall on Friday night and a free pre-conference workshop on Friday afternoon.

More information and registration forms can be found at www.ph-tirol.tsn.at and www.pib-wien.ac.at

April 5 2008, Hungary
Teach Canada Workshop
Members of the Culture and Literature Special Interest Group of  IATEFL Hungary are planning to organise a one day methodology workshop for about 50 teachers of English from Hungary and its neighbouring countries (e.g. Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia). The event will focus on ways of teaching English through Canadian cultural content and will provide participants with teaching material based on aspects of Canadian cultures.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact office@iatefl.hu or Mark Andrews mark.andrews@chello.hu and Csilla Hős csillahos@yahoo.co.uk

7-11 April 2008, Exeter
42th Annual International IATEFL Conference & Exhibition
IATEFL’s conference in Exeter next year promises to be every bit as exciting as previous conferences. Plenary Speakers are Rosa Shim, Zoltan Dörnyei, Alastair Pennycook and Radmila Popovic. We plan to provide you with a Devon flavour and a very memorable experience.
We should also mention that the Exeter Online IATEFL will happen this year as well and more information will follow.
Please check the IATEFL website for any further information: http://www.iatefl.org/content/conferences/2008/index.php

9 May-11 May, Sofia
17th Annual BETA Conference
For further information please check http://beta-iatefl.org or contact the event coordinator via e-mail: beta.iateflbg@gmail.com. You can also download speaker proposal form and registration forms on BETA’s website.

30 May- 1 June, Belgrade
6th IATEFL ELTA Conference
The Classroom That Beats the Odds
The Conference will provide English language teachers from various countries with another opportunity to share how they cope with everyday challenges when teaching English.
As always, the Conference will be a great opportunity to hear many wide-known methodologists and book authors.
Further information, registration and speaker proposal forms are available on ELTA’s website www.elta.org.yu
Submission deadline- 15th March 2008 - email for more details office@elta.org.yu

GOOD MANNERS…… depend on the country you happen to be in!
By Maja Hadzic
When people talk about culture and good manners, they tend to see it one-way: as a set of rules being true only for the country they live in. We often forget that manners can differ greatly. Read the whole article (MS Word 40KB)

How to be an Alien
By George Mikes
An extract from a book written by George Mikes, a Hungarian who came to live in Britain. It was first published in 1946 and has since been reprinted over forty times. Read the whole extract (MS Word 24KB)

Interesting World Facts
Interesting World Facts from www.kulturekids.org
Learn about different ways to say ‘Hello’ in some foreign languages and other interesting world facts…

BE MY VALENTINE!
By Maja Hadzic
Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday honoring lovers. It is celebrated on February 14. Sending greeting cards or gifts to express affection is usual in many Christian countries. The cards, known as valentines, are often decorated with hearts to symbolize love. Read the whole article (MS Word 90KB)

What they said...and what they meant
From http://www.ideels.uni-bremen.de
Here is a list of authentic statements found on signs, in newsletters, and in advertisements. In each case, it is safe to assume that what the writer intended to communicate is different from what was actually said. Decide what the writer intended to express. Read the whole article (MS Word 64KB)

GUESS WHO'S TALKING
By Maja Hadzic
This is a simple game which would be useful when practicing the Present Perfect Tense with words such as since, just, recently. You can always revise it according to your needs, to practice some other tenses or vocabulary sets, or to adapt it to your learners' level of knowledge and age. Read the whole article(MS Word 169KB)

Cultural Awareness of University Students of English: Background and Training
By Jelena Matić, Ivana Čorbić and Darka Šešlija
What we wanted to explore in our research is the cultural awareness and intercultural competence of 1st and 2nd year students of English, their attitudes towards acquiring knowledge of the elements of target culture, and their background prior to entering university. Read the whole article (MS Word 380KB)

THE WHATS AND HOWS OF TEACHING CL2 TO EFL STUDENTS
By Radmila Bodrič
It is an indisputable fact that learning a foreign language is not just a process of understanding and using only the linguistic, but the sociolinguistic level of communication as well. An inseparable element of the sociolinguistic approach to language and language learning is culture. Read the whole article (MS Word 51KB)

Teaching Language and Culture, Questions Answered: Why, What, When and How
By Irena Miladin
It is common for non-native teachers of English to encounter difficulties when attempting to include a cultural dimension in their language courses. Typically, they have problems finding not only adequate materials but also practical methodological instructions on the use of such materials in the classroom. Read the whole article (MS Word 53KB)

How are you?
By Jaime Weiler
A great lesson plan for young learners with the aid of large and small feeling cards and blank bingo sheets you can print out. Read the whole article (MS Word 64KB)

Six Group Activities for Teaching ESL Children
By Joanne Elliott
Read about some easy inspirational ideas and try to adapt them within your classroom since the best way to teach children English is to not only get them physically involved within the lesson, but also to create the illusion that they are simply playing games. Read the whole article (MS Word 30KB)

OLD MACDONALD and Using Music and Songs
From http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-songs-traditional.htm
Here are some great teaching tips for using music and songs in your classroom.
Read the whole article (MS Word 53KB)

Cartoons – Euphemisms in Charge
By Jelena Ilić
The focus of this paper is to give an overview of a very complex and complicated issue of violent content of cartoons. Being an original and unique form of art and communication, a cartoon used to be considered as lively, funny, entertaining and totally harmless. However,…
Read the whole article (MS Word 77KB)

Culture in English Textbooks Used in Elementary Schools in Serbia
By Marijana Matic
The author points out that there has been a change of what exactly comes under the elements of English culture she was to come across in textbooks and describes her point of view. Read the whole article (MS Word 37KB)

The Role of Culture in English Language Teaching
By Olivera Petrovic
Culture has an important role in English language teaching. Since a language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language, it is impossible to separate these two phenomena without losing the importance of either language or culture. Read the whole article (MS Word 42KB)

Tolerance – shall we teach it?
By Leonora Molnar
In this article I will attempt to give the reader a few useful tips on how to incorporate teaching tolerance, i.e. what, how, why, when and where to do it, who to involve, which activities to use and whose ideas to accept.  Read the whole article (MS Word 45KB)

A guide to the Serbian Mentality, Momo Kapor
By Irena Miladin
Don’t miss some of the Belgrade “secrets” Momo Kapor describes in his book of short stories published in English, A guide to the Serbian Mentality, and discover some interesting tales about Serbian customs, pride, cuisine and tradition. Read the whole article (MS Word 830KB)

BEHAVE YOURSELF! The essential guide to international etiquette
By Tatjana Glusac
It is every parent’s goal to have polite, well-behaved children. Teaching good manners and etiquette is a part of every educational setting and it is impossible to think of an educational institution that does not stress promptness, respect and decency. Read the whole article (MS Word 30KB)

Summer holiday
By Aleksandar Savic, the two-time winner of Macmillan Readers Project Competitions
A teacher, Svetlana Gavrilovic, sent us a text by her student, Aleksandar Savic, a two-time winner of Macmillan Readers Project Competitions. It is a description of his summer holiday in the form of a diary. Read the whole article (MS Word 60KB)

Poems and Stories
By Andrea Senci
Andrea Senci was born on October 20th 1985 in Subotica. She went to primary school “Jovan Jovanović Zmaj” and high school of economics “Bosa Milićević” in Subotica. During this time, Andrea participated in several literary contests, published a poem in the children’s magazine “Neven” and…
Read the whole article (MS Word 45KB)

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
By Dragana Jevtović and Bojana Jakovljević
Only a text which fully confirms to the ideals of political correctness is considered to be politically correct. Although this notion is not tied to the English language only, it is extremely important in the English speaking countries due to numerous racial, political and cultural differences which still thrive in such countries.
Read the whole article (MS Word 43.5KB)

Minestrone soup
By Irena Miladin
Read the recipe for Minestrone soup, a substantial and popular winter soup originally from Milan, but found in various versions around the Mediterranean coasts of Italy and France.
Read the whole article (MS Word 170KB)

Developing intercultural competence in the foreign language classroom
By Ildikó Lázár
Teaching culture and developing intercultural skills have become fashionable phrases in foreign and second language pedagogy in the last ten years. However, this is hopefully not only a superficial and quickly passing fad since many language teachers and researchers have established that the primary aim of second and foreign language acquisition is to enable learners to communicate with people coming from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds in a multicultural world.
Read the whole article (MS Word 63KB)

PSYCHOLOGY AND THE TEACHER: What do we know about class management?
By Wioletta Szóstak
When we discuss teaching, we usually talk about the choice of techniques or activities, effective lesson planning, etc. However, no wonderful lesson plan will work if we do not have a good relationship with the class and we cannot keep discipline.
Read the whole article (MS Word 44KB)

Teaching one to one
From http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/onetoone
Most teachers at some time in their career have to teach one to one classes. They find a very different, challenging and special learning context, with unique possibilities and unique problems.
Read the whole article (MS Word 42.5KB)

A Day in the life of…Mark Andrews
By Maja Hadzic
Mark Andrews, a teacher and a teacher-trainer, situated in Budapest, has become a well-known figure for English language teachers in Serbia. Find out more about him in this interesting interview. Read the whole article (MS Word 144KB)

What English means to me
By Krištof Bodrič
What English means to me is tough, or so it seems to me, to funnel into a word or three because it means so very much, you see…
Read the whole article (MS Word 28.5KB)

What English means to me
By Andrea Senci, Dragana Jevtović and Bojana Jakovljević
When I was a child, knowing English meant I could watch Cartoon Network and understand everything. Like all children, I failed to see the bigger picture. Now, as a fourth year student of English literature, English means so much more. Read the whole article (MS Word 35KB)

Culture, language and TEFL: notes for a new approach
By DJ Hatch
Anyone who has spent a reasonable amount of time within TEFL, or, alternatively, has perused the literature will have surely come to the conclusion that, generally, members of the profession subscribe to a particular view of culture. Read the whole article (MS Word 84KB)

English for Life
Beginner to Pre-Intermediate; A1 to middle of B1
Tom Hutchinson
Description
One page. One lesson. One focus. Everything you look for in an English course, made simple.
Read the whole article (MS Word 32KB)

The Business
Pre-intermediate to Advanced A2 - C1
John Allison with Paul Emmerson
The Business is a major new four level course for the next generation of business leaders.
Read the whole article (MS Word 72KB)