Learning vocabulary is tricky. Teaching vocabulary is also tricky; it’s an open-ended process that’s often laden with setbacks. You try new practices only to realize they perplex your kids rather than support them in learning new vocabulary faster.

New technologies can be the answer, but sometimes they seem a tad intimidating at first. They often appear too complex to set up, much less use. Busy parents don’t need a program that requires you to learn to program software before you even start the first vocabulary lesson.

eReflect’s professional software design team perfectly understands the concerns that homeschooling parents are faced with, and have developed a user-friendly, fun program for learning new vocabulary at home: Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU.

The program is unique in its curriculum-compatible approach to vocabulary building. What this means for you is that no matter in which English-speaking country you and your family live, the software can be tailored to that region’s curriculum so that you can rest assure your children are learning what they’re supposed to. This is particularly useful for homeschooling parents who need to comply with specific state or school district requirements.

Cloud Based

The EDU release of Ultimate Vocabulary™ is on the cloud. This means that:

– Access is available anywhere, anytime. Going for a 4-day trip to another state? No worries. You can access your accounts from any internet-enabled device and practice vocabulary while on the go! It offers you the ease and simplicity of instant access and instant syncing across devices for smooth, uninterrupted practice day in and day out.

– No installation is required, and you don’t need to download the software on your computers and laptops. It’s all accessible via the cloud.

– Upgrades are handled automatically by the eReflect support team, directly on the cloud, ensuring seamless and uninterrupted practice for you and your children.

A 142,647 word database

Enough said. This is a dictionary-sized database. You can offer your children the opportunity to expand their vocabulary to a greater extent than ever before. This essential skill with words will help them become:

– Better communicators, both writing and speaking

– Knowledgeable, reliable individuals who inspire confidence and respect

– Ahead of the curve when taking high-stakes exams like the SAT and the GRE

– Creative and original thinkers able to express themselves with clarity and precision

What’s equally important for many homeschooling parents with younger children is the fact that vocabulary building with Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU is fun. The activities, lessons, and games are all designed by language experts so that they optimize the learning experience and ensure the user is engaged, motivated and focused throughout.

Social Media Integration

Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU is integrated with Facebook. This is an easy way for your children to share their success with friends and family on the popular social network.

After successfully completing any practice session, the user is prompted to share this success on Facebook. By doing so, your kids will feel the satisfaction of having their hard work acknowledged by others, something that motivates them to try even harder so that they can again share their success on the social network.

Recognition of hard work is a fundamental aspect of success, and the work of vocabulary building is no different. So why not offer children the pleasure of sharing their success with their peers?

Fun Learning

Hundreds of lessons, addictive vocabulary games – both new and classic ones – all offer your children a wide spectrum of learning options.

Learning is comprehensive with this cutting-edge software, but best of all, it’s fun. What’s noteworthy about Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU is how much work has been put into developing a learning environment that’s easy to use and at the same time appealing to users of all ages. Children and adults alike will be eager to try out the various games and activities because everything about the software is so efficiently designed and put together.

Science-driven Learning

But it’s not just fun. The program’s approach to vocabulary building is informed by years of research. Using the latest insights from scientific studies, Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU promotes learning through an approach known as “depth of processing.” In other words, the user is immersed in a wealth of information for any given word to ensure they master it completely, not superficially. From definitions to real-life usage examples, etymology to spelling, the user masters one word after the other in the most comprehensive manner possible.

Personalization

Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU offers a winning combination of science-driven learning and lesson customization. Not two children are the same, so why should their practice sessions be?

Each student can tailor their learning according to their goals, capacity, and needs. If something is too challenging, it can be overwhelming for a student – on the other hand, something that’s too easy can make them feel bored and uninspired to practice further. eReflect strikes a balance by offering practice personalization.

Ease of Use

eReflect has taken ease of use a step further. The user can navigate the software’s environment confidently as soon as they first log in.. Everything is intuitively designed and placed to ensure that the user is confident and comfortable with the interface.

Progress Tracking and Reporting

Ultimate Vocabulary™ EDU comes with powerful reporting. You and your child will be able to review their personal progress and analyze their strengths and possible weaknesses through easy-to-understand chart data.

Your child’s progress is tracked automatically by the system, every time they practice. You’ll get powerful insights to help you make data-driven decisions as to how to optimize their vocabulary building even further.

eReflect just gets it.

Don’t make homeschooling any harder than it already is – not when there are solutions you can use to make learning a million times more fun and efficient.

Ultimate Vocabulary™ 2015 is the most recent (and admittedly most fun) version of the vocabulary building software. Apart from frequently-praised features like being cloud-based and enabled for social media sharing, Ultimate Vocabulary™ has another appeal: it comes packed with fun, addictive games.

By playing only a couple of games per day, you will find yourself mastering your new vocabulary without much effort, and having heaps of fun at the same time. Technology’s great, isn’t it?

Crazy Clues

How well do you know your vocabulary? Crazy Clues is an addictive vocabulary game you won’t get enough of. The game offers a few letter clues for each word, but then you have to figure out the whole word. If you get stuck, don’t worry, because you can get a hint to get your brain going again!

This is the perfect game to brush up on new words you’ve mastered by emphasizing their spelling.

Crossword

An interactive word game you will want to play time and time again. Clicking on a empty square will give you a hint for the word across and down the puzzle. As far as this game is concerned, you’re as good as your word definition knowledge!

Unscramble

How fast can you spot a word that’s all scrambled up? Find out with Unscramble, a fun vocabulary game that’s bound to be your next favorite vocabulary game. The faster you figure out the word, the more hints you earn for subsequent rounds. The game offers you a bit of help by giving you the word’s definition.

Word Finder

Another compelling vocabulary game, Word Finder dares you to identify a list of words in a matrix of letters. The words can be aligned vertically, horizontally, backwards and forwards. Let the word hunt begin!

Flash Cards

Another classic vocabulary-boosting game, Flash Cards help you truly get a word’s meaning through repetition and with its definition as your only clue. You can adjust the speed to make the game more challenging!

Hangman

A new take on another classic word game, Hangman lets you guess the right word by only giving you the word’s definition. You have ten shots per word before your poor man is hanged.

Word Recall

A classic vocabulary game that will help you improve your vocabulary retention is Word Recall. Read the word’s definition and choose the correct word from the list.

Spelling Drill

You never truly master a word until you know how to spell it. Make sure you are the orthography master with Spelling Drill, a fascinating game that urges you to pay attention to word orthography for more balanced and complete vocabulary knowledge.

Vocab Match

This is a challenging but very amusing game. You must match the right definition with the right word to win the round. You have six different words to get right per round.

Vocab Memory

If you think memory has nothing to do with vocabulary knowledge, think again. Vocab Match tests your vocabulary recalling power by letting you see a word under one card, then challenges you to find the matching definition under another card – hopefully, before you forget that word’s meaning!

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There are many reasons to learn to speak English, and to build up a good vocabulary for use in both your professional and your everyday life. If you were born in an English-speaking country, then your vocabulary started growing from an early age, and you probably learned how to spell English words as you added them to your vocabulary. There are challenges that even native English speakers face when it comes to both spelling and vocabulary, and those challenges can be even more difficult for people who are learning English as a second language, especially as adults. Here are some ideas for how you can make it easier to study English, whether you’re the student or you’re helping someone else:

Take advantage of the resources around you. A supportive learning community is critically important for learners, whether they’re adults or children. However, many adults feel uncomfortable in what they see as “beginner” classes, and might be embarrassed to make mistakes in front of other people. It’s important to remember that ESL classes provide good study materials, a chance to practice the language with other people, and a teacher who can help with any questions. Look for community college courses, or free classes which are often organized by libraries, churches, or social services organizations. If your child isn’t getting enough English practice in their school, these classes are a good way to help them keep up with the other students.

Use games to make learning fun. Spelling games are great ways to keep kids interested and occupied, and the challenge and interactivity will keep them involved in the learning process. They’ll be having so much fun, they’ll forget they’re actually learning something! Learning vocabulary is fun and easy if you have a “word of the day” app that you can download onto your smartphone, or set up to run on your computer at work. You can also practice both spelling and vocabulary skills by doing crossword puzzles – one of the daily crosswords published on line and in many local newspapers is usually short enough to complete during a lunch break or on your commute.

Stay focused on your goals. It’s hard to make enough time in an already-busy day to improve your literacy skills, but you’ll get your motivation back when you think about all the ways that a good vocabulary will help you get ahead at work. It’s sometimes harder to keep children motivated towards an intangible (to them) goal of success in school, so use rewards that they can appreciate right away for their time spent working on their spelling lists or English homework. Every goal, whether short-term or long-term, should be celebrated when it’s met. Even adults need a reward, so when you’ve finished your class or made it through your vocabulary list, give yourself a treat or a break, and get your energy back for the next step in your self-improvement program.

Cross-posted at the Ultimate Spelling blog.

Most public school teachers arrive at their job knowing that they’ve got a preselected list of lessons and books to work with, and a district-developed set of tests and curricula that they will be using throughout the year to teach their students. When you’re a homeschooling parent, it’s often a little harder to find the right tools to teach your children. That’s why websites like Cristina Grau’s AHomeschoolMom.com are so useful for first-time and long-time homeschoolers – she’s living the process and has valuable tips to share with other parents.

UV: It seems like with four children to homeschool, you’ve got more than enough to keep you busy, and yet you decided to set up this website a few years ago. How do you find time to do everything?

CG: Before taking on anything new, I think a great deal of prayer is necessary. I want to make sure that any new adventure I wish to embark on is not of my own doing, but that my family is behind my endeavors and God is a part of the plan. Once those requirements are in the clear, the next is to organize my time. Blogging is last on my list of priorities, honestly. My family, our homeschooling, and other ministries come first. So, if I plan to add blogging to my list of activities, I need to schedule time into my routine. This is simply done by figuring how much time it takes to handle our learning, then by adding in our chore time, and finding what remaining time is left between the end of lessons and dinner time. I generally schedule a post for the following day so as to remove any stress of having to rush to a computer and get today’s post up and running for people to see. I will often post for several days as well; this helps me manage those extra busy days when blogging would otherwise be impossible. If I had to boil it down to one simple formula, I would have to say a lot of organization and planning ahead.

UV: One section of the website is devoted to books and resources, and we’re grateful that you’ve added our Ultimate Typing software to your list! How do you decide which books and resources to feature in this category?

CG: Any items on the HM Bookshelf are tried and true. If we don’t use them on a regular basis or if they didn’t meet our needs, I do not feel comfortable sharing with other families. I want to pass on information which is reliable and honest. If they worked for us, they just might work for you.

UV: In a post you wrote back in February, you mentioned that you encourage your children to look up words and look for ways to use them in conversation. What other ways can parents help their children improve vocabulary skills?

CG: There are various ways by which we can help our children increase their vocabulary. Reading is the easiest and most beneficial way to make this happen. Don’t be afraid to get outside the picture book section of your library and start adding more challenging reads. While they might struggle at first, they will catch on quickly and be proud of their accomplishments. Besides reading, there are lovely games like Boggle, Scrabble, and more which can increase their vocabulary. Play along with your children and purposefully use words which they are unfamiliar with. This will, hopefully, prompt questions about your words and encourage their use in the future. Balderdash is another exciting way to increase vocabulary. Grab your handy dictionary, pick a word, and let your children help you decide what the “real” meaning of the word is. Through creativity, learning vocabulary will not only be a breeze, but loads of fun!

UV: The “Homeschooling 101″ series is a great introduction for people who are new to the process and need an overview of what they can expect over the next ten to twelve years. What advice do you have for people who have been homeschooling for several years already, and might be losing some of their early energy and enthusiasm for the task?

CG: I think all of us have moments of “burn out”. I think the key is in remembering these are moments. Being tired today, does not mean we need to give up entirely; it means we need a moment to breathe. The best advice I could give is to take those moments! We are not living on someone else’s schedule or routine, we are not machines which need to function at a certain capacity. If you need a break, take one. I have read that some homeschool nine weeks on, one week off; this seems to alleviate stress and keeps everyone focused on the coming break. Others simply take a day off whenever they find it necessary; there is more than enough time in the year to finish learning, one day off won’t hurt. Find a routine that works for you and implement it.

If you are finding the work itself is becoming bothersome, switch things up! Do not become a slave to curriculum. Books are there to work for you, not to be filled by unwilling slaves. Pick a different method or resource to learn by; try something completely different from your normal routine. Change things up! Sometimes we just need to step outside the box and learn by new means in order to reinvigorate our love of learning and keep the flame alive.

UV: You talk about co-op sessions with other homeschooling parents, where several families get together for classes and activities. What are the advantages of working in larger groups like this, rather than always staying at home with your own children and your own specific course of study?

CG: I love being at home with my kids. I get to work out my own routine, take breaks when I wish, and spend one-on-one time with my kiddos. Every once in a while though, we feel the need to step outside our walls and see what the outside world has to offer. Being a part of a larger homeschooling community allows us the security of meeting with like minded people who will encourage our love of learning, come alongside our goals, and infuse us with new ideas. Co-op, and other such venues, allow our children exposure to areas of learning I might not have considered; broadening our scope and planting seeds of thought for future areas of study. Our children are able to socialize with people of all different ages, not just their own, helping them become well-rounded individuals. Parents are able to use this time to observe their children’s interests, their ability to work with others, their character, and share ideas regarding issues which might be of concern or value. No matter how it is accomplished, either through a formal registry or just visiting with friends, being a part of a larger community has something to offer everyone. If nothing else, we need no longer feel alone.

Cross-posted at the Ultimate Typing blog.

If you think about the teachers who have inspired you in the past, you’ll soon realize that they had at least one thing in common: a love of teaching. People who bring enthusiasm and energy to the job of education will communicate that positive energy to their students, and foster a love of learning. But even the most inspired teachers need some help and reinforcement sometimes, especially with today’s overcrowded classrooms and “teach the test” curricula. At www.DailyTeachingTools.com, educator Chad Manis creates and collects the resources that busy teachers need.

UV: One of the sections of your website is about motivating students, helping them to get focused and work together for both individual and class goals. With all the pressure and time constraints they face, what are some ways that teachers can stay motivated themselves?

CM: I don’t think any educator anywhere would disagree that kids work best when they are properly motivated. And yes, Daily Teaching Tools has an entire section devoted to exactly that. My thinking is so geared to driving student achievement that I’m having to force myself to focus on your question–how do teachers stay motivated themselves?

If we don’t do it, no one else will. We teachers didn’t pick the wrong profession; everyone else just chose the wrong heroes.

UV: Reading and writing are essential skills that underlie nearly all other aspects of study and learning, and your website devotes a lot of sections to resources that teachers can use in this area. We especially like the one on “context clues” where you provide lessons on learning to figure out a word’s meaning from the sentence and paragraph it’s used in. Do you recommend that teachers and students also spend time on vocabulary development?

CM: The short answer is, unquestionably.

However, students must know that life has surprises in store for them. They will find, as we teachers have found, that most new endeavors involve unfamiliar vocabulary. I guess what I’m trying to say is simply this. Life is a process of learning. When we stop learning, we are merely passing time. And time is something that none of us can afford to waste.

UV: One of the best ways to learn more vocabulary is to read more books, and helping kids get a love of reading is one of the best things a teacher can do. You’ve got links to good reading recommendations, but are there also ways that teachers can use classroom time to promote reading skills?

CM: I constantly use a significant portion of classroom time to promote reading. But, like anything else, when it comes to justifying the purpose of an initiative and how it impacts the lives of students, I try to demonstrate why reading is so important and how pervasive it is in our lives. I have found one particular activity, discussed in detail on the motivation page of Daily Teaching Tools, to be effective in doing just that.

Kids pick up on that, believe me. If you love reading, they’ll be more inclined to follow your lead. There’s much more I could say regarding this topic, and I cordially invite your readers to come by the site for exploration.

UV: More and more students are using computers to write their essays and papers, and less and less time is spent on developing good handwriting. What’s your opinion on typing vs. longhand skills?

CM: When I was a freshman in high school, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I took a one semester class for beginning typists. We used standard, upright, nonelectric, Remington typewriters with blank keys and long, one-armed, carriage returns.

No. Longhand cursive writing skills belong to another age altogether. I’m not celebrating its demise; I’m simply suggesting that we get over it and move on to something that is more worthy of our attention and focus—reading leaps to mind.

UV: You mention that you’re hoping to get back into active teaching to continue to share your love of learning with more students. Will you still continue to expand and update the website even after you return to the classroom?

CM: In all truthfulness, as corny as it might sound, I dearly love teaching. I miss making crucial connections with kids, touching their lives, and being a part of what they are to become. For those reasons and more, I am actively pursuing ways to get back into teaching—not on a full time basis, however. I’ve spent 33 years in the classroom, and as they say, been there, done that.

Best wishes always to you and your kids.

If you’re a teacher in a public school who’s looking for some new resource material, then you’ll be glad to know of a place where you can find worksheets on topics like spelling, grammar, multiplication, handwriting, geography, and astronomy. ESL instructors and homeschooling parents can also benefit from these handy lesson materials, and anyone who spends time teaching any subject can get inspiration by sharing information with other people in the teaching profession. For all of these reasons and more, Tim Weibel and his team have set up a series of websites that provide quality material and practical information for teachers at home, in schools, and around the world.

US: At your SuperTeacherIdeas.com website, you’ve got an ever-growing collection of tips provided by people who are experienced in providing education. Do you have a place for people to ask questions as well, if they’re looking for specific information?

TW: Yes, Super Teacher Ideas has thousands of lesson ideas and classroom activities, submitted by real teachers. Most of the ideas on the site are geared towards elementary school educators. There are math lessons, spelling games, science experiments, writing projects, and even craft ideas.

There is a contact button where teachers can submit their own teaching ideas. We do screen them, and the best ones are added to the website. Many times teachers do contact us with special requests. We do what we can to include the specific types of lessons that teachers want.

US: There are links on that site to a lot of spelling games, but they’re not the online spelling games that many sites offer. Instead, they’re classroom games that teachers can use to teach spelling to a group of children. Are you seeing a trend towards more computer-based games being used in classrooms?

TW: Nowadays classrooms have access to desktop computers, laptops, SMART Boards, and iPads. Of course there is a growing demand for on-line spelling games. Computers are changing the way we teach kids for the better. Online tools and software (like Ultimate Spelling) are amazing tools that just weren’t available twenty years ago.

At the elementary level, teachers will continue to use non-tech classroom lessons as well. Super Teacher Ideas was designed to be a resource for teachers looking for new, fun ways to help students learn using hands-on exploration, classroom games, and interactive activities.

US: Although most of the worksheets you provide on your SuperTeacherWorksheets.com website are only available to members, there are some free ones that can be downloaded. The site explains that schools can sign up at a group rate to receive full membership benefits – can a group of homeschooling parents sign up as a group, as well?

TW: Yes! Super Teacher Worksheets is our largest site, and it’s the only one of our sites that has any type of subscription fee. Super Teacher Worksheets has thousands of printable worksheets and lessons that were created by experienced writers and teachers. We only charge 20 bucks for a full-year individual membership, which is a pretty good deal for homeschooling families, parents, tutors, and school teachers who are on a budget.

Even those who don’t have a membership can use the website because nearly every page has free worksheets on it. You don’t need to sign up; you don’t need to enter your email; you don’t need to do anything to access the free resources.

US: According to the description on the website, these worksheets are designed for younger students, up to grade 5 (approximately 11-13 years old). What made you decide to stop with this age/grade group?

TW: My background is in elementary education. I was a teacher in elementary schools for over 10 years. When I launched the site in 2007, I was a full-time teacher who wanted to share worksheets that I’d made. Since that time the sites have grown a great deal, but our focus on the elementary grades has remained.

All three of our sites (Super Teacher Worksheets, Super Teacher Ideas, and Modern Chalkboard) offer exclusively elementary resources. However, we have received many requests to expand our collection to include middle school and high school content. It’s something we’re looking into. We’re a very small, family-run company, so it would be a big change for us.

US: Technology is changing classrooms, and you’ve set up the ModernChalkboard.com website to help people learn how to use the “interactive whiteboard” that’s becoming more common in schools and businesses. Can you explain to our readers what a SMART board is?

TW: When I was a kid, back in the caveman days, teachers wrote on a dusty chalkboard in the front of the room. The chalkboard was a teaching tool that allowed the teacher to write notes or demonstrate difficult concepts to the class.

Our goal for all three sites is to make teachers’ jobs easier by providing tools and resources that they can use in the classroom.

Cross-posted at the Ultimate Spelling blog.

There are several ways to learn vocabulary in a new language. You can immerse yourself in the language by moving to an environment where only that language is spoken, and pick up the words around you as they are being used. You can also use focused, intense study sessions to learn and memorize new vocabulary words. Ideally, you’d be able to do both! However, it’s not always possible to move to a new country just to learn its language, so the focused study sessions are a practical alternative. Even if you can’t get to the US or the UK, to France, to Spain or Mexico, or to Germany, with an internet connection you can get to the world of Spanish, English, French, and German words that Rene Kondratzky provides at www.Vokabel.com. We talked to Rene about the resources provided on the site.

UV: You mention that you started this site as a way to help you keep current in your vocabulary, but the website offers help in four different languages. Do you speak German, French, Spanish, and English?

RK: In mid-life, I took two years off from my career to focus on language study by taking formal university level courses in French, Spanish, and German toward a post graduate diploma in French literature (a love of my life). Sprinkle in chats with internet buddies, soirees with bilingual French and Spanish friends, and a job that gives me the opportunity to communicate daily in German at work and I have many reasons to keep my vocab current. I also worked in France for a few years in the early part of the century. I am an avid reader and, to a lesser extent than speaking, vocabulary training makes it more enjoyable to read the works of authors such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Teresa of Avila untranslated.

UV: The website has different categories of vocabulary words, such as “Food” and “Professions.” However, you also offer another important language category: verbs and verb tenses. Why did you decide to expand this category to provide the conjugations of verbs, rather than just the basic form of the word?

RK: I think it’s only natural to include verb conjugations in one’s training plan when approaching what it takes to maintain competency in a foreign language. Speaking using the incorrect verb tenses can be painful (often moreso to the speaker than the native that one is communicating with). Every student also knows that an improperly conjugated verb is the number one culprit for all of the red ink on their test/essay.

UV: You’ve chosen to use the “flash card” test model for vocabulary practice, rather than the “games” model that some other websites use. Why do you find this model more useful?

RK: I like the flash card model particularly when one takes the time to type the response and struggles pulling the word out of deep memory. The purpose of the tests for me is to bring those words from deep memory (i.e. I understand them when I read/hear them) into near memory where I can retrieve them quickly when in conversation. Having said that, any tool that forces you to use your brain actively instead of passively is valuable in any learning endeavor.

UV: We like the fact that your tests can be done online on a computer, offline, or through an app for iPhone or Android. When you use your site for your personal vocabulary practice, how do you access the tests?

RK: I am putting the entire site into an app so lately most of my spare time is taken taking all of the tests on my iphone app for testing purposes. I always put new tests on the website first because that’s where my main word database is so the tests will always go out to the website first.

UV: What do you find more useful, quick five-minute reviews of a word (or several words), or a longer study session focused on an entire word list?

RK: A longer study is always best. I’ve spent many hours entranced on my computer zipping through the tests using the keyboard-only, do not retest correct words, ignore extended characters features. Having said that, which language student could pass up the opportunity to brush up on their vocab for a few minutes on their PDA when waiting for/sitting in a bus, traveling, sitting alone in a restaurant or park, waiting in their car?

What you learn in theory doesn’t always help in practice. You can study dozens of books on how to fly an airplane, but once you’re sitting in the cockpit getting ready to take to the air, you’ll probably find that the books didn’t completely prepare you to be a pilot. The process of learning a new language is a lot like that – words on a page just don’t match how people really use them in conversation. What’s more, even audiovisual learning tools often don’t give a good idea of how a language sounds in real life. When Michael Marzio saw the difference between “learned” language and “real life” language, he started focusing on bridging the gap between learning English and using English by incorporating videos into his lessons that feature people speaking English naturally, at the speed of normal conversation. Now his Real English videos are helping people around the world get the skills they need to speak English easily and fluently.

UV: To start off, would you tell us a little bit about the Marzio School?

MM: I was a tourist in France in 1973 and a friend who was helping to organize courses for a language school in Paris asked me if I wanted to stay for a year to teach English to business people, technicians and such. I said yes. 2 years later I was still teaching when I created a language school for a large French company in Lyon. Finally, I moved to Provence and started my own school for corporate clients, far from my previous boss to avoid conflicts of interest. There were 30 full-time teachers in 2007, before the financial crisis. Now we’re a small group of 9.

UV: Your approach differs from that taken by many other language videos, in that you don’t use actors reading scripts. Why did you decide to make videos of interviews with people in the middle of their daily lives?

MM: Our students would come back from their business or technical meetings in the UK and the US, and we always heard the same refrain. They would say, “I can understand all my teachers here, but it was very hard to understand our clients (partners, suppliers) in London (or New York, etc.). They speak so fast.” We also found out that they had very few problems when communicating about work and technical matters related to the job. The difficulties came when it was time to “talk about the weather” around the lunch or dinner table.

Filming and editing was, and still is, hard work. One must film many people to get usable footage. Even today, less than 10% of our raw film gets included in the final edits for a wide variety of reasons too complex to get into here. The important point is that we figured out how to do it.

UV: Videos like these are helpful to get the sense of how spoken English sounds, but how can students use them to practice speaking English themselves?

MM: A video does not stand alone as a teaching tool. Either a teacher exploits the video intelligently according to his lesson plan in such a way that the students want to listen over and over again, or it is exploited in interactive exercises which lead to the same result. As you probably know, insisting on listening comprehension is the most important key in learning any language. Normal speech, which seems fast to all of our learners, becomes comprehensible, while we avoid speaking artificially slow “classroom English”.

UV: How do these videos help people learn English vocabulary?

MM: Vocabulary is illustrated by pictures in the videos, and by more pictures with audio files, whether in the classroom or on our interactive sites (Real English® and Real English® Mobile). A simplified dictionary type definition is always included for the vocabulary, but it is certainly secondary in importance.

UV: Can someone learn to speak English just by watching all of the videos, or are they designed to be used as part of a more formal English language class?

MM: As you have gathered from my replies to your other questions, the videos are always accompanied by elaborate interactive lessons which give meaning to practically every word spoken in Real English®. It’s quite a coincidence that you ask me these questions at this point in time, since I just finished explaining the answers to these questions in more detail on my blog this morning. Last month, I wrote about the new Real English® mobile site. Thanks a lot for this opportunity to speak to you briefly about my favorite project.

Like many other successful English-speaking business people, Dimitar Parlapanski decided to share his skills and promote the English language in his native country. At the European Language Centre (www.eflclass.com) in Sofia, Bulgaria, students can learn conversational English by talking about real-world situations and stories, or focus on honing their vocabulary and grammar by studying to pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), a required exam for anyone who wants to work overseas or with a multinational business organization.

UV: When you started your school back in 2000, the internet was already playing a major role in connecting people and businesses, and English a required skill. How have things changed for you and your school since then?

DP: Yes, back in 2000 the internet was a major channel of communication and information. Of course the internet is a very dynamic system which has undergone a lot of changes since then. It is enough to mention the appearance of social networks, blogs, the growing opportunities for expressing your personal view and making comments. From a professional point of view, I would distinguish the English language educational websites. Their number has grown up tremendously since the year 2000, as well as the variety of aspects they cover. In our school we encourage our students to use them in their work at home and we can see how this elaborates their skills and knowledge. And also, we feel that this brings an enjoyment to them.

UV: You offer sample IELTS online exams to help students prepare for those tests. Are you planning on adding more online and self-paced study materials to the site?

DP: Yes, it is our intention to widen the scope of our online lessons beyond currently existing IELTS and job interview resources. We are planning to develop and include examples of day to day situations, similar to those we use in our conversational English course in class. In this way the site will be more helpful to our users.

UV: Your General English classes are designed for people who are just starting out learning English as well as those who learned the language in school but have forgotten their studies over time. Do you have different courses for young students, as well as classes for adults?

DP: In fact, the emphasis in our current strategy is on adults. But hopefully in the future we would increase the number of our staff members and start offering courses for children and younger learners as well.

UV: Professionals will find that your Specialized English courses are very helpful in providing them with the scientific, medical, and academic vocabulary for the fields they work in. You also offer something unique: a course designed to teach English terminology for homeopathic medicines and treatments. Why did you decide to offer this particular course?

DP: The reasons to include a course in homeopathic English in our portfolio are two. Firstly, we have looked for an educational niche. Besides that, I myself have accomplished a two year course in homeopathy. Therefore, I realize quite well how peculiar and difficult homeopathic lexis can be, especially for persons who lack a proper training. And while the number of homeopathy practitioners in Bulgaria is growing, as well as the institutions offering homeopathic courses, to our best knowledge here still there is no other English language school or another institution that offers classes in homeopathic English.

UV: Your website is in Bulgarian (although easily translated using Google tools) and your classes are taught in Sofia. Is the school only open to residents of Bulgaria, or do you welcome students from other countries, too?

DP: Occasionally we have taught foreign nationality students. However, at present, our education is limited to Bulgarian residents with sound Bulgarian language skills. But today Bulgaria is an EU member and we expect this would increase the interest in opportunities for education in Bulgaria among the people from nonmember countries. So, in the future, we might develop programs for foreign citizens and adopt students from other countries too.

Learning how to pronounce a word is key if you want to remember it and use it correctly. Even your skills as a writer will be improved when you study a word’s pronunciation, because of the way pronunciation and spelling are linked. The correct pronunciation means that your listeners won’t be confused by what you’re saying – unless, of course, their vocabulary isn’t as good and they don’t even know the meaning of the words you’re using! (Note: Remember that simply choosing “big words” to impress your audience isn’t usually a good strategy. Focus on choosing the right words instead.)

Although English is now widely considered to be the global language for communication, there are differences in pronunciation of certain words and even in the meaning of those words and how they’re used. When it comes to pronunciation, the main difference is between the “UK” and “US” version. In general, anyone who grows up in Great Britain or in any of the countries that were formerly colonized by the British (such as India) will follow the UK pronunciation – except for the United States, which was also a former colony, but now has a distinctly different way of speaking English. For example, in the UK you’ll generally hear the word laboratory pronounced “luh-BOR-ah-tree” while in the US it’s pronounced “LAH-bor-ah-tor-ee.”

If you want to learn the correct way to pronounce a word, you need to:

1. Listen to it. Most online dictionaries have audio links so you can hear a word pronounced.
2. Repeat it. Listen to the word and repeat it out loud until you’re sure you have it right.
3. Use it. Test your confidence in pronunciation and context by using the word in conversation.

There are a lot of resources available, online and in print, that will help you perfect your pronunciation. To get a good look at some of the words that people most often mispronounce, we recommend The Big Book Of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide For The Careful Speaker by Charles Harrington Elster. Although it’s focused more on US pronunciation, it’s a valuable guide to some of the words that tend to make people trip over their tongues.

Practice your pronunciation skills, and you won’t have any trouble communicating with people, no matter where they live!