Your submission should be a concise, well-written explanation of an original and engaging classroom activity, language exercise, or teaching technique you have used successfully in the language classroom. The explanation should include a succinct overview of the task in the introduction followed by a step-by-step account of the preparation and procedure necessary for readers to replicate your lesson. As our readers come from a wide variety of different classroom environments, we especially welcome original submissions which are easy to adapt and relevant to a variety of teaching contexts. Contact the editors at jaltpubs.tlt.my.share@jalt.org with questions or submissions.
All submissions must include the following sections (see the My Share Submission Template below for an example of formatting):
- Author information
- Quick Guide
- Introduction/overview
- Preparation
- Procedure
- Variation / Follow-up (as appropriate)
Author information
The title, your name, affiliation, and email address (following the format in the Submission Template).
Quick Guide
Keywords, learner English level, learner maturity, preparation time, activity time, and materials listed (following the format in the Submission Template).
Introduction/overview
Provides an outline of your idea/activity, the pedagogical aims, the ways in which it is effective, and the readers to whom it might be most useful.
Preparation
Explains what the teacher needs to prepare before the activity starts.
Procedure
Written in a clear procedural style, this section should describe the precise steps to be taken during this activity - this should focus on explaining clearly exactly what students and teacher need to do so that a lay person could replicate this procedure.
Variations/Extension (as appropriate)
Should provide the authors ideas for adapting or extending the activity based upon the varying needs of the readers.
Conclusion
Reiterates the ways in which the activity is effective and to whom it is most beneficial.
General Advice
As the goal of My Share is to provide replicable and useful lesson ideas for the wider teaching community, it is important that the authors’ writing style is as clear as possible. We therefore highly recommend asking a third-party to proofread your articles prior to submission, to check for clarity of expression and errors. You should also consult previous issues to become aware of format and style. This will save time later on by reducing the number of edits and resubmissions.
It is also important for the article to meet the following editorial requirements:
- a clear professional style which is not overly formal or academic
- comprise no more than 600 words, including masthead and any references
- include the word count, clearly labeled (WORD COUNT: XX) at the top
- consist of an introduction/overview, followed by Preparation and Procedure
- steps written in imperative mood (recipe style)
- a Conclusion restating the benefits of the activity
- Microsoft Word format, either .doc or .docx, including any appendices as a separate document
- single-spaced with a double-space (two returns) between sections only
- include any copyright warnings where applicable
- submitted as an email attachment to jaltpubs.tlt.my.share@jalt.org
- your surname in the filename (For example, “Smith_MS.docx”)
- appendices (as applicable) compiled into a single, separate file with appropriate filename (E.g., “Smith_MS_Appendices.doc”)
- observe The Language Teacher style conventions, based on American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition.
