57 FREE BusyTeacher's Top ESL Articles [Editors' Choice]
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Selected teacher-tested ESL articles that we love! These are the article every ESL teacher should read, according to BusyTeacher's editors. Please let us know which articles are your favorite by 'liking' them on Facebook or retweeting them!

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From ESL Zero to Hero: How to Teach Absolute Beginners

From ESL Zero to Hero: How to Teach Absolute Beginners

Editors' Choice,
In today’s globalized world, most beginner ESL students have had some contact with the English language, usually through the Internet, movies or TV. Many ESL students, often referred to as ...
64 Views 508,417 All
ESL Teachers Beware: Are You Making These Mistakes in Class?

ESL Teachers Beware: Are You Making These Mistakes in Class?

Editors' Choice,
No ESL teacher is perfect, no matter if you’ve been teaching for 20 minutes or 20 years (present company included!) Anyone can make mistakes, most of which are the results of our trying too ...
128 Views 148,810 All
6 New Fun Ways to Teach Grammar to ESL Students

6 New Fun Ways to Teach Grammar to ESL Students

Editors' Choice,
Mention the word "grammar" and students cringe. In fact, most teachers will cringe, too.
133 Views 601,077 All
Top 12 Time Fillers For Your Classroom

Top 12 Time Fillers For Your Classroom

Editors' Choice,
Try as you might, careful as you are with your planning, sometimes what you plan to cover in class does not work with the clock. When you are ready for the bell but the bell is not quite ready ...
95 Views 777,647 All
10 Top Tongue Twisters: True Teacher's Treasure?

10 Top Tongue Twisters: True Teacher's Treasure?

Editors' Choice,
Tongue twisters in the ESL classroom – yes or no?
75 Views 1,813,085
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Why You Should Use Cell Phones in Class: 8 Activities For Putting Phones to Positive Use in the ESL Classroom

Why You Should Use Cell Phones in Class: 8 Activities For Putting Phones to Positive Use in the ESL Classroom

Editors' Choice,
When the typical teacher sees her students using cell phones in class, her response is to put it away, take it away or through some other means remove the phone from the classroom. Today’s ...
18 Views 82,890 All
Back to School: What Every New Teacher Should Know About the First Day of Class

Back to School: What Every New Teacher Should Know About the First Day of Class

Editors' Choice,
Going into a new class on the first day can be exciting and intimidating for new teachers and experienced teachers alike. Depending on your teaching situation there are a lot of variables to take ...
48 Views 140,100 All
10 Best Pieces of Advice You Could Ever Give Your ESL Students

10 Best Pieces of Advice You Could Ever Give Your ESL Students

Editors' Choice,
ESL students come in all shapes and sizes, from adorable little preschoolers to senior citizens who want to learn another language in their free time. In the middle, we have all sorts of students, ...
33 Views 111,003 All
7 Most Common ESL Problems and How to Solve Them

7 Most Common ESL Problems and How to Solve Them

Editors' Choice,
As far as your ESL class is concerned, you could face a multitude or problems – or none at all. A typical ESL class, anywhere in the world, has its own set of typical problems and challenge ...
20 Views 205,366 All
How to Be a Successful ESL Teacher

How to Be a Successful ESL Teacher

Editors' Choice,
Congratulations! You’ve chosen to become an ESL teacher, and it’s one of the most rewarding professions around. Yet, you must be warned – though tremendously satisfying on a pers ...
19 Views 31,317 All
6 Ways to Make Presentation Tasks Work in Your Classroom

6 Ways to Make Presentation Tasks Work in Your Classroom

Editors' Choice,
A lone student stands self-consciously at the front of the class, hiding behind a sheet of notes. She almost has to shout to be heard over the fragmented conversations of the rest of the class. Ev ...
12 Views 93,295 All
The 9 Best Mobile Apps for Your ESL Students

The 9 Best Mobile Apps for Your ESL Students

Editors' Choice,
If you haven’t witnessed the explosion of Smartphone popularity, you have been living under a rock. Thousands upon thousands of applications are available from Apple’s App Store, Andr ...
34 Views 339,711 All
Beginning at the Beginning: What You Need to Know if You Teach Absolute Beginners

Beginning at the Beginning: What You Need to Know if You Teach Absolute Beginners

Editors' Choice,
Almost without exception, when I tell people that I teach English as a Second Language, they ask, “Oh, what languages do you speak?” Though I would like to answer with polylingual aut ...
12 Views 34,449 Beg
The Tricked Out Classroom: 10 Things Every ESL Teacher Wants

The Tricked Out Classroom: 10 Things Every ESL Teacher Wants

Editors' Choice,
No classroom is perfect. If we try, we could probably list hundreds of improvements we would like to see in our classrooms. Unfortunately, budgets are often our biggest enemies when it comes to cl ...
2 Views 17,571 All
The 10 Commandments of the Ethical ESL Teacher

The 10 Commandments of the Ethical ESL Teacher

Editors' Choice,
Not long ago, I was having lunch at a local cafe, and I witnessed an interesting conversation between a woman and her parents. In all fairness, I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping—the ...
17 Views 31,073 All
6 Tips for Staying Fresh as a Teacher

6 Tips for Staying Fresh as a Teacher

Editors' Choice,
Teaching is not the same today as it was even 10 years ago, much less four decades ago, which is when many of today's retiring teachers first entered the classroom as an instructor. In the midst ...
9 Views 62,982 All
7 Terrific Telephone English Activities for Adult ESL Learners

7 Terrific Telephone English Activities for Adult ESL Learners

Editors' Choice,
For those who speak English as a second language, speaking English on the telephone can be one of the most challenging and frustrating tasks. On one hand, listening comprehension proves to be mor ...
29 Views 276,504 All
Are You Boring Your Students? How to Turn a Snore Fest into a Barrel of Fun!

Are You Boring Your Students? How to Turn a Snore Fest into a Barrel of Fun!

Editors' Choice,
You ask your ESL class a question, and you’re met with a room full of blank stares. You call out a student’s name, but getting an answer from him is like pulling teeth. You notice that ...
8 Views 39,688 All
Tired of PPTs? We Know You Are. Time to Try Prezi!

Tired of PPTs? We Know You Are. Time to Try Prezi!

Editors' Choice,
Not every teacher is able to show digital presentations like PowerPoints (PPTs) in their classroom. However, those that are might have discovered that these presentations can be rather uninspirin ...
5 Views 17,488 All
Too Tired to Teach? 7 Tips to Detox, De-stress and Regain Your Energy

Too Tired to Teach? 7 Tips to Detox, De-stress and Regain Your Energy

Editors' Choice,
The alarm goes off, and you groan. Getting out of bed is a feat of sheer will. You love teaching, and you enjoy the time you spend with your ESL students – most of the time. But they are no ...
13 Views 78,132 All
Real World Approaches to Reading: 10 Simple Strategies You Can Use Today

Real World Approaches to Reading: 10 Simple Strategies You Can Use Today

Editors' Choice,
Very few would argue that in today’s world, reading is important. For ESL students, reading can provide grammatical instruction and vocabulary development even as it confers information on t ...
9 Views 30,802 All
The 3 Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig: Teaching Opposites

The 3 Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig: Teaching Opposites

Editors' Choice,
What would you do if a big, bad pig tried to blow down your little brick house? Run away as the bricks tumbled, just like the three little wolves did in Eugene Trivizas’ story The Three Lit ...
6 Views 56,972 All
10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for the Business World

10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for the Business World

Editors' Choice,
Many students travel overseas to study English, and though they may be in a scholastic setting their real goal is advancement in the business world. Many ESL programs offer classes and courses of ...
6 Views 34,827 All
End with a Bang! 10 Ideas for Mind-Blowing Last Lessons

End with a Bang! 10 Ideas for Mind-Blowing Last Lessons

Editors' Choice,
The end of the year is a special time for any class. Students may have a tough time focusing on getting through the final days of school, but there is a lot you can do to keep them engaged. End y ...
23 Views 390,149 All
Top 25 Online Learning Resources for Students

Top 25 Online Learning Resources for Students

Editors' Choice,
As a teacher, sometimes you want to give your students access to more than just the run of the mill Wikipedia and Google search results for out of class education. This is true whether you're tea ...
8 Views 27,064 All