In this section there are 2,124 articles that cover essential ESL topics such as how to teach grammar, use realia, and teach young learners. There are also a lot of lesson ideas and fun activities included in the articles. This ESL article, for example, is about teaching grammar and describes five great activities. It has been given five stars by other busy teachers so it obviously has useful content. Check it out for yourself or take a look at other articles that relate better to your questions or teaching situation.
There are a lot of dos and donts and tips and tricks that many teachers learn through teaching.
Our ESL Essentials section will help you master the basics of teaching English and will help you start teaching like a 'pro'. Every ESL Essentials article provides clear, to-the-point instructions that can be used with the students right away.
At the moment we have 2,124 ESL Essentials.
Sometimes that is the best way to learn but the experiences of others can also help you develop your teaching skills without having to make the same mistakes. If you have a great story or activity, feel free to submit your own article so that you can share your knowledge with others. We would love to hear from you!
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ESL Articles
View our latest knowledgebase articles that will help you become a better English teacher. Learn from professional teachers and put a bit of your own creativity into it!
When the crisp fall mornings make us think of turkey and mashed potatoes, our thoughts also turn to giving thanks. Being thankful for what we have is a healthy and beneficial attitude, so why is ...
It’s always nice to theme a class.
This is especially true if you are teaching a particular type of English, such as business English. By working on a specific theme, the students can get ...
If your classes are anything like mine have been, Halloween is an unfamiliar yet intriguing holiday.
Most ESL students know very little about the spooky holiday at the end of October, and even ...
“Comparisons are odious” says the old proverb, but in an ESL class they are also very necessary. And as there is not set rule for all adjectives, we must make sure students learn ever ...
When other teachers, even other ESL teachers, hear I’m teaching an ESL conversation class, they often say it sounds “relaxing,” or “fun” or “easy.” Most ...
This article deals with teaching grammar, the tense forms in particular, from the point of view of of their contrast in meaning with the native tense forms. It concentrates on the differences of ...
The verb “to be” is the first verb students learn in their English studies.
It is used extensively in the English language and will allow students to create simple sentences with the ...
Learning a second language is challenging.
You need to learn new sound patterns, new rules of grammar, and sometimes you even have to learn a new alphabet to boot. Of all of my ESL students over ...
On the first day of class, the halls buzz with excitement.
Teachers get ready to greet their students, anxious to get started, and our young, or not-so-young, learners are nervous, wondering wha ...
Amused by the misplaced modifiers in your students’ writing? Frustrated that your students omit commas in direct address? Tired of explaining the difference between your and you’re to ...
In many schools, phonics instruction is limited to flash cards and circling pictures on worksheets. While this type of phonics instruction can be beneficial to students, it can also be boring. In ...
If you teach a student over 10, chances are they have a cell phone. At the very least. Some may show up to class with an assortment of gadgets, including iPods, PSPs, or iPhones just to name a fe ...
Online EFL teachers love their jobs and the flexibility it allows them. For a short period of time, they get to talk to people from all around the world. Yet, the limited timeframe and distan ...
I walked into an empty classroom.
A teacher desk sat at the front of the room with twelve student desks before it. The walls were blank, intimidating white canvases, the bulletin boards brown on ...
Whether you have a class full of antsy five-year-olds, shy teens, or busy adult learners, they all have one thing in common: they will be together for the duration of the ESL course, and they wil ...
When ESL students don’t do so well on the test, what do you think? That they didn’t study? It’s not that simple.
Although no one questions the importance of preparing for a tes ...
This list of 10 creative ways to work with reading texts was kindly shared by Churchill House, and is available for public download on their website www.churchillhouse.co.uk.
The web is ...
With summer weather steadily approaching, now is a perfect time to use sports as a vehicle for your ESL lessons.
Not only will it be fun for you, your students will have a ball learning a little ...
Implementing proper classroom management techniques is important. A teacher who knows how to control his or her classroom will have far fewer “crazy days” than one who does not. The ...
Bad pronunciation is bad news for ESL students. It negatively affects comprehension and so, negatively impacts communication.
The problem is compounded by the fact that good pronunciation is o ...
Students from across the globe are taking Business English lessons and the reasons are obvious. In today’s globalized world, English is the language of choice when it comes to conduct ...
It’s becoming more and more popular for young English learners to sit English measuring exams.
There is continued pressure for youngsters (some young as 13) to take these exams – the ...
Summer’s almost here, but some ESL teachers are busier than ever.
Some of us in the northern hemisphere may be enjoying a long-awaited break, but there are others who still have plenty of t ...
"Somehow I ended up recruited to teach a summer ESL class even though I have NO IDEA what I'm doing! The class is going to be for Chinese students ages 10-16. It's only a week long - I have no clu ...
You want to teach English as a Second language, but where do you start? You are a teacher of ESL, but you are looking for a change. What now?
These articles look at many of the options open to th ...
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