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 don’ts 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!
Wherever they are from, and for whatever reason they sign up, ESL students arrive in their classrooms with their culture and philosophies in their rucksacks.
Even if they’re studying abroad ...
Class discussions can pose a number of problems for teachers.
Often they waver between either too structured (a series of discussion points) or a free-for-all (questions thrown out to the class a ...
Many teachers like to teach ESL classes.
The students are polite and engaged and usually come from cultures where teachers and the education process is respected. Often measurable progress can be ...
I have a recommendation for the next time you finish a tough week of teaching and could do with a morale boost.
Open a bottle of something (if you like) and find old lesson plans and, even better ...
You’ve heard the proverb you get more bees with honey than vinegar, haven’t you?
It’s a simple way of pointing out there are both positive and negative ways to motivate someone. ...
If you have done any amount of research into today’s ESL job market, no doubt you have seen positions advertised all over the world.
You can travel into the mysterious lands of the east, th ...
If you keep an eye on the news, the recent rise in nationalistic sentiment in the US, Europe and elsewhere can’t have escaped your notice.
Far-right parties have come to power, or grown in ...
Developing a reasonable attitude to classroom discipline is a challenge.
No one likes a tyrannical teacher, but being a passive, permissive doormat isn’t very effective. This balance is esp ...
It’s the end of an English class at the high school or college level.
Students have spent the session discussing some issue like gun control, the ethics of abortion, the limits of free spee ...
One of the perennial concerns with ESL adult classes is their multilevel nature.
Even though the class may be called an “intermediate listening class,” any ESL instructor knows that s ...
heAre you looking for some fun and unusual ways to give your students practice with adjectives?
Here are some easy activities for practicing adjectives or doing a quick review.
...
One common rule given to new English teachers is to keep things student-centered. Limit teacher talking time. Be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage.
While there are many good reason ...
Try These 7 Best Games for Your Next Vocabulary Class
1
Charades
Write vocabulary words on individual index cards. Break your class into two teams, and have one individual from each team ...
Most ESL teachers come to this hard realization. Most students who have learned English as a second language, effectively use only three tenses: present, past, and future. And they will most l ...
As budgets decrease and funding disappears, so are many art classes.
It’s no wonder when administrators look at art as just a fun elective or a way to give the brain a break. But art is mor ...
In over a decade teaching English as a second language, I’ve had my share of business English students.
They’re like other students in that they want to learn English, but they’ ...
Remember back to your school days.
Most Mondays through Fridays were the status quo – text books, quizzes, group work, etc. But there were other days, too. Greater days. Days filled with fu ...
We’re all addicted to our phones today: in line anywhere, at home, at work, while driving.
Sometimes the use of the phone is legitimate, even in class. One way is the ease with which one ca ...
Have you ever thought that giving an A on an assignment might actually be hurting your students?
It is possible. In fact, a recent study shows that even when you give students feedback about thei ...
We all have bad days.
Whether it’s because the coffee didn’t brew fast enough or we hit an unexpected traffic jam on the way to school, there are days when we just don’t feel li ...
Have you ever gone skydiving?
Bungee jumped? Travelled overseas to teach? If so, you might be a risk taker. Some people are born with an innate drive to take chances. They know the thrill of atte ...
Class discussions, although rewarding in the exchange of ideas if they go well, can also be difficult to navigate.
There is the problem of discussions being too controlled and structured, the con ...
Reading activities can be the most difficult to construct because the entire reading process is so internal, going on largely in the student’s head.
Discussion, which is external and betwee ...
Many ESL teachers find that their students are timid speakers or reluctant to participate in class discussions.
It’s only natural. After all, they are trying to talk in a language they a ...
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