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!
It has been a great pleasure of mine to teach students from all over the world, from five different continents.
And while I have at least been out of my time zone, my travels aren’t extensi ...
Saying just what you mean can be tough when you are speaking a second language.
But when you have to have a tough conversation, tell someone something you don’t want to have to say, be the ...
Are you a soccer fan?
I’ll admit I’m not a big follower of professional sports. I know especially little about professional soccer, and perhaps it’s to my shame I’d never ...
Would you say you brush your teeth often or seldom?
Do you do your homework frequently or rarely? The frequency with which we do things is important. In fact, it can make all the difference in ho ...
Imagine that we could take a tour of the world’s classrooms, and drop into an Asian, African, European and American ESL lesson for a few minutes.
I’ve always been fascinated by how di ...
I don’t know about you, but I love having students talk from the front of the classroom.
The knowledge and experience they share are fascinating, and they get speaking practice to boot. But ...
How much choice do you have over the types of classes that you teach?
A lot of experienced teachers find themselves pigeon-holed as best suited for the upper-intermediate and advanced classes, an ...
If you are ready for the adventure of a lifetime, you might be ready to travel overseas to teach English as a second language.
If you have just graduated and are looking for a job teaching Englis ...
ESL teachers are good at what they do.
They teach grammar, vocabulary, reading…the pieces of language students need to know. But what can get laid by the wayside, even for the best of teac ...
As a brand new teacher, I remember feeling that my main objective was simply to get through the class without forgetting anything or upsetting anyone.
The nuances of the language environment, int ...
Adjectives are one of the most basic building blocks of the English language.
We can sort adjectives into several different categories one of them being possessive adjectives - ones that show own ...
The last few days before your first ever class were probably a pretty anxious time.
I’m sure there was excitement, too, and hopefully the sense that this was a very worthwhile challenge. I& ...
Don’t give up on newspapers just yet.
Even if you are like me and never read the newspaper, you can still put it to good use in your ESL classroom. Here I’ve put together six great ac ...
Let’s try an experiment.
I’m going to give you four words, and your task is to figure out how to communicate their meaning to a space alien who speaks only fifty words of English. You ...
Have you ever asked yourself how important it is for students to get to know the culture behind the language?
In other words, how important is it for them to learn about of the culture from which ...
Course planning is something of an art, and one which most teaching professionals regard as essential.
It provides, in the clearest format, all of the aims, content and timings of a course, so th ...
How often do your students do presentations in class?
Some teachers shy away from them. After all, many ESL students panic just as the thought of standing up front. And students in a panic aren&r ...
Are you ready to press play?
Don’t say yes until you’ve read and readied these seven steps for the perfect listening lesson. No matter what recording you have for your students, a pre ...
Perhaps it is because a friend’s son was recently diagnosed with dyslexia, but I’ve seen a lot on the condition lately.
When it comes to dyslexia, the biggest challenge is for the per ...
Some aspects of working with advanced ESL students require a little extra thought.
Experienced learners have probably covered many of the ‘classic’ ESL topics, so they’ll be con ...
Keeping your most advanced students busy can be a real challenge.
As they reach a higher level, and gain more confidence, there’s a tendency for there to be an ‘end of semester’ ...
I’d like to begin, if I may, with a controversial multiple-choice question: Which is the best country in the world?
Would your answer be:
The country I’m from
The United States ...
I try my best to be hip and up-to-date.
I really do. I’ve been paying attention to the teenage lingo, and I’m not completely lost when around it. I encourage my students to copy what ...
Everyone likes to talk about the things that they like, and your students are no exceptions.
When we like something we are passionate about it, and we want others to share that passion. That&rsqu ...
How would you describe your classroom?
Is it lively? Sedate? Serious? Free? There is no perfect way to set up an ESL classroom, especially when kids are involved. Much of making your classroom a ...
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