2,124 FREE ESL Essentials - What Every English Teacher Needs To Know!
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ESL Essentials – Important Teaching Tips

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
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CBEST, TOEFL, GRE: Tutoring ESL Students for Specific Academic/Professional Tests

CBEST, TOEFL, GRE: Tutoring ESL Students for Specific Academic/Professional Tests

ESL Essentials
The vast majority of English as a Second Language students attend class to improve conversational or academic English in general, not targeting any particular skill or content. However, there is ...
Views 14,595 All
Going for the Gold: 12 Proven Strategies for Motivating Students

Going for the Gold: 12 Proven Strategies for Motivating Students

ESL Essentials
Not everyone wants to climb Mount Everest. It’s a long trip, and that’s putting it mildly. But what if you had to get to the top of that glorious mountain before you could earn a prom ...
Views 19,685 All
Top 7 Visual Aids You Simply Must Use with Your ESL Kids

Top 7 Visual Aids You Simply Must Use with Your ESL Kids

ESL Essentials
Do you ever give thought to everything you use or can use with your ESL kids? In the world of education there is much to consider regarding how we, as teachers, can improve and enhance how our st ...
Views 89,906 All
Tests, Yea or Nay? Advantages of Using Tests and Disadvantages of Using Them Too Often

Tests, Yea or Nay? Advantages of Using Tests and Disadvantages of Using Them Too Often

ESL Essentials
We all need to know how our students are doing, right? We need to know if they truly meeting all the objectives, or not. This is where tests come in handy. They give us the feedback we need to kn ...
Views 12,888 All
Avoid Cultural Clash: 6 Tips Every ESL Teachers Should Know

Avoid Cultural Clash: 6 Tips Every ESL Teachers Should Know

ESL Essentials
There is perhaps nothing that is so much a part of the individual and yet so invisible as culture. Experts describe culture like an iceberg where only ten percent is visible and ninety percent ...
Views 14,497 All
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With a Song in their Hearts: 8 Teacher Tips for Using Songs with Young ESL Learners

With a Song in their Hearts: 8 Teacher Tips for Using Songs with Young ESL Learners

ESL Essentials
Kids love songs, and as their teacher you should, too. Music gets into the heart and mind and does amazing things there. Whether it is country or heavy metal, smooth jazz or rap, music affects pe ...
Views 22,449 All
Demystifying Mistakes: 3 Simple Ways to Help Students Help Themselves

Demystifying Mistakes: 3 Simple Ways to Help Students Help Themselves

ESL Essentials
We are all used to the roles of student and teacher. The teacher gives information. The student makes it a part of their knowledge base. The teacher corrects mistakes and gives feedback. But what ...
Views 11,329 All
Work Zone Ahead: 6 Teacher Tools Every Instructor Should Be Using in Class

Work Zone Ahead: 6 Teacher Tools Every Instructor Should Be Using in Class

ESL Essentials
When I was teaching English in China, my classroom took up almost all of my time, and my language studies were limited to two one-hour sessions each week with a private tutor. For teachers with a ...
Views 10,917 All
Gossip, Backstabbing: 10 Commandments of Dealing with Problem Colleagues

Gossip, Backstabbing: 10 Commandments of Dealing with Problem Colleagues

ESL Essentials
The overwhelming majority of colleagues in the teaching profession are supportive of each other, going above and beyond in helping each other with the endless bureaucracy of education and its pape ...
Views 25,872 All
They Won’t Be Able to Look Away: 5 Surefire Video Activities to Keep Students Engaged

They Won’t Be Able to Look Away: 5 Surefire Video Activities to Keep Students Engaged

ESL Essentials
Language is all around us. Newspapers, television, the Internet…they are all great sources of real life language just waiting to be used in the ESL classroom. And authentic language source ...
Views 19,680 All
When You Are the One Being Assessed: Preparing for Your Teacher Evaluation [10 Tips]

When You Are the One Being Assessed: Preparing for Your Teacher Evaluation [10 Tips]

ESL Essentials
Teachers spend a lot of time assessing students and tend to be good at assessing others. Sometimes, however, the tables are turned and teachers are the ones who are assessed in the form of observ ...
Views 9,954 All
Late Work, Lack of Participation, General Confusion: 5 Student Issues Every Online Teacher Should Know

Late Work, Lack of Participation, General Confusion: 5 Student Issues Every Online Teacher Should Know

ESL Essentials
A lot of positives come with online instruction. Online instruction has provided some social leveling in that it has extended opportunity to many who were before without access to education throu ...
Views 7,981 All
8 Simple Steps to the Best Lesson You’ll Teach All Year

8 Simple Steps to the Best Lesson You’ll Teach All Year

ESL Essentials
They say no two snowflakes are alike, but what about your English lessons. Are they all starting to look the same? Are you bored going through the same types of exercises in the same ways every d ...
Views 15,100 All
4 No Prep Get to Know You (or Know You Better) Activities

4 No Prep Get to Know You (or Know You Better) Activities

ESL Essentials
Whether it is the first day of class or you have been teaching the same group of students for a while, get to know you activities are a favorite. For new classes, they help students begin friends ...
Views 38,431 All
Lying Low: 10 Commandments of School Politics

Lying Low: 10 Commandments of School Politics

ESL Essentials
Sometimes the atmosphere is darkened within an organization with what I will refer to as “politics,” the jockeying for position that goes on anywhere there is a hierarchy. It may be a ...
Views 7,385 All
Don’t Get Tongue Tied: 7 Surefire Steps for Creating Your Own Awesome Pronunciation Lessons

Don’t Get Tongue Tied: 7 Surefire Steps for Creating Your Own Awesome Pronunciation Lessons

ESL Essentials
Perfect pronunciation – every ESL student’s goal and no one’s achievement. It is rare for any ESL student to have perfect pronunciation, and some would say it’s actually w ...
Views 12,601 All
When Someone Calls Them Mommy or Dad: Teaching Students Who Are Parents

When Someone Calls Them Mommy or Dad: Teaching Students Who Are Parents

ESL Essentials
Teaching adult students has many benefits: they are motivated, know how to learn, know how they learn best, are socialized to the classroom already, and so forth. One of the concerns, however, is ...
Views 7,182 All
Avoiding the Rut and Isolation: Issues in One-on-One ESL Instruction

Avoiding the Rut and Isolation: Issues in One-on-One ESL Instruction

ESL Essentials
Most language instruction, including ESL instruction, traditionally occurs in a group setting, the classroom, whether it’s a large or small class. However, occasionally the ESL instructor w ...
Views 9,113 All
Grammar Rocks: 6 Fun Grammar Games You Should Have up Your Sleeve

Grammar Rocks: 6 Fun Grammar Games You Should Have up Your Sleeve

ESL Essentials
Grammar? Fun? Yes, it is possible! In fact, it’s probable. When you have these grammar games in your back pocket, you will be ready to get your students excited about grammar any day, any t ...
Views 93,687 All
Ditching the Lecture: 5 Easy Strategies to Get Your Students Talking More (and You Talking Less)

Ditching the Lecture: 5 Easy Strategies to Get Your Students Talking More (and You Talking Less)

ESL Essentials
In the world of language learning, communication is king. But in the world of teaching, it is the educator’s role to give information to the students and the students’ role to receive ...
Views 28,342 All
Get Your Headphones On: Everything You Need to Know about Using Audio Books in Class

Get Your Headphones On: Everything You Need to Know about Using Audio Books in Class

ESL Essentials
They’ve read the text. They have watched the movie. But have you ever though to let them listen to the book on audio? Every ESL class includes listening activities for their students, but f ...
Views 14,705 All
Listen to This: 4 Out of the Ordinary Listening Activities for ESL Students

Listen to This: 4 Out of the Ordinary Listening Activities for ESL Students

ESL Essentials
We have all pressed play on either the tape recorder or the website associated with our text books. Listening activities are important for ESL students. They may even be one of the most challengi ...
Views 26,406 All
Getting Real with Realia: 4 Creative Uses for ESL Classes

Getting Real with Realia: 4 Creative Uses for ESL Classes

ESL Essentials
What do a newspaper, a roadmap, and a webpage have in common? They are all great materials for the ESL classroom. Not only that, they are authentic materials that can be used easily with ESL stud ...
Views 21,491 All
You’ve Got THAT Kid in Class? 4 Challenging Student Types and How to Work Well Together

You’ve Got THAT Kid in Class? 4 Challenging Student Types and How to Work Well Together

ESL Essentials
Have you ever found yourself asking, “What have I gotten myself into?” Teaching the English language requires a certain set of knowledge and skills, but dealing with challenging stude ...
Views 12,249 All
Giving Your Students a Boost: 7 Simple Tips to Help Students Increase TOEFL Scores

Giving Your Students a Boost: 7 Simple Tips to Help Students Increase TOEFL Scores

ESL Essentials
Is the TOEFL the ultimate measure of your students’ language success? No matter what your answer, what really matters is what your students think. They are the ones spending their money and ...
Views 12,662 All

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