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!
When I tell people that I teach English as a second language, their inevitable first question is, “Oh, what languages do you speak?”
I always answer the same. English. I suppose the a ...
I love reading.
I’ve heard it said that the person who reads does not live one life but a thousand. But not everyone feels like I do about the written word. And even those who do love readi ...
Let’s face it.
None of us went into the teaching profession because we thought we could make a million dollars. Teaching is infamous for reaping low salaries and even lower budgets, so ever ...
Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
Peter Piper picked a peck, a peck of pickled peppers.
Red leather, yellow leather.
Is your tongue tired yet? There’s jus ...
I don’t know about your kids, but mine love TV and movies.
There is just something about seeing lively characters on screen having fun and crazy adventures that appeals to the kid in all of ...
Your students hear you, but how well do they listen?
You are sure to find out with these activities that challenge your advanced students to listen closely.
Try These 6 Listening Challenges fo ...
Good teachers are always trying to improve their skills and their effectiveness in the classroom.
In the process of making ourselves better, however, we can sometimes get bogged down in the techn ...
Listening requires many skills – accurately processing auditory information, recognizing the vocabulary and grammar in the spoken content, and determining the intent behind what was said jus ...
ESL students have lots of reasons to be shy. They don’t speak the language. They are in culture shock. They don’t know anyone in class. Someone else is always ready to speak for them. ...
Whether you have taken teaching methods classes or you have put in the effort to become a great teacher without the guidance of a college professor, we all find a way that is comfortable to teach ...
Do you use recorded conversations in class?
Do you feel limited by or bored with the recordings that came with your text book? Don’t be discouraged if your answer is yes. It’s easier ...
One of the most difficult part of learning a second language is learning its idioms, those fixed groups of words that have a specific meaning.
“Idiom” as used here is not to be confus ...
Even the best planners in the teaching world find themselves with five minutes to fill from time to time.
Be prepared for these small gaps with these simple listening games that require no specia ...
One of the most important elements of a good English class is getting students talking.
There is no better (or easier) way to make this happen than group work. Group work is flexible, communicati ...
Immersion English classes are common for ESL students studying overseas.
However, not every immersion English class is in an English speaking country. Some teachers choose to have a classroom in ...
Perhaps labeling a class “beginning” is a bit of a misnomer.
Rarely do students enter a beginning level ESL class in the United States that have no knowledge of English. Note I said r ...
I have taught ESL in many different contexts – an ESL class in an international school overseas, classes at a university in the U.S., university level classes for a corporation, and one on o ...
If you are teaching beginning ESL students, it’s important to teach them but also to encourage them on their English learning journey.
It is easy for new learners to become discouraged, esp ...
I can’t be the only to have noticed that there’s a distinct lack of interest, especially among our younger students, in ‘classical’ music.
By this, I think we generally me ...
Concern about “not enough time in class” is a very real teacher concern.
There is usually so much to teach, so many course objectives, so many students with needs that require special ...
Most of us hate the phrase “We should talk,” both saying and hearing it, as it signals the opening of a difficult conversation.
Most of us would do anything to avoid the conversation, ...
One of the most troublesome issues I’ve found in teaching English as a Second Language is addressing mistakes in word form. By “word form,” as I’m using it here, I mean mis ...
Let’s face it.
None of us become a teacher because we have nothing better to do. We become teachers because we love working with students, because we get a thrill from seeing people learn a ...
There is no doubt that every ESL class is different.
Different students. Different skills. Different backgrounds. Different interests. But there is also no doubt that all ESL classes have one thi ...
Are your students as environmentally aware as mine?
Media attention and formal education has ensured that the groups I work with are, at the very least, fairly well aware of the world’s key ...
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