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!
If you had a trick you could use in class that wasn’t complicated, was free, and didn’t violate any moral or educational codes and would be a huge help to your ESL students, would you ...
When working with kids we all know that holding meetings or conferences with parents is inevitable.
The reason for this is, meetings are simply necessary. They are the key to dealing with a varie ...
“Social media is a big part of my students’ lives. They’re always checking Facebook updates or Tweeting to each other inside and outside the classroom. So the big question is: sh ...
“Although most of my students have no trouble answering or even asking questions, I find they struggle with the ability to carry a simple conversation. What are some turn-taking strategies I ...
I love teaching affixes to my ESL students.
Doing so not only increases their vocabulary, it gives them tools to understand words they have never encountered before. These activities are designed ...
What can you get at the dollar store for pennies a piece that can serve multiple purposes in your classroom?
Clothespins! These versatile pieces of wood and metal can make possible all sorts of t ...
English grammar can be complicated. Pronunciation can be a struggle. As for comma rules, even native speakers struggle with those.
As your students advance in their language studies, they will be ...
A teacher’s work is never done, and that’s especially true for ESL teachers whose class needs change from semester to semester and from year to year.
For as many years as I have taugh ...
“I teach intermediate to advanced learners most of the time, and I keep seeing the same trend. Once they reach a plateau, they get discouraged and eventually abandon their studies. What can ...
Have you heard of the discovery technique for teaching grammar?
Have you tried it? If your answer to either of these questions is no, read on to learn everything you need to know about this simpl ...
“I’ve read about this recent trend called gamification, which seems to involve a lot more than simply “playing games” in the classroom. Can you explain what gamification is ...
I’m sure it’s not true in your case, but when most people think of a foreign language classroom, they imagine rows of students reciting verb conjugations in rote.
I go. You go. He goe ...
Have you ever watched cable TV news and thought to yourself, “I could do better myself!”
You’re not alone, of course. Our younger students have grown up with cable news, and are ...
Whether school started in August or September marks the beginning of the semester, school is now back in full swing.
It’s the start of new classes, new students, new challenges, and new joy ...
A lot has been written on the topic of “bullying,” which seems to be a kind of terrorism at the interpersonal level, the bully controlling the bullied through instilling fear.
Most of ...
Call My Bluff was a tremendously popular BBC TV quiz show in the 1960s.
After a long run, it was resurrected in the 1990s and has since spawned similar shows, board games and radio versions in th ...
Are you looking for something different to engage your students?
Have you tried play dough in your classroom? This squishy fun is extremely flexible when it comes to teaching English. Here are 9 ...
If you teach young learners, you know that language learning often comes naturally for children.
That doesn’t mean, however, that language learning comes without work. But “work&rdquo ...
Are you teaching beginning students?
Intermediate students? Advanced or beyond students?
Then it’s the perfect time to introduce or reintroduce phrasal verbs. Here’s just what you ...
Spelling in English is tough, at least it was for me as a student.
And although I have spell check to rescue me these days, that is not always the case with students. (That is until they invent a ...
Cooperation and collaboration are key, not only in second language learning but in any classroom and household for that matter.
It is one the first things kids learn to do in kindergarten and pre ...
Have you ever considered these questions with your class?
- Did aliens land in New Mexico in 1947? - What really happened to Princess Diana? - Can we be sure we didn’t misinterpret the Ma ...
Often students don’t have anything to say on a given topic, or think they don’t.
The conventional remedy has been to teach a series of “brainstorming strategies” such as & ...
Often when a writing instructor suggests revising a work, a collective groan goes up.
“You’re making us write it again? Why?” Or alternately the teacher is met with a blank star ...
My father taught me a venerable but valuable maxim: It’s not a mistake... it’s a learning opportunity.
I’ve taken this advice to heart, and I apply it in my classroom to help st ...
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