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!
“One of my private students has moved abroad but wants to continue taking classes via Skype. I’ve never given online Skype lessons before. What tips/advice can you offer?” *
Abo ...
There are some situations that are way too common in the ESL classroom, and I'm quite sure that this one in particular will ring a bell.
Imagine this situation: you spend more than enough time on ...
When it comes to writing, the FCE for schools is more age appropriate just like all other sections of the exam and focuses more on writing topics that younger learners are familiar with (i.e. writ ...
Many teachers older than 30--and even some younger--have trouble with using “new” technology.
This is in part because, electronic revolution or no, our classrooms don’t look muc ...
Whether your students are reading texts designed for ESL classes or are tackling full length novels, you might find that sticky notes are a great asset to them as they read.
With a little directi ...
I’ve been known to fall asleep over student essays for an hour.
At first I thought it was simply fatigue. It is tiring and requires reading hundreds of papers to teach several composition c ...
“I’ve been an ESL teacher for several years, but this year, I will be teaching children for the first time. I feel confident in my ability to teach young learners, but I have zero expe ...
Some students just aren’t born readers.
It doesn’t matter what their native language is for kids who just don’t like to read. But just because someone isn’t born a reader ...
Dollar stores are great resources for teachers.
You can find all sorts of materials there that make your classroom more interesting and effective. One such material is a magnetic alphabet. For ju ...
Speaking is a core component of the FCE for schools exam and many a teacher (especially those more inexperienced ones) will dismiss practicing speaking if they believe that they have strong speake ...
The topic of calendars is a very important one for ESL students.
Everyone needs to be able to discuss the date or the year, no matter what their age. An added challenge for some is that they may ...
Getting students to read can be difficult enough but getting them to read books in English can be a real challenge.
Many students may not read much in their own language and the thought of readin ...
Many classes, even those that are traditional “on site” classes and are not online, now have an online “learning management system” course website (sometimes called the &ld ...
Have you ever experienced the frustration of not being able to make your students speak English in class? Have you ever had to waste valuable time on telling them not to use their L1, or speak in ...
Are you new to teaching ESL? Are you starting out in your first classroom or a new school? Are you worried that you aren’t giving your students everything they need in the way of language in ...
Beginning students often get the short end of the stick when it comes to fun classroom reading activities.
They’re not ready to read a book. Even short stories are too complex. Forget about ...
How complex are your students’ vocabularies? Are your habits increasing their lexicons or limiting them? Do you know just how much influence you have on how much your students learn?
If you ...
Digital revolution is changing rapidly and becoming popular to all ages. Not only youngsters are now only immersed in technology but lots of educators as well.
Many educators nowadays are widely ...
Did you know that President Obama was once a gang member and even served time in prison before rising to the presidency?
That vegetarianism kills? That more people die by violence from knives tha ...
Projects are awesome!
I mean they can be a lot of work, but they are a great time for the kids and usually result in some laughs, or at least warm and fuzzy feelings, for the teachers. Of course ...
It was only a couple of days into the semester of my community college freshman English class that I began to notice something a little off.
On the face it, it was a typical community college cla ...
Are you looking for a way to incorporate listening and speaking learning centers into your ESL classroom?
Try one of the following with your class and give students some ownership in their own la ...
I hate those classes where all I can see is the top of my students’ heads because they’re all looking down at the cellphones in their lap.
Why don’t students pay attention? Is i ...
Some interesting things happen when students are asked to use quotations, paraphrases, or source material in their work.
Papers start off with “To be or not to be, that is the question&hell ...
Moving to a new country can be both intimidating and exciting.
One of the trickiest parts is trying to decide what to drag half-way around the world and what you can just buy when you arrive.
Of ...
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