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!
Comprehension is of vital importance to all our ESL students.
This is one of the things we as teachers put great emphasis on. We all agree that our ESL students have to be able to understand what ...
I'm sure most of you, if not all of you, are familiar with mind maps.
Why? Well, because they are simply awesome. They can be used in a bunch of different ways and most teachers use them in their ...
The Internet has opened a door to the free exchange and availability of information.
In living memory, when doing research, you had to actually go to a physical library, look for a book or journa ...
To be on the safe side as language teachers, we should assume that math is not the strongest subject of people studying English as a foreign language.
Even if it is, equations and numbers do not ...
“I typically teach students who sit for major international examinations like the Cambridge ESOL or the TOEFL. Most of them struggle with the reading passages. The problem is they need to un ...
Asking and answering questions is a part of everyday life.
Questions are present in every conversation, since there are things we need to know and want others to know as well. For many ESL studen ...
One of the greatest challenges you might face as an EFL/ESL instructor is teaching a class of all ages!
Eight year olds do not respond well to structured learning, and adults will think you are c ...
Students taking IELTS will need a vast range of vocabulary.
Giving them direction as to which vocab needs to be focused on and how to increase their range will give them a great start to their pr ...
Business is full of jargon, and business, whether or not your students actually live in an English speaking country, is in English.
It is critical to teach your advanced business students – ...
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have for instance." ~ Franklin P. Jones, humorist and writer.
Do you agree with this? Let us know in the comment below!
What do you do if one of your students makes a mistake?
The natural answer would be, “I'd correct the mistake”. Many agree that as teachers we are trained and programmed to seek out e ...
Who are you for your students?
The answer to this question seems obvious: you are their teacher, their educator, a person who shares his knowledge with them and tries to teach them everything he ...
We have all had those classes: the ones that just look down at their desks when you call for volunteers.
Another variation is the class with one or two eager students backed by a full choir of zo ...
Many people have watched, or have at least heard of the travel/adventure based show “The Amazing Race.”
This particular concept is a perfect model for an ESL summer or winter camp. Of ...
Remember those books in which you have to choose which door to open, or which orc to fight, or whether to take the bag of silver or the magical mirror?
Jackson and Livingstone’s Fighting Fa ...
Depending on the type of class you teach, you may be someone who recruits students for your classroom and/or program.
This can be challenging, and depends on a lot of factors. Here are some ideas ...
“I would love some advice on creative ways to practice writing. I find that my students simply don’t enjoy writing and often stare at the blank sheet paper for the longest time. We all ...
Engaging the disengaged student is a perennial problem.
If all students could be easily and efficiently motivated and engaged in the learning process, there would almost be no need for teachers, ...
I’m getting worried about something I’ve noticed in my classroom.
My 16-25 year old students are smart, enthusiastic and tech-savvy, but very often I find a real lack of ‘worldl ...
Are you tutoring ESL students to pass their English courses?
Tutoring students who are taking English for course credit can be a meaningful experience, but it can also put us English language pro ...
Busy teachers know all too well how hectic things can get. The moment a class finishes, preparation for the next one looms large, and many of us, especially newer teachers, find themselves experie ...
“Although listening is obviously just as important as reading, writing and speaking, I’ve come to realize I don’t really include listening as part of instruction or plan activiti ...
I had an unsettling experience this week.
In an old teaching file, I found a photo from 2006 of one of my multi-national classes, busily working on something in groups. Something caught my eye, a ...
When asked, most of my students tell me that grammar is their least favorite ESL subject.
It’s seen as dry and dull, disconnected from daily reality, oriented towards test-taking and univer ...
The Problem
Remember in your high school foreign language classes? Did you speak for about two minutes in the target language and the rest of the time in “L1”, your first language?
T ...
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