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!
You walk into your classroom and find your group sitting in silence.
Half are sleepily on their phones, and the other half are snoozing at their desks. Bringing to school the energy to revitali ...
“I teach a group of 8 to 10-year-old beginners. The language school where I teach recently informed me I’d have to host a 40-minute open lesson with parents. I’ve never done this ...
Making small talk is more than just getting to know someone new. It is an expected part of social behavior. Making small talk isn’t always easy, though, especially for ESL students.
Speaker ...
Do you have a picture dictionary on your desk that you’re just not sure how to use in the classroom?
Did your students purchase a picture dictionary for your class but haven’t used it ...
Are you tired of your typical social conversation role playing exercises?
ESL teachers know that possibly the most important skill for learners is social mixing and mingling conversation, but rol ...
For those teachers who are required to teach summer and winter English immersion camps, it can be difficult to come up with viable ideas that will hold the attention of students who are more likel ...
If you teach information technology to ESL students, or if you are teaching business ESL and need to explain computer-specific terminology and customs for the workplace, here are some basics to he ...
“I have an extremely shy 15-year-old private ESL student. I’ve been her teacher for about two years, and she’s still reluctant to speak and participate. She speaks very softly an ...
Growing up, we all had those dreams of setting out on our very own adventure into uncharted territory, blazing a new trail, overcoming obstacles, and battling various ‘bad guys’ along ...
What better excuse than St. Patrick’s Day for each of us to embrace our inner Irish.
Wearing green and making shamrocks, though, are likely activities we’ve done time and time again. ...
Call me crazy, but sometimes the best resource for ESL students is simply a blank notebook.
At first, a notebook holds nothing but blank pages, but if your ESL students use it strategically and i ...
Being able to describe someone’s personality is important for everyday conversation.
ESL students will need to learn how to do this. This can be a challenging topic for some because it is n ...
“I’ve just started teaching ESL, and I see there is a big trend in education regarding the use of technology in the classroom. What are some creative ways to use technology besides the ...
For most students there are two wicked little verbs, DO and MAKE, that cause quite a confusion.
Does this look familiar? “Every morning I make my homework”. It is an all time classic ...
“In my ESL class, we are using a textbook that was not my choice, but rather the school’s. The characters and situations are rather dull, not the type of thing most of my students can ...
5 Essential Tips That Can Help Your ESL Students Check for Comprehension
1
Consider the following scenario
T: Do you know anyone who has lied recently? S: Yes, my husband lied on ...
"I teach at a language school with several other ESL teachers, but I don’t want to be just another ESL teacher. Private students have the chance to choose which teacher they want to have les ...
Write in the active voice. We have heard it from our teachers time and time again, and we have taught it nearly as much.
But as much as our writing teachers seem to hate the passive voice, realit ...
Planning an English immersion camp can be a very challenging undertaking, especially if you are dealing with some apathetic middle school students who would like nothing more than to be left alone ...
ESL teachers have lots of options when it comes to aiding and assessing reading comprehension in their students.
One way of helping students understand what they have read is to practice sequenci ...
I’ve begun to reach a conclusion: enthusiasm is overrated.
This comes after multiple conversations with administrators about the “enthusiasm” of new teachers. Many seem convince ...
“I’m having a problem with a student who is a terribly slow learner. This student is an eight-year-old boy who seems to grasp very little and speaks even less. He does not remember hal ...
“I have a pretty good idea of ways to start class on the very first day of school. But where do I go from there? How do I begin each subsequent lesson? I don’t want to simply jump into ...
There came a point last semester in my intermediate ESL class when I was shocked to hear my students using conditional “if” clauses with a fair amount of accuracy and fluency: “I ...
These days there are many learners wishing to apply to colleges and universities abroad or to emigrate to an English speaking country and to do so they need to prove their level of English.
The m ...
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