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!
The Summary Response essay is a classic writing task for advanced English as a Second Language Students who are embarking on an academic path.
It is often used to introduce students to the notion ...
"I’ve been teaching English to adult learners for over ten years, and it’s becoming increasingly harder to stay motivated. Most of the time I’m just bored, but I do want to conti ...
Students can be daunted when they first look at an IELTS Reading Paper; the sheer volume of text to be read and the sometimes technical vocabulary that it contains can cause panic in even the most ...
Life is full of awkward situations, and handling them is not always easy.
However, managing them in a different language is much harder still. What should you do in this type of situation? When o ...
English writing skills are absolutely essential in today’s world. The problem is…writing practice is boring!
By the time you finish saying, “Take out a sheet of paper and a pen ...
Tests get old for students – and for teachers.
Having another quiz to create and copy, then grade, is exhausting to everyone in a classroom. How can you figure out what your students know w ...
One of the greatest challenges we face as EFL teachers is getting our students to actually use the language in class.
Many students are very shy about using English, worried about their grammar, ...
"I’m teaching English to a 3-year-old girl. It would be great if you could give me some tips. It’s a private class, and she’s the only student in it, so I can’t use any tea ...
The fact that everyone depends on food to survive is of no surprise to anyone. We need to eat and a lot of us also enjoy it, some of us more than others.
For this reason, the topic of food is alw ...
Grammar class is part of every ESL student’s experience. Learning the building blocks of language is essential, and it takes time and effort.
And while there is value to running through ora ...
Authentic materials are always a good thing to use and newspaper reports are a great resource to use in the ESL classroom.
Consider These 7 Ideas for Using Newspapers in Class
1
Matching ...
Who doesn’t love a good mystery?
Adults devour murder mystery novels and soak up crime shows by the millions. Kids love a good mystery as well. Why else would shows like Scooby Doo and Insp ...
You are an English speaking native with at least a college degree from the “first” world embarking on your journey to fill eager minds with your wisdom. Maybe your foreign country EFL ...
As English Language Learners prepare to become effective academic writers, one of the most essential skills that they will need to acquire is paraphrasing for the purpose of source integration.
W ...
Using authentic materials is always a good idea and using images to get your students’ creativity going makes for enjoyable, interesting and rewarding lessons.
Boost Your Students’ ...
It can be hard to explain idioms commonly used in English when we as teachers are unsure of the meanings ourselves!
Invariably, students will hear idioms in songs and on TV shows and ask you what ...
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the teaching of the IELTS listening exam.
There are many advocates in favor of teaching the listening and there are just as many who are against it, ...
Have you run out of energy and have no idea how to get through to your next break?
Do you wake up sometimes and just feel too tired to teach? It happens to us all – ESL teaching requires in ...
Whether you teach EFL/ESL fundamentals and need to explain restaurant dialogue and how to order foods, you teach a pronunciation/phonics lesson and find students stumped by strange food words, you ...
With the busy lives people lead today more and more students are choosing to study remotely by having their lessons over Skype.
Teaching and learning using this method is undeniably convenient fo ...
It is commonplace in the ESL classroom for students to be more reluctant when it comes to speaking.
While they excel in the other skills, they find it difficult to speak, not because they do not ...
Are you an ESL/EFL teacher in a situation where no one is evaluating your teaching techniques? Or are your scared what your boss might say when evaluation time arrives?
You cannot depend on stude ...
Student failure and underperformance are inevitable in the ESL classroom, especially if you teach in a foreign country/culture.
Failure may or may not be your fault as a teacher, but it is import ...
American English has a number of commonly used words and expressions that derived from gambling.
If you teach conversation classes or advanced English learners that want to understand colloquiali ...
When it comes to ESL homework…is it really necessary?
Do students really need to answer an additional set of questions or complete another worksheet at home? It makes sense for students to ...
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