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!
A picture is worth a thousand words, and though your ESL learners may not come up with a thousand words, they can certainly come up with plenty.
If you’ve read and enjoyed What You Can Do w ...
Directions are something every ESL teacher will have to address at some point.
Asking, understanding, and giving directions is such an important skill that it really can’t be overlooked. As ...
Journaling is a powerful educational tool for language learning as it 1) connects reading with writing, 2) encourages cognitive development in the foreign language, and 3) facilitates practice of ...
I don’t know if everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten, but that experience did introduce me to learning centers.
Scattered around the edges of our classroom were simple stat ...
“Th” pronunciation is extremely difficult to master for EFL students.
When tongue twisters and other tricks are failing and you need a change in strategy, try one of these four activi ...
Prepositions are complicated for even native English speakers to use correctly, and we know that constant reinforcement with examples is the only way to master correct usage.
ESL/EFL students get ...
Noun clauses are typically taught in advanced level English as a Second Language Courses, and students will need carefully-designed practice in order to use this form correctly.
This is an advanc ...
Native speakers, even the most educated and refined, regularly use slang in conversation.
In fact, we unconsciously hone slang depending on the cultural situation in which we are. Demonstrating t ...
Americans have a very unique way of describing cooking terminology, and their antiquated measurements and onomatopoeia words have infiltrated the English language and taken on additional meanings ...
New English speakers, especially those that learn ESL for the workplace, can embarrass themselves easily by using informal language at the wrong times.
With professional pushing for bosses to be ...
ESL students practice speaking, reading, writing and listening, but let’s face it. It’s the speaking that puts them on the spot.
Whether they are foreign executives or stay-at-home mo ...
The teacher asks the whole class a question. Within moments, the familiar few hands shoot up as if spring-loaded.
Does this sound familiar? The majority of the class responds hardly at all, leavi ...
You’re sipping tea in front of the TV hoping to catch up on some of your favorite shows. You’ve already taught your lessons for the day and have the rest of the afternoon off – o ...
Students always seem to remember colors easier than almost any other vocabulary concept.
Why? It is probably because we attach so many other meanings to colors, like emotions. Here are four activ ...
Many ESL teachers are required to run English immersion camps during school holiday periods.
Although requirements vary based on the school and the students involved, the general idea is usually ...
They say that teachers make the worst students, and it might be true.
Maybe that’s why I dread sitting through a lecture. Of course, my stir crazy seat could also be an issue of learning st ...
The present simple is the most basic tense in any language and it is the first tense that learners of English will learn and use, starting with the verb ‘to be’.
Curiously, however, n ...
English speakers use comparative adjectives to talk about everything and everyone around them.
We compare adults and children, native speakers and internationals, northerners and southerners. Eve ...
Some grammar topics are best taught within the context of writing, and relative clauses is among these.
By moving from noticing, to guided practice, to production, students can begin to incorpora ...
Given the difficulty of pinning down students who arrive late to class, don’t finish their homework, or commit any of the other transgressions that teachers must address on a daily basis, it ...
Many ESL teachers, especially in Korea and other areas of Asia, share their classroom with an English teacher from that country.
These co-teachers help translate in class, share the marking, help ...
Teaching conditionals is difficult for any ESL/EFL teacher, so try using an interesting subject matter to engage your students!
Here are four strategies to integrate pop music into your condition ...
English speakers probably seem to complain a lot to EFL learners. What we natives may not realize is that we do complain more often than other cultures.
We do not realize because we are not alway ...
For elementary school ESL students, learning English isn’t the only mountain they have to climb.
These students are getting used to a new culture at an age when it is so important to know t ...
Every term, teachers watch their students’ stress levels rise as the shadow of looming exams reaches out and wraps them in its icy embrace.
But never fear, review games are here! At least t ...
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