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!
Teaching internationals isn’t like teaching people from your own country.
Not only do they speak a different language from you (and often from each other), they hold different cultural valu ...
Everyone needs to know how to talk about pets for different reasons.
Some students may have pets, and some may not have them, but certainly may need to talk about them in everyday conversation. E ...
Banking is a very important subject for adult English learners.
It is a challenge to manage one’s money when the business is being conducted in a language you are still learning. From filli ...
ESL/EFL websites are flooded with new techniques to add technology to the classroom, and help online has moved almost entirely in the direction of needing more and/or adapting teaching materials f ...
Being able to talk about jobs is very important to ESL students, no matter what their level or situation.
Younger children will need the vocabulary to have conversations and be able to express th ...
The 4 seasons is a fun topic for English learners because there is so much to talk about.
You can touch on weather and holidays. For some, the seasons here may be very different from their countr ...
Students are often daunted by the thought of having to write creatively however if they are given good direction and prompts they often rise to the challenge.
Giving clear instructions is vital a ...
Harvard research shows that our brains are more active when we talk about ourselves.
Hence it is probably the most engaging way to have students practice conversation. We obviously do it naturall ...
One of the trickiest challenges for the EFL teacher is helping non-native learners understand verb tenses that do not have translatable equivalents in the host language.
In fact, most languages s ...
Language should be communicative. That means the more your ESL students use English to communicate, with you and with one another, the better their language skills will be.
Communicative language ...
Outsourcing ESL/EFL has become extremely popular internationally, and many ESL teachers, especially native speakers that want to work from home, are finding it lucrative to make a move to Skype&co ...
English language learners need to know how to report emergencies, no matter what their ability level.
Therefore, it is important to teach about emergencies even in a beginner’s class. Every ...
Everybody has the right to learn and be well-educated and like in any classroom we can find people from a number of different backgrounds in an ESL classroom.
Often people are quick to pre-judge ...
If you teach EFL south of the Equator or near it, you are probably trying to explain Christmas trees, wreaths, and Frosty in places where there is no pine or snow!
To understand English words tha ...
If you are teaching ESL/EFL to 5-10 year old children in a developing country, or to immigrant children in a developed one, you might find that they are functionally illiterate.
Most children glo ...
One of the first things ESL students, particularly adults, want to learn is the vocabulary for everyday routines.
This pertains especially to routines in which they may encounter others who only ...
Advanced students have practiced English for years probably, and, as a result, they often view themselves as experts.
Also, they have enough language in their toolkit that they circumvent English ...
The ESL/EFL teacher that works with children might struggle sometimes to find ways to make them understand grammar concepts or practice their pronunciation.
Five to ten year olds love to talk abo ...
Depending on where in the world you teach, the excitement of the holiday season may already be upon you.
Many people around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25, and your ESL students may ...
Meetings are tough, aren’t they?
Imagine what it must be like for our business ESL students. They have to sit through them day in and day out, making an effort to understand, and an even bi ...
'Tis the season to be merry and celebrate the holidays.
You can encourage an atmosphere of celebration in your classroom when you include these Christmas games in your lesson plans.
Try The ...
Cultural differences between the ESL/EFL teacher and student often create a barrier to teaching and learning, but the teacher can erase those barriers and even turn cultural differences into somet ...
Color words are key vocabulary in any language, at any age. Being able to describe something by its color is something we do every day.
Teaching colors to a beginning English learner can be ch ...
When it comes to teaching adult ESL beginners teachers can often draw a blank, especially those who are more inexperienced.
There are many preconceptions that teaching mature learners English is ...
Starting your first job as an ESL teacher?
Don’t know where to begin? Worry no more…this article will give you 10 tips to put your mind at ease, whether you are about to stand in fro ...
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