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!
They’re always talking to each other.
They volunteer to help you without even being asked. They ask people lots of questions and are often fascinated by what they have to say. They love pai ...
Some of my fondest teaching memories are of teaching adult ESL: the students are motivated, the curriculum clear-cut, the colleagues pleasant and noncompetitive, and the general environment low-st ...
“I can’t speak English.” “I need to feel more confident when I speak.” ESL teachers hear this type of complaint from students again and again.
Of all the skills they ...
Teaching English as a second language can be a challenge on so many levels.
Not only do ESL teachers regularly encounter language barriers and cultural conflicts, they have to be some of the most ...
It is easy for ESL students to become inundated with grammar lessons.
After all, isn’t structure the greatest foundation of language? But the best teachers and the most engaged students don ...
Grammar is a key piece of any language, and students of second languages spend much of their time learning grammatical rules and forms.
At times, though, a student can focus on grammar too much. ...
It’s time to talk, for your students that is.
That’s because they are in your speaking class. You pride yourself on making class exiting and engaging. You want your students to talk m ...
Whether yours is their very first class or they have a little experience with English under their belts, your beginning level ESL students have a lot to learn.
Teaching a beginning level class ca ...
An educator is more than someone who shares information in a particular subject. A teacher is someone students look to for guidance. Often is the case that we are not able to reach every single st ...
Traditionally, language has been taught in discrete parts: learners are taught speaking and listening skills separately from reading and writing, and vocabulary is separated from grammar.
However ...
There are plenty of ESL teachers who advocate the use of realia in the classroom – and for good reason.
Over the years, they have brought an assortment of authentic city maps, brochures, re ...
Almost every time I hand back student essays, there is at least one student who is stunned by her grade—most often, that it was a “B” or a “C” rather than the “ ...
When you’re an ESL teacher, you can never get enough ESL listening material.
Because listening is something that students need to practice – a lot – the audio CD that comes with ...
The teaching profession is going through one of its most productive evolutionary swings ever, thanks in part to the increase in resources created for educators.
Today there are dozens - if not hu ...
Your advanced students have really come a long way.
They have gone from having no knowledge about English to reading articles and websites and listening to television and podcasts. On top of that ...
Your students have made it, well, part of the way, anyway.
They are out of the beginning level ESL classes and are now able to express themselves in this once foreign language. They are creative. ...
Every year, World Health Day is celebrated on April 7th to commemorate the founding of the World Health Organization.
Whether you have young learners or adult students, this is a great day to not ...
Did you know that recycling 54 KG of newspaper will save one tree?
This means that every ton of recycled paper saves about 17 trees. And did you know that the United States uses approximately 68 ...
There are a lot more ways to practice restaurant language than just doing fill-in-the-blanks or rote role plays.
Try these delicious grammar tips to get your students eating up restaurant-related ...
The effort, determination and focus your students bring to their educations is most important to successful language learning, but it is not the only piece to the puzzle.
What you do and how you ...
Building descriptive language skills can present many engaging and creative options for practice at any level.
Try these three stunning strategies to practice adjectives and adapt each one for va ...
As a teacher you understand that being too busy to help every single student with every single need does not mean that you do not care about your kids.
You want to help them, but you don’t ...
Any teacher who has taught young learners can tell you, it’s sometimes hard to get them to listen.
I’m not just talking about getting them to listen to you as you give them instructio ...
Intonation is one of those crazy little things that can make one speaker sound bored and another interested – while they use the same exact words.
Intonation adds a dimension to the English ...
Out of all of the listening material you can give your ESL students, videos are the most enjoyable, as they have images that help students grasp meaning.
But if the video is too hard, your ESL le ...
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