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!
This November, Election Day in the United Sates falls on November 6. For many of your students, the idea of voting and the structure of the American government may be very new and might also be co ...
Starting with a warmer is important for a number of reasons. Your students need a chance to settle down into the class and get their minds focussed on the lesson ahead. Delving straight into dif ...
A field trip is more than just getting out of the classroom. It should be a learning event for your students that challenges their language skills and linguistic interactions.
Following, find som ...
People make choices every day. We choose what to wear, what to eat, what to do with our time. We choose where to go and who to talk to. When you want to offer your students some choices of their o ...
A catchy tune can make a person feel happy, bouncy or energetic, but what about a catchy rhythm? By manipulating words, sounds and syllables, a certain phrase or poem can get keep your mind caught ...
As teachers, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to present information to our classes and give them practice with linguistic concepts. Sometimes, though, we are not sure where to t ...
Whether this is your first year teaching or you are a twenty-year veteran, some days just do not go as planned. When those times come, it is important to know that everyone has those kinds of days ...
Some people will find that there are students who do very little talking during the class. This can sometimes be a pain for the teachers and it is usually tempting to just give up on that particul ...
Many teachers sometimes will feel, at one point in their careers, that they need a change of tactics. This could be for a variety of different reasons. Perhaps they feel that their methods are not ...
Many teachers will find that a particular class might drag. For them, this could sometimes be a once-off thing and generally they get on well with a particular group of people. But everyone, now a ...
At the very base of it, the whole point of knowing a language is to speak it, read it and be able to write it. But speaking is the most important form.
When language first evolved, people origina ...
Not many ESL teachers can afford to take their students on a field trip across the country, but that does not mean that you cannot leave your classroom and even your city while studying English.
...
Wait! What are you doing? Do not throw those random pieces of board games away! You can repurpose them for your ESL class with almost no work!
Here are some ideas to get that junk out of your clo ...
Flag Day in the U.S. is June 14, but in an ESL class, flags are a natural topic any day of the year. With flags, your international students have an opportunity to share part of their culture and ...
Can a simple index card hold the key to a creative language activity for your ESL students?
Read the following 10 ideas before you give your final answer.
10 Things You Can Do With Index Cards
...
For many ESL students, the biggest field trip was the journey to a foreign country to study English. Nothing compares to full immersion when it comes to language learning. However, just because yo ...
Our world is constantly changing and with that comes lots of new and old countries each with their own language, people and customs. Exploring these in your ESL class can lead to some interesting ...
Money plays an important part in our everyday lives.
Why not kick off a lesson about money by asking your students to explain what these statements mean: Money makes the world go round. Money doe ...
Teaching English can be a fickle business at times and sometimes the teacher may feel like more an entertainer than anything else. Whatever it takes to get one’s students learning, however, ...
Sometimes teaching ESL can feel overwhelming. We feel responsible for a group of students who have travelled half way across the world for a good education, and we have the responsibility of being ...
No matter how well experienced or qualified one is, sometimes we reach stumbling blocks along our career path.
Oftentimes this is generally due to the stress of teaching specific classes, or it m ...
Most people within the ESL industry will know that there is a huge difference between teaching adults and teaching children.
It has been proven that children’s minds tend to be more “ ...
Traditionally, the image of the teacher has always been a stern authority figure with a blackboard and chalk. Ordinarily they presided over a classroom full of kids. Within the ESL industry, howev ...
Not many teachers have the budget to take their students on a field trip around the world, but that does not mean you cannot leave your classroom far behind. Stamps have made travels around the wo ...
Everybody loves a good laugh, and what better place to get that laugh than in the funny papers? But Sunday morning is not the only time to turn to these unique expressions of the written word.
Ta ...
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