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!
No matter what age group you teach, there is a vast pool of English literature that can supplement your curriculum. Including classics in the ESL classroom though, isn’t like teaching a text ...
There are an infinite number of quality ESL materials available on the market today. For practically any purpose, any skill level, any topic, ESL teachers can find listening activities target for ...
The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan has sparked concern and discussion in classrooms across the globe. And the ESL classroom is not an exception.
Natural disasters, catastrophes, and curre ...
For the most part, ESL teaching is surprisingly stress-free and a great way to live a fantastic lifestyle in a foreign country. But there are times when the black dog pays us all a visit.
This is ...
Are you tired of reading lists of vocabulary words and their definitions to your class? Do you want a more interesting way to present new vocabulary? Try one of the following techniques to make ne ...
While Easter may be the largest holiday in April, there are actually several noteworthy minor holidays that you can use as topics in your ESL classes too.
As the weather warms up, assuming you ar ...
It’s that time of year again when the flowers begin to bloom, snow begins to melt and writers tend to start using all sorts of done-to-death clichés.
It’s also a time of year w ...
Teaching with limited resources can be both incredibly challenging and extremely educational.
Depending on where you teach, you may be faced with the challenge of teaching classes with limited re ...
Yup, it’s why we all do it - to get out there and see the world.
When salary is taken out of the equation, we are left with an incredible and generally stress-free career that allows us to ...
ESL teachers would have to be one of the biggest motley crew of around. As a whole, they are people who generally know exactly what they want in life, and are incredibly determined to get what the ...
You may have horrible memories of taking tests as a student but now that you are teaching, it is important to test your students on the material you cover in class.
Tests are essential because th ...
Depending on where you teach, you could face classes of 30 or 40 students.
In some countries even larger classes are not uncommon. With only one teacher and maybe one assistant, teaching such a l ...
Teachers throughout the world generally shudder in fear at the thought of teaching TOEFL, and with good reason.
Possibly the most alarming thing about TOEFL are the massive textbooks, often resem ...
Teaching English abroad is never usually regarded as a top paying job.
In fact, when it comes to the expat community in many cities throughout the world, ESL teachers are probably at the bottom o ...
When we talk about low-level students, we’re not talking about teaching the students about the difference between present simple and past simple tenses. We are talking about a level 0 studen ...
While many ESL teachers only spend a year on the job before heading back to their home country, many others fall in love with their new career, the lifestyle or the country where they work. After ...
Are you looking for a great accompaniment to the novel (full length or abridged) that you are reading in class? Try the movie.
No, that’s not instead of reading the book but along with read ...
As an ESL teacher, one of the best ways to grow and expand is to sink your teeth into new facets of teaching. A common path for the career teacher is in-house corporate language training. Corporat ...
How to get everyone speaking in a multilevel class is a question that plagues ESL teachers.
You can try role plays, and that works to some degree, but shy students and those with less fluency won ...
Online teachers are lucky in that they can work from home almost anywhere in the world but they also encounter a unique set of problems.
Of course some issues are similar to problems experienced ...
Many first time teachers and those who haven’t taught IELTS often shudder in fear at the first mention of the acronym.
Most view it as a highly technical aspect of ESL teaching of an exam t ...
Any teacher who has spent some time teaching in schools (especially in Asia) soon realises that small class sizes are somewhat of a distant mirage - a myth that only a fortunate few who work at in ...
Idioms are sometimes not included in ESL classes but this is a disadvantage to students who will at some point encounter them either in their studies or in real life. Learning a language is compli ...
One of the most important things to remember when teaching writing is that writing is a process.
Very few native speakers will ever start writing at the top of the first page and continue straigh ...
Native speakers and non-native speakers can both succeed as ESL teachers.
It’s true, but there has always been some controversy in the ESL community over the difference between having one o ...
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