ESL
How To Help Your ESL/EFL Students Become Fluent in English
Becoming fluent in English is the goal of many ESL/EFL students. This article is based on the lessons I held in a TEFL class for mature students in Leeds, UK, and one-to-one tutorials I guided in the Netherlands. Useful tips are provided throughout.
Is It Correct to Say "Thanks You" or "Thanks to You"?
This article looks at the expressions "thanks you", "thank you", "thanks" and "thanks to you", with examples for when to use them.
7 Effective Ways Teachers Can Advocate for English Learners
Many English language learners who enter our schools are not welcomed into inclusive environments. Teachers—especially those who teach ELLs—are in a key position to draw attention to inequalities they observe and to advocate for their students.
How to Teach Vowels to ESL Children
Teaching vowels to very young children is easier if you use methods that will make learning fun for the children. Keep them busy with different activities that will not only enhance learning but develop their other various skills.
How to Learn English on YouTube: 15 Fun ESL Games
Do you know how to learn English on YouTube with authentic videos? This is a summary of fun ESL games that can be used in conjunction with YouTube and other streaming services.
7 English Activity and Game Ideas for ESL Lessons
Seven games and activities you can play with your junior high school or above ESL group English classes.
6 Countries to Avoid Teaching English In
When it comes to teaching abroad, every country has its pros and cons, but some are certainly riskier than others. Sometimes the problems in a country run much deeper than the recruiters' glossy websites would lead you to believe.
So You Wanna Teach English in Japan
If you've decided you want to teach English in Japan, congratulations! You're in for a treat. Next question: what kind of English do you want to teach? Do you crave the chaos of Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) life, or would you prefer teaching at an eikaiwa English school?
How to Train Novice ESL Teachers
An easy step-by-step guide for anyone showing others how to teach English as a foreign language to children.
What Is Meant by Appropriation in Second or Foreign Language Learner Acquisition?
What is appropriation and how does it apply to teaching and acquiring a second or foreign language.
10 Tips for New Remote ESL Instructors
Teaching or tutoring English as a Second Language remotely online can be a rewarding career, but it does have its challenges. These 10 tips are important for new remote ESL instructors.
Teaching Writing to English Language Learners
For English Language Learners, writing is a process that goes beyond spelling and grammar. It begins with socializing and evolves into copying sentence frames; eventually writing essays. Students need written and oral feedback, and should engage with prompts that are culturally relevant and diverse.
How to Use Photograph Prompts to Motivate English Language Learners to Write
Writing is painful for many students. Some of the most reluctant writers are English language learners. This approach to using photograph prompts has radically changed my ELL students’ attitude towards writing.
What's It Like Teaching English in Thailand?
This is my story of teaching English from 2007 until 2010 in Thailand. I relive my experiences of teaching in government and private schools in the Bangkok area.
Literature Circle Group Roles for ELLs of Varying Proficiency Levels
Meaningful group roles for students of mixed English-proficiency levels.
Teaching English to an Arab Beginner
My experience of teaching English to an Arab beginner as an ESL teacher in the making.
How to Pre-Teach Key Vocabulary to English Learners
Limited vocabulary is one of the greatest obstacles English language learners face when they read. Pre-teaching key vocabulary from text will increase their reading comprehension, boost their confidence, and equip your ELLs for success in all their academic classes.
Getting an Online TEFL Certificate Versus a Classroom TEFL Certificate
Deciding how to pursue your certification to teach English as a Second or Foreign Language
15 Strategies to Help English Learners Succeed in the Classroom
Here are effective ways to support English language learners of all ages and at all grade levels to help them succeed in the classroom.
Using technology to teach English as a Second Language
This article provides some tips explaining how to use technology to teach English as a Second Language. It can also be used as a plan for using tech to teach any subject.
5 Fun Activities for Practising Reported Speech
5 great grammar games for teaching and practising reported speech in an ESL setting. You'll also find a helpful explanation of reported speech.
ESL/EFL Lesson Plan – Colour Psychology
Can the colour red make you a better player? Does it make you more attractive? Are blue pills more effective? This intriguing lesson plan will appeal to intermediate, upper and advanced levels.
EFL/ESOL Teachers - Improve Spelling in Your Classes
Simple, easy to follow tips and ideas to help your students improve their spelling in classes. Includes strategies and suggestions for dealing with homophones,homonyms and exceptional English words.
ESL/EFL: Teaching Word Families
Learning word families can help your students gain greater understanding of the English language. Improve vocabulary, grammar and speaking and writing in the classroom using simple teaching methods.
Stress And Intonation in English—Contrastive Stress
This article attempts to explain what contrastive stress is, how this type of stress occurs and shifts in sentences, how it changes the meaning in spoken English, and it consists suggestions for English language teachers how to teach contrastive stress.
How to Correct Errors—EFL/ESL Teachers
Error correction, when done properly, helps your students learn without them losing confidence. This article includes some simple approaches to the correction of writing and speaking which will help the ESL teacher and student.
3 Great English Games for Adults!
Here are 3 more fun games and activities to play with your adult ESL group! the best part is...these games can be modified to fit all levels, teens and kids included.
Medical English Vocabulary Quiz – ESL / TEFL
40 health related questions and answers for your medical students to practice their English.
Medical Conversation Topics for ESL / EFL
90 interesting conversation topics for medical students wishing to practice English as a foreign language.
ESL Teaching Resources: Animal Idioms
Get your higher levels to practice English animal idioms with these two ESL exercises.
Food Idiom Exercises for ESL Students
Simple exercises to get your ESL/EFL students using English food idioms. Suitable for upper-intermediate and advanced levels.
Objectively Evaluating ESL and EFL Speaking Proficiency With a Rubric
Evaluating ESL speaking proficiency must be done more objectively than subjectively. After defining speaking proficiency, this hub introduces a rubric for effectively evaluating speaking proficiency.
10 Fun ESL Activities to Practice Modal Auxiliary Verbs
10 lively speaking activities to practice Modal Auxiliary Verbs.
11 Role Play Scenarios That Encourage English Students to Build a Complete Story
11 role play scenarios designed to help you encourage your students to interact more in the English classroom. The aim is to build a complete short story based on the life of a university student.
Another 10 Fun Classroom Activities to Help Students Practice Speaking English
This collection of fun games and role-play activities for English language teachers should arouse some enthusiasm after a vocabulary drill or new grammar study.
10 Fun Classroom Activities to Help Students Practice Speaking English
For English language teachers, here are some enjoyable and engaging ways to help your students get to know each other better and practice speaking with confidence in the English classroom.
15 English Idioms and Metaphors About Boundaries, Walls and Fences
The English are very keen on their boundaries, marking out their land and ownership, which has given rise to many idioms and expressions relating to fences, ditches, boundaries and walls—Good for ESL or ESOL , TESOL or even TSL .
Challenges Encountered by Learners of English as a Second Language
ESL learners always face a lot of difficulty. The reasons for this difficulty include unqualified teachers, a lack of learning, poor learning environments, etc.
25 Bird Idioms Explained to ESL Students
Idioms or idiomatic expressions are one of the hardest parts of learning a new language. This article will help you understand 25 English bird idioms.
25 Sports Idioms Explained to ESL Learners
Idioms or idiomatic expressions are perhaps one of the toughest topics for learners of English. Read on to learn 25 sports-related English idioms.
25 Clothes Idioms Explained to ESL Learners
Idiomatic expressions are words or phrases with figurative meanings. They may be confusing to English learners. Learn 25 clothing idioms below!
Exam Tips: How to Write a Story For an English Language Test
Not all English as a second language exams have the option of writing a short story, but the Cambridge First Certificate exam does, and so do some others, so it is necessary to know how to write one. Students often choose to write a story in the...
9 Essential ESL/EFL One-to One Assessment Tips
9 tips for a first lesson one to one ESL/EFL course. As a teacher you want your student to have the best start to their learning experience.
Funny American Idioms for Non-English Speakers
Idioms are a commonly used form of speech which can lead to a lot of confusion when the person is not a native speaker.
Five Reasons Dialogues Help Develop Listening and Speaking Skills
The effective use of dialogues in ESL classes has aided my students in developing listening and speaking skills. This article presents five reasons why dialogues have a place in listening and speaking.
How to Teach an English Conversation Class
Conversation classes are often unplanned and structure-less, or fall into the trap of patterned role-plays. Learn how to plan realistic and useful conversation lessons for your students.
Writing Tenses: Tense-Specific ESL Writing Prompts and Topics for Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced
Many students learning English as a foreign language struggle to use the different tenses effectively, appropriately and consistently. Here you will find exercises and writing prompts for each tense.
9 Quality Icebreakers for ESL Teachers and Students
Here are several simple, fun examples of icebreakers to help you take control of your ESL/EFL class and motivate your students.
Teaching Guidelines for English as a Second Language
English is a foreign language in India but is in high demand for higher studies and jobs. Thus, learning English has become important.
How to Teach Vocabulary by Word Associations to ESL Learners
Teaching vocabulary by word associations to ESL learners is an excellent method which I have employed in my school classes. Using this method, students can more easily comprehend and use words.