Teacher Tips for Newbies

👨‍🏫 Often, when I observe an ESL class, I watch a teacher explain a grammar point or an exercise for students to try. After they have finished speaking, the teacher asks the students the following question….. “Do you understand?” The teacher is then met by a sea of nodding heads, and is satisfied that the […]

👨🏽‍🏫 The use of English nicknames in the ESL classroom is pretty common for younger students. In multilingual classrooms, too, the wide variety of names can be tricky to pronounce and remember. English nicknames can lower barriers, but they can also feel like erasing cultural identity if handled clumsily, and teacher forums often feature debates

How to Correct Students in the ESL Classroom 👨🏻‍🏫 It is essential, when teaching language, to know when and how to correct your students. Do too much, and you risk discouraging them. Do too little, and mistakes fossilize. The key is balance and tailoring your approach to your students’ ages and developmental levels. In this

👩🏿‍🏫In an ESL classroom, it is essential to consider the seating layout. The ESL classroom should be an environment where the teacher can easily interact with the students and, when needed, the students can interact with each other. In some cases, the class layout is out of your control. The desks are bolted to the

👩🏾‍🏫Most ESL teachers will have had the experience of teaching in some rather sterile classrooms. A board, some desks, some chairs, and that’s about it. Sometimes it seems ESL classrooms are designed to be uninspiring. Perhaps the school principal wants to keep the classroom simple so that the students can focus on their studies. Who

“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language,” Dale Carnegie 👨🏽‍🏫I have a co-teacher who consistently scores the highest teacher evaluation markings from students in our school. Without doubt, she is a conscientious teacher, but there are other great teachers in our department too (cough

Butterflies, Blank Stares, and Brilliant Moments 👨🏼‍🏫Ah, your first day of teaching English as a Second Language.It’s a bit like your first day at school… except now you’re the one holding the whiteboard marker, everyone’s looking at you, and you’re expected to know what you’re doing. Whether you’re teaching in your own country or somewhere

👨🏻‍🏫I’ve been an English teacher now for over twenty years. So, you might have me down as one of those crusty old-timers who always have a few ESL teacher tips for newbies (wanted or not), and you’d be absolutely right!😁 So here are a few nuggets of advice I can offer to new ESL teachers