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The ESA methodology is one of the most used English Language Teaching methods. Introduced by Jeremy Harmer, the method is renowned because it retains student`s motivation, dedication and interest, and also allows the teacher to manage the classroom with flexibility in a well ordered and effective way. ESA is especially suitable for new teachers and trainees. Engage is the first phase and this is the sequence when the teacher will try to inspire the students, get their attention and engagement during the lesson. When students feel interested and amused, they will consider the lesson more appealing and fun, which can lead for a better understanding. This phase should be considered a ´warmer´ and it has the use of materials and activities related to the lesson such as games, music, pictures, stories, etc. The purpose is to warm up and get the students prepared for the next phase. The second phase is the Study part of the lesson, when students concentrate on the language presented and how it is constructed. Elicitation is normally the first part. The teacher should elicit plenty of information from the students and work on the board. Following, the teacher should present the language point and exercises like drilling. After the presentation, the students must dedicate to exercises, usually worksheets, to check their comprehension and emphasize the key points. The Study phase can include numerous activities and worksheets and the students must be focussed on the construction of language. Activate is the third phase, this is when the students are lead to use the language they learned openly and communicatively. The teacher should allow the students to focus most on fluency than accuracy with no restrictions of language usage. Normally, the activities are role-plays, communication games, debates, story writing, etc. Furthermore, to provide a balanced range of activities for the students, all ESA phases need to be present in almost lessons. During some lessons, it may be necessary to focus more on one phase, however all stages should be always included when possible. The Straight Arrow lesson is the sequence using the regular ESA order (Engage, Study and Activate). However, the teacher can vary the order to have more flexibility according to the content of the lesson. Straight Arrow lesson can be used in most situations and it is effective, but in some cases it may not be the ideal for more complex language or if used frequently it can become predictable and bore the students. Therefore, sometimes the teacher can choose a different sequence of the lessons like Boomerang ESA lesson and Patchwork ESA lesson. Although still using the ESA lessons, the Boomerang sequence presents more possiblities. It can be used the order Engage, Activate 1, Study, Activate 2. It is important the teacher understands what questions the students might have during the stages for a better comprehension of the lesson. The Patchwork ESA lesson have mini-sequences builiding to a whole, it allows some flexibility and gives a good balance between study and activation. Provided that the lesson begins with an Engage phase and ends with an Activate phase, the Patchwork lesson can have as much phases among the first and last stages. This kind of lessons should not be considered for classes of less than an hour. Concluding, the ESA methodology is considered unquestionably effective and positively logical, thus is appreciated for students and teachers.
