Esl Teaching Methods And Strategies

  Here's an idea for teaching the present perfect continuous tense. However in this activity what the students will be doing, is comparing and contrasting this tense with the present perfect tense. This is something that a teacher will want to do after they've explored both tenses and because both tenses are quite confusing, we'll ask the students to compare and contrast the two, making sure that they can tell the difference. In this activity, the teacher will have cut out each individual card. The teacher will distribute the cards to the students and after a minute has gone by, the teacher will then ask the students to fold their cards over and get into a pair. One student in the pair will then present a certain result and ask the student to form the question. Here, with the...  [Read more]

Anyone who has ever had to stand up in front of a group of people to give a speech knows it can be a daunting task. When we are nervous, our bodies conspire against us, leaving us with such physical symptoms as sweating and shaking, not to mention amnesia and a general feeling of dread. However, there are some tips you can follow to make public-speaking easier and to have it feel like second nature.First, we'll look at ways to build self-confidence outside of the classroom. Then, we'll look at methods teachers of English as a second language (ESL) can use to build their confidence while teaching. One of the easiest ways to overcome shyness is to feel good about yourself by repeating a personal mantra such as 'I feel terrific' into the mirror as you wake each day. (John...  [Read more]

Anyone who has ever had to stand up in front of a group of people to give a speech knows it can be a daunting task. When we are nervous, our bodies conspire against us, leaving us with such physical symptoms as sweating and shaking, not to mention amnesia and a general feeling of dread. However, there are some tips you can follow to make public-speaking easier and to have it feel like second nature. First, we?ll look at ways to build self-confidence outside of the classroom. Then, we?ll look at methods teachers of English as a second language (ESL) can use to build their confidence while teaching. One of the easiest ways to overcome shyness is to feel good about yourself by repeating a personal mantra such as ?I feel terrific? into the mirror as you wake each day....  [Read more]

According to research conducted by Grant Miller and Tracy Hall, '' classroom order encourages student engagement, which supports learning' (Miller para. 1). In many articles and studies that are readily available, the popular perspective seems to be that classroom order must happen before learning can happen; order must be present for student engagement to be present. It is common to employ traditional classroom management techniques based on the creation of order: threat or promise of reward. Order, it is perceived, creates an environment where students are engaged. Perhaps that idea is slightly backwards. Perhaps it is not order that leads to engagement, but engagement that leads to order. Teaching to multiple intelligences engages more students. More students engaged...  [Read more]

To the young ESL teacher, seven-year-old Bobby seems inattentive and unmotivated. He cannot sit at his desk for five seconds and absolutely refuses to follow the logical, sequential steps she lays out for each assignment. She has tried lots of ideas to make her lessons more interesting, however, what she does not realize is that Bobby is an abstract random learner in a concrete sequential classroom. In other words, the teacher does not understand the way that Bobby takes in and processes information. There are at least four major learning styles and a number of other components that influence human learning ability. It follows then, that if teachers can understand and accommodate for a variety of learning styles, they can increase productivity of learning time. ...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in China is for the most part pleasant and exciting. Students are eager to learn. However, one of the frustrations ESL teachers often complain about is that students seem to make the same mistakes repetitively. Learners will often transfer the rules of their first language to express something in their second language. This transference happens when they have insufficient knowledge of the rules of the second language. In China, students fall back on the rules of their first language (Mandarin) when they do not know the rules of the second language (English). The result is a poor form of English, informally referred to as "Chinglish". The errors that occur are also called language interference errors. These errors affect...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in China is for the most part pleasant and exciting. Students are eager to learn. However, one of the frustrations ESL teachers often complain about is that students seem to make the same mistakes repetitively. Learners will often transfer the rules of their first language to express something in their second language. This transference happens when they have insufficient knowledge of the rules of the second language. In China, students fall back on the rules of their first language (Mandarin) when they do not know the rules of the second language (English). The result is a poor form of English, informally referred to as "Chinglish". The errors that occur are also called language interference errors. These...  [Read more]

It would be nice to think that an ESL teacher could enter the classroom with a friendly smile, the appropriate warmer and a well- planned lesson, and the result would be a room full of students progressing continually in their language skills. However, with a task as great as learning English as a second language, the experience is rarely that easy. Learning English has its’ own unique difficulties, and it profits the ESL teacher most if these challenges are explored and prepared for before entering the classroom. One such challenge is students with learning disabilities; when it is believed that a student has a learning disability, teachers must consider diagnosis and appropriate teaching methods.It can be hard to make the decision to evaluate students for a learning...  [Read more]

What does TEFL mean?    The acronym TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It is commonly used to refer to training courses that almost anyone can take to learn the skills and knowledge required to teach English to non-native speakers in countries all over the world. What is the difference between TESOL and TEFL?    TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. These descriptions are generally used interchangeably, however, TESOL is more common in the USA and TEFL is more common in the UK. Do I need a TEFL certificate to teach abroad?    Although it is possible to teach abroad without a TEFL certificate, we recommended that you complete a TEFL...  [Read more]