Author: Stephanie Long

Your ESL classroom is a place where control can quickly be flipped, a teacher has to stay vigilant in making sure that this balance is not disturbed too much. We have brought you many articles about what you should be doing in your ESL class, but we haven’t covered what you should not do in your ESL class. This article explores the big no no’s every teacher should be aware of.

Struggling ESL students will be something that every teacher faces, and it is important that you help them in the right way. If you are lucky enough to have an ESL class that is all at the same level, enjoy it!

Filler activities are essential and every good ESL teacher has a handful (or more!) of simple, no-set-up filler activities for when a lesson finishes super early. But sometimes you don’t have ten or fifteen minutes – or even five! – to go into a more elaborate activity.

Your ESL class should always have a daily routine to follow to allow some structure. We all need routines throughout our days. They keep us focused, keep us productive, and help us know what to expect.

Correcting your ESL students is necessary, but overdoing it isn’t always the right way to go. Of course, we all want our students’ English to improve. And if your instinct is like most teachers, it feels natural to help them improve by correcting every little mistake they make. After all, if you let them go on pronouncing their words wrong or mixing up their tenses, how will they ever get it right?

Teaching advanced ESL students can at times be intimidating – if your students are already holding complex conversations and have a strong grasp of grammar and a large vocabulary, what do they need a teacher for?

ESL creative writing projects are a fun way to get kids interested in writing. Writing is one of those things that kids either seem to love or hate. And those that hate it always greet writing assignments with a groan and endless complaints.

Montessori schools are fast becoming a popular educational system for parents to put their children through. In my last article, I briefly covered what exactly Montessori means and what a Montessori classroom looks like.