Tag: ESL classroom

Every teacher has, at some point in their career, experienced that deer-in-the-headlights moment when you realize that you’re completely out of lesson material with twenty minutes left in class. For those of us who aren’t improvisational geniuses, having a solid repertoire of “filler” activities is crucial for those moments.

Because classroom management is such a complicated balancing act between being fun and nice, and being strict enough to give kids the structure they need, many teachers find that it’s one of the hardest aspects of teaching to master.

We all know those teachers who are absolutely loved by everyone. As soon as they walk into class, the kids light up. Other teachers regularly turn to them for advice. Their students always seem to be ahead of the curve, and they just seem happy to step into the classroom every day. What exactly is it that they’re doing that works so well?

Just about everyone is shy sometimes. Especially in a new classroom, with a new teacher, a lot of kids need time to break the ice and get comfortable speaking up.

Grammar probably ranked pretty high on your list of least favorite subjects as a student. As a teacher, it can seem just as boring. When it comes to teaching ESL, though, you’re going to be spending a lot of time getting very familiar with the minute points of grammar, and then figuring out how to communicate those to your students.

Whether you are a brand new teacher or have been in front of the classroom for years, the first day of a new class is crucial. It’s important to put in some thought and planning to start a new class off on the right foot. Avoid these five mistakes not to make on your first day of class and your school year will be off to a great start.

Teaching ESL abroad can bring you many different experiences, especially in the classroom. In general teaching is split into teaching with Adults (18+), kindergarten (0-6) or in between, generally around 6-17 years old. There are crossovers with the groups, some positions will have you teaching a mix, and what some countries consider kindergarten age will differ.

Getting your students to give creative responses to questions can feel like pulling teeth. Even the shiest, quietest kid sitting in the back of the classroom has it within them to come up with unique insights and mind-blowing ideas. So why don’t they? Why does it feel like such a battle getting your students to do something as simple as make up a couple of sentences in a story?