Tag: ESL resources

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.

Montessori schools can be found in many parts of the world. During my time in Taiwan, I remember coming across the occasional school with Montessori proudly displayed on its sign. Toward the end of my four years of teaching ESL, at a time when I was feeling somewhat frustrated with the typical education system that focused entirely on desk work and test scores, my curiosity about Montessori was piqued.

Playtime in the classroom is a really useful tool for making difficult concepts in English more accessible to students. Whether you are young or old, everybody likes to play sometimes. Students love to play games in the classroom and a lot of lessons highly encourage the use of activities to learn a new language.

As a teacher you want to showcase your students’ talents and as a new school year is beginning, it’s important to think ahead about what goals you want your students to achieve. Of course, we all want our students to become more fluent in the English language by memorizing vocabulary, grammar structures, and sentence patterns. But how do you showcase how your lessons have practical uses?

The co-teaching relationship between you and your co-teacher, or better yet, the chemistry, is the chief element that can dictate success or failure in the classroom. Sounds a bit harsh, or too rigid, too black and white, though, doesn’t it?

Delivering inspirational lessons is what a teacher should always strive to achieve. Being a teacher is about more than just giving lessons, enforcing rules, and grading tests. It’s also about being an example, a role model, and an inspiration.

Having confidence in the classroom is essential to a well working class. Whether you are a first-time teacher or a seasoned veteran, beginning a new year with new classes can be a little nerve-wracking.

Having backup activities can be a real lifesaver in the classroom. As a newer teacher, it was always a great fear to have time left over in a lesson. I had begun teaching a brand new class of students with no previous English experience in the summer.