Teaching tips - EFL Ideas

Do You Want to Learn ESL? You’re on the Right Track; Find Out Why

Introduction

English is, in most cases, known as a worldwide language. The main reason behind this is that it’s the most commonly spoken language globally. More than 1.55 billion people globally speak English, either as their native or second language.

Additionally, it’s the official language of more than 100 states. Due to all these reasons, English has become the international business language. It’s used in all industries, including:

Technology
Science
Education
Law
Communication
Manufacturing, and more.

When you think about the effect of English on multiple industries, you will understand why most people are searching for this term; “the best ESL Tutor near me.” From enhancing career opportunities to enabling clear communication among people with different language backgrounds, learning English as a second language offers numerous benefits, which include the following.

ESL is Useful in Everyday Life

Your location doesn’t matter. English skills will only increasingly become crucial in everyday life. Whether you want to purchase groceries, navigate a huge city using a map, find the right train or bus stop, or get a prescription at a pharmacy near you, English will help you significantly.

Due to technology, you can communicate with people both far and near you. With a good English trainer, you can significantly enhance your speech, writing, and reading, making you a more valuable employer or employee.

English is the Language of Business

The world doesn’t have a language. However, English is one of the common communication forms used globally. Learning English as your second language can significantly enhance your learning potential.

It’s true that the future of business lies in a worldwide economy, and an increasing number of businesses currently requires workers to communicate in English.

The latest trend is to conduct every business in English since the economy spreads from local to global. So traders and consumers must find a perfect way to communicate, and that is none other than English.

Enjoy Travel Experiences

If you learn English as a second language, you provide yourself with the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world, allowing you to interact with other people as you learn about different cultures.

This will not only stretch your cultural awareness but also provide you with the opportunity to access many memorable travel experiences that you mightn’t have.

You will discover more about everything that makes your culture unique. Also, you’ll find some possible similarities in other states.

People who travel a lot acquire plenty of skills and knowledge, making their perspective unique. Don’t miss the great opportunity to travel around the world and experience new cultures.

Significantly Boost Your Confidence

The initial stages of learning English as a second language may pose a great challenge, just like any other course you may enroll in. But once you master the language, you’ll speak it boldly.

When learning anything, you should be ready to make mistakes. These mistakes are like a ladder to the next level. As you advance, you’ll want to avoid them completely, and this is where perfection comes in.

Practicing and being ready to take risks until you improve is key. You should always be appreciative of trying, even when you make mistakes. You will establish confidence in your new language-speaking abilities. Also, you’ll face anyone you meet with a lot of confidence since you can speak a language they understand.

By taking risks, practicing, and showing your body and mind that there aren’t massive consequences, you will feel more confident in handling all of your fears as well as taking risks so that you can easily accomplish your goals.

You’ll Not Get Lost in Translation

English is quickly becoming a vital tool for media consumption. The majority of online resources are available in English, which means learning and understanding the language provides you with the opportunity to participate in online:

Communities
Discussions
Forums

This is another perfect way to enhance your English skills, and you’ll no longer rely on subtitles and translations to enjoy your favorite films, TV shows, songs, books, and more.

Most translations usually lose their initial meaning. Reading or watching an untranslated version can help you quickly understand the initial intent of the content creator.

Learning ESL is a Great Exercise for Your Brain

Scientists have already proven it! Learning ESL can enhance your brain power significantly. This has numerous cognitive benefits, including;

Better problem-solving skills
Increased creativity
Sharper memory

Bilinguals not only have an excellent understanding of global cultures, but they can quickly and easily grasp complex concepts. Also, these individuals fare excellently with executive function.

These are brains that help people plan and solve issues. As bilinguals attain higher bilingualism degrees, they tend to become more resistant to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia symptoms.

Final Thoughts

Learning English might be a long journey. However, it’s well worth it. Learning English as a second language can allow you to:

Travel to new places
Advance your career
Make new friends, and more.

With the right training platform and trainer, you can be sure to learn English as a second language quickly, easily, and without a huge price tag.

Discover TEFL Lesson Plans: TEFLLessons.com’s Exceptional Teaching Resources

Ever seen confetti on a link? Well, not literally, but some links here might have a festive affiliate twist. If you click and end up at an amazing destination, it’s like a mini-party for both of us – you find cool stuff, and we get a little confetti shower too.

Hey there, fellow educators! So, I stumbled upon TEFLlessons.com – a website that is a treasure trove of TEFL lesson plans- not too long ago and as someone who’s passionate about teaching and always on the lookout for top-notch resources, I dove into their offerings with genuine excitement.

This website is all about backing up teachers like us. Founded by two experienced educators with nearly 30 years of combined teaching under their belts, they get the teacher life.

They get that prepping killer TEFL lesson plans can be stressful and time-sucking. That’s why they’re all about supporting us with top-quality resources that cut the stress and save time. Their lessons come with everything you need – teacher’s notes, answer keys, and even pronunciation guides. It’s like they’ve thought of everything.

And guess what? Their website is packed with all kinds of teaching goodies –TEFL lesson plans, activities, games, and worksheets. All designed to help us create lessons that light up our students’ faces. They’re constantly updating too, so there’s always something new to discover.

Getting Hooked on the Free Stuff:

Okay, let’s talk about their free resources. They’ve got this cool collection of stuff that’s like a treasure chest for teachers. I’m talking interactive activities, ready-to-roll lesson plans – you name it. I’ve sneaked some of these into my classes and trust me, the kids are loving it. It’s like a secret weapon for keeping them all jazzed up.

Diving into the 6-Month Membership:

The 6-month membership offers a burst of new content every time you log in. The lesson plans fit seamlessly into your teaching style, as if they were tailor-made for your classroom. It’s like having a toolkit of puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together to create engaging lessons.

Going the Distance with the 12-Month Access:

If you’re ready to commit to a longer teaching journey, the 12-month access membership is your trusty companion. Their impressive range of materials covers a multitude of topics and teaching styles, ensuring you never hit a teaching rut again.

Give a Nod to the School Package:

Oh, and listen to this – they’ve got this school package thing. If your school is all about teaching awesomeness, you’re in for a treat. It’s like they’re handing out goodie bags to all the teachers. And let’s be real, having the whole gang on the same page when it comes to teaching is a total win.

Bottom line, this TEFLlessons.com discovery has been like stumbling upon a goldmine. It’s not just about resources; it’s about having a buddy who totally gets the teacher life. So if you’re up for injecting some oomph into your lessons, give TEFLlessons.com a whirl. Let’s make teaching as fun as it should be, shall we?

Plus, get this – you can snag 20% off your first membership with their coupon code: INTRO20. I mean, who doesn’t love a good deal?

Check out the memberships below!

Other resources:

15 Back to School Activities: Icebreakers, Warm-ups, and Energizers

End of Year Activities and Games : No-prep, Easy to Print

10 No-Prep and Low-Prep Fun ESL Christmas Activities

Best English Games to Play in Your ESL Classroom

More Role-play Ideas for English Classroom

50 ESL Conversation Questions for Teens and Adults

10 Rules To Help You Become a Better Teacher

How can you be a better teacher?

When I say better teacher I don’t mean the horrible CPD workshops every teacher experienced. Did you shudder? I’m sure you did.

Rebecca Allen writes about the bad CPD here.

She asked teachers on Twitter about their worst CPD and got some interesting answers:

A day on packtypes. We all answered questions about ourselves and others to find out what dog we were.
The we made bunting to go around school to show our packtypes. I have since read the research behind it but the watered down approach did not communicate anything useful
— Mrs Cadman (@Y6Mrs) October 20, 2018

It was something to do with animals represening different types of learners. The CPD was ten minutes and we were then given a week’s dedline to ’embed the animals in schemes of learning’.
— Deborah Hawkins. (@debbs_198) October 20, 2018

In groups, we had to spend an hour making a 2 minute, creative video about one of the schools values. It was shown to the other staff on the day, but no discernable purpose – even when I asked.
— Stuart Garner (@SJGarner76) October 20, 2018

When I say better teacher I mean real-life based, simple, common sense rules, which seem so obvious , yet we often forget about them.

It’s simple – we can be better teachers, when we are better humans.

We often forget to be better humans because we’re too busy, we have plans to follow, homework to check, tests to prepare, not enough time, not enough energy.

In the rush of the day, we forget how to be better teachers.

Here are 10 rules that will help you realize what you already know.

To be a better teacher, you must grow as a person.

1. Lose the ego

This is not about you. Your role is to be as invisible as possible.

It’s not about being liked by your students, or their parents, or even your boss. Its about giving your students as much as you can, but you have to understand, you are giving what isn’t yours.

You are not the best teacher in the world, or even at your school, and you don’t have to be.

You have nothing to prove, only students to teach.

2. Don’t be afraid to apologize

Teachers often worry that they have to be correct all the time, that they have to know everything, answer every curious question and it can be extremely stressful.

Some teachers never realize that they are wrong and insist, and insist, discouraging students and losing their trust and respect.

There is nothing wrong with being wrong. Admit it and learn from it.

Students appreciate honest teachers.

3. Don’t take it personally

Children can be mean. And some of them are mean to teachers. Small kids or teenagers, they sometimes direct their anger or personal issues towards their teachers.

Whatever they do, whatever they say, however it might hurt, don’t take it personally, don’t hold a grudge, don’t write that kid off. You don’t know their home situation, their anxieties, life experience.

Teachers are in a position of power and should be careful about not misusing that. Be a role-model in the way you handle the situation, turn it into a teaching moment.

4. Earn respect, don’t demand it

Let me repeat myself. In the classroom, you are in the position of power.

If you force your authority on your students, if you look down on them, humiliate them, you are never going to earn their respect.

Fear is not respect.

True respect grows organically and for it to happen you need to:

1. Listen and act on the feedback you get

2. Show respect to your students

2. Show your vulnerability

5. Be patient

Patience is one of the most important qualities of a great teacher. You will be explaining the same concepts over and over again.

Students will be distracted, they’ll be asking the same questions again and again. It’ll get frustrating, monotonous and boring.

Every now and then, if you are patient enough, something magical will happen.

They will learn.

6. Listen more, speak less

Imagine the teacher talking for the whole duration of the lesson and students frantically writing down every word – sound silly, right?

That was my childhood. Even at the university, this is how most of the lectures were taught.

Tragically, this is how many teachers are still teaching these days.

Let the students speak. Let them discuss, share ideas, explore and make mistakes.

Don’t talk so much, guide them.

7. Don’t badmouth your students

Teachers complain about students, and that’s normal. It’s a stressful job and it’s a way to decompress.

Sometimes teachers discuss their students when they need help or advice and that’s also fine.

What you should never do, is to gossip about your students’ personal issues, mistakes or embarrassing situations with colleagues.

I’ve had a colleague who loved complaining about her students at lunch. She was a very negative person who found a perverse pleasure in belittling her students. She compared them to their older siblings she used to teach, criticized the way they dressed, talked and behaved.

They were never good enough for her.

Don’t be that teacher.

8. Don’t judge

People judge other people constantly. It’s our nature.

We judge others based on the way they look and talk, we judge them based on their jobs, skin color, religion, etc. It’s a primal instinct, they way our brain is wired.

In education, it’s very important to realize that our judgmental brain hinders us from seeing the potential in our students.

Every student has their own path to success.

9. Don’t be afraid to improvise

Planning your lessons is important. Following those plans not that much.

Even the most well-planned lesson will fail sometimes. You’ll need to adjust, change the pace, improvise.

Planing helps you to to prepare for the ideal lesson, experience helps you to prepare for the real one.

The only way to gain experience is by trial and error. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them.

10. Have fun

Teaching is a stressful job, even more so among Covid-19 pandemic. It’s the little things that can help us cope. A cup of coffee in the morning, a walk in the afternoon or a good book in the evening.

People perform better when they like what they do and students remember more when they are relaxed. If you have fun at work, you’ll like it more and when your students have fun while learning, they’ll enjoy it more.

Every time we’re interested and engaged in a subject, our brains get a shot of dopamine. The feelings of pleasure that follow make us want to keep learning, exploring and pushing ourselves to find out more.

One of the best things about teaching is the fun you can have with your students.

Have fun at work, it’s important.

Let your students speak:

Balderdash: ESL Speaking Game

Unfinished Sentences ESL Speaking Activity

ESL Speaking Activity: Conversation Cards

ESL Speaking Activity: Conditional Discussion Questions

ESL/EFL Speaking Activity: Role Play Debate

ESL Vocabulary Activity Based on Taboo: Food

No-Prep ESL Picture Description Speaking Activity

No-Prep ESL Picture Description: A Quick Tip

I often use various picture prompts for discussions, simple photo descriptions, storytelling, short warm-ups, fillers.

I used these two quite recently when discussing fashion. You can either have the students compare the photos or to create a short story for each of them.

OTHER SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

ESL Conversation Lesson: Game Of Thrones And Traveling

How Can We Volunteer While On Holiday. ESL Group Work: Volunteer Holidays.

ESL Speaking Activity: Conversation Cards

ESL Picture Storytelling Activity

ESL Communication Activity: Science Role Plays

CHECK OUT OUR COMMUNICATIVE RESOURCES

10 Websites To Make Your Lessons More Engaging And Fun

This is a list of my 10 favorite fun ESL/EFL websites which I regularly use when I want to spice things up a bit in the classroom, reward my students or give them some relax time.

These are all great for learning vocabulary, revising, they can be used in various projects, to promote reading, cooperation, creativity. There are soooo many things you can do with these sites, just use your creativity or get inspired by my tips.

1. Kahoot

With Kahoot, you can create various quizzes and games and if you’re in a bit of a hurry you can use its extensive library of quizzes. It has a number of quizzes on various vocabulary topics, grammar and many interesting topics such as history, geography, pop culture, trivia.
My tip: Have your students sign up at Kahoot and create their own quiz. You can assign them a topic based on what you’re currently studying in the class or let them choose their own topic. They love creating their own quizzes, especially those with insider jokes.

2. Baamboozle

I use this site mostly with my younger learners as it doesn’t have many higher level grammar or vocabulary quizzes.
My tip: put your students in teams (max number of teams is 4), choose a quiz and let them play the Classic mode with the power up, it’s much more fun!

3. Jeopardylabs

Everybody knows Jeopardy. So far, I was able to find any grammar or vocabulary revision quiz I needed. Lots of quizzes on many topics, but beware as the quality varies. You can create your own Jeopardy quiz and you can also assign your students a topic and let them create their own quiz to test their classmates’ knowledge.

4. Smartypins

This is a fun little Google game which can be used as a warmer, filler or a 5 minute activity when teaching travel, culture, etc.

5. Geoguessr

This is a similar site to now nonexistent Locate street (which I liked better). It uses Google Street View to drop you anywhere on the planet and you must guess your location based on vegetation, signs, people. It’s a funny way to teach the students about interesting and remote places. I sometimes use it as a reward, the kids love it. Tell them to sign up, it’s free and they will avoid the annoying pop up.

6. Merriam-Webster

I didn’t expect a dictionary website to be this entertaining. There are games, quizzes, videos. They are educational and fun and I love them.
My top picks: Name That Thing, there is also the Animal Edition of the game. You have 10 seconds to answer each question, 12 pictures and a lot of fun!
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary is also fun and you can repeat after a couple of months to see if your students’s vocabulary has improved.
Another game is a challenging puzzle which is described as “anagram puzzles meet word search.” This one can also be downloaded to mobile phone.

7. Etymonline

How often do you explain the etymology of the vocabulary you are teaching? I do it quite often as many English words come from Latin, Greek, French and it’s easier for the students to remember the words when they see how similar the words can be to words in their own language(this applies to European languages).

8. 5 Minute Mystery

As the name suggests, this site offers short, five-minute mysteries. Students have to sign up, it’s free and quick and then they can start sleuthing. Great activity for painless reading practice.

9. The Game Gal

Here you can find plenty of simple, family-friendly games. I mostly use the Word Generator for charades, pictionary and other games. The great thing is I only need my laptop and I project the words on the whiteboard, so the students don’t need computers.

10. Scrabble Sprint

Scrabble needs no introduction, so I’ll only say that this one’s fast.

Recently I posted another article about fun and useful ESL/EFL websites and it got a lot of hits. You can read it here:

My 10 Favourite ESL/EFL Resource Websites.

Check out our communicative resources.

Useful Classroom Tip: Vocabulary Revision

Whether you teach large classes or small groups, revising vocabulary in a quick and simple way is always useful, especially when its all done by the students – all you have to do is to give them instructions, circle and monitor.

1. Put the students in groups of four ( I like to use Random Team Generator for this).

2. Give each group 40 (the amount depends on the level of the students, the time you have for this activity, etc.) small slips of paper ( 1 A4 page makes 16 slips of paper of the optimal size)

3. Each student will write an item of vocabulary that was covered in the previous lesson/lessons. The group has to cooperate so there is no duplicate vocabulary.

4. When they finish, groups swap the pile of cards they made so they get a different set of cards,

5. In their groups, they take turns and draw a card from the vocabulary pile and explain the word to the rest of the group. The person who first guessed the word keeps that card. The winner is the person with the most cards.

Other resources and activities:

Fun Vocabulary Posters For ESL/EFL Students

ESL Game Compound Nouns Dominoes: Town and Countryside

ESL Speaking Activity Worksheet: Business Plan

ESL Pair Work Activity: Teenager Issues

No-prep Speaking Activity: Warmer And Filler For ESL Classes

This is a quick no-prep activity that can be used as an ice breaker or a regular activity.

Students usually like to talk about themselves and maybe boast a little so this activity is quite popular.

At the beginning of the lesson, ask them to pull out their mobile phones and tell them to browse their image gallery for a picture they wouldn’t mind showing to their classmates. It should be a photo taken by them and it can be anything as long as it is appropriate.

When they are ready, put them in pairs or groups of four and tell them they will be describing their classmate’s photos and deducing as much information they can from the pictures. At the end, the student who took the photo will explain the photo to their classmates.