ESL Teaching Methods and Tips

Mar 2, 2011
Christopher Ciolli

Teaching ESL can be a rewarding professional experience. Help your students learn English faster and better with well-organized, fun and flexible lessons.

Teaching English as a second language can be a fun and rewarding professional experience. But to teach second-language learners English successfully, you will need to identify your students' level and language needs, organize a curriculum addressing those requirements, and follow through with flexibility, modifying your curriculum and your teaching methodology as needed. Make sure to teach with passion and a strong dose of fun. If you're not enthused by your subject matter, your students won't be either.

Useful Tools for the ESL Classroom

playing cards
board games
pencils
pens
paper
projector
laptop computer
CD boombox
blackboard
chalk
art supplies
bilingual dictionaries
English dictionary

Evaluating the Level and Needs of Your ESL Students

Break the ice with a conversation activity. Divide the students into pairs or small groups and have them answer questions about themselves as you walk around the room, evaluating the class as a whole's level of spoken English. Smile, be friendly and answer any questions students may have about how to say something in English.

Evaluate students' written level of English with a grammar and vocabulary test the first day of class. Assure the students that the test is not for a grade; it's just to help you decide what material you need to cover during the course and what areas they may need to review or reinforce. Request that students write down the reasons they are studying English and what kind of vocabulary and speech they are most interested in. Go over the students' written tests, your notes about their spoken ability, and their reasons for taking the course to decide where students' strengths and weaknesses lie and what vocabulary and grammar will be most useful to the members of the class.

Planning Your ESL Course

Write down all the vocabulary and grammar you plan to cover in the course. Consider your students' levels and needs, and the length of the course. Divide the grammar and vocabulary into related "units." For example, daily and habitual activities and the present tense could be a unit. Organize your class into short sections whenever you can. Switch activities often to keep students' interest. Grammar and vocabulary should be the main sections, but every class should include conversation, listening, and hands-on activities that reinforce the grammar and vocabulary to be taught in the unit.

Teaching Your ESL Course

Start classes with a review of the material covered in the prior class. Introduce the unit vocabulary with a related ice-breaker. Teach the vocabulary for the unit, and reinforce it later in the class with a game like Pictionary. Teach the unit grammar, prepare written exercises and a conversation exercise that incorporates both the grammar and vocabulary. Include audio, visual and kinesthetic activities in every class. Incorporate songs related to the unit vocabulary or that use unit grammar to help students remember what they've learned. Depending on the age and interests of your class, incorporating arts and crafts, or cooking activities occasionally could spice up classes.

Extra ESL Tips

Make an extra effort to communicate with your students. Second language learners can be shy and sometimes don't know how to communicate their needs in English.

Be flexible and adjust your coursework and teaching style to the needs of your second language learners.

Teach students about traditions, holidays and expressions in English-speaking cultures.

Be patient and open-minded. People of different cultures have different norms of behavior and different learning styles.

Be perceptive. Perceiving your students' confusion or understanding of a subject is half the battle, as many times students don't feel comfortable sharing their questions or doubts about grammar or vocabulary with you.

Keep multiple bilingual dictionaries on hand depending on your students' first languages.

Have extra pencil and paper on hand for students that do not bring their own.

Make use of technology and multi-media. Use short films, music and PowerPoint presentations to keep your class interesting.

Encourage your students to practice their English by chatting in English online, watching television in English, and reading in English. Students can even set up their cell phones, iPods and computers in English for extra practice.

Have a variety of board games and card games with instructions in English on hand. This can be a nice break for students and is a great opportunity for them to practice following instructions in English.

With students that show an interest, cooking, crafts and sports activities can be a great way to get students kinesthetic practice in English. Some students will remember vocabulary and grammar more easily when they are using it to physically do things.

Do field trips to practical places reinforce vocabulary learned in class (reference 5).

Help higher level students acquire language exchange partners. Pair them up with a native speaker of English that wants to learn their native language.

Give students a list of online and print resources for learning English at the beginning of the course and instructions on how to keep a vocabulary notebook.

A Few Words of Warning for the ESL Teacher

Do not expect all students to have the same level. Try to teach at a level appropriate for the majority of the class and offer extra help for lower level students and enrichment activities for advanced students.

Speak slowly and clearly, but don't artificially enunciate your speech all the time. Be sure to do listenings in class so that students will begin to understand speakers with accents distinct from yours.