No matter how busy you may become with your teaching responsibilities, there are plenty of excellent resources to make use of... at the click of a button! Although the Internet offers a rich and abundant collection of teaching materials, it may initially seem overwhelming to find reputable websites, or figure out even how to find the relevant materials.
Over the past few years, I have found many gems in the arena of valuable teaching resources and would like to share one in this post: esl.about.com.
If you are looking for exciting variety in teaching a wide range of ESL classes, including conversation and/or pronunciation classes, Kenneth Beare offers lesson plans that are perfectly suited for the busy teacher. The lesson plans are organized as follows: introduction to the activity, step-by-step teaching guidelines, and printable student worksheets (to effectively supplement the lesson). The best part about a good majority of Mr. Beare's lesson plans is that they are adaptable to all levels of ESL: beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. While beginning students may need the most emphasis on vocabulary knowledge and repetition of English dialogue patterns, advanced students can create their own dialogues using the lesson content.
If you happen to think of a unique vocabulary activity that you would like to share with other educators, you can easily submit your response here... and see your work get published online!
These teaching materials are freely accessible and can be easily adapted to best fit the needs of your students. Whether you are looking for conversation, reading, or writing activities, esl.about.com is bound to get your creative ideas rolling.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sometimes Less is More
One thing that I have realized about teaching English to lower level students is that less is more. It is wishful thinking to expect college age exchange students to learn and remember all the vocabulary and grammar structures in a short amount of time - living in the Bay Area with so much to explore, who has time to study?! Attention span is one thing, the right motivation is another. Rather than bombarding them with lists of vocabulary words to remember and too much homework where nothing seeps in, much like tossing them into a lion's den (figuratively speaking), it can empower students when they begin to remember/memorize the definitions of just a few words in real-life authentic contexts. Tailoring to the realistic expectations of your students, no matter how little it may seem, can boost your students' confidence and motivation levels to use what they are learning in useful contexts.
Sometimes less is more, especially in the language classroom.
Sometimes less is more, especially in the language classroom.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Getting Organized
You may have just finished an intensive teacher training program, and are now getting ready to teach the first ESL classes of your career. This is definitely an exciting time, but possibly quite overwhelming as well. Being a teacher entails not only teaching a class, but also lesson planning, creating supplemental curriculum, helping students during office hours, answering emails, and grading homework, tests, and other assignments. Perhaps the most important skill to develop during your early teaching years is organization.
Here are some ideas to keep things organized:
Teaching Portfolio. Create a personalized portfolio of the handouts you distribute to your students. A basic 3-ring folder will do the trick. I really like using plastic sheet protectors for some documents that you will photocopy the most, instead of punching holes into the original copies.
Lesson Plans. Plan out the number of minutes for each part of your lessons. How many minutes do you expect to take attendance? Give explanations? Assign class work for the students?
Observations. After each class, reflect on how the class went and write down some notes. Did the class go as planned? What materials did you use to teach? What did you do well? What can you improve for the next class? Did the students participate enthusiastically during activities?
Resources. Make a list of helpful resources that you can easily refer to when you need it. Take advantage of the excellent ESL websites that you can use for teaching ideas as well as engaging audio materials. It might help to 'bookmark' the sites that you use the most to save time. I will share some useful websites in the upcoming posts.
Activities and Games. Print out some language activities that you can use during class, and add them to your portfolio. You should try to add some variety to the kinds of activities you will use, for example using grammar activities to supplement reading assignments, or short language-related games if you have a few minutes to spare before the class ends.
Teaching is not always easy and can be an energy zapper at times, but if you follow some of these ideas to stay organized, you are on your way to becoming a great teacher!
Here are some ideas to keep things organized:
Teaching Portfolio. Create a personalized portfolio of the handouts you distribute to your students. A basic 3-ring folder will do the trick. I really like using plastic sheet protectors for some documents that you will photocopy the most, instead of punching holes into the original copies.
Lesson Plans. Plan out the number of minutes for each part of your lessons. How many minutes do you expect to take attendance? Give explanations? Assign class work for the students?
Observations. After each class, reflect on how the class went and write down some notes. Did the class go as planned? What materials did you use to teach? What did you do well? What can you improve for the next class? Did the students participate enthusiastically during activities?
Resources. Make a list of helpful resources that you can easily refer to when you need it. Take advantage of the excellent ESL websites that you can use for teaching ideas as well as engaging audio materials. It might help to 'bookmark' the sites that you use the most to save time. I will share some useful websites in the upcoming posts.
Activities and Games. Print out some language activities that you can use during class, and add them to your portfolio. You should try to add some variety to the kinds of activities you will use, for example using grammar activities to supplement reading assignments, or short language-related games if you have a few minutes to spare before the class ends.
Teaching is not always easy and can be an energy zapper at times, but if you follow some of these ideas to stay organized, you are on your way to becoming a great teacher!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
New Teachers, New Ideas
Welcome! Are you a new ESL teacher looking for some time-saving and effective teaching ideas for your students? Or are you perhaps a seasoned language professional interested in sharing some ways to integrate meaningful dialogue and communicative activities in the ESL classroom? If so, this blog is made just for you!
Before going any further, I'd like to introduce myself. I am native to the sunny state of California and grew up in a bilingual household, speaking both Mandarin Chinese and English. I received a graduate degree in Linguistics, with an emphasis in teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). With three years of teaching experience in the field of Adult Education, I am currently an ESL instructor in Silicon Valley, in constant pursuit of improving my teaching performance (and helping other new teachers) through action research.
Some of my pedagogical interests include: interactive learning, inquiry-based learning, the role of translation in learning habits, and pronunciation techniques for lower level students.
This blog is partly a reflection of what has worked in my teaching adventures with beginning-level ESL students, but it is largely an open resource to share communicative, "real life" ESL activities that will get your students speaking and learning in no time!
The activities, dialogue scripts, and other teaching ideas in this blog can easily be adapted to students at any level, from low-beginner to high-advanced. Educators from all fields are welcome to add their thoughts, comments, and ideas as desired.
Happy Teaching!
Before going any further, I'd like to introduce myself. I am native to the sunny state of California and grew up in a bilingual household, speaking both Mandarin Chinese and English. I received a graduate degree in Linguistics, with an emphasis in teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). With three years of teaching experience in the field of Adult Education, I am currently an ESL instructor in Silicon Valley, in constant pursuit of improving my teaching performance (and helping other new teachers) through action research.
Some of my pedagogical interests include: interactive learning, inquiry-based learning, the role of translation in learning habits, and pronunciation techniques for lower level students.
This blog is partly a reflection of what has worked in my teaching adventures with beginning-level ESL students, but it is largely an open resource to share communicative, "real life" ESL activities that will get your students speaking and learning in no time!
The activities, dialogue scripts, and other teaching ideas in this blog can easily be adapted to students at any level, from low-beginner to high-advanced. Educators from all fields are welcome to add their thoughts, comments, and ideas as desired.
Happy Teaching!
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