Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time?
Here’s what works when nothing else does.
Most recent posts:
- Hey TpT Buyers, Are You Leaving Perks on the Table?
Teaching adult ESL and getting great resources from TpT? Here are some TpT tips for buyers that you might not know but really should. - 6 Reasons to Switch Off the Slideshow and Pick Up the Flashcards.
I know…I know. You went through all that trouble learning the new apps. You’ve got your Canva templates, your carefully curated Google Slides, those PDF presentations you purchased from your favorite adult ESL seller↗ on TpT. And here I am, telling you to go back to…gussied-up index cards. Made of paper. Don’t click away. Hear… Read more: 6 Reasons to Switch Off the Slideshow and Pick Up the Flashcards.
Older Posts:
Your Grammar Class Is Too Quiet: Here’s How to Fix It Without Blowing Up Your Schedule
“I think these English classes are a waste of time and money. We don’t get to practice speaking enough.” I overheard a student say that…
Talking about Etiquette and Manners in Adult ESL: Beyond Grammar and Vocab
Have you ever thoroughly disgusted someone without meaning to? Just going about your normal day, doing something completely ordinary, and suddenly everyone’s staring at you…
Two Ways to Teach Pronunciation in Adult ESL Classes
“Socks.” That’s what the presentation showed. A nice, innocent picture of socks. “SEKS!” my new Saudi student yelled out, loud and enthusiastic, so proud he…
10 Practical Ways to Teach the Alphabet to Adult ESL Students
So, you’re teaching adult ESL true beginners, and you need to teach the alphabet. You know there are millions of resources and ideas for teaching…
Why Aren’t You Teaching Grammar Vocabulary?
No math teacher would try to teach math without using math terminology, right? You wouldn’t expect a physics teacher to explain gravity without ever saying…
Talking about Hygiene in Adult ESL Speaking Classes: Helpful Tips, Fun Activities, and Cultural Considerations
Hygiene isn’t glamorous. I get it. Talking about it can be really uncomfortable. But it’s super practical, especially for adult ESL students who are still…
How to Teach Academic Vocabulary with Videos and Not Just Kill Time
I loved using videos in my vocabulary classes. No, not like during the last few days of school back in the late 80s and early…
Teaching the Months of the Year: Yes, It Matters. No, You Don’t Just Sing a Song.
Let me guess. You’re staring at your lesson plan thinking, Really? Months of the year? These are adults. And yet…here we are. Because someone put…
Teaching ESL Students Who Have Nothing to Say
“I can’t speak because I don’t have anything to say.” Hui wailed this in class one day, and honestly? I felt that in my bones….
The Vocabulary Game that Flopped and How I Fixed It
You know that game where someone shouts out a letter and a category, and you race to think of a word that fits? My family…
4 Engaging Movie-Based Activities for Adult ESL Learners
Lights, camera, ENGLISH! Movies work in adult ESL classes. Or rather, movie clips do. They give students authentic language input. They’re engaging. Students hear vocabulary…
Hey TpT Buyers, Are You Leaving Perks on the Table?
How to Teach Coordinating Conjunctions to Adult ESL Students (Discovery Lesson Method)
Adult ESL students love “and.” They use it to connect everything. Every. Single. Thing. And while they’re technically communicating, reading what they write (or listening…
4 Strategies for R/L Pronunciation That Don’t Involve Parroting
“And then,” my professor paused dramatically, “the Muslims were playing in the streets! Everywhere! They were playing in the streets all over the country!” Everyone…
3 Huge Reasons to Spend as Little as Possible on Your Classroom
It’s back to school time, and teachers everywhere are groaning over the tsunami of products being marketed at them while simultaneously filling up Amazon wishlists….
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