Rike Neville | Teaching Adult ESL

2 Fun Activities for Reviewing Prepositions of Time

Reviewing prepositions of time doesn’t have to be yet another worksheet or set of task cards. Try out some of the following simple but effective ways to review prepositions of time. Go Visual! If you already know your students and their routines and activities, look for photos and pictures representing what you know will be …
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4 Fun Simple Past Activities for Adult ESL

Try these four fun simple past activities with your adult ESL students! Whether you are just starting out with regular verbs or have already started on irregular verbs, you’ll find a fun activity for your adult ESL students here. Sure, many of our adult students like the comfort and familiarity of worksheets, but most also …
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7 FUN Activities for Opposite Adjectives

Opposite adjectives quickly double your adult ESL students’ vocabulary and make learning (and teaching) definitions a snap. Years ago, one of my Korean students had this quirky habit of assigning friendship and enemy status to various words to convey the meaning he wanted. When he couldn’t think of the word for mustard, he mentioned ketchup’s …
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5 Fun and Educational Health-Themed Activities for Adult ESL Classes

If you like using themes when teaching adult ESL vocabulary or speaking classes, hold onto your kale smoothies and consider “health” for your next theme. It’s relevant and practical as health impacts everyone. Students can learn healthcare, nutrition, and exercise terms. You can explore cultural perspectives on health with your students. Most importantly, because we …
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Stop Pre-Teaching Vocabulary All the Time!

None of my professors EVER told us to stop pre-teaching all the vocabulary, but I’m telling you to do just that. Here’s why. While I was getting my master’s in TESL in the early 2010s, the strategy of pre-teaching vocabulary words was all the rage. Perhaps it still is? This wasn’t something I had done …
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Teaching Body Vocabulary: Building a Strong Foundation for Adult ESL Learners

Body vocabulary is a crucial aspect of language learning, particularly for adults studying ESL. This was brought home to me on my third day hospitalized in a foreign country where I couldn’t speak the language. The nurses kept asking me questions I couldn’t answer, and they had to resort to bringing in patients from other …
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One Effective System for Creating Discussion Groups

Finding that delicate balance of talkative vs. shy and high level vs. low level to create discussion groups can be challenging to do on the fly. Making students get up and move to another seat takes up time, and people get weirdly attached to their place once they’ve sat down. You’ll get some sighs and looks if you …
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Improving Speaking Skills when Grammar & Vocabulary AREN’T the Problem

One of my Chinese students, let’s call her Hui, had an IELTS score that would make someone think two people took it. She did well on each portion except the speaking, which she bombed. Completely. For a while, I suspected that she clammed up entirely and didn’t say a word. No matter the exact reason, …
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Exploring Cultural Differences in Adult ESL Classrooms: Why it Matters

Cultural differences in adult ESL can create a rewarding and enriching experience for both the teacher and the students. Indeed, the opportunity to learn about and explore cultural differences in the classroom is one of the most interesting aspects of teaching adult ESL. Understanding and acknowledging these differences can lead to a more inclusive and …
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Pronunciation Truly Matters!

Some of my most vocal students harbored a deep belief that they spoke English rather flawlessly, at least when it came to pronunciation. They would often complain about their classmates’ accents. They’d even protest at having to work with a partner who they couldn’t understand easily because of the classmate’s accent. I know this because …
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Sh/Ch: 3 Must-Have Methods for Successful Pronunciation Tweaks

The pronunciation of sh/ch is a bigger problem than you might think! Whenever I heard teasher, I knew to look towards one of my Saudi students, not the ones from Korea or Spain or but sometimes one of the students from the Ivory Coast. These were the students who would ask where they could find …
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Improve English Pronunciation with 4 Strategies to Overcome Strong Accents

Your highly-motivated student is eager to talk and capitalizes on every opportunity to speak. The problem? You can’t understand what she says. Bigger problem? Neither can the rest of your class! Time to tackle English pronunciation challenges! The Otherwise Perfect Student No One Understood “Shimin,” a 19-year-old, started in our lowest level class, but it …
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Teach Idioms to Adult ESL Students with Fun Strategies

Dear Past, Hello Future: Another New Year

5 Fun and Educational Health-Themed Activities for Adult ESL Classes

Beyond Basics: Teaching the Passive Voice for Adult ESL Success

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2 Fun Activities for Reviewing Prepositions of Time

4 Fun Simple Past Activities for Adult ESL

7 FUN Activities for Opposite Adjectives

5 Fun and Educational Health-Themed Activities for Adult ESL Classes

Stop Pre-Teaching Vocabulary All the Time!

Teaching Body Vocabulary: Building a Strong Foundation for Adult ESL Learners

One Effective System for Creating Discussion Groups

Improving Speaking Skills when Grammar & Vocabulary AREN’T the Problem

Exploring Cultural Differences in Adult ESL Classrooms: Why it Matters

Pronunciation Truly Matters!

Sh/Ch: 3 Must-Have Methods for Successful Pronunciation Tweaks

Improve English Pronunciation with 4 Strategies to Overcome Strong Accents