Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time?
Here’s what works when nothing else does.
Most recent posts:
- 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. - 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 used to play a version of it, and we loved it. Competitive, fast-paced, lots of laughing when someone blanked on an obvious answer. So naturally, I tried it with my… Read more: The Vocabulary Game that Flopped and How I Fixed It
Older Posts:
How to Support Your IEP Students When Everything Feels Like Too Much
Your student walks into class late again. She’s got her toddler with her because childcare fell through. Another student is checking his phone constantly because…
How to Create Everyday Role Plays Your Adult ESL Students Truly Need
Let me tell you about my (first) year of disasters in South Korea. There was the time I insisted on buying a fish at the…
The 4 Best TH-Pronunciation Activities for Adult ESL
The TH sounds are brutal for so many of our students. You’ve drilled the mouth position a hundred times, modeled it until your tongue has…
The Present Perfect Tense Survival Guide: A Detailed Overview
Did you know that the present perfect tense is a bridge between the present and the past? Okay, that sounds poetic and all, but let…
How to Assess Adult ESL Students in Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
I’ll be honest: when I first started teaching in an IEP (Intensive English Program), I had no idea how to assess my students effectively. I…
5 Smart Ways to Use Music in Adult ESL
Music is one of those magical classroom tools that almost everyone reacts to. Even the grumpiest student with their arms crossed and their hood up…
Commonly Confused Words: 3 Reasons English is Ridiculous
Do your students ask for your advise in learning vocabulary? Its a common question, right? You might want to take a brake in your lessen…
Teaching Frequency Adverbs: Strategies for Adult ESL Success
I will ALWAYS love… grammar. Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t always love grammar. Sometimes I love it. I often tolerate it. Rarely did I…
5 Health-Themed Activities That Won’t Make You Want to Fake Being Sick
If you’re looking for a theme that won’t make your adult ESL students groan and check their phones, try “health.” I know, I know. It…
The Sophisticated Vocabulary Gap: Why Your College-Bound ESL Students Sound Like They’re Not As Smart As They Are
Mariam could explain complex ideas. She understood the concepts in her psychology class. She could write coherent essays that made sense. But her professor kept…
Put Cooking Verbs on the Menu in Your Adult ESL Classes
I once had a low-beginner student from Saudi Arabia who lived with a homestay family. He wanted to cook with them—both to share dishes from…
All About Me Worksheets: Why Starting Slow Gets You Further Faster in Adult ESL
I’ll never forget walking into my first intensive English program and watching experienced teachers hit the ground running on Day 1. Syllabus distributed, attendance checked,…
Fall Activities for Adult ESL: When Reality Doesn’t Match the Hollywood Version
“Teacher, when do the trees turn colors?” My Saudi students were sooo ready for fall. They’d seen the pictures online. The Instagram-worthy leaf tunnels. The…
Three Destructive Myths About Digital Devices in the Classroom
Your students are scrolling. Right now, someone in your class is checking their phone while you’re mid-sentence. You know it. They know you know it….
The Discussion Group System That Saved My Sanity
All right, picture this…you’ve carefully arranged your discussion groups ahead of time. You’ve balanced your chatty adult ESL students with the quiet ones, mixed high…
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