Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time? Here’s what works when nothing else does.
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…
Teachers: Stop Martyring Yourselves!
I want this! I haven’t showered or brushed my teeth in three days, I’ve been reusing dirty dishes, and I lost my dog in a…
Spook Up Your Lessons with ESL Halloween Activities for Adults
So, here’s a confession…I once wore expired Halloween face paint to class. Not just expired. Wrong kind of paint entirely. (This wasn’t on purpose.) Eight…
Two Fun Activities to Review Prepositions of Time with Adult ESL
Look, I get it. You need to review prepositions of time. Again. Your students keep saying “on the morning” and “at Monday,” and you’re wondering…
Springtime Activities That Channel Your Adult ESL Students’ Restless Energy
The days are (finally) getting longer and your adult ESL students have energy again. You know what I’m talking about. That fidgety, restless, can’t-sit-still energy….
Teaching Time Clauses to Adult ESL Students: Make It Fun with Photo Captions
You know how some of your adult ESL students write everything in these tiny, disconnected bursts? I’m talking about short sentences with no flow…just fact…
3 Reasons Why Your Adult ESL Students Can’t Remember Vocabulary & What To Do About It
You know that student who swears they’re studying vocabulary every single night but still bombs the quiz? Yeah, I had Mesfer. This guy was COMMITTED….
Linguistic Investigations: Teaching Students to Teach Themselves
I’ll never forget watching “Layla” lean over a pile of sentence cards, using her finger to separate them and making that little clicking noise in…
Why Your Adult ESL Students Still Write Like Beginners…and how to fix that
You grade another stack of essays from your intermediate students and want to bang your head against the desk. Again. These students can handle a…
Talking About First Impressions in Adult ESL: More Than Just Smile and Nod
Your adult ESL students know first impressions are a must-have. They’re making their way through new social and professional environments where first impressions can open…
Why Do We Avoid Teaching a-an-the in Adult ESL?
I’ll never forget the day Yuki raised her hand in my intermediate class and asked, “Teacher, why do we say ‘the United States’ but not…
7 Great Ideas for Teaching Weather Vocabulary in Adult ESL
“Teacher, what is ice storm? Like hail, no?” Reem held up her phone, showing me a weather alert that had just lit up her screen….
Conversational Visits: Why Your Students Need to Talk to Someone Besides Each Other
You know that moment when you assign a speaking activity and your students look at each other like “Again? With YOU?” Yeah. That moment. They’ve…
Are Connectives the Missing Links in Your Adult ESL Writing Classes?
You’ve read this paragraph three times. You’re still lost. The student who wrote it is articulate in class discussions. She participates, she gets the grammar,…
Talking About Stress in Adult ESL: Why It’s Worth the Awkwardness
Most teachers avoid stress as a discussion topic. Too negative and uncomfortable and definitely likely to bring down the mood. But here’s the thing: your…
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