Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time?
Here’s what works when nothing else does.
Most recent posts:
- Your Adult ESL Students Have Gaps and That’s Completely Normal
I need to tell you something that might make your day easier. You know those gaps your students have? The ones where you’re teaching present perfect and suddenly realize half the class is shaky on simple past? Or you’re doing passive voice and someone raises their hand to ask what a past participle is? Those… Read more: Your Adult ESL Students Have Gaps and That’s Completely Normal - I Found My Old Gratitude Post…And Then I Found What Came After
I’ve been going through all my blog posts, fixing where images exploded into huge sizes and formatting got weird after I changed my site theme when I found this “gem” from September 2017: “3 Ideas for Inspiring Shared Gratitude in the Classroom.” I cringed while reading it. Not because it’s badly written or because the… Read more: I Found My Old Gratitude Post…And Then I Found What Came After
Older Posts:
Conditionals Worksheets: 6 Quick Ways to Make Them FUN!
I was scrolling through a teacher Facebook group the other day, and someone had posted a photo of their student’s answers in a conditionals grammar…
How I Got Students Excited About Grammar Worksheets
“Worksheet time!” I call out, waving a small stack of freshly-copied papers. Students begin smiling as they put away their phones and sit up, talking…
Teaching Noncount Nouns: Tips & Strategies for Adult ESL Success
“Teacher, I need two advices.” I still remember the look on Fahad’s face when I told him that wasn’t quite right. He’d spent days mastering…
Emotion Vocabulary: What Happens When Students Can’t Name Their Feelings?
I’ll never forget “Pablo” telling me, completely deadpan, that he felt “very boring” during our class discussion about emotions. He meant bored. But honestly? His…
Greetings, Farewells, & Introductions: Engaging Activities for Adult ESL Newcomers
You know how everyone assumes greetings and introductions are easy? Like students just stroll in on day one, shake hands, and magically know what to…
Your Adult ESL Students Can Recite the Days of the Week. So What?
I’m rolling my eyes right now just remembering it. My students would dutifully memorize the days of the week, recite them back to me in…
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….
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….
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…
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…
The Task Card Library: Your Secret Weapon for Success in Your Adult ESL Classroom
I once taught multiple classes at the same time with students at completely different levels in each class. It was a bit of a nightmare….
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…
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…
The Emergency Sub Plan for When You’re Too Sick to Think…That Students Love
Picture this: You wake up with your throat on fire, your head pounding, and the kind of fever that makes you question whether you’re still…
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