Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time?
Here’s what works when nothing else does.
Most recent posts:
- 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 - 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
Older Posts:
Teaching Color Vocabulary to Adult ESL Students
Way back when, in my high school German class, we were learning colors. Pretty basic stuff, right? The teacher was going around asking students what…
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…
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…
Future Perfect: The Future is Now, But the Past is Also Now
Future perfect activities require no time travel. I promise. Though for real, wouldn’t a time machine make this whole thing easier? You could just zip…
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….
Teaching Animal Vocabulary in Adult ESL
“This is for children. I don’t want it.” Nasser crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking at me like I’d just suggested…
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…
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,…
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…
2 Vocabulary Games That’ll Get Even Your Skeptical Adult ESL Students Excited
The first time I announced we were playing SWOOSH!, my student Saleh crossed his arms and said, “I didn’t pay for this class to play…
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….
Why Your Adult ESL Students Need Reflective Writing
I don’t remember why I asked the question, but I’d written it on the board: “What’s the most terrible sound you’ve ever heard?” Amara raised…
5 Powerful Reasons to Read Aloud in Adult ESL Classes
Picture this: “So, what is the significance of the color gold in this story?” (pause to look at glassy-eyed students) “Anyone?” (pause again…was that a…
Sh/Ch: 3 Ways to Help Your Students Stop Saying “Teasher”
I’ll never forget the day one of my Saudi students accused a classmate of “sheating” off of them. Except it wasn’t just the sh/ch mix-up…the…
4 Fun Simple Future Grammar Activities for Adult ESL
Teaching the simple future isn’t really that simple. Sometimes teachers, especially those new to adult ESL, mistakenly believe that because a verb tense is called…
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