Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time?
Here’s what works when nothing else does.
Most recent posts:
- Hey TpT Buyers, Are You Leaving Perks on the Table?
Teaching adult ESL and getting great resources from TpT? Here are some TpT tips for buyers that you might not know but really should. - 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.
Older Posts:
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…
Talking about Hygiene in Adult ESL Speaking Classes: Helpful Tips, Fun Activities, and Cultural Considerations
Hygiene isn’t glamorous. I get it. Talking about it can be really uncomfortable. But it’s super practical, especially for adult ESL students who are still…
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…
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…
Task Cards: Why Aren’t More Adult ESL Teachers Using These?
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…
Teaching The Present Progressive Tense: Because the Past Tense is So Yesterday
So you’re teaching present progressive? As a native English speaker (if that’s what you are), you’ve been using this tense your entire life without thinking…
2 Ways to Get Adult ESL Students to Try New Strategies
I used to stand at the front of the classroom, waiting. Just…waiting. I’d asked a simple comprehension question about the text we’d just read. The…
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…
Teaching Money and Budgets: The Topic Your Students REALLY Care About
Money affects everyone. How else will we pay our rent, buy our groceries, pay our bills, and pay off our debt? Money affects retirement savings…
Three Grammar Games Guaranteed to Get Them Speaking
I’m standing outside my classroom door, pretending to check my phone while I eavesdrop on my adult ESL students, and I hear Subin telling Ahmed,…
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…
Create Listening Labyrinths Using Minimal Pairs: A Step-by-Step Guide
I’ll never forget watching Ahmed confidently grab a marker when I handed out the first listening labyrinth of the term. “You want a pencil?” I…
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…
4 Fun Plural Noun Activities for Adult ESL
Picture this: You’re teaching plural nouns. Again. You hand out worksheets. Again. Students dutifully fill in the blanks, turning cat into cats and box into…
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