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:
Free Talking with Low-Level Adult ESL Students Without Dying Inside
I’ll never forget my first attempt at a “free talking” session with my A1 class. I had twenty questions printed out. TWENTY. I’d spent the…
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…
How to Stop Homework from Devouring Your Time
Stacks of homework papers used to sit on my table, glaring at me. Menacing little goblins. A good teacher would have graded all that already,…
8 Fun and Interactive Modal Activities for Adult ESL Grammar
Years ago, after hearing a co-worker complain about how much they hated teaching modals, I decided right then to make it one of the most…
Three High-Impact Activities for Teaching Facts and Opinions in Adult ESL
“Teacher, this article says coffee causes cancer. But last week, different article says coffee prevents cancer. Which one is truth?” I looked up from my…
Task Cards: Why Aren’t More Adult ESL Teachers Using These?
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…
How to Teach Academic Vocabulary: A Helpful Guide for New Adult ESL Teachers
You’re staring at a list of academic vocabulary words you’re supposed to teach, and you have no idea where to start. No curriculum. No materials….
The Past Perfect Tense: A Pain in the Past, but a Necessity for the Present
Some adult ESL teachers might be wondering, “Why do I need to teach the past perfect tense? Can’t I just stick to the simple past…
Pronunciation Truly Matters: The Spelling Quiz That Made My Students Question Everything
“Bet.” I said it clearly. The students hunched over their papers, writing what they heard. “Pat.” More writing. A few confused glances around the room….
How to Teach Coordinating Conjunctions to Adult ESL Students (Discovery Lesson Method)
Adult ESL students love “and.” They use it to connect everything. Every. Single. Thing. And while they’re technically communicating, reading what they write (or listening…
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…
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…
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 Future Progressive…Because Simple Future Isn’t Enough
You’re probably teaching future progressive because it’s in the curriculum, and you need to cover it before the next unit test. Maybe you’re teaching it…
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