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:
Clothing Vocabulary: Your Adult ESL Students Know “Shirt” and “Pants.” Now What?
I watched Carmen stand in front of the class, gesturing frantically at her sleeves while trying to explain why she needed to return a shirt….
How to Create Everyday Role Plays Your Adult ESL Students Truly Need
Let me tell you about my (first) year of disasters in South Korea. There was the time I insisted on buying a fish at the…
Why Vocabulary Bingo Is Your Secret Weapon for Exhausted Adult ESL Students
It’s 10:30 am. Your students have been in class since 8 am. They’ll be here until at least noon, maybe longer. Or maybe you teach…
Teaching Home Vocabulary to Adult ESL Students: Why It Matters More Than You Think
I once had a student who labeled everything in his home with sticky notes to learn vocabulary. Not unusual, right? Lots of language learners do…
Stop Selling Academic Vocabulary. Start Selling This Instead.
My co-workers and I used to hash out the same problem over and over: How do you convince students that passing the TOEFL or IELTS isn’t…
Teaching Adult ESL in Intensive English Programs: The Real Pros and Cons Nobody Tells You About
It’s 10 am on a Monday. Your intermediate reading class has 15 students from 9 different countries. They’ve already been at the language school since…
Teaching Adult ESL: Real Talk for New Teachers
Many teachers who are new to adult ESL are not new to teaching and/or not fresh out of university. Perhaps you’ve decided the field you…
Stop Writing Questions on Your Game Blocks (Do This Instead)
“Ask someone a question. Any question.” Rashid pulled out a wooden block, checked the number, then grinned at the guy next to him. “Have you…
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…
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…
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…
Getting Adult ESL Students to Talk About the Environment
The environment is everywhere in the news. Microplastics in our water. Fast fashion waste filling landfills. Wildfires and extreme weather events. Rising sea levels. Your…
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…
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,…
The Present Perfect Tense Survival Guide: A Detailed Overview
Did you know that the present perfect tense is a bridge between the present and the past? Okay, that sounds poetic and all, but let…
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