I hit play on the YouTube video, turned to face my class, and said, “Take notes. You’ll need them.”
Then I sat down at my desk and just… breathed.
Look, I’m not proud of it. Good teachers don’t just park a screen in front of their students’ faces while they decompress, right? Except here’s the thing…I had nothing left. Zero. I’d spent the weekend creating materials for three different levels, showed up Monday to find out two students had been moved into my class (surprise!), and I still had 47 minutes of grammar instruction ahead of me that I wasn’t prepped for. (Wasn’t lazy…just prepped for the wrong chapters.)
So yeah, Ronnie from Learn English with Ronnie taught present perfect that day. Not me. Ronnie.
And you know what happened? My students learned it. Maybe even better than if I’d dragged myself through an explanation while my brain was screaming for mercy.
It’s Okay to Step Aside Instead of Melting Down
Here’s what I figured out that day: sometimes the best thing you can do for your students is get out of your own way. Not every single lesson needs to come from your brain, your prep time, your dwindling energy reserves.
You’ve probably heard of flipped classrooms. They can go something like this…students watch videos at home, then do the “homework” part in class with teacher support. It’s a decent idea in theory. But let’s be real about adult ESL students. They’ve got jobs. Kids. Lives that don’t pause for homework. You know how you’ve got the same ones that never do homework? They won’t do this either, and that’d make class a real treat, wouldn’t it?
So here’s the tweak: flip it in class.
How to Let YouTube Do Some of the Heavy Lifting
Show the video during class. Pull it up, hit play, and tell students to take notes. That’s it. Kinda. Here’s the key part: tell students they need to come up with at least one question about the concept and be ready to answer questions from classmates.
Why? Two reasons.
First, if they genuinely don’t understand something, this guarantees they’ll get an answer.
Second, and this is the sneaky part, knowing they’ll have to answer other people’s questions means they can’t just zone out and doodle in the margins. They have to engage with the content.
The Part Where They Do the Teaching
Once the video ends, pair students up to compare notes and fill in gaps.
Then those pairs join up with another pair. Now you’ve got groups of four discussing the grammar concept, asking each other questions, and working through the confusing bits together.
You know what happens a lot of the time? By the time they’ve finished, you don’t have to teach anything at all. They’ve done it themselves.
And isn’t that how it should be? They should be doing more of the work of learning anyway.
That’s not to say you completely abandon them. Of course not. While they’re discussing and teaching each other, you’re walking around listening in, taking notes, and finding out whether you need to cover this concept or if they are ready to move on.
Where to Start Without Falling Down a YouTube Rabbit Hole
I’m giving you three teachers I’ve used successfully. I’m not saying these are the only good grammar teachers on YouTube…there are definitely more. But if you’re already exhausted and the last thing you need is to spend two hours evaluating videos, start here:
- JamesESL English Lessons – Multiple students have told me his voice is calming. He’s expressive, uses tons of body language and gestures (hello, engagement), and he’s been at this for 12 years. His video library goes deep, he’s still making new content, and he covers vocabulary too. American English pronunciation.
- Learn English with Ronnie Like James, she’s been creating videos for a long time–11 years. She does grammar as well as vocabulary. She tackles some adult topics in her videos, which my students always LOVED, but if you are teaching high school age students, be sure to watch her videos in full before sending a link to your students. She’s still making new videos. Her pronunciation is American English.
- English Jade – Learn English – Jade hasn’t been around as long and doesn’t put out videos as often, but her lessons are solid. She’s also your go-to if you have students planning to take the IELTS because she’s a British English speaker.
The Bottom Line
Next time you’re staring down a grammar lesson with zero prep time and even less energy, remember that you don’t have to do it all yourself. Sometimes the best teaching move is knowing when to step back and let someone else step in.
Your students will learn. You’ll survive. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll get to sit down and breathe for a few minutes.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
Read more about teaching adult ESL grammar!
Conditionals Worksheets: 6 Quick Ways to Make Them FUN!
2 Fun Activities for Reviewing Prepositions of Time
How to Teach Coordinating Conjunctions to Adult ESL Students (Discovery Lesson Method)
Why Your Adult ESL Students Still Write Like Beginners…and how to fix that
Linguistic Investigations: Teaching Students to Teach Themselves
