ESL activities

Teaching Listening: How to make the most of your lessons

Teaching listening comprehension is challenging for ESL learners, especially in the East Asian context. This is due to a range of factors: firstly, reading and writing skills are typically given greater importance in language learning at school as compared to oral/aural skills. In addition, Chinese, Japanese and Korean learners are typically more… All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., Certificate courses, ESL activities

How to teach grammar clearly: an introduction to the basics

*Final revision by Bryan Holmes, James Pengelley and Tom Garside Hear from some new teachers talking about their CertTESOL experience. Often new teachers are filled with anxiety when teaching grammar. Here we outline the basic approach to clearly staged grammar lessons with a communicative, student-focused outcome. This approach is… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., Teaching skills, ESL activities

5 Ways to take feedback and correct mistakes

Post-task feedback is the stage of an ESOL class where much of the real learning happens; it is during feedback that students reflect on their ideas, correct their mistakes and apply the language that we teach in a restricted, experimental and discursive setting. However, feedback stages are all too often focused on the product of the task (the… All categories, Five ways to, Certificate courses, Teaching skills, How to..., ESL activities

Differentiation: what is it and how do I do it?

Off the back of a stimulating PD session at the English for Asia centre in Sheung Wan, we thought we would take a closer look at making the most of differentiation in language learning. What is differentiation? Differentiation is what happens when teachers try to respond to the individuals in their classrooms in order to enhance learning… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Certificate courses, Diploma courses

Top books for new teachers

Following on from last week’s post about online resources for new teachers, this week we look at our top suggestions for our favourite print materials for new and developing teachers. I remember when I first finished my Certificate course, and was offered my first full-time teaching position: one of the biggest issues I had wasn’t… All categories, ESL activities, Five ways to

Five Useful Online Resources for New Teachers

The internet is full of amazing sites and tools for English teachers, but it can be overwhelming having to sift through so many sites, especially if you've graduated from a CertTESOL course very recently recently.  Whether you’re looking for resources from the BBC, grammar games, improving speaking or vocabulary, or ideas for… All categories, ESL activities, Five ways to