Category: ESL Classroom Tips

Keeping Your Cool

Keeping your cool as a teacher is something we all have to do. As teachers, we have all had those moments of complete frustration. You already have had a rough day, your students are having difficulty focusing, and you’re starting to lose your cool. At these points, it’s even more important to remember, stay calm and keep teaching on.

Discipline in a Chinese University

Discipline in a Chinese University takes on a different form to the discipline I was used to implementing in an ESL class. Most students at universities are very motivated and want to study very hard. However, you may find some students in your university have issues with discipline, motivation, or responsibility.

Struggling ESL Students

Struggling ESL students will be something that every teacher faces, and it is important that you help them in the right way. If you are lucky enough to have an ESL class that is all at the same level, enjoy it!

Quick Filler Activities for ESL Classes

Filler activities are essential and every good ESL teacher has a handful (or more!) of simple, no-set-up filler activities for when a lesson finishes super early. But sometimes you don’t have ten or fifteen minutes – or even five! – to go into a more elaborate activity.

Lesson Planning with no Benchmarks

Lesson planning is something that all teachers will have to do, but we are often confined to a course book or teachers guide, but what happens when you have no limits? where do you begin from there?

Teaching Tools: The Sticky Ball

As teachers, we have numerous teaching tools and teaching games that can help our lessons and motivate our students. These tools range from physical objects and toys to the feedback we give and diction we use every single day with our students.

Teaching Advanced ESL Students

Teaching advanced ESL students can at times be intimidating – if your students are already holding complex conversations and have a strong grasp of grammar and a large vocabulary, what do they need a teacher for?

ESL Creative Writing Projects

ESL creative writing projects are a fun way to get kids interested in writing. Writing is one of those things that kids either seem to love or hate. And those that hate it always greet writing assignments with a groan and endless complaints.