Author: Stephanie Long

ESL Teaching Methods: How to Make Writing Fun

Do your students greet the words “Take out your journals” with a collective, resounding groan? For most students, expressing their ideas on paper is a challenge even in their native language, let alone doing so with creativity, style, and decent grammar. Throw a foreign language into the mix, and writing can seem utterly daunting.

5 Things Every New ESL Teacher Should Know

The learning curve for a new ESL teacher can be pretty steep. But don’t get discouraged. Here are five things that every new ESL teacher should know. Master these basic concepts and ideas, and you’ll be well on your way to teaching like a pro and feeling totally comfortable every time you step into the classroom.

How to Regain Control of a Difficult ESL Class

It’s difficult to take control back from a class that is used to acting out and behaving badly, but it’s not impossible. What it takes is patience, persistence, commitment, and a long-term strategy. Follow these guidelines for taking back control from a difficult class, and you’ll find things starting to turn around before you know it.

Ten Essential ESL Filler Activities

Every teacher has, at some point in their career, experienced that deer-in-the-headlights moment when you realize that you’re completely out of lesson material with twenty minutes left in class. For those of us who aren’t improvisational geniuses, having a solid repertoire of “filler” activities is crucial for those moments.

5 Reasons to Teach Abroad Alone

As scary as it was though when I moved to Taiwan, I didn’t know a single person in the country. A couple years later, I had a group of some of the closest friends I’d ever met in my life. I don’t regret for an instant deciding to teach abroad alone.

ESL Classroom Management Strategies

Because classroom management is such a complicated balancing act between being fun and nice, and being strict enough to give kids the structure they need, many teachers find that it’s one of the hardest aspects of teaching to master.

What Makes a Great ESL Teacher

We all know those teachers who are absolutely loved by everyone. As soon as they walk into class, the kids light up. Other teachers regularly turn to them for advice. Their students always seem to be ahead of the curve, and they just seem happy to step into the classroom every day. What exactly is it that they’re doing that works so well?

ESL Teaching Methods: Tips for Teaching Kids with ADHD

Here are some tips for teaching kids with ADHD. Learn how to keep them engaged in your ESL classroom.