Teacher Discussion Forums

Thank you all for your encouraging posts. Just from hearing your feedback, I feel more confident about becoming a teacher. It is nice to hear that other teachers are shy or quiet too, but are able to overcome that and be effective teachers. Sally, I like how you think! I have all of the qualities th...

Thank you for your feedback. It is very helpful for me to get another person's point of view. I need to have some patience and things should come easier to me once I get some practice. I think it will be a lot different teaching to children who really need me, rather than doing a pretend lesson to o...

I am a pretty shy person, but I am in a program to get my certificate to teach ESL. I just presented my very first lesson to my class and I have been a nervous wreck about it all week. My presentation went okay, but it didn't go exactly like I planned because I was nervous. I really don't like publi...

Thank you. That is very helpful to get another perspective. Now that I think about it, you are right, they probably would get bored just doing projects. I should incorporate maybe little quizzes along the way that gage their learning, but are not the center of their attention. They would help to pre...

Because ELLs are forced to take standardized tests, I want to find out to find out a way to lower their anxiety towards test taking. These tests are very important, so I don't want them to feel overly stressed or overly relaxed. I would like to create an environment where they are focused on learnin...

I feel that the regular testing method may be harmful to ESL students' education. Many students develop test anxiety and soley focus on doing well on tests rather that really learning, so this might be a problem. I think you might be better off doing informal assessments of the students and doing cl...

What is a good method of initiating interaction among adult students? I once sat in on a very diverse intermediate ESL class where half of the class was very talkative and the other half was very quiet. It seemed like this was a result of the cultural differences of the classroom. Maybe in some coun...

I know a little bit of French and Italian. What happens if I have a French or Itailian speaking student who is having a hard time understanding me? Do I translate to their language to help them understand? I feel like this would be unfair to the other students who do not speak French or Italian. Als...

Thank you for your comments. I will be sure to create back-up lesson plans in case my techniques are not effecient. I would also like to check out that SIOP workshop. I'm unfamiliar with teacher workshops. Is it something they offer once you become a teacher or is it something that I should look int...

When I become an ESL teacher, I think it is important to add some technology into my lessons. I think that technology will keep the students interested and motivated, especially if they are able to interact with the technology. Many teachers use powerpoints daily, but what are some interactive techn...

Hello, I am currently in school earning my certificate to teach ESL. I was wondering what type of activities I should do if I get a class that has many different proficiency levels. I want to be able to make it challenging but not too challenging for everyone in the class. Also to go along with the ...

When teaching children ESL it is important to do a lot of activities to keep them interested and to help them interact and practice language. Is it as important to do a lot of activities in adult ESL classrooms? I feel like adults should have daily activities as well, but they should probably have l...

Hello, I do not have any experience with teaching yet. In my studies, I have learned that there are many methods to teaching. It seems like it is best to create your own personal teaching style by combining peices of different methods. But how can you decide what methods to use and what methods to l...

Hi. I am currently taking some classes in order to become certified to become an ESL teacher. I have never taught anything before, so everything that I am learning about teaching is new to me. I never realized how many decisions ESL teachers need to make on a daily basis. It seems like a teacher can...