Teacher Discussion Forums

One educational perspective is that you're being paid to teach her, so if she isn't learning then you're not doing your job. If the class is one-on-one, why not let her choose what she wants to do? Dancing and crafts are not required for language-learning; being interested--and, therefore, engaged--...

I don't know, but it would be really cool to integrate that philosophy and ESL. Have you found any information yet?

Adult students who claim they want to improve their English generally only stay with me for a few months. The few that have stuck around any longer are the ones who are "learning while doing": they need my help with work emails or other forms of correspondence. (These adults tend to learn more and l...

Student-centred instruction means the curriculum and lessons are based on the students' needs and interests. You can discuss topics that are relevant to that particular group of students, spend more time on one area of interest or weakness, or just ask the students what they want to do during that c...

Make them laugh.

Teach them slang and/or mild curses.

I think the important thing is to always have back-up lesson plans. As you learn more about your students, you'll be able to create lessons that are more likely to work. Even though I've been teaching for over 15 years, new classes can still throw me for a loop. For the first few classes, I'll go in...

I really like your idea of pushing him to figure out what is the syllable missing, that would be useful for many of my students. Is there a list of these available online or would I need to create a list? You'll have to make one up. Try using the new vocabulary you've assigned him in the last coupl...

You haven't given your student's level, but I'm assuming it's fairly low. I'm also assuming his speaking and writing levels are low, so you'll have to vary the activities in order to get reasonable feedback. (I gather you've explained to him that the only way you can test his listening skills is by ...

Hand them each a dictionary and play Scrabble.

In school, the kids will have already learned to introduce themselves (though they'll sound like little robots), and they'll learn basic grammar structures, too. They'll be well-versed in Chinglish. To get their attention, play a computer game like Plants Vs. Zombies (a common favourite) while descr...

Twilight. You may have to re-write sections using simpler terms, but all my 16-year-old girls have loved it. By the time you've finished the vampire-vs.-werewolf debate (which is stronger or which is hotter, depending on her inclination), you'll probably have broken through that "I hate English" bar...

Why don't you try organising a class where they don't have to be in their seats, where they get to talk as much as possible, and where they decide what they're going to do so they don't have to listen to you (or, at least, they don't know they're listening to you)? Sometimes being a good teacher inv...

I teach for a private company. My students are from mainland China, all kids between the ages of 7 and 18. I looked into a couple of other companies but was suspicious of some of their business practices (specifically: if you can't tell me how often I get paid, I don't want to work for you, thanks)....

This is brilliant! I'm going to have my students write the story to go with it. The higher-level students always groan when I make them do stuff like this, and they ask if they can do something normal like a cloze exercise.

I love saying "no" to them.

In my view, it's absolutely impossible to have "firm solid thorough knowledge"[sic] of English grammar because English grammar is not firm, solid or thorough. Read some stories, sing songs, talk, and talk, and then talk some more. Write some stories. Do some activities together, and don't forget to ...