Teacher Discussion Forums

You know, you would think that in an ESL setting the students would be accessing the target language enough to supplement our lessons, but in my case, I really don't think they are, for the most part. My students are placed in neighborhoods by the government, and surrounded by other refugees who spe...

Hi Kent, I also have my TESOL Certificate. Aside from that, I have a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature and an A.A. in Multi-Ethnic Studies. Armed with these, I was able to secure a job teaching ESL to adult refugees 26 hours a week. This many hours though, in a single job, is hard to find in a...

I teach refugees in the US. I have a Bachelor's in Spanish and a Certificate in TESOL. No Master's. I was well qualified for this position too. But I do not work for a college or university. Instead, I work in a collaborating effort with the board of education and a charity. Great job though!

Perhaps they don't have time to sit down and complete a written assignment, but maybe you can assign them to practice a certain dialogue pattern when they are picking up their prescriptions, talking to their boss, helping their children with homework, etc. After all, this would probably help the lan...

Thank you for these resources, Kennen. I often find my students coming up to me before or after class with questions on idioms that they have heard. My more advanced students are able to figure out their meaning, but a quick explanation to those who do not will suffice in my opinion. I know some upp...

I agree with you Sheila and you made some excellent points. I think though, a native speaker could benefit from studying those rules, especially when many times we never realized they existed! It is also a treat for those interested in linguistics.

Although I have a bachelor's degree in Spanish, none of my students speak it, so I actually don't understand what they are saying. My students speak a wide range of languages from Nepali, Karen, to Swahili and Somali. I have to constantly remind them "English only." Most of them are cooperative but ...

I struggle too, with making sure my games aren't too childish. One game that my adult students really enjoy and get a lot out of is charades. Another one you might want to consider would be "go fish" (good with question formation), which my lower level students have also been enjoying. When teaching...

Yes. I teach refugees and the majority of them were farm workers in their native countries. For them, this meant that they did not "need" to go to school, so many of them are illiterate in their L1. It can make things difficult when it comes to reading and writing in class, so I try to focus more on...