Teacher Discussion Forums

I did a little research on drilling and found that according to Haycraft (36: 1978), after presentation and explanation of the new structure, students may used controlled practice in saying useful and correct sentence patterns in combination with appropriate vocabulary. These patterns are known as o...

Pictures, maps, graphics and videos are all examples of visual stimuli that help students learn. I love to use pictures in vocabulary lessons, and I enjoy using maps and videos in cultural lessons, to enhance the learning experience. The visual aid method is best for visual learners, but it will hel...

I am not sure because I never taught ESL to adults but I am assuming that adults may learn faster then children because they already have a knowledge of a vast amount of concepts, to which they can apply foreign words to. But people do say that Children are able to grab the language easier if they a...

Bethany, Hey!!! As a new ESL teacher I found that my students love to speak in their native language all the time. The students I teach are 4 and 5th graders. All the children I teach speak Spanish. That is their native language. They feel comfortable speaking the language around me because they kno...

When I was in highschool I remember a teacher that would give me a letter grade and not give me any comments, or explanation for why it was wrong. He would say go home and try it again. I would look forward to feedback, because I wanted to find out what I had to study for any finals. My incorrect re...

I have written at least 4 different test for my ELL students this year. Very new at this and find it really challenging sometimes. I know that some of my students know the work because as I assess them during the week they can give me respond to questions, they say comments. I really think they get ...

RozannaB, I am a new ESL teacher and I am still learning on how to incorporate technology in the classroom. I am in a push in classroom setting. I work close with the bilingual teacher. We have a smart board in the classroom. It is very useful. With this system students are able to engage in differe...

There are different proficiency levels among students in the same class. I don't want to overwhelm the lower level students but then again I don't want it to seem to easy for the higher level students. It is very challenging for me as a new ESL teacher. The challenge is writing lesson plans for the ...

I have two different groups level 1-2 and level 3-4. 45 minutes each group. There has been times where I had them all at once for 45 minutes. 11 students and native language is spanish. Is it ok to group students that proficiency levels are different? I noticed if I group two students with level 1 p...

I understand that lesson planning should aim mostly at the majority of the students I teach in class who compose the "average" ability range. I have a couple who are well below average. How do you suggest I manage this when I have two different groups, 45 min a group. How can I make sure the lower l...

I am a new ESL teacher and as a teacher I love to have lesson plans that students will enjoy all the time. I want to be creative as possible. It's not easy to do this when I do not have much resources to work with and not too much experience. I like on hands activities and visuals...I find that my k...

Thank you so much for your response!! I can see your point. I guess we can also compare it to us. For example, I am a student as well and as a adult learner I like for the teacher to differenciate on his lessons. For example, he will have group assignments, individual assignment, short videos, etc. ...

I would always think that children have less attention span then adults. This is not really true. My little 5 year old is in K and the teacher always tells me his attention span is not there yet because he is younger then the others, his B-day is in July so he is the last one to turn 6. I don't thin...

I am sure that teaching students that are at a beginner level can be frustrating and challenging. Students do have little or maybe no knowledge at all in the target language. Right now I am currently an ESL teacher for students who all speak Spanish and this is their native language. I find it not s...

When a student has a sense of ownership they want to be more involved and they seem motivated to want to listen and learn. Learner-centered Instruction allows students to be creative. I like this method. I remember when I was a child and they gave me options I was eager to share and participate, jus...