Talking Activities For Esl Students

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas We all know what it’s like to teach a class with reluctant students who don’t want to talk. It’s like pulling teeth. However, with these 7 awesome ESL conversation activities, you can really get your students talking! For this activity, you simply use a tumbling block game such as Jenga and write 1 simple ice breaker question on each block. Before a student places a block on the stack, they must first answer the question on the block. This activity is especially great for small ESL classes or for small groups in a big class. Also Read: The 5 Best Ways To Build Rapport With Your TEFL Students First, take a few minutes to brainstorm characteristics a person might have. This could be something like “has flown in...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Classroom management deals with role flexibility, organizing and maintaining discipline. The student’s confidence and learning effectiveness will depend on the teacher’s classroom management skills. The teacher must know when it is time to be firm or when to leave students alone. The level of firmness depends on the age of the students. Overall, it is best to keep a controlled environment at the beginning then tail it off with a relaxed environment especially with kids or younger learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Victoria G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One of the disciplinary methods of classroom management is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Our TEFL graduate considers the most important teaching responsibilities. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Students need parental help but how should it be organized to achieve better results in education? Find out in this blog post. Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas February is a great time to introduce Black History into your EFL classroom! Here are 5 Great Activities For Black History Month in the EFL Classroom. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of classroom management skills. Elizaveta Pachina ...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas As an ESL teacher, getting your students talking can be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. English learners often lack the necessary confidence to speak openly and freely in English. The following activities are perfect for getting your students out of their shells! Pair up your students and let them write a short dialogue. After all the pairs are done, they go in front of the class and perform their dialogue like a play. Hand out a role-play scenario and let two students perform the role-play in front of the class. After they have been talking for a while, freeze the conversation, and choose two new students to pick up and continue the play. Do this several times. Interviews are a great way for students...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have been teaching ESL classes professionally for two years. In addition to this experience, I have several years of experience as a volunteer teacher/mentor with ESL students. Through my experiences, I have learned that importance of establishing immediate rapport in the classroom. In this short article, I will talk about why it is vital to establish rapport from the very first day between the students and teacher as well as among the students. I will offer advice from my own experience of teaching both young learners and adults. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Michael S. Establishing rapport between the teacher and student is something that begins on the first day of class and it...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Most EFL teachers abroad will - at some point in their career - teach children. The English education market catered to young learners is a billion dollar business and many countries hire teachers to fill this need. What you can do to brace yourself besides taking our 50-hour specialized TEFL course in Teaching English to Young Learners is to take the following 10 tips to heart. Teaching numbers and colors seems like the easiest job in the world, right? Wrong! The truth is, teaching children demands a great deal of energy and creativity. Kids are always on the go and will keep you on your toes. These classes can be exhausting but also extremely rewarding! Also read: 5 Activities for Using Movies in the ESL Classroom...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the key elements to being an effective teacher is variety. One cannot teach by using the same lesson structure, the same activities, the same worksheets, the same plan every single time. No matter how effective it may be, students will still tire from the repetition, and their engagement will wane. And that is exactly why teachers have a toolbox from which to draw a wide variety of skills, activities, plans, and ideas to keep the classroom fresh and engaging. Changing scenery, environments, and going outside is all part of this toolbox, and can be used to an effective extent to keep lessons feeling stimulating and varied. And by doing so, the teacher is opening up lessons to a fun and exciting range of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This blog post was written by our TEFL graduate who shares their experience of working on their professionalism. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of teaching receptive skills. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts and ideas. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our TEFL alumna shares their story of working in Japan. They explain how they built relationships with the students and what helped them. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this article, our TEFL graduate shares their...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lesson planning is an important skill and resource for teachers with benefits for the teacher, the students, and the institution accommodating them. By implementing this technique teachers are equipped with a guide that can instill confidence for themselves, as well as clarity for their students and employers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jason T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One of the primary and more evident benefits of lesson planning is that it creates a clear structure for the lesson. This means that the teacher and students are aware of the focus of each session, which would increase the likelihood of successful...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The teaching methodology Engage-Study-Activate, or ESA for short, is one of the most effective and popular methodologies teachers use when teaching students another language. Before the advent of the ESA methodology, many teachers used the PPP model of Presentation, Practice, and Production as the favored model of teaching. Although effective, it is inadequate when it comes to teaching more difficult language problems or communicative skills. Around 1998, a man named Jeremy Harmer wrote a book called "How To Teach English". In his book, he suggested an alternative to PPP called ESA. This book is the result of Harmer's research on the teaching methodologies of the past three hundred years, picking what works and...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas As an ESL teacher, getting your students talking can be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. English learners often lack the necessary confidence to speak openly and freely in English. The following activities are perfect for getting your students out of their shells! Here are 7 go-to activities for your ESL conversation class. Catia Pereira dos Santos Teaching Ideas What kind of teacher do you want to become? Can you picture it in your mind? Well, I did! When I first started my journey as a Portuguese and English online tutor, I asked myself this question and it landed me on a few ideas which are also present over some units of the ESL...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Are you new to teaching English abroad? Don't fear! These 5 keywords will help you increase your confidence in the classroom as a teacher and help you to lead effective English lessons! Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Are you not sure what to do this winter with your EFL students? Don't worry we've got you covered! Try these 7 amazing winter and Christmas ESL activities your students will absolutely love! Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Check out these 7 activities for teaching reported speech in the ESL classroom that will help your students learn this tricky...  [Read more]

Anna Domiczek TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Preschool curriculum or lesson plan designed for English language learners should incorporate several basic and common themes. Those popular themes created for young learners will introduce students to new, interesting vocabulary words and phrases. Learning about animals, clothing, food, family, shapes, colors, numbers, or daily activities makes students deeply engaged in learning. They are discovering the world around them versus memorizing/repeating abstract words and phrases. Thanks to such theme-based lessons, English language students genuinely engage with the content being taught and make real-life connections while developing new...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching speaking skills is an important part of an ESL class. Sometimes, entire conversation classes are established that focus solely on speaking. Here are 7 great games for your ESL conversation class. Write down the names and key points about five celebrities and assign them to the same amount of students in your classroom. One by one, a student enters a “party” with another student playing the host. The host must then find out the identity of each guest by having a conversation with everyone. Have your students stand in a circle. Choose a specific grammar point and have the first person asks a question using the grammar structure. The student then throws a ball to another student who answers the question...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Although teachers might not want to be the central focus of the class, they should be ready to overtake two or more roles to help bring about well-established balanced classes. Nowadays, most of the successful ESL classes are becoming less concerned about the teacher’s talking time inside the class as much as the students’. However, a teacher remains the students’ role model and a person whom they always look up to. Accordingly, it is of pivotal significance that teachers get to know the various roles that they may or may not play during a class. To clarify, managing, organizing, promoting and assessing are four of the most important roles a teacher would wish to play. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Traditionally, education in the classroom has largely employed a teacher-centred approach. Focus is on the teacher who talks, rather than on the students, who exclusively listen and are discouraged from collaboration. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christie T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In recent years, however, more emphasis has been given to student-centred education: instructors share classroom talk time with learners, allowing them to communicate with their teacher and each other. By minimizing teacher domination and increasing student speaking time, students have a chance to direct their learning and build their...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences The local cultural environment undoubtedly plays a crucial role in a community’s education system. When specifically talking about developing countries, it is unavoidable to include Laos among those with a strong cultural background. Although Laos can be considered a fairly small country, it surprisingly contains more than 45 different ethnic groups, most of which boast their own traditions, culture, and language. This is a peculiar context that certainly needs to be taken into consideration when talking about education development. In a country like Laos, where old traditions and beliefs are still strongly followed by the community, the education system tends to absorb many of the local customary rules. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Throughout the course of this TEFL course, many factors were discussed that can lead to potential success or failure within the ESL classroom. One factor that was constantly highlighted was the teacher’s attitude and ability to build a good rapport with their students. Student engagement skills are vital for motivating students. Teachers in a classroom should develop a relationship with their students where the students can be comfortable in his or her classroom environment. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jheanelle M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For that relationship to happen a teacher needs to possess the right...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teachers play an essential role in educating their students. While teachers are known for this, they also serve many other roles. Teachers set healthy environments for the classroom, motivate students to perform well, can provide cultural expertise outside of the student’s traditions, and have a greater understanding of the general difficulty in learning English as a second language. The role of the teacher is to guide the student, allowing them to perform to the best of their ability. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Micheal S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The teacher is responsible for creating a nurturing environment...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lesson planning for an individual ESL student can be successfully adapted from lesson planning for a group once the teacher recognizes the differences and similarities between teaching a group and teaching an individual in a one-to-one setting. My first teaching experience was volunteering to teach a multilingual, adult class. After the class ended, Yordanka, one of the students, approached me for private help with her English conversation skills. I kept the following concerns in mind when conducting one-to-one sessions with Yordanka. These concerns address seven issues: student needs, student talk versus teacher talk time, trust between teacher and student, scheduling, lesson duration, the timing of lesson...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories are sometimes excellent resources in the ESL classroom. They can get the students talking and thinking in English about favorite fairytales or other stories they know or create themselves. With this, they can be creative while developing their own stories in class. This can lead to excitement and motivation. There is an endless supply of stories suitable for all ages and levels that could be used to develop English Language skills. And, hopefully, no shortage of imagination in the students to create unique stories. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Leigh K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The website Storyarts,...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Destinations Although Russia has one of the highest demands for English language teachers in the world, it is often overlooked. However, there are many reasons why we think you should seriously consider Russia as a TEFL destination, and here are our top 5. Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Check out these 7 awesome ESL conversation activities that will really get your students talking and help them learn English in no time! Linda Dunsmore Destinations Spring is the ideal time to start your TEFL adventure! Here are our top 10 places to take your TEFL course in the springtime. Linda Dunsmore ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I chose to write about this subject because I feel that the role of the teacher is a really important part of the classroom and also in the student's life. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tabitha B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If the class is boring, then the students don't have any interest in learning, so it is up to the teacher to teach knowledge to their students but also making the class interesting for their students. This is not an easy thing for the teacher, it requires a lot of thinking and lesson planning. In my experience, almost anything entertains younger students but the older they get it gets harder to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning is a process that can take place even in ‘’non-friendly’’ environments. Everything can be made out to be a competition between students and mistakes can be the shame of the ones making them. Group work and pair work can be replaced by a teacher talking time and individual work. English language lessons though as all language lessons are important for communication and this need and will for communication first take place in the safe environment of the class, so that later on, it can extend out of the classroom, in real life. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Maria C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A class is a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teachers teach children to much more. They use games, videos, computers, and other tools to teach children different subjects. Teachers show students skills. They also explain the information. Teachers plan their lessons before they teach. Planning takes a lot of time. Teachers try to make their lessons easy to understand. Teachers might use a chalkboard, a projector, or a computer. They make posters or worksheets before class starts. Teachers plan the schedule for the day. Most teachers have to teach what the principal tells them. Teachers also assign homework and class projects. They often have students work together to do projects. When students are not doing as well as they should, teachers help them....  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences In my experience, many teachers are not really sure about the difference between teaching ESL and teaching EFL in the classroom. In this post I will try to explain both situations and give some insight into each as they are actually quite distinct. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Amal S. ESL refers to teaching English as a Second Language in a English-speaking country where the student's native language is not English, while EFL refers to teaching English as a Foreign Language in a country where English is not the primary language. In the ESL classroom, students are often from different countries, backgrounds and religions which can make it difficult for the teacher as he/she has to be...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of teacher talking time. Our TEFL graduate shares several ideas on how to reduce it and why it is necessary. Federico Riva Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their ideas on online lessons with younger groups of students. Federico Riva Teaching Ideas In this blog post, you will find useful games for your ESL class. Federico Riva Teaching Ideas This blog post contains information on the ESA methodology popular in EFL teaching. Our recent TEFL graduate shares their ideas. ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “As an ESL teacher, you may feel that your students aren't paying attention, or participating in class even though you have the perfect lesson plan.” This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angela G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The thought of playing or using games as a teaching tool inside the classroom may sound intriguing, whether you’re a student, a parent of a student, a tutor, a friend of a student or someone just interested in gaining more insight into either learning or teaching English as a second language. You might be wondering how beneficial and productive games or fun activities would be and the impact they...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Nowadays being a teacher means more than just executing lesson plans while standing up at the front of the class giving explanations; we were used to this type of teacher when the traditional schools were “teacher-centered” so the students assumed a passive and quiet way to access the knowledge. It seemed not worked out well regarding English as a second language learning, and for this reason, most schools adopted a more “student-centered” approach in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aline S. The “student-centered” approach occurs when the teacher gives students choice and voice and finds ways to provide a learning environment where the interests of students...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas If you have already switched to online ESL teaching, you've definitely been using an online board. There are many good options out there, but I prefer using Miro over the others. Miro is a convenient online whiteboard with lots of fun and interactive tools to use during the class and outside. In this blog post, I'd like to share several interactive ideas to enhance your online ESL lesson. At the beginning of the online ESL lesson, start with a warm-up conversation. Ask your students about their mood, day, weather, etc. Just do some small talk of any kind. To support the conversation, you can encourage your students to draw pictures on Miro...  [Read more]