How you set up your classes can make a huge difference in the impact you have on your students. Helping students improve in English is only part of the challenge of being an ESL teacher.
We Need ESL Strategies That:
- …scaffolds that help bridge the gap between where students are and where they need to be.
- …ways to create welcoming, safe environments that foster risk-taking and honesty.
- …ways to help students take responsibility for their learning rather than expecting a teacher or parent to do things for them.
ESL Strategies Not Based on Personality
I try to avoid strategies that rely on a teacher’s personality to implement.
I remember watching a teacher once who had this incredibly engaging personality that the students couldn’t help but be drawn in by.
That is not my personality.
I am much more introverted and could never pull off the kinds of activities that guy did.
Fortunately, teaching is not a personality contest and students won’t love or hate you based on how funny you are or how much energy you have.
But our strategies do matter. Some strategies eat up lots of time but deliver poor results. We need strategies where we can get the most bang for our buck, strategies that help the the most students get the most out of the time.
Other ESL Resources
There are other resources available here for you as well.
If you need games and activities for your classes, click here.
If you need ESL teaching resources, click here.
Kid-Inspired Teacher – A Book About How to Organize Wildly Productive ELL Classes
If you need to tie all your activities and strategies together for wildly productive classes with your English language learners, you will want to start with the book Kid-Inspired Teacher.
