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Top 10 grammar mistakes in Hong Kong (part 2)

Continuing on from our part 1 article which highlighted five major English grammar problems faced by Cantonese speakers, here are another 5 common problems, with some explanations and teaching ideas to address them in class. 6) Can you cooking? / play tennis is fun What's the problem? Cantonese speakers have… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Teaching skills

Beyond single words: working with meaningful lexical chunks

As a brand new teacher, I found myself teaching supply to a class of eight year olds. I had just completed a Cert TESOL a month prior, but I still didn’t have an overwhelming bank of ‘go to‘ vocabulary activities to draw from. The games that I remembered from my own childhood were “I Spy” and “Hangman”, so I decided to give… All categories, Teaching skills, ESL activities, How to...

Top 10 grammar mistakes in Hong Kong (part 1)

Users of English from different language backgrounds have specific issues with language for a variety of reasons. Sometimes patterns of grammar or pronunciation get carried over from their first language (L1 transfer issues), and sometimes a feature exists in English that is not present in their first language. This article… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Teaching skills

5 essential websites that every English teacher needs

As a Cert TESOL tutor, I work with trainee teachers every day who upon finishing the course go out to teach in the real world. One of the biggest challenges facing new teachers in particular is planning. Whilst experienced teachers may have a bank of readily available lesson planning ideas which they can select from quickly and… All categories, How to..., TESOL Masters, Five ways to, ESL activities

Using authentic materials in the ESL classroom

Using authentic materials in an ESL classroom provides many benefits for learners. Exploiting them in class can give learners a sense of achievement, show language in a realistic context, and offers opportunity for real communication. Unfortunately, many learners assume that they are incapable of coping with authentic texts or materials as these… All categories, ESL activities, TESOL Masters, How to...

All I want for Christmas is a Christmas tree: ESL Christmas activities in Asia

Teaching in Asia is full of surprises. One of the most surprising things is how many students write “Christmas tree” at the top of their Christmas wish list. This helped me understand just how different our cultures are from East to West. Even though Christmas may not be celebrated at home in many parts of Asia, young learners still have a huge… All categories, How to..., Careers in TESOL, ESL activities

TEFL Masterclass: creating meaningful classroom interaction

The language that we use with our students, and the language that they use with each other at different points of a lesson, is fundamental to English language education. This article aims to outline some of the features of the interaction which happens in language classrooms in order to find ways that we can maximise the quality of communication… All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., ESL activities

Inclusive education (part 3): practical SEN support strategies for an inclusive classroom

How can teachers best support learners with SEN? In reality, this is a very big question. Every child is different and learners have different personalities, as well as different additional learning needs. As we explored last week, if you are a teacher who has learners with SENs in your classroom, the most important thing that you need… All categories, Teaching skills, How to...

Inclusive education (part 2): supporting learners with special educational needs

“I don’t feel that I’m experienced enough at working with learners with SEN, I’ll only end up letting them down.’’ ‘’Having learners with SENs in the classroom takes a lot of extra planning time’’. ‘’How can I spend all of my class time supporting one or two learners when the other students need my time too?’’ Do these thoughts sound familiar?… All categories, Teaching skills, How to...

Taking feedback: making the most of professional development

Some of the most beneficial feedback I’ve received in my career has been the most challenging to listen to. This is because they all share the common denominator in revealing a blind spot in my development that was known to others but not to me. Although constructive feedback of this type can be challenging to hear, it is essential in helping… All categories, Careers in TESOL, Diploma courses, Certificate courses, How to...

The biggest myth in education: are parents more important than students?

Before you run to lynch me for saying this, stop and ask yourself: what are the factors within teachers control that positively impact the learning environment? This was exactly what John Hattie aimed to answer when he produced a comprehensive list of effect sizes on learning. Going one step further, Hattie then grouped the various factors that… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL, How to...

A teachers' survival guide for the first week of school

The start of a new school year is often a daunting time for teachers and learners alike. Even if you’re returning to a teaching post you know well, it’s likely that you’ll be assigned new groups of learners and possibly different materials to work with. Whether it’s your first teaching job or just another semester, the following tips will help get… All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., Certificate courses