ESL Teaching Resources
There is a surplus of ESL Teaching resources available on the worldwide web, not many people can dissect what is relevant, especially new teachers. Whether you are using a textbook and just need additional resources or you are an online tutor, one of the key objectives is to know exactly what your students' learning goals are. This allows you to better move from the level that the student is currently at to where he/she actually wants to be. The next step is to assess how best the student learns. Does the student prefer a more hands on approach? Is the student vocal during classes or does the student prefer to write? Once you have determined this then you can plan your activities accordingly.
For large classes of 20 students and over it can be quite difficult to keep their interest. Ensure that you incorporate as much activity as possible, especially for younger students. Create games, use flashcards, use audio-visual aids, etc. to make each lesson an adventure. Here are same game/activity ideas for the classroom:
For small classes:
Play a game of hangman- this is especially useful when teaching Phonics and learning how to spell new words. You can give the students clues whether in the form of pictures or phrases and let them guess/sound out the letters or spell the whole word. Each incorrect guess results in hanging a part of a man.
Flashcards- there is so much that you can do with them! You can stick them on to the board using magnets once the student has learned the words then ask a student to find the word or picture using a sticky ball to hit the correct one
You can also have the students pass around the flashcards and say what is on each card.
You can write the letters of the alphabet that you are focusing on for that lesson and have the students place/stick the flashcards matching its corresponding letter underneath it.
You can play a game of hopscotch with the flashcards. You have to lay the cards out just like you would in hopscotch and have the student say each word each time he/she jumps towards a new one . You line the words up in interesting patterns that the students will enjoy.
There are many other activities that you and you students can enjoy while learning. Just ensure that the students are practicing their newly learnt vocabulary and not just playing. If flashcards are unavailable you can create your own as I did. Ensure that you laminate them or paste them onto a firm surface to avoid inevitable wear.
You can incorporate PowerPoint presentations as well. Make sure that for each lesson you have a brief warm up activity. This can be in the form of a song or an activity. There are many ESL warm up songs available on YouTube for free. You just have to search for them then download using YouTube downloader. Some favourites enjoyed by my students include: The Wheels on the Bus, Naa Naa I'm so Happy, Do you Spaghetti?, Old McDonald, Put on your Shoes, Walking in the Jungle etc. The Super Simple Songs on YouTube are great for most ages.
When in doubt, Google is always there to help. You can literally type in whatever you want to find and it is available there. Next time I will take a bite out of teaching large classes. Hope these tips were helpful!