How to Teach an ESL Class

Teaching ESL is one of the best ways to get a job abroad. But you can't just walk into a classroom and "wing it". In order to be successful, you need to know how to teach an ESL class.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• a lesson plan
• level-appropriate teaching materials (e.g. flash cards, readings, worksheets, videos, etc.)

1. Choose one grammar point that you will focus on if your lesson. For example, if you are using verbs, you may want to focus on the "I can..." sentence structure. If you are using nouns, you may want to focus on the "I like..." sentence structure.
2. Gather materials that are appropriate for the level of your class. If you are teaching children, you may want to use games. If you are teaching adults, you may want to use worksheets. Students with a high level of English may enjoy watching a video and discussing it.
3. Start your class with a warm up. This should be repeated at every lesson. With beginners, ask easy questions such as "What color do you like?" or "What's your name?" With more advanced students, you can ask questions about what they did or will do on a weekend.
   By repeating this at every lesson, the students become more comfortable. They start to feel confident that they know the answers and will not be as shy about speaking out.
4. Teach your main lesson point. Demonstrate to the students how it is used.
5. Use an activity to reinforce and practice the main lesson point. You can play a game, do a worksheet, or have students practice through role play.
6. If you have time at the end of the lesson, you can do an additional activity or re-visit a grammar point that has been a problem in the past.

Tips & Warnings

• A good teacher always has a few back-up ideas in case there is extra time at the end of the lesson. If you don't have something planned, you can easily lose control of your class.