English As a Second Language

 Teaching English as Second Language

Many people all over the world will be embarking on English language courses this summer, and the Guardian Teacher Network has inspiring resources to help teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), many of which will also be useful for teachers of English as a second language (ESL) or an additional language (EAL) working with foreign pupils in the UK.

Start with one of the most popular teaching resources on the Guardian Teacher Network, the Big grammar book, 101 photocopiable English grammar worksheets. It's ideal to use in class with entry-level English and also ESL pupils. The book covers all the basics including writing numbers, the alphabet, spelling days and months correctly, irregular vowels, elementary homophones, comparatives and superlatives, compound nouns, full stops and using capital letters. Learn how to pronounce English like a native speaker gives students an opportunity to practise working with connected speech in spoken English in a self-study environment. The Big resource book is packed with worksheets that will really inspire learners, covering a huge variety of language areas from grammar to vocabulary to speaking and listening. And the Big activity book is a compilation of English language worksheets and activities for active English lessons.

Matt Purland, the man behind www.Englishbanana.com, has shared a whole host of useful English language teaching resources based on his philosophy of demystifying the English language. Find an introduction to the You are the course book method, together with an amusing explanation of why and how he designed it after years of frustration working in language schools. You are the course book two offers more. Matt's Talk a lot English course is another great set of resources. Start with Foundation to help students get from written words on a page to spoken English using sounds, stress and connected speech. Find Elementary book one, which is a complete 12-week spoken English course for beginners, Elementary book two and book three. Students can take their English learning to the next level with Intermediate book one.

For more advanced EFL students, the Guardian has created a number of fantastic teaching resources based on adaptations of Guardian articles. Each one is a full lesson plan, with student tasks and activities that will really enrich lessons and increase confidence, as well as build cultural understanding. Mars mission lesson plan uses a US millionaire's funded trip to work on verb patterns to express future plans. Berlin Wall's most iconic paintings under threat will help students with examples of the passive test. This lesson on hidden gifts in an art gallery explores question formation and prepositions of place.

Pollution awareness in China is an inspiring lesson based on an article about Chinese multimillionaire Chien Guangbiao giving away air-filled cans in Beijing to raise awareness of pollution. Here's a lesson looking at the latest entertainment and communications technology that is popular in the UK, which provides great cultural context for EFL students.

Also find EFL resources on illegal fishing in Sierra Leone, Bolivia's child workers, tourists' use of scarce water in exotic holiday destinations and rooftop fish farms in Germany. This list of commonly misspelt English words is invaluable: print out and learn!

Teaching EAL and ESL to children in UK primary and secondary schools is obviously very different from teaching EFL and requires distinct teaching resources, expertise and training. This key stage 1 resource Saying how you feel is an imaginative route to looking at daily life in what will be a new country for many pupils.

Mo and Hassan Farah – identical twins different lives is an inspiring resource linked to the www.teachingenglishtoolkit exploring the story of Mo Farah, who came to live in London when he was eight while his identical twin stayed in Somalia. It can be used as a starting point for EAL and ESL work in a variety of topics.

And don't miss Mike Gershon's EAL toolkit, which provides more than 50 strategies for helping learners across the key stages who are learning English as an additional language. The strategies are non-subject and non-age specific. Many of the strategies can be adapted for EFL teachers.

Thanks also to Matt Grand, the teacher behind Humans Not Robots, for providing this great resource Steps for English language, which provides precise steps as a tool for assessing the language skills of students and to think through practical targets.

Ideas For English Teacher

Teaching Ideas on Strategies and Techniques

Vocabulary Teaching 

Teaching English vocabulary can be challenging especially when working with beginner esl students.You may find yourself even more challenged if your class consists of students (adults or otherwise) of multiple nationalities and backgrounds, because different people have different ways of memorizing vocabulary in a foreign language by creating their individual associations and personal techniques for acquiring and building vocabulary.

 

 There are some obvious things an ESL teacher can do in class to help students memorize. Flash cards, pictures, word games, crosswords are among the first things that come to mind when it is time for a vocabulary class or exercise. All of these are effective techniques, and an important part in English language teaching, but the list does not end here.

 

It is fair to mention that for learners it is especially easy to memorize and create associations for new vocabulary when the process is fun, and engaging.

Here are a couple of ideas which can help you spice up your class, and bring in some more fun and engagement when teaching English vocabulary.

The following video will help teacher to create different techniques:

 

How to Help Teachers Use Technology.

Being a good teacher can be the most rewarding and exciting job in the world - however, being a teacher who doesn't work effectively can be stressful, painful, and exhausting. 

 Everyone wants teachers to use technology in the classroom. But you're busy -- meeting standards, prepping students for tests -- and maybe you’re not too fond of computers, anyway. Never fear – there are easy ways to bring your classroom up-to-date, technologically.

 Technology in the Classroom

Prepare for Your Technology in the Classroom Adventure!

Do you have a iPad in your classroom for your use? How about iPads for students to use? Could you get a classroom iPad?

What kind of Internet access is available at your school? What are school policies on student use of the Internet?

What do you have to do to get Ipads for your students?

Also try to find a technology “mentor” on campus – the computer teacher or just another teacher who uses technology more than you do. It helps to know there’s someone who can guide you and help you incorporate technology in the classroom if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Perfect Ed Tech Activities for Beginners

Do a PowerPoint “Game Show Review”

Many tech-savvy teachers have used Microsoft PowerPoint to create review games based on famous game shows, including “Jeopardy!,” “The Weakest Link,” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” These templates are available online for teachers to download and revise, including their own content. Check out this template or search “powerpoint game show template” online. A fun way to practice using a projector and get your students to review important material!

Have students complete a written classroom activity as if it was online.

Ever have your students write a diary from the perspective of a character or famous person? Why not have them create a blog instead? Take a look at various blog sites (Blogger and WordPress are two of the most popular) and create a template for your students to fill in.

Want students to summarize information? Ask them to tweet the lesson – that is, have them write summaries of 140 characters or less, as if they were writing on Twitter. Or create a template for a web page and ask students to use it to design a webpage about the content they are studying. While these activities don’t actually use technology, they familiarize you – and your students – with the Web 2.0 world, which can be a great first step.

Try a Webquest

A webquest guides students to search the Internet for specific information. For example, students are asked to serve as curators of a museum on a particular topic. They must search the Internet to determine what artifacts belong in their museum and explain their choices.

There are tons of already-constructed webquests out there, a perfect way to teachers to begin integrating Internet searches into their curriculum. Here's a good introduction to the process. Once you get really comfortable with the process, you may even want to create your own!

 Good Ed Tech Activities for All Skill Levels

Use technology as a topic for a writing assignment

For younger students, have them write a “how-to” piece about using technology in the classroom. It’s a natural fit, as young people usually have a higher comfort level with technology than many adults. Tell kids to write a piece instructing someone – maybe a grandparent? – on how to send an email, set up an Ipod, or play a video game. For older kids, have them research the impact technology has had on a particular time in history or science or include a unit on science fiction and technology in your Language Arts curriculum.

 Create a class webpage

A class webpage can be anything from a basic site where you post announcements (think “online bulletin board”) to a much more elaborate one that includes class photos, a class blog, downloadable materials, and your own domain name. For those of you just starting out, try Scholastic’s free Home Page Builder (http://teacher.scholastic.com/homepagebuilder/). Those of you with a little more experience may enjoy Webs.com (http://www.webs.com/), which offers both free and premium service packages. 

Use an online grading system

While some schools are mandating the shift to web-based gradebooks, you don’t have to wait to try one out. Sites like MyGradebook.com (http://www.mygradebook.com) offer the opportunity to track grades, record attendance and seating charts, and compile reports on student progress. You can also email students and parents directly to allow them to view their updated grades. Never worry again about bringing home your gradebook – you can access it from any computer.

 

Do an email exchange

When we were kids, some teachers had class penpals or had you practice your penmanship by writing a letter to an author. Try the 21^st-century version of that by instituting an email exchange. Have your students exchange emails with students in another school, city, state, or country – especially valuable if both sets of students are studying the same material. Or arrange for a group of experts to accept emails from your students on a particular topic. Students who fail to see the “real world implications” of math or science may develop new interest if you can put them in touch with a video game designer, astronaut, or engineer who uses those skills every day. And for adults who might want to volunteer but feel pressed for time, email can be a great way to help out, since they can respond on their own schedule.

Give multimedia presentations – or have your students give them

Liven up a traditional lecture by using a PowerPoint presentation that incorporates photographs, diagrams, sound effects, music, or video clips. For high school teachers, consider having your students develop presentations as a review tool before semester exams. Their work may be so good that you will want to use it in future classes!

Supplement your lessons

When you’ve taught the same material for awhile, you – and your students – may find it less-than-exciting. A quick Internet search may help you identify ways to supplement your lessons with interesting new material. Make a habit of searching before you begin each new unit. You may find photographs, sound clips, video clips, and more that can bring your lessons to life. Many museums now offer online “virtual tours” and teachers are constantly developing new presentations and webquests, which are posted online. Add these in to keep your lessons fresh.

Advanced Ed Tech Activities

Create a class blog or wiki

Take appropriate precautions for Internet safety, but a class blog or wiki can be a great way to integrate technology in the classroom and develop student knowledge. Some teachers use blogs to drive outside-of-class discussion – particularly helpful for AP/IB students who are motivated but short on class time.

A wiki is a website that uses software which allows many different people to edit it (think Wikipedia). Have your students work together to create a wiki on a topic they are studying. They will need to correct each other’s work and collaborate in order to make it a success.

 Listen to – or create – a Podcast.

There are thousands of podcasts available on the Web. Search for ones that meet your students’ needs. Some colleges are offering professors’ lectures via podcast, which can be great for advanced students. In other cases, you may be able to find an interview with the author of a book your students are reading, or other supplemental material. Make arrangements to download it and play it for your students. For the really ambitious, have students create their own podcasts to document their progress through the year or discuss their ideas on a variety of issues pertaining to the course.

“Publish” your students’ work

Tools exist today to allow your students to create really professional looking work using a desktop computer. Have students create a short film, run an ongoing class website that features student work and opinions, or – if they’re really ambitious – raise the money to have their work professionally published by a self-publishing company like iUniverse or Lulu.

No matter what your skill level, integrating technology in the classroom offers the chance to increase student interest and teach valuable professional skills – and have some fun!

What ways do you use technology in the classroom? Share in the comments section!