Technologically and linguistically adventurous EFL teacher, trainer, writer and manager

Analysing Language Checking understanding generally follows the isolation of new language which has been presented in context, analysed and fully explained. It is this analysis and explanation stage which is the focus here. A framework for analysis Form and phonology Function and meaning Register and appropriacy Post analysis A framework for analysis The teacher may present language inductively through a text, a situation, through a task, or simply asks learners to 'notice' lexis. Teaching Online by Nicky Hockly and Lindsay Clandfield To celebrate the launch of their new book, Teaching Online, Nicky Hockly and Lindsay Clandfield share their 5 favourite activities for teaching English online. We find that EFL teachers are increasingly expected to offer elements of their courses online, but very often are not sure where to start, or how to teach online. That´s why we wrote Teaching Online – to provide teachers with exactly this sort of guidance. The book has advice about online tools to use, what part(s) of your course you could offer online, and above all, a great set of activities you can use to teach online.

Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom If this is your first time here, then read the Teacher's Guide to Using These PagesIf you can think of a good question for any list, please send it to us. Home | Articles | Lessons | Techniques | Questions | Games | Jokes | Things for Teachers | Links | Activities for ESL Students Would you like to help? If you can think of a good question for any list, please send it to us. If you would like to suggest another topic, please send it and a set of questions to begin the topic. Copyright © 1997-2010 by The Internet TESL Journal Pages from this site should not be put online elsewhere.Permission is not required to link directly to any page on our site as long as you do not trap the page inside a frame.

Checking Understanding Analysis of the language consists of two sub-stages, often known as highlighting and concept checking. Highlighting is taking the model sentence and showing, telling or eliciting what the problems are in terms of form, function, and phonology. Concept checking is checking the understanding of difficult aspects of the target structure in terms of function and meaning. Concept checking is vital, since learners must fully understand the structure before any intensive practice of form and phonology is carried out. Ways of checking understandingConcept questionsSome examplesLearning to construct concept questionsConclusion

How to Teach English Online and One-on-One Like a Pro – The Busy Teacher Store Tips and tricks you need to translate your ESL class teaching skills into online and one-on-one lessons, for success in these new ESL fields. Two things are changing the educational landscape drastically and quickly Those two things are the integration of the Internet in learning and the desire for one-on-one lessons. Online classes make learning English more accessible for students and one-on-one lessons allow students to learn in an environment that meets their needs. Teaching Your Students How to Have a Conversation I was recently in a third grade classroom and was struck by the presence of rules that were posted for how to have a conversation. The poster said, "Each person must contribute to the discussion but take turns talking. Ask each other, 'Would you like to add to my idea?' or 'Can you tell us what you are thinking?'

Grouping students Do you think about whether you’ve got a balance between pairs, groups, whole class and individual work? If you have activities for pairs and groups, do you let the students decide who they’re going to work with or do you decide? This tip looks at the advantages and disadvantages of the three main ways of grouping students. 19 Successful Online English Teachers Share Their Tips and Resources for Planning Online Lessons Thanks to everyone who contributed! I receive A LOT of emails from online teachers (and online teachers to be) about planning; namely, what they should include in their lessons and what resources they should use. As there are many areas of English and different teaching methods, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. What I do and what I use might not work for you and your learners. However, there are some common practices and amazing resources that you can use in your online lessons. And as a way of celebrating the incredible teachers who create their own content so that we can use it with our students, I have put together this super post.

CELTA Lesson Frameworks I had a request last week from a reader who wanted to know more about lesson frameworks. I wrote about how useful they are a while back, but only gave one example. So, I’ve dug out my excellent CELTA handbook (from IH Budapest) and summarised most of the frameworks mentioned. I’ve added a bit of information to explain some stages a bit more. Here’s the basic structure for… Niche finding strategies for online teachers #3. Ask your students what they love most about your teaching, the content of your lessons and why they choose you. This is pretty much a development of my previous point. I trust that you have done some teaching prior to developing this online venture, so write to your former (or current) clients and ask them why is it that they chose you. I did this experiment a few months ago, and was blown away by the answers! Not only did I get a lot of positive feedback that is extremely encouraging and empowering, but I received some useful information about myself and my teaching style that I sort of took for granted and thought it was very basic and similar to everybody else.

Checking answers However, in the student-centred classroom this important stage in the learning process could be better exploited so as to be more engaging, interactive and empowering for our learners. Why we check answers Checking answers to tests Make checking answers engaging Make checking answers interactive Make checking answers empowering Conclusion Why we check answers We spend time checking answers once students have finished a class or homework exercise because learners need to: Be reassured that what they think they have understood is right, before going on to learn and acquire it entirely Have repeated exposure to language to aid acquisition Be encouraged to think about why an answer is correct, or how they have reached a particular answer Have a record of correct language for future reference Have support at different levels. As teachers we need to:

Dictation in English Online: 14 Unique Resources You Won't Get Tired Of Jump off that bed! Put away your cozy socks and dump out that warm tea! Relaxing can be wonderful, but now’s not the time. We’re here to give our English skills a serious workout. Dictation in English exercises aren’t for leisure. Asking questions Questioning is crucial to the way teachers manage the class, engage students with content, encourage participation and increase understanding. Typically, teachers ask between 300-400 questions per day, however the quality and value of questions varies. While questioning can be an effective tool, there is both an art and science to asking questions. Every question demands a response (except in the case of requests and suggestions), so that questions inevitably generate communication.

Four Excellent Sites for Online Dictations Oh boy. Does it bring back memories! Dictations! To be completely honest with you, I have mixed feeling as regards dictations. I remember back in primary school when the language teacher gave us lots of dictations like a well- deserved break after a tough grammar lesson; and then, this feeling of “I don’t want to ever hear the word dictation again” that I got from my classes at university where the teacher gave us one-page-long dictations so quickly that when he finished, he was panting for breath and we were seeing red. Although doing dictations is somewhat regarded as an old-fashioned technique, it is undeniable that a lot of benefits can be derived from doing this exercise.