Sometimes we neednt disscuss about the book, because it is very usefull. Look the sumary bellow: There are ideas for all stages of the lesson – warm ups, pre, while and post reading or listening, and homework. The ideas and activities have been put in several broad categories, including talking about news, using headlines, discussions, using opinions, plans, using lists and quotes, role play ideas and taskbased activities. There are also language analysis exercises, at the lexical level and in moving from text to speech. The two largest sections focus on using the central characters and the themes of news articles. There are also many activities that may be copied and used in class. I have avoided talking about methodology or giving “how to” advice in this introduction and throughout the book. Teachers will take the activities they feel they can use and teach them according to their own teaching style and classroom situation. Similarly, I have not provided guidelines for level or timing. An idea that one teacher deems suitable for higher levels might be effectively used by another teacher for lower levels. Likewise, an activity with a suggested duration of five minutes might well run considerably longer with some classes. There are ideas for all stages of the lesson – warm ups, pre, while and post reading or listening, and homework. The ideas and activities have been put in several broad categories, including talking about news, using headlines, discussions, using opinions, plans, using lists and quotes, role play ideas and taskbased activities. There are also language analysis exercises, at the lexical level and in moving from text to speech. The two largest sections focus on using the central characters and the themes of news articles. There are also many activities that may be copied and used in class. I have avoided talking about methodology or giving “how to” advice in this introduction and throughout the book. Teachers will take the activities they feel they can use and teach them according to their own teaching style and classroom situation. Similarly, I have not provided guidelines for level or timing. An idea that one teacher deems suitable for higher levels might be effectively used by another teacher for lower levels. Likewise, an activity with a suggested duration of five minutes might well run considerably longer with some classes. There are ideas for all stages of the lesson – warm ups, pre, while and post reading or listening, and homework. The ideas and activities have been put in several broad categories, including talking about news, using headlines, discussions, using opinions, plans, using lists and quotes, role play ideas and taskbased activities. There are also language analysis exercises, at the lexical level and in moving from text to speech. The two largest sections focus on using the central characters and the themes of news articles. There are also many activities that may be copied and used in class. I have avoided talking about methodology or giving “how to” advice in this introduction and throughout the book. Teachers will take the activities they feel they can use and teach them according to their own teaching style and classroom situation. Similarly, I have not provided guidelines for level or timing. An idea that one teacher deems suitable for higher levels might be effectively used by another teacher for lower levels. Likewise, an activity with a suggested duration of five minutes might well run considerably longer with some classes.
CONTENTS 3-4 MUST READ: A Really Disastrous Semester (5 Months, Zero Improvement): What I Was Doing So Wrong And How I Fixed It 5-6 ERROR CORRECTION: Are Your ESL Students Making These 10 Speaking Mistakes? TABOO SUBJECTS: Make Them Want to Talk: Taboo Subjects for Your Teen Conversation Class TABOO SUBJECTS: What the ****? Ways to Turn Bad Word Explanations into a Conversation Class SLANG: Activities to Use TV to Teach When Slang is Appropriate 10 PRESENTATIONS: Tweaking Speaking: Ideas for Presentations 11-12 PRESENTATIONS: Using The News: Steps to Fantastic Student Presentations 13-14 MOTIVATION: Ways to Motivate your Students to Speak Out 15-16 MOTIVATION: How To Energize Your Bored Students With This Great Game (Perfect For Any Level, Any Topic, Any Size Of Group) 17 MOTIVATION: Speak Speak Speak: MORE Activities That Motivate Students to Speak 18 MOTIVATION: Use It Or Lose It: Awesome ESL Activities To Encourage Student Initiative 19-20 DISCUSSION STARTERS: 35 Print And Go Discussion Starters For ESL Students: The Secret Weapon Every Teacher Needs 21 ROLE PLAYS: The Ideal ESL Role Play In Easy Steps 22-23 ROLE PLAYS: How To Create Your Own Role-Plays: Quick Tips On Inventing Infinitely Flexible & Dynamic Discussion Environments Your Students Will Love 24 GROUPS: Ways to Make Talking about Me about Everyone in a Group Conversation Class 25 SMALL TALK: Chit Chat and Small Talk: Activities To Get The Conversation Started With Your Students 26-27 GIVING ADVICE: It’s Not a Problem: Out of the Ordinary Advice Giving Activities 28 FLUENCY: Repeat, Reuse, Review: Stepping Stones to Fluency 32 SKILLS: How to Use a Class Party to Teach 10 Social Conversation Skills 33 SKILLS:Formality, Yea or Nay? Help Your ESL Students Know When to Be Formal with These Useful Tips 34-35 SKILLS: 10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for College 36 SKILLS: Nifty Tips on How to Help Your ESL Student Handle Awkward Situations 37 SKILLS: When the Going Gets Tough: Teach Your ESL Students How to Manage Difficult Situations 38-39 LEARNING CENTERS: 10 Learning Centers Perfect for Listening and Speaking Class 40-41 TEACHING METHODS: DM? CLT? TPR? Most Popular ESL Teaching Methods, And Which One You Should Be Using 42-43 MUST READ: No Prep, Little Prep, and More Prep Ways to Get Your Students Ready to Learn 29 FLUENCY: Amazing Ideas for AccuracyFluency Balance 44 MUST READ: How Was Your ESL Lesson? How To Assess Your Own Teaching [Checklist] 30-31 OUTSIDE THE CLASS: Get Them Talking Outside of Class: Speaking and Listening Challenges 45 MUST READ: Running dry? Make your ESL lessons irresistible with these ideas to boost your creativity A Disastrous Semester: What I Was Doing So Wrong And How I Fixed It I had a really disastrous semester earlier this year I inherited a group of students of a very low level, and all from the same country I thought, ‘No problem!’ I’d handled large, elementary-level, mono-lingual classes before After five months together, though, I began to worry that I couldn’t really see any improvement, at least by the measure that I principally use: the ability to spontaneously produce accurate and descriptive English The lack of achievement seemed to be true across the board: vocabulary stayed at a low level with little color or nuance, pronunciation problems became hardcoded and stubborn, rather than gradually melting away, spoken grammar, in particular, was a real problem, with students rejecting the idea of conjugating tenses and using time expressions instead, note-taking remained pretty poor and dictionary use was nearly unheard of I have to admit, I began to despair What could I be doing so wrong in my classes as to have failed to help the students overcome these basic difficulties? We worked on every one of their problems in short, targeted modules of twenty or thirty minutes, aimed at raising awareness and encouraging self-correction, but the following week, we were right back at square one I spent months encouraging the use of modal verbs, but still received answers such as, “I will maybe go movies tonight,” and, “Remember his books, maybe was better” Frankly, I was losing it Then, following a meeting with my colleagues to figure out what on Earth was going on, we hit on the genesis of the whole problem: Absolutely no practice was happening We came to find that, irrespective of time and effort expended in the classroom, it was the students’ personal time which governed their rate of progress and the growth of their skills Once they left the classroom, they immediately switched back to L1, and stayed in their home language (and therefore, almost inevitably, their own cultural) environment until they next walked into the classroom This was made worse by their housing situation – they lived in L1 groups which never spoke any English, despite residing in a major US city – and worse still by some of my colleagues’ permitting L1 in the classroom I emphasize this because I did not blame the students for their poor progress I blamed the environment we had created for them, and also certain preconditioned learning styles with which they arrived at the school and which proved a major barrier to improvement STEPS TO ENSURING GREAT PRACTICE HELP STUDENTS TO GET RID OF BAD HABITS Check in often with your students and find out what kind of practice they’ve been doing This was very revealing in the case of the class I struggled with earlier this year I found that students were simply writing down the new word ten times, or repeating it out loud, by itself, others were merely listening to their electronic dictionary pronouncing the word without doing either! Once we recognize the habits our students already have, we can steer them towards better methods I set homework which includes vocabulary practice in sentences Students sometimes take some convincing that the extra work of producing a new sentence, just to practice one new word, is worthwhile Realistic sentence practice, though, is a great boost to retention and fluency, as the student has created a situation in which the word is needed: the next time, they might well produce the word spontaneously, and then we’ll be making real progress OTHER GOOD HABITS INCLUDE: • Saying every new word a few times - not for memorization, but for pronunciation, simply to get comfortable with making that particular string of sounds Isolate the tricky sounds and practice them individually, then practice the whole word The teacher can help by drilling the pronunciation, so that the word has been formed and spoken before the students leave the classroom • Writing down all new vocabulary in a book specifically for that purpose, and practice each difficult, new word after each class • Guessing from context before (or instead of) reaching for a dictionary whenever a new word comes up The dictionary should be a way to confirm the students’ assumptions and get a clear definition, but it shouldn’t ubiquitously be the first port of call A REMINDER OF THE REALITIES I tried a couple of methods to encourage my students to realize that a language needs practice, like any other skill Persuading them to view their work in terms of skills acquisition, and not simply the gaining of ‘knowledge’ was an important early step I played them a YouTube video of the legendary Russian pianist Evgeniy Kissin playing a dazzling masterpiece They were impressed, of course, despite not being huge fans of classical music I asked how Kissin had, from nothing, become able to perform with such ease something so obviously difficult Everyone knew the answer: practice It was also recognized that, had Kissin not practiced regularly and at length, he would never have become the globe-trotting virtuoso he is today Establishing this critical causal link, however rudimentary it may seem, is usefully illustrative for your students Invite your class to come up with their own examples of someone who has put in long, focused hours and achieved a tremendous ability The same point can be made by watching a talented sportsman, or an interview with a great writer, or someone who seems to be a savant, with an incredible memory, but who simply practiced remembering things until they became uncommonly good at it 3 KEEP A RECORD I’ve found that students are beginning to lose respect for paper Ten years ago, it was routine to find all of the semester’s handouts and notes carefully arranged in a labeled binder Nowadays, I’m seeing more and more scattered, incoherent notes, and dogearned handouts scrunched forlornly at the bottom of schoolbags Normally, I’d try to fight such changes, but here I think acceptance might work better: ours is a digital age, and the students are digital operators So, when it comes to keeping a record of what they have achieved, that record must also be digital Encourage your students to make weekly recordings of themselves reading a paragraph, or just conversing in English with others A month later, listening to the recording will reveal a change in accent, or an embarrassing mistake, which the student can compare to their contemporary skills set With luck – and consistent practice – the student will see some improvement CONSISTENCY IS KEY Many young people are inexperienced in goal-setting and time management Creating a simple Excel spreadsheet to track their work is a good way to bring some structure to what is often a very disjointed learning style Daily requirements for speaking, listening, reading and writing are articulated, and can be enjoyably checked off once completed Repeatedly emphasizing the importance of making this practice a daily ritual might well make the difference between a useful habituation and its patchy, unsatisfactory opposite There’s a good maxim for this: ONCE YOU’VE DONE IT FORTY TIMES, IT’S A HABIT I believe this is true for almost anything: smoking, meditating, practicing, getting up early, you name it Of special importance here are reading and writing, for me, the two skills which are most de-emphasized by 21st century students’ learning styles A daily commitment to reading a few pages, or a chapter, of a book, and to writing a short journal entry or part of a blog article, is a healthy way to address these important issues SYNONYMS, ANTONYMS AND COLLOCATIONS Learning the meaning and spelling of a word is only part of the journey I always encourage students to write synonyms and antonyms as part of their practice: apart from being useful vocabulary review in its own right, linking the word into a family of similar words provides yet greater contextualization, and obliges the students to consider aspects such as the relative strengths of adjectives (is ‘exhausted’ stronger than ‘tired’, or ‘worn out’?), or the relative register of two verbs (which is more formal, ‘jot down’ or ‘note’?) THE DANGER OF ONE WORD ANSWERS Sometimes, all we’re looking for is a confirmation that the students know what’s going on This leads, more often for new teachers than for veterans, to dangerous and misleading situations where the teacher asks, ‘Do you understand?’ This habit is discussed elsewhere on Busyteacher.org, but I’ll add my voice if I may: please never ask this question You almost certainly won’t get a true answer, it’s an ineffective way of checking understanding, and saying ‘yes’ in a big group is hardly what we mean by production Here’s a classroom example of avoiding the ‘Do You Understand?’ issue and requiring genuine production This was a multilingual class whom I knew very well Teacher: OK, so how’s the weather this morning? Student 1: Cold Teacher: Really, Zhang? Maybe try for more than one word? Students: [Laughter this is a theme in my classroom and they’ve heard it many times before] Student 1: Today is cold Teacher: Did you hear that, guys? A sentence! Student 2: With a verb! Teacher: Indeed so, Mr Gao What a wonderful thing that was Now, how was the weather last night, when you got home? Student 3: Not so cold Student 4: Little cold Teacher: Well, I’ve got three words, then two Let’s go nuts Who’s got four? Student 2: It was a little cold last night Teacher: Heavens above, it’s a miracle! Seven words! I can barely count that high! Students: [Laughter] The teacher made a joke of it, but there is the underlying theme: short utterances are unlikely to convey what you truly mean, don’t really help the person you’re speaking with, and offer an artificially truncated view of your language skills It may seem as though I’m making fun of my class, but they understand why I it, both through having seen this method before, and through being aware of my obsession with full sentences and complete answers I leave them in no doubt that: PRODUCTION IS PRACTICE and that PRACTICE MEANS PRODUCTION I hope that your own students come to this realization, and associate the learning of a language with the producing of it Are Your ESL Students Making These 10 Speaking Mistakes? ESL STUDENTS PRACTICE SPEAKING, READING, WRITING AND LISTENING, BUT LET’S FACE IT IT’S THE SPEAKING THAT PUTS THEM ON THE SPOT Whether they are foreign executives or stay-at-home moms who want to make new friends, speaking mistakes might make them look bad Let’s take a look at the most common and see how we can help our students move past them towards better fluency 10 SPEAKING MISTAKES THAT YOUR ESL STUDENTS NEED TO OVERCOME WRONG WORD ORDER FOR QUESTIONS What I can to improve my English? Word order might pose a problem for ESL students in general, but when it comes to questions, the mistake is glaring This type of mistake when asking questions is often accompanied by the wrong intonation (falling instead of rising, in this case) which makes the question sound like a statement or an incomplete sentence COUNTABLE/ UNCOUNTABLE MIXUPS There was much people at the party It is very easy to tell when a student has not effectively learned the difference between countable and uncountable nouns They make mistakes with much, many, a little and a few, and less and fewer, giving us phrases like, “I have a few money”, and “I read much books” WORD CHOICE I love Disneyworld It is very funny There are words that ESL students typically mix up: some are quite similar like fun and funny, or farther and further, and there are others that are easily confused like watch, see and look REPETITION OF THE SUBJECT My company it is big Quite often, ESL students use a noun as the subject of the sentence and yet feel compelled to add the pronoun right after it SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT He have a lot of money This is a big problem in both speaking and writing It is very common in ESL learners but a hurdle they should definitely overcome if they want to make a better impression when speaking WRONG PREPOSITION I was born on 1991 On, at or in? It is one of the most popular questions from students They use the wrong preposition in so many cases and so often, it is impossible to correct every single one CONFUSING PRONOUNS My mother told me she broke your leg “Your mother broke what?”, screeches the ESL teacher “I can assure you my leg is not broken.” This is one of my favorite mistakes to correct because this confusion gives rise to all types of funny statements, from students claiming to have spent “your” money to reports of parents having cleaned “your” room MISTAKING WORDS THAT ARE SIMILAR IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE My daughter is embarrassed and will have her baby next month The student’s daughter has nothing to be embarrassed about The student has made this mistake because the word for pregnant in Spanish is embarazada, and sounds very similar to embarrassed Each language has words that may sound a lot like words in English but have completely different meanings, and students should be careful with these Also similar to this mistake is “inventing” words in English by applying typical patterns (involucrated instead of involved from the Spanish involucrado) USING INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE Hi! What’s up? (said to a customer) Even after we get all of the grammatical mistakes out of the way, ESL students still have a hard time figuring out what is appropriate or inappropriate depending on the context 10 USING THE WRONG STRESS It’s nice to meet you A student may say something that is perfectly correct, grammatically speaking, but what happens if they put the stress on the wrong word? It may lead to confusion or misunderstanding Consider the difference between, “He didn’t pay for one lesson” vs “He didn’t pay for one lesson” HOW TO HELP OUR STUDENTS MOVE PAST THESE SPEAKING MISTAKES There are two tiers to correcting and improving these mistakes The first tier is the easiest to attack: it is composed of the typical grammatical errors students can work on through extended practice and worksheets The second tier involves things that students have a hard time grasping, like the difference between informal and more formal language, intonation and stress, as well as the other nuances of the English language HOW TO CORRECT TYPICAL GRAMMAR MISTAKES When it comes to correcting grammar mistakes while students are speaking, every ESL teacher comes to this hard realization: you can’t correct every single mistake Firstly, it seriously hin- ders fluency and does not help boost morale if students are being corrected every few seconds or so Secondly, it simply can’t be done Not unless you record what a student says and replay it so you can correct every single mistake As in most things in life, we need to pick our battles, and here’s how you can choose which grammar mistakes to correct: • • Things they should already know by now, like the conjugation of the third person singular in the simple present (he takes) Problems that are shared by several students • Mistakes that are repeated again and again by the same student • Mistakes that are connected to the lesson goal (i.e., talk about things that happened in the past) How can we correct these mistakes in a way that won’t affect overall fluency? Because the student is speaking, and you won’t want to interrupt him or her, the best course of action is to find some way of signaling the mistake For example, if the same student typically forgets the s in the third person singular, trace an s in the air or flash a card with the letter s when they make this mistake HOW TO IMPROVE MISTAKES THAT ARE MORE SUBTLE How does a student come to understand that it’s ok to say something is very expensive, but not very fabulous? How does a student know when to ask, “What’s up?” and when to ask, “How have you been?” One of the keys is exposure Exposure to the English language, especially outside the ESL classroom The more ESL students hear native English speakers using expressions correctly, using sarcasm and colloquial phrases, greeting others and making jokes, the easier it will be for them to grasp these differences and start using them themselves In addition to exposure, role plays are instrumental in teaching proper intonation, word stress and the use of appropriate expressions I recommend: • Letting a pair of students carry out the role play as presented to them • Taking notes while they speak • Congratulating them on their efforts • Offering praise for something they did particularly well (use of set phrases) • Offering suggestions for improvement or correcting mistakes (used the right expression but with the wrong intonation, for example) • Asking them to try it again, keeping the suggestions/corrections in mind SPEAKING IS OFTEN A SOURCE OF GREAT FRUSTRATION FOR ESL LEARNERS While our job is to correct their mistakes, we must also strive to so in an encouraging and supportive environment Instead of focusing on correcting mistakes, let’s help them achieve better fluency Make Them Talk: Taboo Subjects for Teen Conversation Class NO MATTER WHAT CULTURE YOU ARE TEACHING, IT IS PROBABLE THAT, IF YOU TEACH BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE LEVEL YOUNG TEENS (13-17 YEAR OLDS), YOU FIND THAT THEY ARE SUDDENLY SHY, UNRESPONSIVE, DO NOT LIKE LISTENING, AND EVEN RUDE SOMETIMES These universal teen traits often make the ESL conversation instructor’s normal tricks useless What topics keep them interested and break the barriers? A strategy is to work with the rebellion/burgeoning independence, “badness”, need for peer acceptance, and curiosity that come with the age Try presenting some of these “taboo” conversation questions in class For this to work, the ESL instructor needs to first establish trust and a sense of camaraderie that gets them to share Put the questions, or similar ones related to the categories, on little cards and pass them out Have the students sit in a circle and read their questions and begin the conversation topics one by one If they not respond naturally, introduce an example, preferably something personal, even if you are inventing it! If they still not respond, poll them to begin and offshoot questions from the poll results TRY THESE TABOO SUBJECTS FOR YOUR NEXT TEEN CONVERSATION CLASS LYING AND CHEATING They all lie and most have cheated on a test and feel better when they hear about someone else that has done the same Two conversation starter questions are: • Have you ever lied to your mom or dad? Why? About what? • Have you ever cheated on a test? Which subject? If they not respond right away, tell them you cheated on your algebra test in ninth grade because you could not memorize the equations! They will relate If that still does not work, ask the question as a poll This is a good way to get the class started with gradual sharing • How many of you have cheated on a test? Then pick on a few with their hands raised and ask which subjects This will definitely open up a conversation that engages them about which subjects are hard to study! Polling works for any of these subjects TREATING PEOPLE POORLY AND REGRETTING IT We have all treated our little brother poorly and felt bad later, especially at this moody age Usually we not apologize and try to forget about it, but it feels good to admit the transgression and can be very humorous when we talk about it • What was something you said or did to someone that you regretted later? How did it make you feel? This focuses on past tense and is great for practicing feelings vocabulary A starter example is “I ate the piece of cake my brother put in the refrigerator I felt bad when he told me he brought it home for my grandmother.” GHOSTS AND PARANORMAL Ask them about paranormal experiences and occult beliefs Teens of this age are trying to cope with identifying with beliefs and faiths and like talking about and exploring different ideas Ghosts and the paranormal is lighter subject matter than God existing or heavy religious banter, however, and usually are very engaging subjects for teens At minimum, you will get one or two students to tell stories to which everyone will listen They are curious what their peers believe TheTwilight series, horror movies, and other occult films all are marketed to teens for a reason! • Have you ever seen a ghost? Where? What did it look like? • Do you believe in astrology? What sign are you? • Do you think vampires exist? Do you know one? • Can you tell the future? Do you know someone who can? This practices storytelling, as well as past, present, and future tense It will bring up some good new vocabulary for the students as well! SECRET CRUSHES PERSONAL APPEARANCE They all have secret crushes at this age and like to pester each other about it If you want to keep the conversation light, focus on pop stars/athletes If the students know each other better, you could ask a general question about the perfect boy/girlfriend These questions will practice traits vocabulary, “if I could” conditional, and can create additional conversations about sports, music, and TV • If you could meet someone you have a secret crush on, who would it be? • What is your perfect girlfriend like? • Do you have a boyfriend? What does he look like? All teens feel awkward in their bodies, and, with constant Facebook and media exposure globally, they compare themselves to famous people and wish they could look different somehow! This is a very funny conversation topic for students of this age if you keep it light – focus on who they think is most beautiful and why instead of making it too personal This subject will practice describing people, present and conditional tenses, and will end up being a good vocabulary lesson • Who is the most beautiful person in the world? Why? • Which is more attractive – to be a little fat or too skinny? • How much make up is too much – or is there never too much? • Do actresses show too much skin on TV? • If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change? IF YOU ARE TRYING TO GET TEENS TO TALK, AND ARE STUMPED, TRY SOME OF THESE TOPICS! You will find that not only will they participate, but they will also listen Furthermore, your students will be begging for the new vocabulary to communicate their thoughts We have to try to relate on the level of our students if we want them to learn how to communicate, so have fun doing so and be a teen again with them! Ways to Turn Bad Word Explanations into a Conversation Class THIS HAPPENS TO EVERY ESL TEACHER STUDENTS WILL ASK YOU WHAT VULGAR WORDS MEAN IN ENGLISH Ignoring them might work for a while, but it is best to approach the subject professionally and offer an explanation for the word or phrase or question Here are ways to broach the slippery subject and even turn it into an interesting conversation class TRY THESE WAYS TO TURN BAD WORD EXPLANATIONS INTO A CONVERSATION CLASS WHAT THE ****? In English, especially in American English, we know it is a serious faux pox to use certain four letter words, even to the point where it is illegal in public media They are powerful expletives though that attract attention, hence why we use them in common speech and why students want to know what they mean • Write the list of vulgar words for them horizontally on the board, and explain that they are very strong communication tools, yes, but usually carry a negative and even angry tone Alternatively, a speaker can attract attention from creative speech • Task students to think of words that rhyme with each vulgar word that have positive or humorous meanings like “duck”, “spit”, and “spell” Place a box or hat under each vulgar word and have them write their three rhyme words on small papers and place in each box • Then, write common expressions like “what the ****” on the board and have students take turns selecting papers at random from the boxes and inserting their silly/positive words in the expressions YOU’RE SUCH A… English speakers can be quite confrontational and get involved with nasty name calling either directly to someone in anger or behind someone’s back These mean names are heard on TV, movies, songs, and on the street Students will ask you what they mean If they do, be prepared and explain that it is never nice to use these words, and would it not be better if we lived in a world where people only said nice things about others? • Give students a homework assignment to open their ears and record five nice things people say to each other on the street or in pop culture if you not live in an English speaking country • Provide examples like, “You’re such a sweetie!” or “She’s so bubbly!” It will help them focus on positive aspects of colloquial language, and you will have a great conversation class the next week when they explain where they heard these words! GET DOWN Pick a particularly vulgar word heavy dance song, better if it is one students know, and even better yet if it is one they hear on the radio often • Print the lyrics and play the song, asking students to circle what they assume are colloquial words • Then, go through the song and rewrite the bad words with less vulgar words that have a more lighthearted connotation after explaining what they mean Ask students first what they think the words mean Older teenagers are probably just trying to embarrass you by asking what they mean, so embarrass them instead! • Play the song again and have students sing/read along with the new language This activity will result in an engaging conversation and vocabulary lesson CUT! Show a clip from a popular “R” rated movie with bad language, like a gangster film, preferably one they have seen • Download and print a transcript of the dialogue and show the clip with subtitles • Have them circle the bad words while watching • Then discuss how those words were used in the film by the speakers to relay meaning, add significance to speech, etc EMBRACE IT YOU TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS For your older teens or young adults, embrace the swear words and teach them how to use them properly in conversation Write down commonly used swear expressions, like “what the hell” and “that pissed me off”, on papers with definitions on the back, and have students in pairs come to the front of the class and draw one each from a box Ask them to try to use the phrases in a quick dialogue together For example, they could say: • “What the hell? He didn’t give you a birthday present?” • “No! It really pissed me off.” Students can work in pairs or groups to invent a dialogue at their desks first if you think they will need more time to consider the phrases Alternatively, embrace the swear or colloquial words by asking students to write down three that they hear on the street or in music/on TV for homework and to try to discover what they mean by asking other English speakers they know • Have the students put the words on different papers with the definitions on the back, and ask them to place them in a box when they enter class that day • Students can take turns picking words out of the box and reading the definitions If the definition is wrong, correct it • Then, ask the student to try to use the word in a sentence appropriately If she cannot, find out where the contributor heard the word and what type of reaction the definer of the word had when she asked him/ her about it! IT CAN BE AN EMBARRASSING MOMENT FOR YOU OR FOR YOUR CLASS WHEN STUDENTS ASK WHAT THOSE FOUR LETTER WORDS MEAN Now you can turn it around into a fun activity that engages their English learning skills and helps them practice conversation! The oral power that makes these words so popular can help energize your class and engage your students Activities to Use TV to Teach When Slang is Appropriate NATIVE SPEAKERS, EVEN THE MOST EDUCATED AND REFINED, REGULARLY USE SLANG IN CONVERSATION In fact, we unconsciously hone slang depending on the cultural situation in which we are Demonstrating those situations through TV can be particularly helpful in your ESL/EFL conversation course, especially when students are trying to reach a more fluent conversational level The following are six activities that use TV to teach EFL students when certain slang is not only acceptable, but appropriate HOW TO TEACH EFL STUDENTS WHEN SLANG IS APPROPRIATE BE COOL To be accepted in a social group, we need to be cool, and, to be cooler, we incorporate slang modifiers into conversation Teenagers might use more slang modifiers than educated adults, but educated adults use them as well, especially in relating to their teen offspring Cool, awesome, and all of their slang modifier cousins are important words to incorporate into the EFL student’s vocabulary Use any of a number of teen TV shows and pick a scene heavy in “cool” and “uncool” speak Glee is a perfect choice Prepare a list of slang words students will hear and ask them to mark which words/phrases are “cool” and which mean “uncool” Discuss the right answers IT’LL BE ALRIGHT We use slang when we are comforting someone confiding in us about something negative that happened to her, or something about which she is scared or worried We break out clichés and colloquial speech as a familiarity cultural tool to help soothe TV is full of emotionally dramatic situations between confidantes: nearly any prime time sitcom or drama has at least one scene per episode of people in crisis Pick a moment between friends or relatives, preferably women as they receive more emotional dialogue time Use a dialogue between Lily and Robin in How I Met Your Mother, for example This activity will work better if it is a short three minute clip that you can show a few times Find the transcript Blank out the confiding/comfort slang, and ask students to try to fill in the words they hear as you play the clip Play it twice Then, go over what the phrases were and what they mean in formal English OH MY GOD! EFL learners need to understand slang to express surprise Conversation with natives will be impossible to comprehend otherwise Pick a TV clip where an actor is revealing a crazy event to a group and they react Nearly any coffeehouse scene from Friends where all six are together works Have students write the surprise expressions they heard on the board, and then brainstorm additional expressions they know or have heard in other places as well Afterwards, have them practice using expressions in conversation Ask each student to tell a partner the craziest thing that happened to him the week before His partner should react with a surprise idiom, like “Wow, that’s crazy!” They should write down the conversation, switch roles, and repeat TELLING STORIES AT THE OFFICE Generally, maintaining formality at the office is a good rule of thumb If your EFL learners so all the time, however, they will have no friends, confidantes, or allies Every workplace thrives on comic relief periodically throughout the day with people gossiping or telling stories Those are the moments when people use slang in the workplace Teach your students to identify informal moments and appropriately react to them by listening for slang Show a TV clip from The Office (almost any) that has two scenes contrasting formal and informal language, Angela with Dwight and then with Mi- chael, for example Doctor shows are good for this as well, to contrast how doctors talk to patients and then to colleagues in the break room Ask students in a discussion afterwards which slang words indicate an informal break WHAT UP? I DIG HER Slang greetings have varying levels of formality, and it is important to know what the formality level is to respond appropriately Show any TV clip where people are greeting each other A party scene with different social levels of people is probably a more helpful tool than a work setting Use the clip as a launching point to discuss different greeting language Write as many greetings as they can think of, from the clip and from their encounters with English from other places, on the board Ask students to rate each based on a formality meter of one to five, one being informal and five being formal Then, ask them one by one to respond to the greetings If you ask “What up?” they should reply “Not much” instead of “I am well” or a more formal response Romance and sexual language is full of slang and can make an extremely fun conversation class! Keep it light by showing a dialogue clip from a PG TV show, one with teenagers talking about crushes or young love is ideal Charlie explaining relationships to his nephew in Two and a Half Men would work Students should pick out how slang is used to talk about romance Then, separate the class into two groups and ask the students to form two lines Throw out different slang romance terms, like “I dig her” and “she’s tripping” The groups should take turns guessing how to translate the terms to plain English WE FOCUS MOST OF OUR TEACHING TIME ON PROPER GRAMMAR AND DICTIONARY WORDS, BUT, IN REAL LIFE, KNOWING SLANG AND WHEN TO USE IT WILL AID YOUR EFL STUDENTS Students will dig these exercises! Tweaking Speaking: Ideas for Presentations DID YOU KNOW THAT PUBLIC SPEAKING IS THE #1 FEAR IN NORTH AMERICA? THE SECOND GREATEST FEAR IS DEATH! The thought of giving a presentation is scary enough for native speakers, but for ESL students, speaking in front of a group of people in a second language is even more nerve-wracking Many students have a tendency to freeze when they are “on stage”, which can result in robotic like recitations of memorized speeches or an overreliance on notes that leads to reading aloud rather than speaking freely One of the things we as teachers can to help students progress as speakers in front of an audience is to design stimulating and fun presentation topics Hopefully, the more engaged students are with their topic, the more they will relax and deliver a presentation that flows more naturally IMPROMPTU SITUATIONS Your students will really enjoy fun and creative, even silly, impromptu speaking tasks, as scary as they may seem at first If a teacher is working on developing speaking skills with students, a great daily warm-up is to write down various scenarios or topics, cut them into strips, and have students randomly choose one Topics can be serious or wacky the important thing is that students are talking! The more practice students have with delivering even short, random, speaking exercises in front of a group, the more comfortable they will ultimately be when it comes time to deliver planned, formal presentations TRY THESE PRESENTATION IDEAS WITH YOUR STUDENTS Here are some examples: • Pretend you are an ant, try to convince an anteater not to eat you! • Explain how to ask a girl on a date • Pretend that you have just seen a dinosaur in New York City, try to get someone to believe you! POSTER PRESENTATIONS HAVE STUDENTS CREATE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL Some students are deeply frightened at the prospect of presenting in AND BIOGRAPHICAL front of their peers and teachers One DOCUMENTARIES of the ways that instructors can ease students into the role of presenter is to create a poster session in which each student has the opportunity to share ideas with a small audience multiple times Poster sessions work great for just about any topic, and they allow students to create a visual aid that they can then explain to a rotating audience Students can hang their posters on the walls around a room and have visitors (perhaps students from another class) mingle and browse When people stop to see a poster, the creator has an opportunity to present the information they have included on their poster to a small group in a more relaxed setting Then, the student has the chance to it again when the next visitor stops by to take a look, allowing the student to present the same information multiple times, hopefully getting better and better with each “mini-presentation.” 10 If a course is long enough, having students collaborate on a mini-documentary can be an excellent way to unleash their creativity Working in groups or individually, students can design and produce a video that explores their own lives or the lives of someone else, famous or unknown This fun, engaging project can be a long-term one that students work on over a significant period of time, or it can be designed as a shorter task that students create in a few days If time is really limited, students can a presentation on how they would plan and approach making a documentary, rather than actually producing it TIPS ABOUT SOMETHING FAMILIAR Students get most excited about content that is relevant to their own lives Some of the pressure that students feel when giving a presentation can be alleviated by ensuring that the topic is something that they are already knowledgeable about Creating a presentation assignment in which students offer “5 Tips” to their classmates can be a great way to get students excited about presenting This is a great way to allow students to display their individuality, too Teachers can provide a list of potential topics in case students get stuck when trying to decide what to present about, but many students will be eager to share their expertise about a topic of their own choosing ASSIGN CLASS VISITS For academic, college-preparatory ESL programs, designing an assignment in which students visit regular university courses can be an exciting and eye-opening opportunity When students are able to witness the academic environment that they will eventually fully be a part of, they are able to better understand the importance of the preparation that they need to to develop the requisite proficiency to undertake study at an international institution of higher learning Once students have visited one or two academic classes, they can prepare a short presentation, answering targeted questions, and share the experience with their classmates Students will benefit not only from their own class visits, but also from hearing about their classmates’ experiences PRESENTATIONS ARE INEVITABLE PART OF A SPEAKING CURRICULUM, BUT THEY CAN OFTEN LEAVE STUDENTS FRAUGHT WITH ANXIETY By creating fun, guided speaking presentation assignments, students can grow more comfortable with speaking in front of an audience Be sure to give students some say in the topic that they chose: the more personal interest a student has in what they will present about, the easier it will be to get excited about doing so! lenges in front of the students I started a blog (there are plenty of free blog sites) and posted a new challenge there each week This kept the process completely out of regular class time This worked for me as I only had each class once a week and posting it on a blog meant that all classes had the same amount of time to complete the task, regardless of when I actually taught those students The downside to this was that only the advanced, enthusiastic students really got involved until the end of the term when kids were desperate to up their scores Other options include, presenting the challenge every Monday morning If you don’t teach all your students on Monday, you could have the school broadcast the challenge The problem with this is that if students miss the broadcast, or don’t take notes on some of the more complex challenges, they won’t be able to complete them IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE THINGS ONLY WORK IF THE TEACHER KEEPS PUSHING THEM IN CLASS AND KEEPS THE CHALLENGES IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE STUDENTS’ MINDS When I had tied my class attitude marks to my classroom reward system, I would display the students’ scores and then say things like, ‘for those of you who are struggling a bit, now might be the time to get into those classroom challenges.’ Usually, this would push a few of them into greater participation 31 How to Use a Class Party to Teach 10 Social Conversation Skills ARE YOU TIRED OF YOUR TYPICAL SOCIAL CONVERSATION ROLE PLAYING EXERCISES? ESL teachers know that possibly the most important skill for learners is social mixing and mingling conversation, but role playing in partners or repetitions often lack real life context and go stale after a while Give your ESL students an opportunity to practice one-on-one conversation with natives or advanced speakers and liven up your class with a real party! PUT TOGETHER A REAL PARTY Invite good natured English speakers to class, to an afternoon cocktail party, a light lunch, or whatever other party is culturally appropriate You want to have, at minimum, a ratio of one native or advanced speaker to two students if possible Do whatever is within your means and budget! If you are in a foreign country with few speakers, invite an advanced class to come, or other teachers SOCIAL SKILLS LESSON Before the party, teach the following 10 basic social skills to students and have them practice on each other Give them a debriefing checklist with the skills before the party telling them that they are responsible to record both the responses of the natives as well as note their body language and other conversational cues Give a certain number of points for completing each task, and award the student with the most points a prize Save time also at the end of the party or the next class to have a gossip session about the results! HOW TO TEACH 10 IMPORTANT SOCIAL SKILLS THE GREETING Your students probably already know greetings and the difference between formal and informal salutations They might not have ever had a chance to practice using them in a real social setting, however Tell them to see how 32 many different “hellos” and “I am well” responses they can fit into their conversations! Award a point for each different one used WHAT DO YOU DO? HERITAGE Ask students to practice eliciting vocation information in a social conversation context They can ask “What you do?” and “Where you work?” Give them a point for each answer they receive Have students practice asking if people are from around your community or from where their family originated For each answer they receive, give them a point They can ask, “Where are you from originally?” or “Do you live around here?” WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO? It can be trickier getting personal with strangers! Brief them that to ask these questions about hobbies and pastimes, they might have to wait until some information is offered from another question For example, if they had asked “What you do?” and received an answer like “I am a waiter but I really love to write novels”, they can use that as a cue to ask about a writing hobby Practice this skill before the party by preparing a list of short dialogues for pairs to take turns dialoguing in front of the class Give two sentences like above and then demonstrate that they should respond something like “Oh, so you write in your free time?” Give two points for each hobby solicited as this is more challenging! FAMILY Students should wait for cues to ask about family in most cases as well You can design another practice dialogue like in number four or teach to ask general questions, like “Do you have family in the area?” Give two points for each specific data point they can figure out via open ended questions CONNECTIONS BODY LANGUAGE GIVE BACK MANNERS Have them try to figure out how people are connected to the group This is an important social skill and a good conversation starter They should ask, “How did you get involved in this party?” This is a great way to solicit work, hobby, and heritage information as well! Give two points if students can figure out how your native speakers ended up at the party If you invited an advanced group, have them try to discover why they are studying English Give a point for each body language note students deliver For examples, they should focus on 1) if people look them in the eye when they speak and 2) if people laugh or smile during the conversation Give students a point for each appropriate response they give to elicited personal information For example, if they manage to discover where a native’s family is from, they should respond with where they are from! Giving back is critical to dialogue Teach the art of polite interjections, such as “I see”, “how interesting”, and “that sounds amazing” For each proper use, give a point 10 WHEN TO QUIT Teach students to look for cues of when a mingling conversation should end Cues can be “My drink is empty”, “I need to go to the bathroom”, or body language hints like they begin looking away For every proper cue noted and responded to by walking away, give a point SOCIAL CONVERSATION SKILLS MIGHT BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING FOR ESL STUDENTS When practicing in class has become boring or just does not seem like enough, take experiential to the next level and bring the party to your students! Help Your Students Know When to Be Formal with These Useful Tips THERE IS A LOT ABOUT SOCIAL INTERACTIONS THAT CAN MAKE QUITE A FEW OF US ANXIOUS Moreover, when those interactions are with people from other countries Now put yourself in your students’ shoes They constantly need to interact with people, mostly from other countries And believe me, they have a lot on their minds Our poor ESL students are plagued with worries They are often scared about asking certain questions or bringing up certain topics Regarding social interactions, there is one that really gets our ESL students worked up: formality When to use formal language and when not to is one of the many issues our students have to deal with Well, the good news is there is plenty we can to help our beloved students in this area too Take a look at the awesome tips below and put your students’ minds at ease HELP YOUR STUDENTS WITH THE FORMAL LANGUAGE • Typically in formal language we don’t use contractions, whereas we with informal English I would not like to vs I don’t want to When we use formal English, we use fewer phrasal verbs and more vocabulary derived from French and Latin Generally, we use words that are considered more sophisticated • Indirect language is also much more common in formal English Using the passive, for instance, makes everything less personal • The use of synonyms in order to avoid repeating the same vocabulary is another classic example • Sentences are better organized and thought out, and they tend to have WHEN SHOULD IT BE USED? Now that we know what it is, we should consider when it is appropriate to use formal English So, in essence formal English is a way of speaking that you usually use when you are not well acquainted with the people you are talking to Since you are unfamiliar to them , it is a great way to show respect and keep a distance Distance is also important when talking to people who are higher in status or in the case of business, people who are in higher positions Take a look at the following examples • In academic environments, when writing essays for a class and when addressing teachers/professors • At work, when writing an email to people you don’t personally know • Also at work when speaking to a customer/ supplier who is new or who you personally have never worked with • Traditionally when speaking to someone who is significantly older than you, people have always used formal language to communicate merely because it is a sign of respect WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? To start, the first thing we need to ask ourselves is what formal English is and how it is different from informal English • longer more complex structures you accept them In few cases, however, being excessively formal when it is not necessary can bring about the opposite effect People might misinterpret the distance in formality as some kind of rejection Even business related situations sometimes call for and depend on informal interactions When in doubt, pay close attention to others and how they communicate in these situations FOR ESL STUDENTS NOT EVERYTHING IS EVIDENT REGARDING SOCIAL RULES They have to understand that formality should be used only when it is necessary They need to be able to tell when it is advisable and when it isn’t Help your ESL students demonstrate to others how they can go the extra mile Help them show others they are capable of adapting and that they can handle anything WHY IT S IMPORTANT TO USE FORMAL ENGLISH IN THESE SITUATIONS Now, to finish off our last point, here are some interesting questions I’d like to share with you Why is using formal language so important?.What might happen if you don’t use it? Could you be shunned from society or something like that? The answer to the last question is no of course, at least not most of the time Formality is important because it shows that you can communicate in a professional manner, that you have respect for others and that you are willing to demonstrate that when communicating with them It shows that you feel comfortable with social rules and that 33 10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for College ESL STUDENTS STUDY ENGLISH FOR A PURPOSE, AND FOR MANY THAT PURPOSE IS HIGHER EDUCATION Men and women, young and old travel great distances to attend colleges and universities Many of them, though, must improve their English skills before they are accepted to the programs they desire To make sure your ESL students are ready for class before enrollment day, check this list of English skills your students will need in college READING READING TEXT BOOKS One key to a successful college education is reading the texts that the professor assigns This element can be even more important for ESL students than typical students since what they not understand in lectures they will usually find in their texts Your students will need to know how to read technical material and decipher unfamiliar vocabulary from context Teach your students to notice clues to understanding important parts of the textbook like subheadings, bolded and italicized words and chapter summaries READING SCHEDULING MATERIALS Before they can buy the right textbooks, though, they will need to know what classes they are taking Reading is more than just prose on a page ESL students will have to understand class scheduling and degree requirement information as it is written for the student body Taking the right classes at the right time is key to graduating on time, so be sure your students are familiar with reading charts and graphs in addition to prose selection READING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION In today’s world, face to face communication is a rarity More often students and teachers communicate through 34 email or text messages Often, these written communications not follow traditional grammatical rules, and your students will have to be flexible enough to understand loose grammar and cryptic abbreviations Try looking at real life examples in class on a regular basis to give your students some foundation in the texting world READING FOR ONLINE COURSES Online courses may keep students out of the classroom, but they require even more reading than traditional classes Your students will need to read online course material as well as students’ responses in almost every remote class they take Make sure your students understand that even native speaker grammar is not always right, and challenge them to understand the meaning behind less than perfect syntactic structures WRITING PAPERS AND ESSAYS Essays are prolific among college courses Of course, the area of study in which the class falls will influence how many essays the professor expects as well as how long those papers will need to be Make sure your students understand basic essay structure – introduction, body, conclusion – and know how to use different organizational strategies to articulate their thoughts on paper ESSAY BASED EXAMS Oh, the dreaded essay exam Not only does the student have to have strong grammatical skills, he has to put down the correct ideas and all in the time frame of a typical class Giving your students plenty of opportunities for timed writings on challenging subjects will give them the mental and linguistic preparation they will need for essay tests Learning the content is up to them WRITTEN REACTIONS TO WORK OF FELLOW STUDENTS Along with reading online material for remote classes, your students will be required to comment on postings from their fellow students Make sure your students know how to type on a standard keyboard and can communicate their ideas without being too brash or too coddling Finding the fine line to walk the truth and cordiality is the real skill with posting reactions to students’ work LISTENING LISTENING AND UNDER STANDING LECTURES Of course, your students will have to sit in lecture halls with hundreds of other students, particularly in their first years of classes Give your students lots of opportunity to practice by inviting guest speakers to your classroom and then checking your students’ comprehension Encourage them to ask questions of each speaker and give you feedback based on the lecture UNDERSTANDING FELLOW STUDENTS Study groups are helpful means of learning difficult material, so you will want your students to feel comfortable having a conversation with a typical native speaker Conversation partners, guest speakers and real world listening and speaking practice will all help your students know what it is really like to talk to a native English speaker SPEAKING 10 ASKING WHEN THEY NEED HELP Though technically a language skill, asking a professor or fellow student for help takes more than skill of the tongue Pride can keep some students from asking for help even when they are studying in their native language Other students keep their mouths closed when they are confused because they are too embarrassed to admit that they need help Before your students leave your ESL program to attend classes in English, make sure they know their professors are there to help Every college educator will assist their students and help them succeed Your students need to feel confident that they can approach their professors for help when they need it IF YOU MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR PAST STUDENTS, THEY CAN TELL YOU DIRECTLY HOW THEY WERE BEST (AND WORST) PREPARED FOR THE COLLEGE SCENE BY THEIR ENGLISH CLASSES When they give feedback, listening will be of the greatest benefit for both you and them, so be open to their feedback 35 Nifty Tips on How to Help Student Handle Awkward Situations LIFE IS FULL OF AWKWARD SITUATIONS, AND HANDLING THEM IS NOT ALWAYS EASY However, managing them in a different language is much harder still What should you in this type of situation? When other people are involved, is it a good idea to say something? Is there a good time to so? What if it is you who has caused the awkwardness? I guess we all ask ourselves these questions but when the people involved are from other countries, the discomfort can only rise There are many different kinds of awkward situations and fortunately there are great techniques to handle them Let’s take a look at some of these uncomfortable scenarios DEAL WITH AWKWARD SITUATIONS USING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AVOIDING PERSONAL QUESTIONS Nosy people are everywhere Some are simply unaware their questions are too personal or private Others it intentionally to get the dirt on others Whether they are innocent or like to gossip, the technique you should teach your student is the same Let them know they can answer questions without actually answering them This is great because they can manage the situation comfortably without being too direct about how they really feel Take a look at the example Student 1: So, how much you make? Student 2: Not as much as I’d like but I guess can’t complain Student 1: Why did you get divorced? Student 2: Well, let’s just say my ex husband and I didn’t have a lot in common I FORGOT YOUR NAME Remembering people’s names is extremely important if you want to build strong relationships in life We all know 36 strong relationships are one of the most important factors for success But, who hasn’t forgotten someone’s name at some point This is a very common situation and it is much more uncomfortable for those who forget than for those whose name was forgotten In the business world, this can become even more complicated In any of these cases, what we have to keep in mind as ESL teachers is that there are different techniques we can teach our students to help them get through this This first option is quite direct It is simply a an extraordinarily polite way to ask someone to repeat their name Take a look at an example • Excuse me, I know we’ve met , could you tell me your name again? are going to practice with your students Let’s take a look at some handy expressions to handle this What I meant was What I was trying to say was That wasn’t what I wanted to say Let me try that again YOU DIDN’T UNDERSTAND In different social encounters there is yet another difficult situation many people face, specially those who don’t speak the language For ESL students, not understanding what others are saying is truly very common Again, by teaching your ESL students these useful expressions you can give them great tools to cope with comprehension issues This second option is a bit different • Hello, you are Jill from the accounting department, right? • Hi, actually I’m Jane from the accounting department • Did I say Jill? I meant to say Jane I’m sorry would you mind saying that again? Would you mind repeating that? Excuse me, could you please say that again? Excuse me, I didn’t catch that REMEMBER TO TELL YOUR STUDENTS THAT IN ANY AWKWARD SITUATION THE OBJECTIVE IS TO MANAGE AND CONTROL THE SITUATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE CHANGING THE SUBJECT There are topics we all want to avoid Either because the timing isn’t right or because you think it is downright inappropriate Sometimes it is simply a good idea to change the subject As ESL teachers we need to provide our students with useful language functions to suit different situations Let’s take a look at a few I’d rather not talk about that I don’t thinks this is a good time to discuss that If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about that now CLARIFYING WHAT YOU MEANT Sometimes what we what to express doesn’t quite come out the way we intended it to We say the wrong thing or express something in a way that is misleading and right after that comes the uncomfortable silence The good news is that it is possible to make things right again, and that it is exactly what you Practice different scenarios with them and make sure they are ready because social interactions tend to be very unpredictable Teach Your ESL Students How to Manage Diicult Situations WHO HASN’T BEEN IN A TOUGH SPOT AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER? I know I have Sadly getting into a mess is rather easy, but getting out of one, not so much Now let’s consider our ESL students Many of them will need to travel abroad, and whether it is for pleasure, business or study, being able to interact with others is a requirement Even if they don’t travel, they might also have to interact with foreign visitors and, because of that, they have to be ready to face all kinds of situations Don’t let them go through these situations helpless Prepare them by talking about these possibilities and practice with them In difficult circumstances, they first need to understand what went wrong and then find a way to make it better Let’s take a look at the following scenarios and what you can teach your students Keep in mind they can use these expressions themselves or understand them if they are used by others PROVIDE LEARNERS WITH AN EFFECTIVE WAY OUT OF A TOUGH SITUATION AWKWARD OR INAPPROPRIATE CONVERSATION TOPICS There are topics that can be awkward or even inappropriate There are things that should not be discussed at certain times or around certain people Some topics could offend others and cause problems The best solution to this is to avoid or change the subject when it comes up Take a look: I’m uncomfortable talking about this Could we talk about something else? This is making me uncomfortable, could we change the subject? I don’t think this is the time to discuss this WHEN SOMEONE WAS OFFENDED Sometime we laugh at the wrong time or use the wrong words In any case, offending someone without intention to so is very common So what we about it? These phrases can help: I think I may have offended you I didn’t mean to it I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you That isn’t what I meant to express, and I believe I may have hurt your feelings What I wanted to say was There seems to be a misunderstanding what I meant was WHEN A MISTAKE HAS BEEN MADE We all make mistakes and as the saying goes, “to err is human, to forgive, divine” So why not give someone the opportunity to be divine Teach your student to apologize for mistakes they have made Look at the following: I’m terribly sorry about any inconvenience I may have caused Please accept my apologies I’m very sorry about that WHEN IT ISN T A GOOD TIME TO DISCUSS SOMETHING Sometimes the problem is just poor timing Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time can happen to anyone In this case what your students need to learn is that the best way to handle this is by cutting the conversation short Let’s talk later Let’s continue this conversation tomorrow Look at the time! I have got to run Let’s talk later Why don’t we discuss this tomorrow at lunch? DISAGREEING People don’t always see eye to eye We often disagree with each other and that’s fine Your students should see that expressing a different opinion is perfectly fine as long as they this with respect I’m sorry I simply don’t agree with you on that I understand but I disagree I have some reservations about that ASKING SOMEONE NOT TO DO SOMETHING There are times we need to tell people what we want them to and also what we don’t want them to Asking people to things seem easier than asking them not to things Again, it is all a matter of showing respect and consideration Would you mind not discussing that at the meeting? Could you please avoid mentioning that problem? AVOIDING COMMITMENT Some people ask for too many favors For many it is awkward to say no to favors, but it shouldn’t be There are times we can take on new commitments and times we can’t You’d better ask someone else to that I’m not sure I’ll be able to I really can’t make any promises I have so much on my hands already I don’t think I can handle that right now Why don’t you ask someone else? DON’T LET UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS PARALYZE YOUR STUDENTS With a bit a of practice, they will get the hang of it 37 10 Learning Centers Perfect for Listening and Speaking Class ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A WAY TO INCORPORATE LISTENING AND SPEAKING LEARNING CENTERS INTO YOUR ESL CLASSROOM? Try one of the following with your class and give students some ownership in their own language learning process APPLY THESE 10 IDEAS FOR LISTENING AND SPEAKING CENTERS READING RECORDING If you have the resources (tape player/recorder or some digital recording method) you won’t need much more to set up a reading and recording center for students to evaluate and practice correct pronunciation Simply set out the recording device along with several copies of a short reading passage The reading passage should be something your students can read in two to five minutes and that includes a variety of pronunciation challenges Students using the center read the passage into the recording device and then play it back to check their own pronunciation As they listen, they should mark on the reading passage any problems they note in their own pronunciation You can also leave a recording of yourself at the center for students to use as a model or reference PHONOLOGY FOR YOU AND ME If you have taught the phonological alphabet to your ESL students, this center might be right for your class Since the phonological alphabet focuses on pronunciation and sound, unusual spellings won’t throw your students off, even on unfamiliar words This simple set up learning center gives students sets of vocabulary words written in the phonological alphabet They read the words aloud and then match each word to its definition, which you can list on a separate piece of paper or write on index cards Students will get practice with accurate pronunciation while they also review 38 vocabulary and won’t get tripped up by reading difficulties INTERVIEW FOR ME AND YOU This learning center is designed for two students at a time At the center, simply provide a list of interview questions for students to ask their classmates Students using the center will interview each other using these questions or others like them Students should take turns asking and answering questions while they try to learn new things about someone they see every day LISTEN AND LEARN If you want your students to practice listening and identifying what they hear, you can set up a dictation center Give your students several choices of listening selections (passages you have recorded yourself, listening resources like cds or other teaching materials you won’t be using in class, online videos or audio selections, podcasts, etc.) When using the center, students should listen to the material, stopping the recording as necessary, and write down what they hear word for word This will require careful listening along with speed and accuracy You should also provide a transcript for each recording so your students can check their accuracy once they have completed writing the passage LISTENING FOR DETAIL Can your students pick out important information when they listen to English, information such as dates, names and other specifics? On a classroom computer, bookmark or download some short informational passages How to videos on YouTube are great resources for this type of listening For each video, list five or so informational questions on an index card that the video answers As a student listens to the passage, he notes the answers to the questions on a separate piece of paper At this learning center, make sure you also have answer keys so students can check their own answers HOW DOES THAT SONG GO? This learning center challenges students to listen for specific vocabulary as they listen to a popular song Choose some of your favorite tunes or those you think your students will like that also have easily discernable lyrics For each song, print out a copy of the lyrics with key words replaced by blanks (like a modified cloze exercise) As your students listen to each song, they should fill in the missing words as they hear them As always, provide answer sheets for each song at the learning station so students can check their own work after they listen LISTEN AND WATCH FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS The British Council provides free listening activities on their website for ESL students Videos range from beginner level to advanced and come with activities your students can as they listen Simply direct your students to the website on a classroom computer or on your students’ smart devices All they have to is choose a video and an exercise to go with it Note the segments on this website are in British English, so they might not be the best choice for those learning and teaching American English If your students like working with their hands or exercising their art skills, this center will fulfill their learning style like no other Your students will be following your directions for constructing an object with building blocks or drawing picture If you choose to use Lego building blocks, record yourself as you talk through building a simple item It might be a house, a letter of the alphabet, or any other simple design Make sure your recording speci- fies colors and sizes of the blocks At the center, make the Legos and the recordings available to your students As they listen they should follow your directions and, hopefully, build the same object that you did Similarly, if you want students to draw rather than build at this station, record yourself giving directions for drawing a simple picture without telling students what they are drawing Include a reference photo at the center so your students can check their work Once students have listened to a passage and drawn a picture or built something, they should check the reference picture to see how close they got to replicating your design OLD BOOKS TO NEW USE Do you have listening books and materials from a previous class that you aren’t using this year? I know I have several on my bookshelf These materials can have a second life in a learning center for your students Simply put out the book and the audio that goes with it and let your students learn at their own pace 10 ONLINE LISTENING Lots of ESL websites have listening activities your students can on their own Bookmark a few of your favorites on a classroom computer and let students go to it LEARNING CENTERS ARE GREAT FOR HELPING STUDENTS BECOME INDEPENDENT, MOTIVATED LEARNERS THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE WAYS YOU CAN INCORPORATE THEM INTO YOUR LISTENING AND SPEAKING ESL CLASS 39 Most Popular Teaching Methods, & Which One You Should Be Using PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEARNING SECOND LANGUAGES FOR AGES English hasn’t always been the popular choice Once upon a time those who were considered “cultured” learned Latin and/or Greek Soon after French was the popular choice where second languages were concerned English as a second language gained importance not so long ago, in the mid nineteenth century Before the late nineteenth century, second-language instruction followed what was called a Classical Method of teaching Latin and Greek lessons were based on repetition drills and students were asked to read translations of ancient texts Since the 1940s, communicative skills gradually became more and more important to those who wanted or needed to study other languages and that’s when many of the different Theories of second-language acquisition began to appear FIND YOUR TEACHING METHOD THE DIRECT METHOD Teachers have been using the Direct Method for years The benefit of using this method is to immerse the students in English This is done by providing demonstrations on how to use the language with the the help of realia and visual aids The teachers who use this method teach grammar inductively, in other words, the rules of grammar are not taught directly Grammar rules are avoided as much as possible and there is emphasis on good pronunciation Teaching with this method is performed entirely in the target language and students are discouraged from using their native language AUDIO LINGUAL This method became very popular in the 1960s and was based on the behaviorist theory of learning It held that language learning is a kind of behavior, similar to other types of human activity According to the behaviorist theory, teachers elicit responses through stimuli The response is reinforced by 40 the teacher and if this reinforcement is positive, it encourages the repetition of the response in the future In essence, it relies on the idea that learning a language is like acquiring habits For audiolinguism, language learning requires students to master the building blocks of the language and learn the rules they need to know to successfully combine these basic elements Typically, there is a great deal of practice through dialogs and conversations New language is first heard and extensively drilled before being seen in its written form Dialogs and drills are central to the approach Accurate pronunciation and control of structure are of paramount importance TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) TPR or Total Physical Response, developed by James Asher in the 1960s, is based on the theory that the memory is enhanced through association with physical movement It is also closely associated with theories of mother language acquisition in very young children, where they respond physically to parental commands TPR as an approach to teaching a second language is based, first and foremost, on listening and this is linked to physical actions which are designed to reinforce comprehension of particular basic items COMMUNICATIVE LAN GUAGE TEACHING (CLT) Our knowledge of second language learning has changed a lot Before, language learning was based on how well students knew and could manage grammar and the learning was under the teachers’ control Views on language learning have changed a great deal in recent years It is now seen as interactions of the learner and those who use the language Language is used to create purposeful and meaningful interactions Also, learners are able to experiment with different ways to say something The focus of communicative language learning is to enable learners to communicate effectively and appropriately in the various situations they would likely find themselves in TASK BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING In Task-based learning the main focus of the teaching is on completing a task The task in itself is interesting to the learners and they need to use the language they already have to complete it More attention is placed on the use of the language and not much on accuracy Language is the instrument the students use to complete the task It is an activity in which students use language to achieve a specific outcome The activity reflects real life and learners focus on meaning, they are free to use any language they want Some great examples of tasks are playing games, finding information and even solving problems By using them, students will generate their own language and create an opportunity for language acquisition THE NATURAL APPROACH It is a language teaching approach which claims that languages are learned the same way people naturally acquire their native language It focuses on the similarities between learning the first and second languages and adheres to the communicative approach to teaching In this approach, students learn by being exposed to language that is comprehensible or made comprehensible to them.In this approach communication is considered the primary function of language therefore it focuses on teaching communicative abilities In other words, language is viewed as a vehicle for communicating meaning and messages and vocabulary is very important to achieve this So, this means that language acquisition takes place when the learner understands messages in the target language and has developed sufficient vocabulary In fact it, according to the Natural approach, should be easier to reconstruct a message containing just vocabulary items than one containing just the grammatical structures SECOND-LANGUAGE TEACHING HAS DEFINITELY COME A LONG WAY AND CONSIDERING HOW MUCH WE KNOW NOW, IT HAS A LONG WAY TO GO STILL It is hard to say which method or approach is the best Different students and needs may require you use more than just one, even at a time The trend has been toward combining different methods and approaches, and this is probably the healthiest approach for it accommodates many styles of learning Also, it allows teachers to decide which elements are most effective and which of them really work in the classroom If you combine methods, you take the best that each has to offer, after all, teaching languages is not easy In the end, its all about providing our students with the tools they need to function in the target language 41 No Prep, Little Prep, & More Prep Ways to Get Them Ready to Learn HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO JUMP RIGHT INTO A SEQUEL LONG AFTER READING THE FIRST BOOK OR SEEING THE FIRST MOVIE? It takes some time to get your bearings, doesn’t it? To really get the most out of book two, I find it helpful to read book one again to refamiliarize myself with what has happened ESL students learning something new in class have a similar predicament They may be okay jumping right into a new topic or material, but it will take some time to get adjusted and get their bearings A simple “review” activity before moving on to new material can make a huge difference in how well they absorb the new information you are presenting In teaching terms, you may know this process as activating the schemata, helping students remember what they already know about a topic or making connections with personal experiences before introducing to new material That’s because learners retain new material through connections with what they already know Simply helping them remember what they already know will get them ready to quickly and easily make connections to the new information you present Getting your students ready to learn is therefore extremely important, and it’s an essential part of your job as an ESL teacher You can many things to help your students remember what they already know before moving on to a new collection of information Here are some of the ways you can it USE THESE NO PREP WAYS TO ACTIVATE SCHEMATA ASK QUESTIONS The easiest way to help students remember experiences with a certain topic is to ask them questions about it Say you are doing a unit on sports Ask students questions like these: What sports you like to play? What sports you like to watch? How many sports can you name? What can you tell me about rules of certain sports? Did you 42 ever something great while playing a sport? How did you feel? What did you do? Just asking simple questions like these will get students thinking and remembering and will lay the foundation for the new information you give them HAVE SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS Dividing your class into groups and telling them to talk about the topic at hand may be enough to get the conversation moving The thoughts and memories some students share will bring up memories for other students, which they should share in turn That’s why it’s also a good, no prep strategy for getting students ready to learn If your students need more prompting than just the general topic, give them a few questions to get the discussion started BRAINSTORM Making a simple list related to your topic is an easy and quick way to remind your students what they already know You might want to brainstorm a list of vocabulary, experiences, or something else related to what you will be teaching your students It doesn’t take any preparation on your part, but your students will still reap the benefits CONSIDER LITTLE PREP WAYS TO ACTIVATE SCHEMATA BRING IN A COLLECTION OF PICTURES If you teach the same subjects year after year, it will be worth your time to start a collection of pictures related to each unit Collecting pictures from magazines, your personal experiences, and online resources will give you something to share with your students before you introduce new material Show one or more pictures to your students and ask them what they see, how the pictures make them feel, and what the pictures make them remember HAVE STUDENTS BRING IN THEIR OWN PICTURES Either after showing your pictures or instead of it, invite students to bring in their own pictures related to an upcoming unit (just make sure to plan ahead so you have the pictures when you are ready to introduce the new material) Ask students to share some information about the picture, where they were, how it felt, and what they remember Give everyone a chance to share either in front of the class or in small groups, and your students will be ready to absorb new information related to the topic DO A K/W/L CHART FILL IN A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER K/W/L charts are a great way to help students get ready to learn You can have students them individually on a piece of paper or one as an entire class on the board If you have never done a K/W/L chart before, it’s very easy Divide your board into three columns In the first column, write what you already know about a topic If you are doing the chart as a class, you can include everyone’s information in the same column In the second column, make a list of what you want to know about the same topic Likely, this column will be filled with questions from your students (Bonus point: it’s a good time to talk about how to properly structure questions.) The final column contains what you learned after getting the information, so save that one until you share the new information with your students You can also use this third column to assess how much they understood and remembered from what you taught if you have students complete it individually Either as a class or in smaller discussion groups, filling in a graphic organizer can be all your students need to remember what they already know These organizers might be as simple as a few titled columns or as complex as a flow chart It’s up to you to decide what will work best for your class and how much time you have for preparation You can find templates for graphic organizers online or in many print teacher resources TRY MORE PREP WAYS TO ACTIVATE SCHEMATA MAKE A SENSORY OR SMALL WORLD BOX ON THE TOPIC GETTING STUDENTS READY TO LEARN DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED, BUT IF YOU HAVE THE TIME TO PREPARE YOUR OPTIONS ARE EVEN MORE NUMEROUS Even a simple discussion can be enough to get students ready to learn new material you present in class If you take the time to get students ready and the time to prepare those activities, you will find that your teaching is more effective and your students are more successful And doesn’t that make it all worth it? If you teach younger children, making a sensory box or small world bin is a great and interesting way to help students remember what they already know In a medium sized box, collect several objects related to the unit you plan to teach If you are going to teach a unit on sports, for example, your box might include a ball, a ticket stub for a sporting event, a whistle, pictures of players or their cards, a list of rules on how to play, etc Introduce the items to your class and ask them to share what the objects make them think about or feel If you are creating a small world bin, your goals are slightly different Small world bins usually have a base material along with items that students can use in pretend play If you are teaching a unit on sports, you might have shredded green paper for your base (to simulate a grassy field), small figures especially those dressed in sporting uniforms, small sports balls and props to create a playing field such as nets or goal posts Encourage your students to play with the small world bins before you introduce your topic DO A THEMED SHOW AND TELL The day before you plan to introduce your topic, give students a show and tell assignment Ask each person to bring in something related to the topic you will be teaching on On the day of, have students share what they brought and tell the class about it As they do, they will be remembering experiential details and at the same time getting ready to retain new information with ease And don’t think show and tell is just for kids Even adults will benefit from speaking in front of their peers and sharing something about themselves in this simple activity 43 How Was Your ESL Lesson? How To Assess Your Own Teaching HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW WELL YOU ARE DOING YOUR JOB? This is a question we all have to ask ourselves Though feedback from our students is very useful, we shouldn’t always rely on them to provide this information since it is something we are quite capable of checking on our own How well you are covering your students’ expectations and language needs is of utmost importance and not something you should take lightly So what questions can you ask yourself to ensure you are meeting your ESL objectives? Take a look CHECK YOUR OWN TEACHING QUALITY OBJECTIVELY GOALS Having clear attainable goals is important for any task one must accomplish In the ESL classroom it is certainly no different Setting goals allows us to know and plan where we are headed They allow us to know what we have to accomplish in each lesson and in each level When goals are not clear, we run the risk of spending time on unnecessary things Also, I encourage you to share the goals for each lesson with the students By doing this at the beginning of the class, your students will understand what will be covered during the lesson, and they will know what to expect Their language learning goals and interests are central to the development of the program You should involve your students in setting the goals of their program So ask yourself: • Were the goals clearly set at the beginning of the lesson? • Were these goals appropriate? • Were they accomplished? STUDENT PARTICIPATION As we all know, the more students participate, the better they learn and retain what they are learning Some theories suggest we all learn by doing, so if that is the case, by using the language students will be better prepared to communicate What happens often is that some students participate more than 44 others Pay close attention to this, it is a lot more common than you think and sometimes we don’t even notice Make sure to call out your students’ names and also, assign tasks clearly, so that it isn’t always the same students asking and the same answering Take a look at these questions • Did everyone participate equally? • Was there sufficient student performance? STUDENT MOTIVATION Student motivation is key for their progress If the language and activities are personally relevant, students will be more motivated to comprehend and use the language and the learning effect will be much greater Students want what they learn to be immediately applicable to their lives They want to know why something needs to be learned Understanding and responding to students’ goals is one of the most important ways of motivating our students Also, success in itself is one of the greatest motivators Giving students a sense of their achievements and progress, is incredibly important We also need to be sensitive to stages where they feel they are not learning, and give extra encouragement Another motivator is our general attitude towards them Remember that our enthusiasm and liveliness is infectious and a good way to keep the ball in the air is by using varied activities that the students enjoy • Were students motivated in the lesson? • Did you encourage your students to achieve without pressure? • Did you provide varied activities that the students enjoyed? • Did you provide a relaxed learning environment? MATERIAL So, where does the content you teach come from? In most cases it is mainly provided by the course materials you chose for your students Since these books are created with a specific target in mind, they aim to make the students’ exposure and use of the target language as rich, varied, and meaningful as possible They provide a variety of language students will need and use outside the classroom It is important to keep all this in mind when choosing course material for your students since understanding how the content of the course works, will help you pin point the key goals of each lesson Also, in cases where it is necessary, you will be able to adapt the lessons to suit the particular needs of your students • Was the material age/level appropriate? • Was it relevant? • Is there enough and adequate material for self study? FEEDBACK AND CORRECTIONS Providing feedback for students is essential They need to hear what they are doing well and what needs work However, we always need to consider the way we correct students since it plays a vital role in helping students become confident in their learning or become insecure Offering constructive feedback and corrections at the end of the activities, and also encouraging self correction allows students to understand it is all just a natural part of the learning process Involve students in evaluating their progress throughout their course as much as possible and remember to focus and give feedback on students’ success as well • Were corrections clear? • Was consistent feedback given to students? • Will there be follow up on corrections? OUR STUDENTS DESERVE NOTHING BUT THE BEST It is crucial for goals to be clear, since they have a direct effect on student motivation Also, student participation, your choice of course material and how well you provide feedback are of great importance where student progress is concerned Keep in mind that many life goals like future employment and other important personal goals might depend on how well you your job I’m sure you are well aware of what your students’ goals are, now make sure you are aware of what you need to to help them achieve those goals Make lessons irresistible with these ideas to boost your creativity DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOU ARE RUNNING DRY ON CREATIVE IDEAS? That happens to all of us from time to time, and it certainly is a shame when it does After all, great lessons thrive on creative ideas Creativity makes everything more interesting and fun for students But, let’s face it, no matter how creative we are, none of us have a never ending pool of creativity to tap into whenever we want It just doesn’t work like that Creativity has more like a flow and ebb to it It comes and goes, and how we are, or feel, have a lot to with that The good news is there is a lot we can to improve it Creativity might seem innate, but it is actually a balance of a natural condition and something that can be acquired In other words, creative thinking can be enhanced, and doesn’t necessarily depend on a natural condition There are things we can to improve our creativity Take a look at these tips on how you can rekindle your creative spark IMPROVE STUDENTS’ CREATIVITY EMPLOYING THESE IDEAS KEEP YOUR STUDENTS IN MIND So, let’s imagine you are preparing a lesson and nothing new comes to mind A popular approach to creative thinking is to think about your students and how they will relate to the lesson you are preparing Ask yourself these questions: • What they really need to learn and how? • What are they sick of doing? • What are the problems they have and what problem might they encounter with that particular lesson? • What your students do? What are their professions? • What they enjoy doing in their free time? These questions and more like them, can give you precious insight on your students, where to direct the lesson and what to avoid DON’T BE AFRAID TO MIX THINGS UP We all tend to go down the old beaten path, once and again Once we have tried something and it works, we are often reluctant to change Well, I am sorry to tell you that this is murder on your creativity Change is good, things differently from what you would normally Don’t be afraid to ask your students and also, to share your ideas with them Otherwise, you will never know if your ideas will work out or not Keep in mind that some of your ideas will work and others won’t, but that doesn’t mean it’s “right” or “wrong” Some things work with some people and not with others Also, your students will definitely appreciate your trying to make their lesson more appealing After all, it is a great way to show them you truly care about their learning SOURCES OF IDEAS Creative ideas can come from a lot of different places Fortunately for ESL teachers , there are a million ways and even more to find ideas and information for our classes, and chances are someone before you has already come up with a great and very creative idea That’s why it’s important to chat with other teachers to see what they are doing or how they might handle a specific task Or better, compare your ideas with those theirs to see what they think This is great because the help there is mutual In addition to sharing information with fellow teachers, you can find a lot of amazing ideas on the web Sites like busyteacher.org are absolutely priceless when it comes to creative ideas So, don’t be afraid to a little research happens, you need to move to another location or move around a little Perhaps even get some exercise or go for a walk Sometimes when we feel more relaxed ideas come more readily Since there are certain factors that may stimulate your brain to make connections between brain cells, it is also a good idea to change what you are doing temporarily just to give your mind a break Many say that music is very useful here If you feel stressed, soothing music can calm you down On the other hand, if you want inspiration, faster-paced music can be much more useful GET ENOUGH REST Teachers are human beings, and many of us are juggling more than one activity at a time So, with that in mind my last advice is to rest as much as you can If you feel exhausted, it is not very likely you will be able to squeeze out something creative from your head When you’re drained, everything you will lack luster Don’t be afraid to take a break, or even a nap Have some coffee or tea and watch a little TV You’re ideas will be better when your mind is fresh Also, creative ideas will come more easily Often, we view breaks as a waste of time What we really have to keep in mind is how much time you waste when you can’t come up with fresh and creative ideas because you are too tired BEING CREATIVE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A PROBLEM AND IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING ALL OF US CAN IMPROVE WITH A LITTLE WORK Keep in mind that your creativity in class can inspire your students to be creative as well DO YOU FEEL BURNED OUT? Stress is the mother of all creativity killers Spending too much time confined, stressed, or pressurized will not help anyone become more creative If this 45 ... Show your students a picture and have them ask you or other students questions about it Point to one of the students and say, “Diego had party last week Ask him about it” Have the other students... Motivate Students to Speak 18 MOTIVATION: Use It Or Lose It: Awesome ESL Activities To Encourage Student Initiative 19-20 DISCUSSION STARTERS: 35 Print And Go Discussion Starters For ESL Students:... Your ESL Students Know When to Be Formal with These Useful Tips 34-35 SKILLS: 10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for College 36 SKILLS: Nifty Tips on How to Help Your ESL Student Handle