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ESL Teaching and Learning Tips

Re: Reading to Learn English -- Barbara -- 25 November 2011
Greetings, All of your tips were helpful. Can you give me an idea of how to get started teaching/tutoring esl? Sincerely, Barbara
Re: Reading to Learn English -- Dr. Turnoi Turjakuunnen -- 3 December 2011
Barbara, it seems that I found your post a bit late. I am more or less the person having taken over Dr. Yanni Zack's column as he does not post here any longer. I would love to give you some ...

Beginner: Providing ESL services for 7 year old boy -- Jana -- 12 November 2011
Hello...I am currently tutoring a 7 year old boy who is chinese and speaks very little English. I have tutored him for the past 2 years. Last year I worked primarily with him as a volunteer in a ...
Re Beginner: Providing ESL services for 7 year old boy -- Turnoi -- 12 November 2011
Jana, in this case, I would prepare a small report on what your experiences and observations are with this 7 year old boy. Try to be accurate and list the most important points, and try to be brief. ...

Re Running an English Corner -- Teacher#12,123 -- 8 November 2011
I've taught at two schools here in China, and have never truly understood why E.C.s exist. I've found that running an English Corner is more closely related to being an entertainer. Anything ...
Re: Re Running an English Corner -- Turnoi -- 20 November 2011
I've taught at two schools here in China, and have never truly understood why E.C.s exist. I've found that running an English Corner is more closely related to being an entertainer. English ...

Ontesol TEFL Video: Teaching Grammar Communicatively -- Ontesol.com -- 26 August 2011
Most English teachers feel comfortable teaching a conversation lesson or a lesson that integrates other skills such as listening, reading or writing. They show creativity in those lessons and include ...

Ontesol TEFL Video: Why is Lesson Planning Important? -- Ontesol.com -- 26 August 2011
Lesson planning is the most important section of a TESOL/TEFL course.

Video: Teach Kids English Show #1: Smile -- dreamenglish.com -- 26 August 2011
Today I am talking about a simple idea: smile!

Video: Teaching Kids Warm Ups -- dreamenglish.com -- 26 August 2011

Video: Fun Reading Games for Kids : How to Teach Kids New Words with "Throwing Dice" the Reading Game -- expertvillage -- 26 August 2011
Learn how to teach your kids new words with "Throwing Dice," the reading game for kids, in this free video series on teaching kids to read and like reading.

Video: English Lesson: starting conversation, icebreakers, small talk -- EnglishMeeting -- 26 August 2011
A proactive language learner doesn't wait for someone to tell them to do something - they speak to people in English because they know it will help them advance their language skills. This video ...

Video: W pronunciation & ESL "Misunderstandings" Film -- EnglishMeeting -- 26 August 2011
Pronouncing the /w/ sound correctly in North American English - Mouth positions with the /w/ sound in common words along with sentences and phrases. A short "fun" film follows the lesson that shows ...

Video: "TH" Pronunciation English Meeting ESL Lesson -- EnglishMeeting -- 26 August 2011
Students from around the world enrolled in EnglishMeeting Courses work with Dave Sconda to improve their pronunciation and work on some parts of the course.

Video: Teach English: ESL / EFL Teacher Training Part 1/6 -- GenkiEnglish.net -- 26 August 2011

TEFL Class Video: Teaching Listening Skills To ESL Students in the Classroom - Students' Needs, Activities -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Instruction: How to Teach Listening in the ESL Classroom. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL TESOL certification course. Including: - Students' Needs - Listening ...

TEFL Class (video): How to Teach Writing Skills in the ESL Classroom - Process Writing, Text Structure -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Class Instruction: How to Teach Writing Skills in the ESL Classroom. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL Course. Including: - Process Writing - Text Structure - Assessment ...

TEFL Class (video): How to Teach Listening Skills in the ESL Classroom - Types of Listening, Difficulties -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Class Instruction: How to Teach Listening Skills in the ESL Classroom. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL Course. Including: - Types of Listening - Listening Difficulties ...

TEFL Class (video): How to Advise Students on Improving their Pronunciation - Read Text Out Loud, Sing Along -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Class Instruction: How to Advise Students on Improving their Pronunciation. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL Course. Including: - Read Texts Out Loud - Sing Along to ...

TEFL Class (video): Teaching Cultural Sensitivity -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Class Instruction: Teaching Cultural Sensitivity in the ESL Classroom. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL Course. Become TEFL TESOL certified to teach English overseas with ...

TEFL Class (video): How to Teach Pronunciation Skills in the ESL Classroom - Word & Sentence Stress -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Class Instruction: How to Teach Pronunciation Skills in the ESL Classroom. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL Course. Including: - Sentence Stress - Word Stress Become TEFL ...

TEFL Class (video): How to Teach Pronunciation Variation in the ESL Classroom - Allophonic & Sentence-Level Variations, Basics of Phonology -- International TEFL Academy -- 13 August 2011
TEFL Class Instruction: How to Teach Pronunciation Variation in the ESL Classroom. Video series from International TEFL Academy Online TEFL Course. Including: - Sentence-Level Variation - Allophonic ...

Private Lessons to 3 & 4 year olds -- Sarah -- 7 August 2011
Hello, I have been asked by a friend of a friend if I would give English lessons to two 3 & 4 year olds. The mother would like me to come twice a week for one hour at a time and only conversational ...
Re: Private Lessons to 3 & 4 year olds -- Turnoi -- 7 August 2011
Yes, at this age small children are just beginning to develop the linguistic skills in their on native language. This is what you should bear in mind when teaching them some English in addition. ...

Vocabulary and Speaking Activities for Secondary School Students (age 14-20) -- Patrick Malone -- 26 May 2011
Hello. I'm a ESL teacher with the Peace Corps in the Sub-Saharan East African nation of Rwanda. I'm in the middle of the second term (they operate on a trimester system) and am still ...
Re Vocabulary and Speaking Activities for Secondary School Students (age 14-20) -- Turnoi -- 27 May 2011
I am currently not in the position to reply in depth and to offer any kind of helpful advice. I suggest that you try to ask for assistance from your other Peace Corps colleagues in the area if there ...

Teaching english as a second language -- joy -- 7 May 2011
I work in a Sri Lankan School. Trying to teach some local students english...........how to go about it.........the classrooms are crowded and children are not interested...always classroom is very ...
Re Teaching english as a second language -- Turnoi -- 7 May 2011
Joy, there are many other teachers having the same problem with overcrowded and noisy classes. For teachers in the West, there is something they are studying during their teacher training - it is ...

new to the esl scene -- jen davis -- 10 December 2010
Hi I got hired at a school to work as an esl teacher, I have no previous esl training and was wondering where to start. I am basically trying to figure out how my student can learn to write in ...
Re new to the esl scene -- Turnoi -- 10 December 2010
Jen, it is a bit difficult to give a concrete advice because you have not included details on the English language skill level of your student. From a practical point of view, you may start with ...

Re: Conversational English -- Katherine -- 26 October 2010
Hello; yes, I do teach conversational English. Same as I am trying to start a program myself to do on the side. I teach at our community college. I love teaching it. thanx Kate

ESL Beginners -- k-2 -- Brett -- 6 October 2010
Hi, everyone. I got my ESL certification about 1 1/2 years ago. I've just been subbing since then, since I haven't been able to find a job yet. However, it looks like a job opportunity for me ...
Re: ESL Beginners -- k-2 -- Cara -- 9 October 2010
I finished my MA in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in ESL. I have also been out of the teaching field for awhile. I recently started tutoring and wanted to review some teaching methods. ...
Re: ESL Beginners -- k-2 -- Turnoi -- 6 October 2010
For kindergarten level, I suggest to start with pictures to teach simple words like "apple", etc. You should perhaps also start with some phonics introducing lettersk, combination of letters, and ...
Re: ESL Beginners -- k-2 -- Merry -- 10 October 2010
hi, I agree with the previous post, songs, games, these are you best bets. The youngest group I teach is 3rd grade and they love "Duck, Duck, Goose." Do you remember this game? I have them sit in a ...

Kindergarten Games Help -- Karen Chubay -- 27 September 2010
Hi, I am a Canadian teaching in China at a wonderful kindergarten but most of the kids do not even recognize the letters of the alphebet and the school wants me to teach phonics. No problem except ...
Re: Kindergarten Games Help -- Turnoi -- 28 September 2010
For mere reasons of interest, I have googled "Phonics" some time ago, and indeed - a lot of different resources were shown as a result of that search. I suggest you do the same; it probably would ...

Re: yeah. -- Amanda R. -- 20 September 2010
Ali. That is an amazing idea! My husband and I host our first English corner tomorrow night and I am totally going to use it!

Breaking bad habits -- Annie -- 13 September 2010
I teach business and general English to adults. I find one of my biggest challenges is teaching upper level conversation students who have a good level of fluency, but with some deeply ingrained ...
Re: Breaking bad habits -- Turnoi -- 13 September 2010
What you describe is a group of relatively advanced learners who have adopted a certain type of errors by habit. That advanced learners dislike drills and similar types of activities is also clear - ...

Teaching beginner ESL 4-5th -- Lauren -- 27 August 2010
Hi, I would like some suggestions on how to teach the basic skills such as the alphabet and phonics to older students. I do not want to offend them with materials and lessons that seem too "babyish". ...
Re: Teaching beginner ESL 4-5th -- Turnoi -- 27 August 2010
The kind of materials you could and perhaps also should use depends on the educational level of your students. It is clear that you university students are to be taught in different way than perhaps ...

discipline in a foreign language -- Bri -- 20 July 2010
I am teaching at a private school in South America. I teach children 4-7 years old and find that when I try to provide instruction that is disciplinary in nature (sit down, listen, be quiet,etc.), ...
Re: discipline in a foreign language -- Samantha -- 27 July 2010
This can be tough. I taught Kindergartners here in the states who were all ESL students, so the first day I had the rude awakening that they had no idea what "lining up" meant. Because of the ...
Re: discipline in a foreign language -- Turnoi -- 20 July 2010
I have no real experience with the kind of problems you are having as I have never taught children at that age. The reasons for the children ignoring your instructions can be manifold - they may ...

Teaching adults - private lessons -- Anna -- 19 May 2010
Hi there, I'm an English teacher from Spain, and I've been teaching English for three years. I usually teach children and teenagers, but now I'm starting to teach adults in private ...
Re: Teaching adults - private lessons -- Mark Yates -- 2 July 2010
Remember that in the classroom you are the expert. You are the one who decides what your student needs but, like a good doctor you can present it in different ways. However, don't tell a student ...
Re: Teaching adults - private lessons -- Turnoi -- 20 May 2010
It is good to read that you spend a lot of time on looking for ideas and lesson planning as this certainly would help to make your lessons creative and interesting. I am not sure if I could give you ...

Tips for teachers -- Ted -- 9 May 2010
1.If you going for first time dont think your self as very experienced teacher, it may prevent to mingle with real class room atmosphere. 2.Try to be friendly with children. 3.Tell lot of jokes, if ...

Class observation activities -- Ted -- 9 May 2010
1. Seating arrangements - every teacher is so different, so you may find that each teacher you observe will have his or her class arranged a different way. You may even want to sketch out in your ...

Illiterate but speaks a little -- Anne -- 18 April 2010
I'm an English language trainer for a corporation in Saudi Arabia. There is a Sri Lanki cleaner who can a few words of English but is absolutely illiterate. Can anyone advise me on beginning to ...
Re: Illiterate but speaks a little -- Turnoi -- 18 April 2010
Anne, It's great that you want to help the Sri Lanka worker to become literate in English. There are two questions to ask first: 1. Does she speak some basic English already? If YES, the better. ...

Teaching one absolute beginner -- Steph -- 15 April 2010
Hello, I would like to ask for advice on strategies to use to teach one absolute beginner in a class of beginners that read at the 1st/2nd grade level. I work in a high school with a small ESL ...

Adult ESL and field trips -- luvnchub -- 3 April 2010
I teach Adult ESL at a private language school in the US. These are 8-week intensive courses, 4hrs/day, 5 days/wk. Our students are mostly Koreans who live in isolated Korean communities where they ...
Re: Adult ESL and field trips -- Mark Yates -- 16 June 2010
Looks like a cultural problem. Maybe they don't want to lose face by "getting it wrong". I wonder how you could adjust their criteria so that they only lose face when they don't do anything. ...
Re: Adult ESL and field trips -- Turnoi -- 4 April 2010
It seems that your students do not respond to your well-intentioned teaching methods too positively. If so, the reason for this may be sought in the fact that the Korean cultural background of your ...
Re: Adult ESL and field trips -- luvnchub -- 5 April 2010
Thanks for your input. I should clarify that we do have two textbooks, a functional language student textbook and a grammar book. 2 hrs. of each day is devoted to basic grammar structures which ...

Teaching Iraqi to write? -- Anna -- 15 March 2010
I am a Junior in High School and I recently came across an opportunity for a three week Arabic semi-immersion beginner program that my state offers. I have applied and have been accepted. After I ...
Re: Teaching Iraqi to write? -- Turnoi -- 16 March 2010
Well, I really like your intentions of getting involved in a culture other than your own and to have an interest in the Arabic language. To teach her reading and writing, I think you perhaps may need ...
Re: Teaching Iraqi to write? -- Anna -- 17 March 2010
This will not start until after I take the 3 week course on Arabic so I will probably have a basic knowledge of the language by that time. Which is why I needed someone to teach me more vocab etc.. ...
Re: Teaching Iraqi to write? -- Turnoi -- 17 March 2010
Anna, here is a link for you leading you to some free and excellent resources for an introductory study of Arabic: http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Arabic I suggest that you start ...

English Broadcast/Video Lessons -- Alli -- 10 March 2010
Hi! This is my first time teaching ESL and I am working at an Elementary school in Korea. They would like me to do weekly "English Broadcasts" which would be a video of me doing a lesson on camera ...
Re: English Broadcast/Video Lessons -- Turnoi -- 11 March 2010
My advice صخعمwould be this: 1. Prepare the topic you want to present in the video lesson well. Concentrate on that. 2. Do not care/bother about the other things troubling you ...

How to deal with a noisy classroom -- teacher -- 9 March 2010
I am student teacher and I am dealing with a noisy middle school classroom. The are out of control. I cannot scream over them. It's an inner city school in a bad neighborhood. My cooperating ...
Re: How to deal with a noisy classroom -- Turnoi -- 11 March 2010
I can well imagine this to be some kind of hell that is not easy to deal with. I do not know what kind of practical advice I could give in such a matter. But I would like to mention some points that ...

teaching esl to asian children -- Marian -- 24 February 2010
Hi! I'm a newbie when it comes to e.s.l teaching. Although I have been an English proficiency teacher in the Philippines for almost a year, but e.s.l for children is a new challenge for me. i ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- different ways -- 4 March 2010
Everyone learns in different ways on certain subjects let the kids pick which style the want to do (sing or dance, art, report, model or teach themselves). See the seven ways we learn. Use this as an ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children (unmotivated students) -- k -- 4 March 2010
Welcome to my world! I have the same problem every day, but with classes of up to 35 unmotivated primary aged students. I figured out some time ago that to provide the motivation, a different ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- a teacher -- 1 March 2010
Read them a story. Dr. Seus, Charlottes Web. IT's English LIT Let them learn the VALUE of English. Put a word on Each Kids front and have them stand up and make sentences and show them proper and ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- Teacher -- 1 March 2010
I teach much older students (9th and 11th grade), but I have found that the key to keeping them engaged is to gear the instruction towards something that is important to them; just because we as ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- fyi -- 1 March 2010
Teaching ESL is tricky, but what I found was a good storybook was great. The kids may not understand the English, but they love the pictures. Once they are involved in the pictures, you can ask ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- am -- 1 March 2010
You should get a kid book with lots of pictures so if they dont understand the words they can get an idea of whats going on in the story by the pictures so they also get an idea of what the english ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- Turnoi -- 24 February 2010
How old are these children? Normally, you could teach them the same way you would teach other (native?) children - games, action in the classroom, singing, etc. You could use pictures to ask ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- Caity -- 21 November 2010
I have a very diverse class as well. I have found these strategies extremely useful when working with ESL children (especially in the primary grades) - use a lot of pictures to show what you are ...
Re: teaching esl to asian children -- Yanni Zack -- 24 February 2010
Marian, Welcome to the world of teaching ESL to children. Here are some suggestions: With young children, the primary goal for teaching is to teach them vocabulary. I would suggest that you use lots ...

teaching ESL to adults with different levels of English -- Sherrilyn M -- 11 February 2010
I teach a group of about nine Spanish speaking adults. Their levels of proficiency vary from pretty good English to very little. I have a reading program that I used before I retired. (this past ...
Re: teaching ESL to adults with different levels of English -- cd -- 4 March 2010
There are a few techniques that can help you deal with this sort of situations, but the most important thing is that you must give the slower learnes all the confidence to speak up even if they make ...
Re: teaching ESL to adults with different levels of English -- Turnoi -- 11 February 2010
First, I really do admire your efforts to do the very best for your students whatever you can. And fortunately, your report contains sufficient details to make a realistic assessment as far as this ...

Business English books -- Mike -- 2 February 2010
Hi everybody! I'm in South Korea, and I need a book for a group that I teach. I would prefer one or two books to cover these topics: - Business Presentations - Business Conversation - Business ...
Re: Business English books -- Turnoi -- 4 February 2010
The choice of a textbook mainly depends on an answer to the following points: - what do you want to teach, and what does the textbook cover? - how does the textbook cover the topic in terms of ...

how to teach a diverse classroom of students -- Nada -- 29 January 2010
Hello Dr Zack I need to know what are the advantages and disadvantages of teaching a multi age and multi cultural class and how can I manage the particular class?
Re: how to teach a diverse classroom of students -- Yanni Zack -- 30 January 2010
Teaching a diverse group of students, including multi-age students can be quite challenging. One suggestion I have is for you to first determine the different skill levels and proficiency levels for ...
Re: how to teach a diverse classroom of students -- Turnoi -- 29 January 2010
In fact, it is quite normal in the private ESL industry (training centres) to teach ESL/EFL to a multinational audience with diverse linguistic native speaker backgrounds. Since English is the ...

Korean High School -- K -- 25 January 2010
Hello, Last year I was teaching in a private institute (kindergarten and elementary). This year I am going to be teaching in a Korean high school. I am wondering if anyone has any good techniques, ...
Re: Korean High School -- Turnoi -- 25 January 2010
For this age group, there are some things to be borne in mind: Most of these students, do not stop learning outside school but would still attend extra-curricular learning sessions in the afternoon. ...

no experience -- Mary -- 19 January 2010
I am an English teacher in a parochial school. I have one student who is not a native speaker. Traumatic events brought him to our school when he was a freshman. Now I have him as a junior. He is a ...
Re: no experience -- Turnoi -- 19 January 2010
First of all, allow me to commend you for trying to give this young man some extra help. The subject-verb agreement is very basic in English (unlike in other languages like German, Finnish, Russian ...
Re: no experience//Additional Note -- Turnoi -- 20 January 2010
Regarding verb-subject agreement in English, let me add that in addition to adding -s for third person singular in the present tense, there still is the somewhat defective conjugation pattern of the ...

4-5 year old ESL learners! -- Brittany -- 13 January 2010
Help! I'm teaching a class of 4-5year old ESL learners. They can speak fairly well, using "My name is.." "I'm 4years old" their favorites colours, etc but they have an attention span of 5 ...
Re: 4-5 year old ESL learners! -- Yanni Zack -- 18 January 2010
Brittany, Since your kids have a short attention span, you are going to have to create learning activities that are short in duration. My advice is to incorporate music into your teaching. See if you ...
Re: 4-5 year old ESL learners! -- Turnoi -- 14 January 2010
I am afraid I cannot offer any concrete advice than just this one: From what you describe, the problem seems to be concentration. Maybe, some of the kids could be hyperactive..... Why not sometimes ...

motivating students -- Mohammad Masum -- 5 January 2010
Dear sir,I am spoken and writing English teacher from Bangladesh.I got some problem with my students and I know the reason but I do not know the solution.In my institute students are coming to learn ...
Re: motivating students -- Turnoi -- 6 January 2010
Classroom instruction always is a very artificial situation of linguistic communication in a foreign language. Motivation to communicate in a foreign language, on the other hand, normally comes in ...
Re: motivating students - additional information -- Turnoi -- 7 January 2010
Here is some additional info on software for creating multimedia-featured and interactive language quizzes. Download this free software from: http://hotpot.uvic.ca/index.php#downloads Don't ...
Re: motivating students -- Yanni Zack -- 6 January 2010
Masum, The way to motivate your students is to create activities that include them in the teaching, i.e.cooperative learning experiences. Here is an example: Have them role play a certain situation, ...

grammar -- monique -- 5 January 2010
I've been in the US approximately seven years. I am finishing a bachelor's degree right now. I need to improve my writing skills especially in writing papers. My English teacher makes ...
Re: grammar -- Turnoi -- 6 January 2010
I am a writer myself, and it very often happens that I have to write texts for books and articles in one of the several second/foreign languages that I know (English, German, French, and Chinese). ...
Re: grammar -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 5 January 2010
Monique, I commend you on getting your Bachelor Degree. I also understand that you have difficulty with grammar. At this website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu, there are numerous power point ...

receiving new student from Thailand -- Ria Shanon-Smith -- 30 December 2009
I teach 3rd grade in Oregon and I am getting a male student from Thailand in January. He speaks no English but was just adopted by a wonderful family here in town. I'm wondering what exactly to ...
Re: receiving new student from Thailand -- Yanni Zack -- 3 January 2010
Shannon, The most important advice I can give you is that this student needs to learn English. The best way to teach him that is to use pictures with him to help him develop an English Vocabulary. ...
Re: receiving new student from Thailand -- Turnoi -- 31 December 2009
From what you describe, your Thai student would need to learn English and has no previous knowledge of English. Not knowing (because you do not mention any details in this respect) whether the ...

Finding out about learners -- Julie Garvey -- 12 December 2009
I am going down to Mexico to take CELTA training in January and I am completing a pre-cours task. One of the questions I have been asked is how I can find out about my learners (preferred learning ...
Re: Finding out about learners -- Turnoi -- 12 December 2009
My answer in reply to your question can be brief: Give the new learner an individual and free initial sample lesson and observe the learner's reaction. It will tell you some basic things about ...

HELP on teaching ESL to a deaf mute student -- Monica -- 27 November 2009
I need advice on how to teach ESL to a 2nd grade (8-9 yr. old) student who is deaf mute; and how to integrate him (actively) with the rest of his classmates. Thanks in advance.
Re: HELP on teaching ESL to a deaf mute student -- Dianna -- 31 March 2010
Have you found any useful information on this particular case, Monica? I also know of a deaf mute 4th grade student in our school from Burma. She communicates only through pointing, making sounds, ...
Re: HELP on teaching ESL to a deaf mute student -- Yanni Zack -- 29 November 2009
Here is a suggestion in teaching English to a deaf person: Show them pictures and have them write down what they see. This will help them develop vocabulary, and learn how to create proper grammar ...
Re: HELP on teaching ESL to a deaf mute student -- Turnoi -- 27 November 2009
I really have no practical experience of teaching ESL to deaf non-native speakers. You are using "deaf mute". Does that mean that that child cannot speak either? I know a couple of deaf people, and I ...

Effective Technology use to improve language learning in all adult esl students -- sss123 -- 25 November 2009
Hi, I am an esl/efl teacher and I am presently working on my research paper. I am interested to get some ideas/feedback on the various forms/types of technology that can be used and are presently ...
Re: Using CALL in ESL Teacher Training in Third World Nations -- Turnoi -- 25 November 2009
I am the Vice President of a college in the sector of tertiary education that offers a number of degree and postgraduate programs in the area of Theology, Comparative Religions and Cultures, ...
Re: Effective Technology use to improve language learning in all adult esl students -- Yanni Zack -- 25 November 2009
Using Technology in ESL Teaching is very common. Many schools use Video Conferencing, Skype Teaching, and Interactive ESL Computer-Assisted Programs where students interact with the material ...

i want to teach esl in peru. i have an excellent command of the english language and speak un poco e -- Douglas Smirti -- 10 November 2009
i need to know how to go about learning how to teach,the training of speaking enough spanish to teach it,and how to get certification,and relocation information. also, will they provide ...
Re: i want to teach esl in peru. i have an excellent command of the english language and speak un po -- Turnoi -- 11 November 2009
I will try to answer your questions step by step. i need to know how to go about learning how to teach ***I suggest you look for a commercial provider offering a recognised CELTA/DELTA program. ,the ...

speaking problem -- baharak -- 9 November 2009
hi I'm english university student in Iran.I have studied English for 8 years,but I have alittle problem in speaking. I don't really know what to do? just I want to speak alittle faster than I ...
Re: speaking problem -- Yanni Zack -- 10 November 2009
Learning to speak English takes time and a lot of practice. I encourage you to not beat yourself up so much because of your supposed lack of progress.. Practice reading out loud from books or ...
Re: speaking problem//Reply -- Turnoi -- 10 November 2009
Assalam aleikum, learning a foreign language and to become more or less proficient in it is like becoming a good football player in a team. To become a good football player of your team means that ...

lesson plans incorporating arts and drama into EFL teaching -- mimi -- 26 October 2009
I am new qualıfıed non-native EFL teacher ,looking for job and I need a lot help and tips ı need lesson plans incorporating arts and drama into EFL teaching for a creatıve ...
Re: lesson plans incorporating arts and drama into EFL teaching -- Turnoi -- 27 October 2009
I have written some comments below the relevant portions of your text. I am new qualıfıed non-native EFL teacher ,looking for job and I need a lot help and tips ***You, maybe you are in ...
Re: lesson plans incorporating arts and drama into EFL teaching -- mrngorickets -- 30 June 2011
Hi Tks very much for post: I like it and hope that you continue posting. Let me show other source that may be good for community. Source: ...

Arab teaching strategies -- Emily Butler -- 18 October 2009
Hi everyone! I am writing from Arkansas, U.S.A. I am currently a teaching student and have a huge group presentation at the end of the week. Our subject is on how to apply appropriate teaching tools ...
Re: Arab teaching strategies -- Turnoi -- 19 October 2009
An interesting question, and a good one.... If you know that you are going to teach Arab students, the first thing you could do is to say "Assalam aleikum" when entering their class the first time. ...
Re: Arab teaching strategies -- Turnoi -- 19 October 2009
Let me add a source that may be helpful to relate your lessons to Arabic whenever this may be appropriate according to context. This may be a good source for you to obtain some contrastive knowledge ...

Learning to teach -- Adam McCambridge -- 16 October 2009
Hello everyone, I have been living in Japan for a little over 5 years now and have recently started a small conversational English class with my Japanese doctor and some of his interns. I had my ...
Re: Learning to teach -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 18 October 2009
I encourage you to begin teaching with your client in a simplified, basic manner. Start off with basic vocabulary, and use a lot of visuals to reinforce the concept. Also, go to the ESL teaching ...
Re: Learning to teach -- Turnoi -- 17 October 2009
Let me assume that your (Japanese) students are at elementary level in their English language skills. If they are new to this and take private lessons with you (as I am assuming here), it is ...

Improving spoken english -- Eric -- 12 October 2009
Hello, I teach English at an Academy in Spain and I am beginning to teach private lessons. The majority of the students I have are University students who need help in improvng their spoken english ...
Re: Improving spoken english -- Turnoi -- 17 October 2009
Yanni (Dr. Yanni Zack) has already made a good reply concentrating on the procedure of such lessons and what they should contain. Let me add another point regarding contents of such lessons. For ...
Re: Improving spoken english -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 12 October 2009
When teaching individuals, it is important that you develop individualized lesson materials that will motivate and hold the interest for each student. I recommend that you consider using English ...

I teach old students -- Naweed -- 28 September 2009
Dear sir! I am an instructor for English at one of the Capacity building programs in Afghanistan and the program is for 2 years and the students are also over 45 years i want to make my class very ...
Re: I teach old students -- Turnoi -- 28 September 2009
It is good to see your motivation to make classes very interesting for them. The way older people learn is somewhat different from the way young people learn. If you are teaching in Afghanistan, my ...

General note on this forum -- Turnoi -- 23 September 2009
Dear readers, Dr. Yanni Zack has replied to all the questions asked in this forum until now. He has now informed the editors of this site that he has dropped out of education to do some other work ...

ESL Inclusion -- Shauna -- 22 September 2009
I am a new ESL teacher, working with ELL students in the 4th and 5th grade. We are doing inclusion at my school. I was hoping you could give me some effective strategies on teaching writing in the ...
Re: ESL Inclusion -- Dianna -- 31 March 2010
I am doing the same as you (except I'm working with K-2 writing teacher). We discussed splitting the class to teach the same topic in whole group, but with smaller groups. We also discussed her ...
Re: ESL Inclusion -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 27 September 2009
I strongly feel that it is important for you to work together with the regular teacher to jointly develop effective writing assignments for your students. My suggestion would be for you to consider ...
Re: ESL Inclusion -- Turnoi -- 23 September 2009
Even if you are new teacher, I think, it is not other people who can do the "strategic" thinking for you. It is you who must do that in collaboration with your colleague teacher. I can quite well ...

where to begin -- Melissa -- 27 August 2009
Hello All, I need some serious help!! I'm working with a beginner and my thoughts of where to start are all over the place. Where should I start with him. I'm thinking that I should start ...
Re: where to begin -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 27 September 2009
I believe that in order to make a connection with this student, you first need to find out as much as you can about him, and then tailor the lessons and activities around the information you have ...
Re: where to begin -- Turnoi -- 20 September 2009
Do you have some details regarding English language skill level, age and country of origin of your student(s)`Just one or several students? How can someone give some helpful advice if there is no ...

i need help re: ESL tutoring marketing video shoot -- weng -- 10 August 2009
hi..go0d day dr yanni..im still a trainee ESL online instruct0r,i really need your help.the operations manager t0ld us to make a 30-sec0nd speech for our video sho0t so that students can cho0se and ...
Re: i need help re: ESL tutoring marketing video shoot -- Turnoi -- 19 September 2009
Is that for marketing your school or a demo class to attract students? If the latter applies, just record a live session between a teacher and a student. The more "natural" it looks, the greater the ...

Online MA TESOL programs -- Manuel Zaragoza -- 16 June 2009
I am currently researching online MA TESOL programs in the United States. I see that you recommend Alliant International University in San Diego, CA. You also mention the U of Phoenix. These two ...
Re: Online MA TESOL programs -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 17 June 2009
Manuel, Regarding your question about Online MA in TESOL Programs, I am able to let you know that from my own personal experience, the MA in TESOL Program from Alliant is top notch. It is very ...

New Teacher Moving to China...with NO experience!! -- Katrina -- 20 May 2009
I just recently applied for a teaching job in China and got it! Besides the absolute and utter love for children and a few Nanny jobs....I have no "classroom teaching" experience. Now that my flight ...

Teaching ESL to High School Students -- wendy -- 1 May 2009
Hi! I am teaching all boys at a high school in Asia. I played the Boggle Game with the students last week; however, many of the teachers are upset and say that my teaching method is WRONG and that ...
Re: Teaching ESL to High School Students -- Yanni -- 2 May 2009
Wendy, I would first of all ignore the other teachers comments. Are they your supervisor? If not, then the only one you need to get the confidence from for your teaching is the supervisor, and not ...

ESL for Indian Adult -- Kimberly White -- 30 April 2009
Hello, I am an English tutor who teaches grammar and comprehensive skills to children of all ages. I have been approached by an Indian Priest (from India) to improve his grammar and speaking skills. ...
Re: ESL for Indian Adult -- Yanni Zack -- 2 May 2009
Kimberly, My suggestion to you is to develop the speaking skills for this person and use vocabulary and material that relates to his being a Priest. This will give him the motivation to and interest ...

Adavnced and proficiency students -- Anna -- 18 April 2009
Hi I have a couple of years' ESL experience, but this year I am teaching advanced and proficiency students for the first time, and having some big problems! I've tried debates, roleplays, ...
Re: Adavnced and proficiency students -- Shelley Vernon -- 19 April 2009
Hi Anna My tip would be to implicate the students more in their own learning by having them choose the debate topics and prepare for class before hand rather than doing homework afterwards. For ...
Re: Advanced and proficiency students -- Yanni Zack -- 20 April 2009
Anna, Shelly gave you some great strategies and tips in working with your advanced students. Also, let them create their own learning activities so that they will now be "buying in" to the ...
Re: Advanced and proficiency students -- Shelley Vernon -- 19 April 2009
Hi Anna My suggestion is to implicate the students more in their learning process by getting them to choose what they talk about. Give them homework to prepare for the next class for example: ...

Helping ESL students take standardized tests -- Donna -- 7 April 2009
Hi, I have an ESL student who is trying to get into the nursing program. She is having difficulty scoring high enough on a standardized test in reading and writing. She did great on the math but her ...
Re: Helping ESL students take standardized tests -- Yanni Zack -- 11 April 2009
Donna, Since she needs help with English on a standardized test for becoming a Nurse, I suggest you work on developing vocabulary with her as well as comprehension question (for essay) that relate to ...

pronunciation help -- jana -- 23 March 2009
hi. i am teaching english in southern mexico. i have one student who consistantly has problems pronouncing hi d when it is at the end of a sentanc. i am hoping for some ideas as i am very new to ...
Re: pronunciation help -- Yanni Zack -- 24 March 2009
I need more specific information regarding what you have tried to help this student in working on his pronunciation problem so I can give you ideas and strategies to use.

please help me -- AMANTINA -- 23 March 2009
HI I`M AMANTINA FROM KOSOVO I HAVE STARTED TO TEACH THE MIDDLE AGE STUDENTS HERE BUT I HAVE TOO MANY DIFFICULTIES ON TECHING THEM BECAUSE THEY NEED TO COMMUNICATE BUT I DO NOT KNOW MANY METHODS ...
Re: please help me -- Yanni Zack -- 24 March 2009
Amantina, I would first recommend that you look through some of the previous posts in this section as there are others who have asked similar questions. I know that you will find lots of ideas, ...

help needed -- mark -- 20 March 2009
I am going to try my hand at teaching English in China, I have no formal teaching experience, I posses an economics degree and been involved with different businesses for over 40 years. I dont know ...
Re: help needed -- Yanni Zack -- 21 March 2009
Mark, Before I can offer any advice, it is important to know and have more information. What grade level are you teaching? Children? Young Adults? Adults? What level? Beginners, Intermediate or ...
Re: help needed -- mark -- 23 March 2009
Thank you for responding yanni , I was told that I will be teaching beginners (young adults), oral English only. I have no classroom experience, so if you are game , your help would be greatly ...
Re: help needed -- Yanni Zack -- 23 March 2009
Mark, Since you will be teaching beginning young adult learners oral English, here are my suggestions: 1. Find out what their interests are. 2. Create beginning lessons using visuals/pictures for the ...

teaching kindergarten -- judy archer -- 19 March 2009
I am teaching classes of about 30 kindergarten students in China. I have been playing games with the students and they seem to enjoy the games and to be learning at a satisfactory rate. However, ...
Re: teaching kindergarten -- Shelley Vernon -- 19 April 2009
Hello there, I recommend stories and songs in particular and of course games that CAN be played with larger groups. There are plenty of games that can be played by thirty children without anyone ...
Re: teaching kindergarten -- Yanni Zack -- 21 March 2009
If you find you have to teach with a whole group, and especially with kindergarten students, I would suggest that you use music such as Greg and Steve songs to teach such things as parts of the body, ...

What else can i do? -- Kathereen -- 17 March 2009
Hi... well i need help. I am teaching in china. and i've done songs games (not too many). But now it seems that i've got nothing else to give. I try thinking bout more games but my mind is ...
Re: What else can i do? -- Yanni Zack -- 21 March 2009
Please provide more information. In order to give more accurate assistance, please tell us what age and grade level you teach

teaching english -- M -- 6 March 2009
I am a new teacher teaching english in korea and i have no clue of what i have gotten myself into i teach at a place where the children are already advanced at english, lower than kids in the USA but ...
Re: teaching english -- roger heide -- 4 August 2009
I know the feeling. I have the exact same problems with my private school in Nacheon..middle of nowhere Korea. Owners are of no help and provide no teaching supplies...so unorganized. Looking to ...
teaching english -- Joe -- 11 March 2009
M. Okay, I'm putting myself in your shoes. Here is what I would do first. I would give them all a writing assignment which simply provides them with some seat work during the "Dead time" in the ...
Re: teaching english -- Jerome -- 7 March 2009
A good place to start would be right there at your own desk and on your own computer. The web has many interesting, helpful sites where you can begin your research. I think it interesting to note, ...
Re: teaching english -- Yanni Zack -- 7 March 2009
Here is my advice- Stop, take a deep breath, and then look at your options. I don't know about the economy in Korea. However, I do know if you quit and jump from job to job, you will be looked at ...

Ive just started privately tutoring a middle aged Chinese man. -- Naomi -- 5 March 2009
Ive just started privately tutoring a middle aged Chinese man. His English is already very good, but he wants to improve because he is running a business and wants to be able to better interact with ...
Re: Ive just started privately tutoring a middle aged Chinese man. -- Joe -- 11 March 2009
Yes, I certainly do know of some activities. Depending upon the level that he is at. Go to the various web sites and down load anything on becoming a citizen in that country. Believe me, he is ...
Re: Ive just started privately tutoring a middle aged Chinese man. -- Yanni Zack -- 5 March 2009
Naomi, First off, teachers need to learn to be creative and to "think outside the box." Now, what I would recommend is to create lessons that focus on your client's business needs and give him ...

Re: teaching English for nursing -- Eleanor Brockman -- 18 February 2009
Carmen, she will also need body language, something you certainly can help her with. You could role play procedures, as simple as taking blood pressure or checking up on a patient at the bedside, to ...

number recognition -- Anne -- 15 February 2009
Help, please! I have a beginning ESL student who cannot recognize or accurately state the numbers 3-5 (he now knows 1 and 2). Although he can recite them, he cannot remember what they look like. How ...
Re: number recognition -- Yanni Zack -- 16 February 2009
Here is a way to teach numbers using a kinesthetic approach: Have the student trace each number in a box of sand, and then say the number out loud. This uses all three learning modalities, auditory, ...

Developing vocabulary through powerpoint -- Halevy -- 14 February 2009
Hi, I'm an English teacher in a primary school in Brunei Darussalam. I'm currently having difficulties on what strategies to teach young english learners to develop their vocabulary on the ...
Re: Developing vocabulary through powerpoint -- Yanni Zack -- 15 February 2009
Halevy, In response to your question, I would recommend that instead of using a power point presentation to teach vocabulary that you use pictures/visuals for the vocabulary words the students are ...

Good advice is needed!!!! -- Ivan -- 9 February 2009
Hi....i 'am new in teaching English here in KOrea and one of concerns right now is ....MODULESI badly needs help.. Thanx...
Re: Good advice is needed!!!! -- Yanni Zack -- 9 February 2009
Please provide more information about what specifically you need. You mentioned modules? What type? Kind?
Re: Good advice is needed!!!! -- Ivan -- 10 February 2009
My students were 12 and 14...their parents wants them to learn conversational ENglish...based on my assesment, they are not yet excellent on reading ...and vocabulary exercise is needed... Pls...

economics and chemistry -- Mr.UTRSRIDHARPRASAD -- 9 February 2009
SIR, What is ESL and how do we learn it also please guide me on other related terms like TEFL, TESOL and so on. Thank you
Re: economics and chemistry -- Yanni Zack -- 9 February 2009
ESL stands for English as a Second Language. It involves having the teacher use different teaching strategies, i.e. role play, visuals, pictures, cooperative group learning , to help those who ...

Games and activities for 11-12 year olds who can`t read or write English -- Nick -- 31 January 2009
I am teaching final year elementary school kids who are quite shy and have little energy and was wondering if people could suggest any activities which might get me through the lesson.
Re: Games and activities for 11-12 year olds who can`t read or write English -- Yanni Zack -- 3 February 2009
Nick, Here is my advice: First, talk to these students and find out what their interests are. Then, create games, i.e.bingo, concentration, Jeopardy around their interests as a way to motivate them ...

First ESL class -- Sunita Ghosh -- 26 January 2009
Hi, i have to take three children , one is 13 , second one is 10 and the third one is 7 years. The elder two can speak in monosyllables but comprehension and speech fluency is poor. They are ...
Re: First ESL class -- Yanni Zack -- 28 January 2009
The best way to get these students motivated to learn English is to first find out what their interests are, and then develop activities/lessons based on their interests. This is called a "hook" in ...

Games for classroom -- Jen -- 23 January 2009
I'm a mother helping out with a classroom party in my daughter's first grade class. They're having a South African themed party and I'm looking for a game to play in the classroom ...
Re: Games for classroom -- Yanni Zack -- 23 January 2009
Since the class has a South-African Theme party, you could do the following games: 1. Jeopardy- students have to provide answer in form of a question for specific fact about South African Culture, ...

Teaching techniques -- ella -- 13 January 2009
Good afternoon=) Please help me...I need teaching techniques in teaching an academy class. Academy class contains 4 -6 students. thanks so much=)
Re: Teaching techniques -- Alicia Grime -- 8 October 2009
Hello.My name is Alicia Grime. I am a Certified Teacher from Texas but live in Canada. I have been teaching ESl to children as young as 4---adult.When I saw your question I will offer this advice to ...
Re: Teaching techniques -- Yanni Zack -- 13 January 2009
The best strategies to use in teaching ESL to any group of students is to include hands-on learning, role play situations where the students become active participants in the learning, and lots of ...

teaching strategies -- arianne -- 13 January 2009
Hi, I'm Arianne! I really need your help. I really need some teaching strategies for online ESL class for individual and group class. Pls....thanks!
Re: teaching strategies -- Yanni Zack -- 13 January 2009
When teaching an Online Class, it is important to first know if this is a class where students would all be seen on web cams, or where students are merely chatting in a chat room. If students and the ...

First ESL Adult Class -- Tom -- 28 December 2008
Hi! I am trying to formulate my first adult beginner ESL class. I was told that the class retention rate is low. It starts out with 35 students, and throughout the semester there is only 8-12 ...
Re: First ESL Adult Class -- Yanni Zack -- 29 December 2008
Tom, Here are some strategies to use when teaching students in beginning ESL Classes: Remember that you need to start off with the basics. I usually start of by teaching personal pronouns and ...

how to get to? -- heide -- 10 November 2008
Good morning sir. I have great passion and liking on how to enter in a job as an ESL Teacher. What characteristics should I possess inorder that i may be accepted in the job. I have been going ...
Re: how to get to? -- Yanni Zack -- 13 November 2008
First off, just be yourself. Be positive, and emphasize the strong qualities you have as an ESL Teacher. Remember, you are having to sell yourself to future employers, and give them a reason why they ...

English games -- Martina Kozakova -- 30 October 2008
Dear Sir or Madam I have started teaching English and I would like to ask you for some helpful games for children between 10 to 12 with elementary English. Thank you very much. Yours sincerelly ...
Re: English games -- Yanni Zack -- 30 October 2008
Martina, Here are some fun games to use when teaching English: Charades Concentration using pictures Jeopardy- using various English word categories, i.e. action words (verbs) nouns, prepositions, ...

Best progression for individual student without confusing her with IPA symbols and grammatical terms -- Rob -- 29 October 2008
Recently, someone requested for me to teach English to an adult who IS literate in her own language (Spanish), but NOT very well-versed in grammatical terminology (also, she is not the best speller ...
Re: Best progression for individual student without confusing her with IPA symbols and grammatical t -- Yanni Zack -- 5 November 2008
I encourage you to consider teaching her vocabulary that is associated with her business needs and to use pictures, visuals with her that relate to the specific terms, concepts associated with her ...
Re: Best progression for individual student without confusing her with IPA symbols and grammatical t -- Rob -- 6 November 2008
Thanks. That is essentially how I started, but now I need to find ways to help her USE that vocabulary, and that is how I have come to the point of asking the question as I did. Right now, the ...
Re: Best progression for individual student without confusing her with IPA symbols and grammatical t -- Yanni Zack -- 6 November 2008
Rob, The best way I can suggest to use the vocabulary would be to develop situations using real life situations/experiences associated with her business. Concept teaching is very important as well. ...

I can't come up with a solution -- A.Y -- 14 October 2008
I'm teaching kids at an orphan home in Tajikistan. I have 34 children from 3rd to 11th grade and their levels of English ability are all different, even the ones in same grade. I separated them ...
Re: I can -- Yanni Zack -- 14 October 2008
First, you need to stop, and "think outside the box". Find out what the interests are for these students. Then, tailor your lesson and vocabulary to those interests. Remember to use lots of visuals, ...

Re: Running an English Corner -- Martin Wolff -- 3 October 2008
CHINA EFL: English Corner Martin Wolff, Guangzhou, China About the Author Martin Wolff, J.D. – holisticenglish@yahoo.com Martin Wolff has taught Holistic English, international business law and ...
I need advice on how to run an English Corner for beginners -- Chimmy -- 20 April 2010
Hello, my name is Chimmy. I recently secured english teaching job in a primary school in wenzhou and i'm also new in the system. Presently, i'm faced with the task of running an english ...
Re: I need advice on how to run an English Corner for beginners -- Turnoi -- 21 April 2010
English Corners for kids not speaking or understanding any English is an absolute idiocy to ask for by those demanding you to do it. Seems those running the school know nothing about language ...
Re: Running an English Corner -- Martin Wolff -- 4 October 2008
PART II If I had the authority, power and money, my first transformation project at the training center would be as follows; Purchase 5 flat screen TVs and permanently tune each one to a different ...

Hi im an ESL Teacher Teaching collage students in mexico that are studing to be chefs -- MELISSA -- 1 October 2008
Hi I need help with ideas with these students there studying to be chefs but have an English class that lasts 2 hrs 5 days a week. Does anybody have ideas that might make them more interested in ...
Re: Hi im an ESL Teacher Teaching collage students in mexico that are studing to be chefs -- Yanni Zack -- 2 October 2008
Melissa, I encourage you to make learning fun. Since these are students who are studying to be chefs, teach them vocabulary that includes cooking and recipe terms. Use lots of visuals, and have ...

How to teach my students to speak politely -- Joe -- 24 September 2008
Hey there! I am teaching English as a foreign language in Taiwan. My students are college non-English majors, yet most of them speak fairly frequently. I notice that two or three of them often speak ...
Re: How to teach my students to speak politely -- Yanni Zack -- 25 September 2008
Joe, Good Question. I would recommend that first, you set some basic ground rules for your class regarding the need to speak politely in class to both you and the other students. If the students ...
Re: How to teach my students to speak politely -- Marat I. Kayumov -- 31 May 2009
Dear Joe, It is essential you set limitations concerning the language your students use by telling them off in the most polite manner you are only capable of any time you hear something ...

Be an Advocate for your students -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 20 September 2008
As an educator with over 25 years experience working with all different types of learners, and now being an advocate for people with physical and learning disabilities, I have found that we as ...

Re: Teaching ESL in the USA -- Brais -- 1 September 2008
Dear Publio, I also commend you on your efforts and your devotion to learning another language. I would like to comment that because your post contains several errors it is somewhat ironic. ...

I am a new teacher -- Niamh -- 21 August 2008
I have recently arrived in Brazil and I am teaching private classes. Although I have done a TEFL course I feel I still need some advise on planning a class as his english is quite advanced. I have a ...
Re: I am a new teacher -- Yanni Zack -- 29 August 2008
I agree that it is important to use content from his interests and hobbies. You might want to consider using visuals, and then having him give you vocabulary from these visuals, or having him write a ...
Welcome back! -- Sarah -- 29 August 2008
Hello Dr Zack NICE to see you back! Sarah

grammar -- my thanh -- 12 August 2008
Dear Dr Yanni Zack thank you very much for your interesting ideas about teaching adj and adv. But here I want to teach about position as well as the irregular forms of some adjs and advs. For ...

Teaching Grade 4 English in a British school -- Sarah -- 4 July 2008
I need to design a teaching and after school tutoring plan for a Grade 4 English (British system) student. How different is it from the American system? Any tips?

Advantages to team games in TESOL Classroom -- Daniel No -- 30 June 2008
Hello, I was just wondering what some advantages to playing team games in the classroom are. Also what are the best ideas to teach games to students who have no english? I'm a beginner teacher ...

Re: teaching English for nursing -- silvia -- 25 June 2008
I'm teaching English in Switzerland at a vocational school for health care / nursing. We are going to use one of the following books next semester: Bradley, Robin A., English for Nursing and ...
Re: teaching English for nursing -- Carolle -- 18 January 2009
I would like to buy Robin A. Bradley book English for Nursing and Health care. I Look on the web site I could not find it. Help me find a easy way to buy it

English phonics video curriculum -- Lori -- 15 June 2008
I have been asked by a school in Thailand to find a video curriculum that will teach phonics comprehensively to K-8 students to learn to read English. They wish to have a video curriculum since the ...
Re: English phonics video curriculum -- Ileana Borbon -- 26 July 2008
What I do is to search a short video in Youtube done by native English speakers. It could be from kids stories to sports and political news, or interviews (artists, singers...). I watch the video and ...

Tips to teach 7/8 year olds -- Marigel -- 13 June 2008
Hi! I'm a teacher of English in Argentina. I have a class of 7/8 year olds this year and I find it really difficult to make them answer questions from a text. This is a group with quite a low ...

Grammer teaching game -- Shim -- 7 June 2008
Help me!! I just started career as a teacher in Korea. Im Korean. :( But I got a problem in grammer lesson. I want to do fun game for grammer lesson, but don't have any creative idea. Can you ...
Re: Grammer teaching game -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 12 June 2008
Shin, A good way to teach grammar with a learning game is to play either charades or 20 questions. For example, when teaching verbs, have students act out in pantomime the action for the verb, then ...

absolute beginners -- Felipe Sader -- 25 May 2008
Hey! I just started teaching ESL a few months ago in Malaysia, I have work mainly with Korean kids and I´ve been able to cope with it pretty well, mainly because all my students have not been ...

counselling -- suresh -- 23 April 2008
my son is 15 yrs old but he does not study what should i do
Re: counselling -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 4 May 2008
Suresh, I encourage you to find out what your son's interests are, and then let him begin to read books and articles about his interests. This will help motivate him to want to learn new things. ...
Re: counselling -- lata -- 28 April 2008
You need to give finer details of the issue to get the right counselling. Not reading is a symptom ,we need to find out the reason.

Very New to Teaching English -- Mark -- 9 April 2008
Hello all, I am an American now living in Jordan. I do not have a background in teaching. My whole background has been in IT. I am currently working for a training center and they would like me to ...
Re: Very New to Teaching English -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 9 April 2008
Mark, the best way to teach new students beginning English skills is to use lots of pictures/visuals. This is used to teach basic vocabulary. Also, start with the basics- pronouns, conjugation of the ...
Re: Very New to Teaching English -- Mark -- 10 April 2008
Tnank you very much sir for your help. I hope I will be able to keep their interest.

Is there a best teaching strategy for all subjects? -- jitz -- 4 April 2008
Good day! I just want to know if there is a best teaching strategy for all subjects in school. Thanks for the reply!
Re: Is there a best teaching strategy for all subjects? -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 5 April 2008
Jitz, The best way to teach any subject is to make it fun for the students. I have found from my own experience that when students are engaged in active, hands-on learning, i.e. role play, ...

ESL student newspaper -- Casey -- 25 March 2008
Hi all, I would like to have my ESL (university) students design their own newspaper for a couple of weeks. I'm not sure how to start and can't find much on the Net. Advice please. Casey

a few things regarding 2 classes -- Kate -- 17 March 2008
Hello, I am an American Peace Corps volunteer teaching 2 classes of students in Morocco. The first class is Kindergarden and I have about 30-35 students depending on attendance. This class takes ...
Re: a few things regarding 2 classes -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 18 March 2008
Kate, Here is a web site that should help you in developing your students' reading: www.readinga-z.com This site has free books you can down load, print out, and use with your students. Books are ...

one on one tutoring -- bhless -- 12 March 2008
hi, I'm here in the Philippines. I'm tutoring a fourteen-year old Korean girl... she is smart but I'm running out of strategies in teaching her... I hate dead air and I always want the ...
Re: one on one tutoring -- Ariem -- 23 March 2008
Why do you run out of strategies? There are only a few of them. What you need to do is to make variations out of them. A simple change in your strategies would mean a lot of difference in the lesson. ...
Re: one on one tutoring -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 13 March 2008
Since she seems to be smart and you need additional resources, I would suggest that you have her start using the local (English Paper) and practice reading it out loud. Then, have her summarize the ...

Hard to handle Classes -- Danielle -- 8 March 2008
Help, I am teaching different level classes and while the older kids are a pleasure to teach, the 6 and 7 year olds are really difficult. I have tried many different games and songs with them. They ...
Re: Hard to handle Classes -- Yanni Zack -- 11 March 2008
Danielle, I understand your frustration in working with Young Children who have difficulty listening. Remember that Young child have a short attention span. Thus, you have to create short lessons, ...

Re: English speaking and foreigners -- daxx -- 27 February 2008
\-|"> I think it is very important that you don't forget the language you grew up with. and with regards to speaking English, it would really be helpful to watch English films. this will not only ...

Doing A Vocabulary Demonstration -- daxx -- 27 February 2008
I'm Daxx, i'll be giving a demonstration at a English Learning Academy here, and im so confused on how to go about it. i mean how do you choose what to teach. i like the idea of using colors ...

communicating with parents -- md -- 20 February 2008
Is there a resource of common 'behavior' vocabulary that can be referenced when communicating with parents over the phone? Looking for Spanish terms dealing with student behavior.

Poetry -- Ravichandran -- 19 February 2008
I would like to know some activities that I can conduct for average intermediate students to help them enjoy poetry and interpret the poem (meaning making).

creative teaching workshop -- Dewi Rosmala -- 27 January 2008
I was unexperienced head of language centre at siliwangi university Indonesia. Hope in presented an english creative teaching workshop for elementary school. As you know in my country English is a ...

Books for private tutoring -- Steve -- 23 January 2008
Does anyone know of a good book or books to uses for private esl tutoring? Most of the standard books are geared to teaching groups or classes.
Re: Books for private tutoring -- Yanni Zack -- 13 March 2008
I agree that you don't need books for private tutoring. Use the resources you have available- use the local newspaper (English Version) and have the student write about what they read and ...
Re: Books for private tutoring -- Tutors, Inc. -- 15 February 2008
Do you need books for teaching materials or books for learning how to tutor privately? Every tutor should know his/her students' individual needs and prepare accordingly. You don't need a ...

first time teaching kids -- han -- 14 January 2008
Any ideas how to approach the new class without looking too serious or too silly. Thank you for your feedback.
Re: first time teaching kids -- Yanni Zack, Ph.D. -- 14 January 2008
My recommendation is to make sure you are prepared, and have reviewed the material you plan to teach. Also, it is important to make the learning fun, i.e. use visuals, and have the students be active ...

Teaching People older than you -- Tiff -- 6 January 2008
Hi, I'm a teenager trying to teach a group of adults conversational english. I don't know how to engage them and keep them on track because I am younger than them. They are beginners but I ...
Re: Teaching People older than you -- ariem -- 23 March 2008
hello tiffany. Your question is quite interesting. I am also an educator who deals with adult students. My students are twice older than I. Teaching adult students is very challenging because of so ...
Re: Teaching People older than you -- Ariem -- 23 March 2008
HI TIFFANY AM SORRY FOR SOME ERRORS IN MY SPELLING. aM NOT VERY GOOD AT COMPUTERS THOUGH BUT AM TRYING MY BEST TO BE GOOD AT IT. plEASE BEAR WITH THE TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.
Re: Teaching People older than you -- Choatle -- 21 March 2008
Your age is irrelavent, you know something they do not, so in this respect you are superior. You must not fixate on age. Yes they have more life experience, but your the one who speaks English, not ...
Re: Teaching People older than you -- Yanni Zack, Ph.D -- 7 January 2008
I would suggest that you start out teaching beginning ESL students by using both visuals and role playing to develop their basic vocabulary. Pictures are an important part of any ESL lesson.

CELTA -- Coral Rose -- 2 January 2008
Hello, Im currently studying a part time CELTA course due to finish end March and I just wondered if there were any recent CELTA graduates who would be willing to take me under their wing and give me ...

teaching through songs - what's Ur oppinion? -- sylvia -- 19 December 2007
Hi everybody.. I want to ask if any of U have ever tried to teach english vocabulary through songs? I'd like to know if U know any good artocles or books about it as I need to write my diploma ...
Re: teaching through songs - what's Ur oppinion? -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 21 December 2007
Sylvia, Using songs to teach Beginning ESL Students is a great strategy. There are a lot of songs out there you can use- current hits, rock and roll, country music, as well as songs from movies.

teaching beginner adults to work at hotel-subjet:the holidays -- nicole -- 1 December 2007
Hello I have come across your page and I am a little desperate for some advice. I am a student who is trying to become a teacher of english. I have a practicum on thursday and they are all adults, ...
Re: teaching beginner adults to work at hotel-subjet:the holidays *Picture* -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 2 December 2007
Nicole, The best advice I can give you in teaching vocabulary is to use both pictures, i.e.visuals, of situations found in a Hotel Setting, as well as engage in role-play situations where the ...

Help Assessment of English Program Effectiveness -- Czar -- 20 November 2007
Sir, I'm A college student and I'm having my thesis and the topic is "Assessment of the English Program Effectiveness". Could you help me with this? I need to know how i am going to assess ...
Re: Help Assessment of English Program Effectiveness -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 21 November 2007
Czar, I commend you for working on your thesis and for selecting the topic of Assessment of English Language Programs. In order to develop a well-written and researched thesis, you are going to to ...
Re: Help Assessment of English Program Effectiveness -- Czar -- 22 January 2008
sir, thank you for your relpy. I hope you could give me some advice on where i could possibly get some related literature and studies regarding my topic entitled "An Assessment of the English ...

teaching without textbook or curriculum or degree, please help me! -- Rio -- 13 November 2007
I'm a native English speaking teenager studying abroad in Germany for a year, and I was asked to tutor a man (30 yrs, I think) in English. We had our first lesson last night, and there's ...
Re: teaching without textbook or curriculum or degree, please help me! -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 15 November 2007
Rio, You are off to a good start in teaching this man the basics, Introductions, i.e. Hello, days of the week, months of the year, numbers, etc. In terms of other strategies to use, I highly ...

Classification essays -- Ruta -- 7 November 2007
Hi, I've seen so many examples of classification essays that I have become confused. Is it possible to just have 1 item in a category? For example, one essay talked about types of restaurants. I ...

Teaching English at a Kindergarten -- Josie -- 4 November 2007
I am currently teaching English at a Korean kindergarten in Shanghai. I have been here for 2 months and don't know what to do. I teach 3 classes, 2-3 year olds, 4-5 year olds, and 6-7 year olds. ...
Re Teaching English at a Kindergarten -- J -- 27 September 2011
Hi Josie, Gees, I'm a teacher at a kindergarten near Hangzhou, well, I teach at 7 different kindergartens. I was pretty much the same as you when I started out. Good of you to post online, I ...
Re Teaching English at a Kindergarten -- Jack -- 7 April 2011
You could try games that at the same time they play and learn.
Re: Teaching English at a Kindergarten -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 6 November 2007
Josie, The best advice I can give you is to use lots of Total Physical Response activities with your students. Have them engage in actual body movements, i.e. show me the door, the sink, window, ...

Teaching strategies -- Ángela -- 20 October 2007
Hello I am an English Teacher in a High school. I would like to know which is the best strategy for teaching vocabulary to students.
Re: Teaching strategies -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 27 October 2007
The best way to teach vocabulary for any level, even High school students, is to use a variety of visuals or pictures that relate or correspond to a specific vocabulary word. This will help them ...

Tips for a New Teacher? -- Catie -- 24 July 2007
I am an American living in Mexico, and I'm about to begin teaching English to a small group of people ranging from 5 years old to middle aged. It's a very informal class, no pay, just ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Ana Milena -- 20 October 2007
Catie: Congratulations for your labor!!!!. First of all, I think that you can work through project works such as: Global warming, environment, human rights, etc.. Do not forget you can use songs, ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Ericka -- 17 August 2007
Start by teaching the alphabet. Once they have the sounds then move on to putting simple words together. Use words with short sounds first, then long sounds. While you are doing this use pictures, ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Extefler -- 18 August 2007
Hi again- I think teaching the alphabet might be too boring for an informal group, and they may already know it quite well from learning their own language, if its Spanish. Purepecha languages bring ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 18 August 2007
Katie, Extelfer gave some good tips and also a good suggestion for not teaching the alphabet to develop oral English skills. TESOL/TEFL teaching today should be based on the use of the Communicative ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Extefler -- 13 August 2007
Hi Catie- Something else to consider doing is to bring in to class odds and ends of things you find that might be suitable for different students to read. Maybe advertisements, brochures, short ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Fish -- 26 July 2007
The most important thing to remember is it needs to be fun. It won't be easy to teach a group with a wide range in ages, and they may have various levels of abitlity. It seems to me it would be ...
Re: Tips for a New Teacher? -- Dr.Yanni Zack -- 29 July 2007
Catie, Fish gave you some great advice- make learning fun!! I will add that another thing you can do is to have the more experienced students work with the less experienced students as peer tutors. ...

How to design reading comprehension questions and how to find articles for reading articles -- New2Teaching -- 28 June 2007
Hi there, I'm a new ESL teacher currently working in China. I'm currently trying to design exercises for GRE reading comprehension. I don't have any experience on this, and have no clue ...
Re: How to design reading comprehension questions and how to find articles for reading articles -- Dr.Yanni Zack -- 29 June 2007
Dear New2Teaching, In order to help your students develop their comprehension skills for the GRE Exam, I would recommend that you have them read different articles from the Newspaper (American ...
Re: How to design reading comprehension questions and how to find articles for reading articles -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 14 September 2007
As previously mentioned by an earlier poster, it is extremely essential to use additional or supplemental materials such as an English Newspaper with ESL students who need help in developing their ...
Re: How to design reading comprehension questions and how to find articles for reading articles -- john -- 9 September 2007
Well, I was told that best way for reading comprehension is from the Test preparation books for the GRE test. They have the typical questions like author's tone, purpose, and main ideas. You can ...

Teaching Story to my 4 1/2 year old son -- KamalaDevi -- 22 June 2007
Hello Mam, Can you please help me by telling the tips and methods of teaching stories to my 41/2 year old South Indian Boy .He is currently doing his kinder garden in a famous School . I believe he ...
Re: Teaching Story to my 4 1/2 year old son -- Pat -- 25 June 2007
Cinderella is a wonderful story, both for boys and girls. The story will always be popular. Try to speak only English when telling your boy a story when you want him to learn English. By staying in ...
Re: Teaching Story to my 4 1/2 year old son -- Extefler -- 23 June 2007
In America, we tell bedtime stories to our children. Sometimes we read them from little books, sometimes they are just stories we know. But often we pretend we are reading the story from the book, ...
Re: Teaching Story to my 4 1/2 year old son -- Dr.Yanni Zack -- 24 June 2007
Dear KamalaDevi, Exteller gave you some good suggestions in how to tell stories to your young son at bedtime. In addition to asking him questions, I would also suggest you get a copy of the story ...

Would + like ... -- None -- 21 May 2007
What will you do if you want to teach "Would you like..?" as in "Would you like a cup of coffee?"
Re: Would + like ... -- None other -- 22 May 2007
Try some play acting. When a visitor comes to your home, what do you ask? Would you like to sit down? Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink? Please have this tea/coffee/water/juice. In ...

How do I teacher ESL to adults who are not literate in their first language? -- Kelsi -- 6 May 2007
Hello from Portland, Oregon! Just curious about the best method to go about teaching adults to read & write in English when they are not literate in their native language. I'm starting a ...
Re: How do I teacher ESL to adults who are not literate in their first language? -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 10 May 2007
Kelsi, My recommendation would be to use lots of visuals, pictures, and TPR (Total Physical Response) when teaching your students. This will help them to begin to develop vocabulary words that they ...
Re: How do I teacher ESL to adults who are not literate in their first language? -- LA -- 7 May 2007
Hey kelsi: I have a similar challenge in my class too. however, my group is very mixed in ability levels. it,s hard not to bore the more advanced and literate students and not to overwhem those ...

Drilling Colors -- John Lee -- 26 April 2007
Was wondering if you had any ideas for a group of children 7-9 year olds. I can only think of putting colors on a board and getting them to repeat. What do you think? Thank you in advance.
Re: Drilling Colors -- Dr. Yanni Zack -- 10 May 2007
Dear John Lee, I would recommend that you create a fun way to teach colors of children's clothes by using their clothes as an example. First, identify the different clothes the students are ...
Re: Drilling Colors -- Jerome -- 6 May 2007
Recent research regarding vocabulary acquisition has shown that our method of teaching vocabulary in "sets" is outdated and often counter-productive. Teaching colors is a prime example of this. The ...
Re: Drilling Colors -- Fish -- 6 May 2007
Thanks for your reply. I'm wondering what size of sets the research considered? I like keeping things in sets, just for the organizational qualities. I think using small sets of 3-5 shouldn't ...
Re: Fish/ Drilling Colors -- Jerome -- 7 May 2007
In looking back at my rather hastily written post I see that I made a few errors. I meant to say that "red" has higher frequency than "orange," so therefore in a Chinese context........... I also ...
Re: Fish/ Drilling Colors -- Fish -- 8 May 2007
Hi Jerome- Although I'm not so good at taking notes anymore, I think I've read a lot from UM, probably that Folse article at some point in time. You're right about crash memorization. ...
Re: Drilling Colors -- Fish -- 26 April 2007
This is one of the most fun things you can do with that age group. Make up games, anything is fun. Ask "Who is wearing a red shirt? (or what ever color shirt you have on that day, to demo the game.) ...

Re: Running an English Corner -- andi -- 9 April 2007
about two months ago I had a few students request help in speaking/listening. I told these students to speak the days lessons while walking home. As an example if we did colours today I asked them to ...

Listening/speaking prediction tasks plus during and post-listening/speaking tasks. -- Hubert Judge -- 22 March 2007
Dear Doctor, Do you know of any reliable resources that I could use that would help me to design listening/speaking prediction tasks plus during and post-listening/ speaking tasks for native speakers ...
Re: Listening/speaking prediction tasks plus during and post-listening/speaking tasks. -- Dr.Yanni Zack -- 26 March 2007
Hubert, In response to your question regarding materials that help develop listening, speaking, reading and writing with your students, I have found that the series called Exploring English works ...

Multilevel English Learning class -- Seema -- 14 March 2007
Hi, can anyone tell me where I can find lessons that would incorporate English Language learning levels 0 to 3 for adult learners. I have some ideas for strategies but i have yet to come across ...
Re: Multilevel English Learning class -- Fish -- 14 March 2007
I'm assuming you mean absolute beginners to low intermediate? That's pretty tough to keep all of them involved in the lessons. I think we've all tried to do that one time or another, and ...
Re: Multilevel English Learning class -- Heads Up English -- 18 April 2007
Teaching basic grammar to the whole class, which would be a review for the stronger students, is a good idea (if you also later work more advanced structures into the lesson). I would also break the ...

Oral English -- Ron -- 7 March 2007
I was hired to work as an Oral English Teacher. I have students from Grades 1 - 6, and 8. For the smaller kids I use games and action songs, for the older students I use exercises in describing, and ...
Re: Oral English -- Fish -- 30 March 2007
If you don't have a book to rely on from your school, then it's story time! Like you've already had them do, write stories. They can do this at home, but during the week, the assignment ...

Re: Pronunciation Tips please -- Heads Up English -- 5 March 2007
With any language point, move the target language through controlled, semi-controlled, and free activities. For example: Controlled activities work to make the language automatic. Choral ...

Re: Speaking Farsi -- ali -- 6 March 2007
hello may be i can help you.i'm studying english in iran and i am an english teacher too.i have some farsi colligraphy classes as well.

Re: ESL- Farsi speaking student -- ali -- 6 March 2007
dear sarah i'm ali, an english student in iran.i'm a farsi calligraphy teacher and i have some english classes to teach.so i think i can help you.now you have my e-mail.

Re: Fun in the classroom -- Shelley Vernon -- 24 February 2007
Hello, I want to add that since the last post I have created a fun free mini-series for teachers with pupils aged 3 to 5. You get games and activities to preteach vocabulary, flashcards for those ...

Re: Teaching Conversational English -- Wendy -- 20 February 2007
Hello, I will teach my first conversational English lesson in Japan soon and I am trying to find information about the Interview Technique. Can you point me in the right direction? Is it somewhere in ...

Re: Teaching new vocabulary -- Heads Up English -- 13 February 2007
I'd like to add to this thread and say that the situation/context needs to resonate with your students as individuals. The vocabulary should be tied to the students' personal lives and ...

Writing Center ESL advice -- Santanna -- 13 February 2007
Hi, I have a question regarding the tutoring of ESL students in a college writing center. I am a student at a local JC and work part-time in the writing center. The writing center helps students (NES ...
Re: Writing Center ESL advice -- Andrew -- 15 February 2007
Reading is the best way to learn word choice. L2 learners can have grammar stuffed down their throats endlessly, and after a while they just lose interest in developing skills. There are so many ...
Re: Writing Center ESL advice -- Dr. Yanni Zack- ESL Teaching Tips and St -- 25 February 2007
I also agree that students need to be given more opportunity to practice reading during this tutor time. My philosophy has and always will be that good readers are good writers, and good writers are ...

Re: teaching English for nursing -- Teflnurse -- 5 February 2007
There is a "textbookish" manual for non-native English speaking healthcare workers wanting to learn anatomy and physiology terminology in the English language: "Anatomy and Physiology for English ...

Re: Need help with curriculum, class management and simply how to teach English to 1~2yrs old -- Diarmuid -- 5 February 2007
You cannot "teach" children as young as 2 or 3 ANYTHING. All you can do is place them in a safe and comfortable environment where they will learn from stimuli around them. It is absurd to try to ...
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