6 Tips for Teaching Intermediate Students

There seem to be a lot of tips out there for beginners and advanced students, but few for intermediate students. It's a shame, because intermediate students hit a plateau and can get easily discouraged. Below you will find some tips for helping your intermediate students and keeping them motivated.

1. Teach your students how they can improve their English. Students tend to get stuck in a rut and not try new ideas. Show them what else they can do. 
2. Have students keep track of their goals. They should look at them regularly and cross of the goals they've achieved and think about what they can do to reach the other goals. 
3. Try recording students regularly. A simple tape recorder will do, though videos are better. Students can watch  themselves and see how much progress they've made.
4. Portfolios are great as well. Students should save their work and look back to see what they've achieved.
5. Try new activities. ESL About has tips for teachers and students. You can also find a lot of links in the lesson planning article.
6. Have more advanced students come in and talk about their language learning experience. They can give tips on overcoming the intermediate plateau as well.

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7 Reasons to Use Extensive Reading in Your ESL Classes

In many EFL and ESL classes reading is often a short activity that rarely lasts the entire class period or longer. Things are starting to change and there's a push for extensive reading. Studies have shown that it has been tied to students' academic success. Graded readers are often used to help promote extensive reading. Below you can find 7 reasons why you should use ER (extensive reading) in your classroom.

1. It exposes students to the classics using grammar and vocabulary they can understand. Shakespeare and Dickens is hard enough for native speakers. Graded readers are abridged versions that allow the students to read classics without compromising understanding.
2. Reading increases vocabulary and the more reading students do, the more vocabulary they'll learn.
3. It provides good examples of writing, such as paragraphs, transitions, and more.
4. It motivates and encourages students. They're able to see an increase in their English language learning because they have read an entire book in English.
5. ER increases English comprehension. The more imput they have, the more output they'll produce.
6. It encourages students to read. Technology is taking over our lives and reading is getting pushed to the back burner. Using ER in class shows students that there's still a place for reading in our lives.
7. ER is fun! Reading is often seen as a hobby and it's a nice break from normal class activities.

Recommended Links

• BBC's Teaching English info
• ESL Reading
• ExtensiveReading.net
• The Extensive Reading Foundation
• ITESLJ article by Timothy Bell
• Toshuo

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Why You Should Use Role Plays in Class

Using role plays in class is great to get students motivated and involved in learning. This holds especially true for ESL and EFL classes. Role plays can be used with all ages and levels.

All Levels
They can be good for beginners because they can see how they can use the few words they know. Intermediate students often hit a plateau and role plays can help them grasp more words for specific situations. Role plays can help advanced students become more fluent in English.

All Ages
Children really enjoy doing role plays since they often pretend on their own. When left on their own children are likely to play house, pretend to be dinosaurs, or act in any number of situations. Using role plays with teens is a great way to get them up, doing something, and involved in the class. Adults might already have experience with role plays in the workforce, at training events for example.

Different Ways of Learning
People learn differently and some people learn by doing. If you combine speaking a foreign language with actions they may be more likely to remember.

Positive Feedback
Students are able to get immediate positive feedback through applause and verbal feedback. Both you the teacher and other students can tell the actors what they've done well.

Review the Lesson
Role plays allow students to use new words, expressions, and grammar in a suitable context. By using what they've learnt earlier in the lesson straightaway, they are more likely to retain what they've learnt.


Useful Links
You might want to check out fun ESL plays for children, role play ideas that work, and example role plays.

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Hot Topic: Using Students' L1 in Class

I started studying Spanish in 7th grade and all the way through middle school and high school my teachers taught me Spanish by using English. Only when I got to university did my teachers start using Spanish to teach Spanish.

Nowadays, people frown upon using students' L1 in class. While this might be because many of the teachers teaching EFL don't speak the students' native language. The other reason might be because teachers feel that students can learn faster if they just use English in class.

While this may be true, imagine how you would feel if you walked into a classroom and the teacher only spoke the target language. As a complete beginner this might be extremely daunting. You might feel frustrated or even give up. Granted, there are some gifted teachers who can only use the target language and have students understand, but many teachers don't adjust their language enough and both the students and teachers end up feeling frustrated.

I know from personal experience, when I started to study Korean, the teacher only spoke Korean. It wasn't the simple L+1 either, it was more like L+10. I ended up feeling very frustrated and upset at the teacher as well as myself. If she wrote on the board, I'd have to look up practically every word. She moved very quickly through the lessons as well. Even though I didn't understand, I didn't have the language ability to ask her. Nor did she have the English needed.

So what should you do? First, you need to adjust your language. Speak slower and simplify your vocabulary. IF you speak the students' L1, you might want to use it every once in a while. I'm not advocating saying everything in the students' L1 and then translating into English, but a word or two here and there can help. If you don't feel comfortable speaking the students' L1 or don't know it, try writing on the board or asking a higher student to help translate. If you're dealing with very low students, you might want to write what you're going to say on the board first, so that students can read along. This allows them to listen and read what is being said.

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Dogme in TEFL

English Language Teaching has seen a variety of methods over the years, from quirky, to normal, and even downright odd. There's been translation, the Silent Method, PPP (Present, Practice, Produce) Communicative Language Teaching, and more; TEFL is constantly evolving. What was once new and in-fashion quickly becomes passe.

Dogme is a branch of Communicate Language Teacher and has become a word that's being thrown around more and more these days. It was started by Scott Thornbury and has ten principals.

• Interactivity
• Engagement
• Dialogic processes
• Scaffolded conversations
• Emergence
• Affordance
• Voice
• Empowerment
• Relevance
• Critical use

Dogme focuses on having the students speak and use the language. It wants students to be able to function in the language. Secondly, dogme teachers tend to shun books and materials created by teachers and try to use materials created by the students. This can be great, but it can also easily backfire. Lastly, they believe that the language should come about naturally through the activites and with the teacher's help. Dogme also tries to use some technology in the classroom, in particular web 2.0.

Of course, not every method is perfect. Many people criticise dogme due to the fact that teachers don't use books that much or at all. While I understand that teachers know their students better than the textbook writers, I still believe textbooks have their place in the classroom. They are a good foundation that teachers can build upon and adapt to their students' needs. In addition, textbooks are useful markers when showing other teachers where their students are and what they've learned. Especially if another teacher needs to take over your class. lastly, the majority of us are teachers, not textbook writers.

If you want to find out more information about dogme, check out the links below.

• The Guardian
• Kalingo 
• Mirror Reflections
• Scott Thornbury
• Wikipedia (most of the info in this article came from Wikipedia)

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5 Reasons Expats Don't Learn the Language

If you're looking to go abroad you might have lofty plans to learn a language. While I think it's good to learn a language, you have to have realistic goals.

If you've lived abroad for a bit I'm sure you've run into people who eagerly tell you their plans to go abroad (often to teach English) for a year and become fluent. More likely than not this will not happen.

Sure, there are plenty of people who have learnt the local language, but it takes a plan that you need to follow through and it often takes more than a year.

Here are some reasons why expats don't learn the local language.   

1. Not immersed in the language. If you're going abroad to teach English, you're going to be immersed in English, not the foreign language. You're being paid to speak English after all.
2. No time to study/not a priority. If you're going abroad in order to learn a foreign language you're going to have to focus entirely on that and it's hard to do if you're working full-time. Other people don't make it a priority. Perhaps they'd rather learn about the local cuisine, art, sport, or simply spend time with their family.
3. Not in country long enough. Often takes a couple years to learn a language well.
4. Not a useful language. For expats who want to learn a language and use it back home, uncommon languages might not be worth the time and effort.
5. The people aren't helpful. Many times people downright refuse to try to understand you, which is really hard for English teachers who spend most of their days trying to decipher bad English. Sometimes they ramble on in their language without trying to simplify it at all. In addition, it's much easier for people who have studied English for a handful of years to practice their English on you than it is for you to practice their language if you've only studied it for a bit.

If you think you can overcome these difficulties than try reading . . .

• Learning the local lingo
• Learning the local lingo while teaching ESL

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The Learning Pyramid

From lifewisdominstitute.org

Similar to Bloom's Taxonomy, Dale's Cone and learning styles, the Learning Pyramid shows how different teaching methods can impact what knowledge we retain. It is heavily disputed by many.

• David T Jones
• Gold
• The Washington Post

You'll have to draw your own conclusions and see what works for you and your students. You might also be interested in . . .

• Dale's Cone of Experience: best ways to learn
• Dunn and Dunn: environmental, emotional, social, physiological, psychological
• Gardner: multiple intelligences theory
• Gregorc: abstract, concrete, random, sequential 
• Honey and Mumford: activist, reflector, theorist, pragmatist
• How boys and girls learn differently: different ways of thinking between genders 
• Learning Pyramid: how teaching methods affect how much you learn  
• Kolb: converger, accomodator, assimilator, diverger
• Meyers-Briggs: sensation, intuition, feeling, thinking
• VAK: visual, audio, kinesthetic

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Cool Link: 1-Language

Although it looks like a site that you have to pay for in order to access, 1-Language actually has a lot of info available for free.

There's a free English course which mostly contains grammar, they also have ESL flash games, quizzes, essay writing, a reading library, and more. If you're teaching beginners, try scrolling down a bit and you'll see flashcards, alphabet, and phonics worksheets. They have writing sheets for more advanced levels as well as articles about learning English, proverbs, English dialects, and methods for learning English. You can use the material in class or have your students work on their own.


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Quick Tip: Have a Talent Show

If you're working with young learners, talent shows are great. Even if you work with older students, talent shows can work. Whether your students are beginners or advanced, talent shows are perfect for showcasing their abilities.

While it would be great for students to use English and sing English songs, recite English poetry, tell an English story, or put on an English skit, it's not necessary for all students to use English.

Talent shows do many good things such as provide students with the chance to show off what they've learnt, shows parents their children's progress, helps administrators prove that their school is teaching well, and also allows you as a teacher to show off your students.They may take a bit of organisation and can be stressful, but they're well worth it.

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Cool Link: Web English Teacher

There's lots of information about reading and writing on Web English Teacher.Whether you're working for an institute or an international school, you'll be able to find something here to help you out.

If you're at an international school or working with advanced EFL or ESL students, then you could use their AP, IB, Drama, Journalism, Shakespeare, or Young Adult Literature.

If you work with students who have a lower level of English, you could take a look at the information about Book Reports, ENL (English as a New Langauge)/ ESL, Grammar, or Just for Fun.

No matter where you teach or what level, if you're looking for reading and writing information, take a look at Web English Teacher.


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Cool Link: Bradley's English School

If you're looking for free interactive ESL and EFL activities, then take a look at Bradley's English School. The site is aimed towards young learners, children, and beginners.

They have games such as the alphabet, concentration, hangman, and jumbled spelling. In addition to fun and games, they also have worksheets, like putting words in alphabetical order, crosswords, and wordsearches.  If you want to use interactive learning with your students, then try Bradley's English School.


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Cool Link: E Grammar

Just when you thought you couldn't get enough English grammar, there's another website to help you out.  The great part about this website is that it's aimed towards ESL and EFL students, not teachers.

If your students ask you for extra help, you can point them to E Grammar.  They've got the basic grammar tenses as well as irregular verbs, passive voice, imperative, conditionals, infinitives vs gerunds, is clauses, time clauses, direct and indirect objects, indirect questions, reported speech, and ESL printable worksheets.


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Cool Link: Unique Teaching Resources

Unique Teaching Resources is geared towards reading and writing, but they have other material to help teachers in the classroom as well.

Their section on positive reinforcement is great for students of all ages and particularly in early childhood education as it can help with classroom management and discipline.

If you're working with young learners, you might want to check out their teaching resources for months and holidays.  They have a lot of neat ideas there. Teenagers, adult beginners, and intermediate students would also benefit. 

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Cool Link: English Maven

English Maven has free English lessons and exercises, such as verb tenses to exercises to games. The list they have on the left is worth checking out as there are basic ideas, such as "ed" word endings and subject / predicate to more advanced concepts, like US Citizenship and homonyms. Some of the material is similar to that on English for Everyone because of their affiliation, but there is still a lot of new material.

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Cool Link: ESL Lounge

ESL Lounge has two different levels on their site: free and subscription.  The free section will give you access to the basics and the subscription will allow you access to extra things, such as PDF lessons, flashcards, Business English and more.

The site has activities arranged by levels ranging from beginners to proficiency.  You can also find other material such as board games, songs, and kids' songs.  If you're looking for resources such as ESL books, teaching guides or quizzes you can also find them here.


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Cool Link: ESL PDF

ESL PDF has free worksheets for teachers. They have a lot of the basics, such as vocab, grammar, and phrasal verbs.They even have holiday worksheets.

The grammar section is pretty extensive and you can get worksheets for free. They're definitely worth checking out!

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Cool Link: My English Grammar

My English Grammar is a website dedicated to grammar. From the basics, such as nouns and verbs to more advanced grammar, such as clauses, determiners, and qualifiers, you'll find it all here.

They've got lessons on parts of speech, an introduction to tenses, and useful information on English Writing. Next time you need help figuring out grammar be sure to check out this site.

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Warning Signs of Bad Schools

Updated 15 November 2012

Here are some warning signs I've heard of over the years. You might also want to look at ISR's article called Warning Signs that Tell You Not to Take the Job.

Boss

• Everyone's afraid of the boss. Respect is one thing; fear is another.
• Threats or sexual harassment. Threatening to fire you for no reason is bad enough. If you're on a tourist visa and you want to quit and they threaten to go to immigrations. Don't put up with sexual harassment either.
• Same advert week after week. If you see them advertising again and again it’s probably because they can’t get or keep teachers.
• Living with your boss. Don’t live in the same apartment as your boss.

Classes

• Classes in your house. The employer needs to provide space for lessons.
• Mixed level classes. Most classes are mixed levels, but if it's taken to the extreme you need to be careful. If you have people with basic English thrown in with very advanced students that's not good.
• Mandatory events. Every once in a while is ok but when it becomes a habit that means they’re trying to get you to teach for free.
• No material. They want you to create everything and don't follow have any structure whatsoever.
• Lots of changes. Tons of cancelled classes, changed times, salary differences, and so on.
• Lots of unpaid training and meetings. Some are ok but be aware of those that have excessive unpaid training and meetings.

Contract

• Visa promises they can't keep. If they promise you a visa make sure you get one.
• Contract penalties. Don’t sign a contract that has lots of penalties when you quit or one that only has info about how they can let you go but nothing about how you can quit.

Money: Warning Signs

• Bank accounts. They want to use your bank account or have you open a new one and give them the info.
• Pressure. Some places try to convince you that you’ll never find another job anywhere else.
• Late pay. Talk to the teachers and ask if they get paid on time.
• No receipts. Even if you're working on a tourist visa you should sign something.
• Salary’s vague. You should be told exactly how much you’ll make.
• Paying for copies. They should make them for you.

School

• There's no sign out front. A school should prominently display their name outside.
• Bad first impressions. Peeling paint, dilapidated furniture, or a bad neighbourhood aren't good signs.
• Learn English in 6 months. While some people can learn English that quickly the majority of people can't.
• Dangerous places. The institute is located in a bad neighbourhood or they want to you to teach classes in a bad neighbourhood.

Teachers

• Lots of new teachers. If most of the teachers have been there for less than three months, that's not very good.
• Disgruntle teachers. If everyone's complaining it says something about the school.
• No foreign teachers. Not always a warning sign, but I'd rather work at a school that has (had) a foreign teacher.

Signs That You're Being Scammed

• Pay up. If you're asked to pay money, it's probably a scam.You might also want to look at Scam.com and Scam Warners.
• Get rich quick. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. End of story.
• Rich African. Another warning sign.
• Dead spouse. If the person is a recent widow / widower who needs you to take care of their children. Be very careful.
• Western Union, Moneygram, etc. If they require you to accept or send money this way it's usually a scam. Visa fees are paid to the embassy, immigration fees are paid directly to immigration, and travel fees are paid to the travel agent or airlines.
• Cheques. The schools asks you to write, mail, or cash a cheque on their behalf.
• Parcels and packages. They want you to accept or send parcels or packages. NEVER do this. You never know what could be in the package and you could end up in a local jail.
• Dealing with individuals. When dealing directly with a person, rather than a school you have to be extra careful. While it's true that people often hire tutors or au pairs, about 99.99% of the time they go through agencies. Go through an agency. You might have to pay a fee but it will be worth the peace of mind.

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11 Tips for Teaching English to Beginners

Updated 14 July 2013

From iinkdepose.blogspot.com

1. Do your research. There are many books geared towards teachers who teach beginners. If you're teaching children try reading teaching English to young learners.
2. Explain things again. Most people aren’t going to grasp a concept on the first try.
3. Review. Do this daily and allow for different situations such as individual, pairs, small groups, and the whole class. You can find lots of material for lesson plans online.
4. Be patient. While some students are ready to make mistakes and start talking, others are perfectionists who want to make sure they can say something perfectly before they say it.
5. Give students more time. Wait and then wait some more. Don’t worry if you have to wait 30 seconds or a minute to have someone respond since they’re thinking of how to say it.
6. Give homework. If you give homework the students will review what they learnt in class.
7. Forget the slang. Learn to speak properly and enunciate your words.
8. Give compliments. Let your students know that they are doing well. Have them save their past work so that they can see the progress they’ve made.
9. Make learning fun. There are plenty of websites and material out there to make your class a blast.
10. Use technology. From games to online tests, there’s loads to choose from. Try assigning an online test or game for homework.
11. Enroll in a language course. This is the best way to empathize with your students. You’ll know how they feel if you feel the same way. You’ll understand that learning a language requires a lot of time and effort. Try Speak From Day 1. 

Also published in . . .
This article has also been published in the ELT Times.

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How to Teach English Abroad

Updated 3 October 2012

Dos

• Do your research. Check out books by Raymond Murphy, Jeremy Harmer, Jim Scrivener, Penny Ur, and Scott Thornbury.
• Brush up on grammar. Visit your local library and check out books for students. In the back there's usually a grammar section. There are also online English Grammar tutorials such as English Grammar 101, Guide to Grammar and Writing and Conversa.
• Observe teachers. Your local school, university, or language school might be able to help. Take notes on the different teaching methods that you observe and then try to use them in your own classes.
• Take free courses. The Peace Corps has written a guide to teaching English. Some other sites are TEFL Boot Camp and TESOL EVO.
• Pay for a class. If you're looking for online courses, check out Advanced Methodology offered by Oxford TEFL.
• Talk to teachers. Share your tips on discipline, activities, or things to do in class.
• Join forums. Dave's ESL Cafe is a good place to start. Waygook is good if you're in Korea; Ajarn is for those in Thailand.
• Attend workshops and conferences. You can learn new methods and meet new people.
• Volunteer. Try your local school, college or university.You'll get valuable experience teaching English and get good references.
• Go online. You can find workshops, activites, and lesson plans online.
• <Resources. Ask your institute to create a resource centre for teachers. You can leave material that you’ve made and borrow material from others.
• Keep learning. Lots of language institutes offer classes for TEFL teachers. It’s a great way to learn about new ideas and methods.
• Go for a higher diploma or degree. The Delta, Distance Delta, the Online Delta, and the Trinity Dip are well-known TEFL diplomas. ACTDEC and OnTESOL are other options. Getting a masters degree has more info if you're looking to get a masters degree in TEFL or similar subject.
• Listen to your students. Students are the best form of feedback. Take the last five minutes of class and ask your students what part of your lesson they liked the best and what part they didn't like.
• Ask other teachers. Have other teachers observe you and tell you what you think.

Don’ts

• Be close minded. Don't reject new ideas before trying them.You can learn from all types of people from the backpacker teachers to the lifers.
  
• Be superior. Don't think that you know all there is to know; you can always learn more. Methods are constantly changing as well.
• Get stuck in a rut. If you find yourself running on auto it might be time to change jobs.

This article has also been published in the ELT Times.

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