Just Started Teaching ESOL? 10 Practical Tips for New ESOL Teachers
1. Plan the overall lesson, not every second
Go into your classes with a clear lesson aim, a logical sequence of activities, and a couple of no-prep backup ideas just in case. This helps you stay on track, makes sure each activity builds logically into the following one, and that you have something to fall back on in case things don't go according to plan.
Examples of clear lesson aims:
Students will be able to talk about their weekend using the past simple.
Students will be able to understand and use common vocabulary for describing food.
Students will be able to listen for specific information, such as times, prices, or names.
Example sequence of activities:
Lead-in questions
Present target language
Practice using target language in controlled activities (Tasks with only one correct answer)
Practice using target language in less-controlled activities (Tasks with more possible answers - depending on the students preferences)
Produce the target language in a realistic situation, such as a role play
Examples of no-prep backup ideas:
Would you rather...?
Give students two choices, and they explain their preferences in pairs or small groups.
Would you rather live in the city or the countryside? Why?
Would you rather work from home or from the office? Why?
Would you rather have lots of homework or no homework? Why?
Describe and guess
Put students into pairs or groups. Students describe an object without saying its name. The other students try to guess what it is.
Question time
Put students into pairs or small groups. Students practice asking each other questions about a specific topic (e.g. their hometowns, hobbies, favourite foods, etc...)
2. Keep it simple
A few carefully selected activities that present useful target language and allow students to practice then produce it, are always more effective than trying to do too much.
3. Learn about your students
Knowing about your students' levels, goals, interests and previous learning experiences makes it much easier for you to do lessons that are relevant and interesting for them. You may not have all the information, but even having just a little will help you to select appropriate topics, vocabulary and activities for them.
4. Set a clear lesson objective for yourself
Think about "what do I want my students to be able to do by the end of this lesson?". By keeping this thought in mind, you will be more likely to stay focused and on track towards the lesson goal.
5. Prepare instructions carefully
New teachers often spend a lot of time creating activities, and not so much time on the instructions for those activities. The success or failure of an activity often depends on the clarity of the instructions that you give. Think about exactly what you would like the students to do, demonstrate an example, and check that they understand before beginning the activity.
6. Don't be afraid of silence
Give students time to think. New teachers sometimes jump in too quickly because the silence feels uncomfortable, forgetting that it's normal for students to take a few seconds to formulate their response before answering. Different cultures also have different lengths of silence that they are comfortable with. For example, people from Japan are generally more comfortable with longer silences than people from my country (the U.K).
7. More student talk time, less teacher talk time
Your job is to create opportunities for students to speak and express themselves in English, then to listen, monitor and support them. Keep teacher talk time (TTT) to a minimum, and maximise student talk time (STT) by using concise instructions, encouraging communication between students, and asking follow-up questions.
8. Expect things to go wrong and be flexible when they do
Activities can take longer than planned, technology can stop working at a critical moment, or students may simply not understand an activity. In these cases, it is important for teachers to be flexible, and for us to adapt our lessons accordingly. This might mean using another approach, or switching to a no-prep backup activity. Having backup plans in mind can help us to stay calm when problems do come up.
9. Don't correct every mistake
Constant corrections can interrupt students' thought processes and make them feel more nervous about speaking. It is better to focus on corrections specifically related to the lesson content, and to give them at natural break points such as between activities or between questions in conversation-based lessons.
10. Reflect
After each lesson, think about what went well, and what you would like to improve. Give yourself feedback in the same way you would give it to a student: reflecting on the positives and negatives. By reinforcing things that you do well while working on your weaknesses, you will quickly build confidence and become a stronger ESOL teacher.