justesltalk.com

While searching for some strategies for ESL classes, I found these from http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/. As a Filipino ESL teacher myself, the first problem is how to kick off and maintain a good teaching-learning environment.

I am sure the following tips can help.

• Create an environment where learners feel secure and are prepared to take risks.
• Support and value learners’ languages and cultures.
• Build on the knowledge, skills and understandings that students bring to the learning context
• Build on the linguistic understandings students have of their own language
• Use themes and topics which are relevant to learners’ particular needs
• Focus on purposeful communicative activities which are comprehensible and appropriate to the learner’s age and needs
• Generally teach the macro skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in an integrated way, although at times there may be a need to focus on a particular aspect of one such as pronunciation, listening to specific instructions
• Focus on developing learners’ oral language skills for oral language development and to support writing
• Explicitly teach new language (vocabulary, text types, grammar, sound knowledge, pronunciation, intonation) in the context of a theme or topic
• Use pair and group work and peer/cross age tutoring to maximise language interaction in a low stress environment and to encourage risk taking
• Use an experiential approach to provide meaningful contexts
• Use visual cues wherever necessary to clarify and reinforce concepts
• Use graphic organisers (diagrams, timelines, concept maps etc) to represent and organise ideas and to develop thinking skills
• Encourage older learners to keep a glossary or a personal dictionary of words and meanings
• Ensure that assessment tasks, activities and criteria are relevant to the student’s stage of English language development