Life Compass

If you’re an ESL teacher, you probably worry about having boring lessons. This can happen when you don’t properly plan your lessons and think that you can just get by with talking. This happens to a lot of new teachers who seem to think that all they need to do is talk and the students will learn.

BORING!

If you want to help your students learn AND have fun in your class, it’s time to start incorporating various forms of media into your lessons.

Songs

Songs are one of my favorite techniques for teaching the littlest students. Most children’s songs feature a few simple phrases that repeat for the duration of the song. They also usually have finger plays that can go along with the song–think Itsy Bitsy Spider–which makes it easier for children to remember. Finally, we often use children’s songs to teach native English speakers certain concepts like numbers, which means that it works just as well in a foreign language.

During the elementary and junior high school ages, songs aren’t nearly as popular. Of course, it depends on your class…some classes may go for it. But a lot of times this age group seems to think that songs are “babyish”. You can, however, use them in ESL games, like the time bomb game.

In the high school years and beyond, songs can become popular again, but it depends on your class. In these years, some of the students start to see English songs and artists as being cool and they want to understand what the words mean. This makes them highly motivated to learn English and you should act on their interests.

Movies and Television

Showing videos in your class doesn’t have to be a cop-out. It can be a great way for students to listen to more native spoken English. While you don’t want to use videos everyday–you want to be sure that students get in some speaking practice–they’re great for the occasional break.

Choose animated kids programs for use with the younger set. Repetition can be a good thing because the kids get to hear the same phrases over and over again. However, it can be hard on the teacher. Try to choose videos that you personally like. If you hate Barney (and don’t we all), don’t show it. Stick with classic Sesame Street or Dora the Explorer.

With older classes, you can use some of the popular TV shows. Use them to help teach your students some slang and colloquial phrases. Again, try to base things off of your students’ interests. If they love to laugh, choose sit-coms. If the entire class loves Harry Potter, show a few clips of that.

Balancing Everything Out

The key to successful ESL lessons is having a good balance of everything that students need to learn. Your students need to build their vocabulary, increase their speaking and listening skills, and understand important grammar points. Using media in your classes helps to break up the monotony, but it shouldn’t be the focus all the time. Be sure to balance it out with fun ESL games and conversational practice.

Are you ready to take your ESL class to the next level? I have loads of experience teaching ESL to kids and can help you with ideas for ESL lessons. Don’t get caught without a plan or you’ll lose control of your class! Visit the Teach ESL to Kids website today. For more great information, check out this article about Study Tips for ESL Students.