Here are 5 tips on how to make interesting, engaging online language lessons for pre-schoolers. I never thought I would ever have to do this, but you know what? Life is like a class with pre-schoolers – you never know what will hit you next 😛 When I record my online video classes I try […]
I have been teaching foreign languages to young students for over 25 years now and training teachers for over 10 years. As far as the journey from newbie to experienced language teacher is concerned, burn-out is an all too common problem. So how can language teachers prevent burn-out? What about you? How can you spot […]
What props, gadgets or educational tools do you use with young learners in your language classes? Most of us use flashcards (I will dedicate a separate article to this subject, or even a few :). We either sing songs or use recordings (on our phones, or laptops). We might also award stickers and stamps – […]
Stickers, stamps, high fives, “bravo!”, smiles and other motivational methods? Do you use them? Do you approve of them? Should you reward your students at all? If so, what should you reward them for and how / when is a good time to do it? Keep reading to find out. There are some teaching methods […]
New ESL teachers often ask how to introduce new material to young (pre-school) students. Key rules: be enthusiastic, speak slowly and clearly, use visual aids and let children get involved by pointing, touching, speaking and moving. You will of course need to repeat the new words and phrases many times, but to keep things interesting […]
Lessons with pre-schoolers cannot be too long because attention spans vary depending on age of the children. 2-3 year olds can usually effectively manage a 20 minute class, 3-6 year olds can focus for up to 30 minutes, while 6+ will work well up to 45 minutes. Our lessons are always led in the target […]
How do you actually start a language class? This is a subject that I could write a whole book about, not only a post. Why? Because the start of the lesson will determine how the rest of the class will go. Here are four steps that I find useful: Step 1 Enter the classroom with […]
“PASSIVE TO ACTIVE” is a very simple and effective method for teaching vocabulary, grammar and fluency to young learners by gradually decreasing teacher talk time (TTT) and increasing student talk time (STT) over a period of several classes. I train new teachers. They are mostly young people who have usually just graduated from university and […]
A good teacher must be a good observer and know how to adapt a lesson plan to accommodate children’s changing moods and concentration levels. Taking all circumstances into consideration, every teacher must be a Jedi 🙂 I always start my class by asking my students how they are, and I mean it. If many of […]
Tips on How to Get to Know your Students New year – new children – new challenges. What a wonderful and demanding task! I hope the tips that we share here will help you in your daily work, equip you, motivate you and encourage you, but most of all, will let you have more fun […]
