5 Teaching Tips for Effective ESL Lesson Planning
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) is a rewarding and demading experience. Language acquisition takes time, and every minute of your class time will be valuable as you expose your students to not only the English language, but also a broader, global viewpoint. ESL teachers strive to enhance students’ English listening, vocabulary, speaking, and writing skills as much as possible. Here are five teaching strategies to keep in mind during ESL lesson planning that will help your students learn and grow as effective communicators:
- Always Consider Student’s Needs:
A learner’s confidence and encouragement are increased when their specific requirements are recognised and met. The learner may not always benefit greatly from mass education. As a result, when the teacher gives individually prescribed instruction (IPI), many students benefit greatly in their understanding and retention of language skills. Some important components of language acquisition you should consider:
- Motivation to learn the language
- Providing opportunities to share their ideas
- Giving constructive feedback
- Flexible learning strategies
- Ways students will have fun while learning
- Giving inspiring examples
- Know Your Student’s Background:
Your job will become easier as you gain more knowledge about the backgrounds of your students. This entails finding out more about their home surroundings, family, culture, language, and values. With this information, you’ll be able to support your pupils more effectively in the classroom and get greater support from their family members.
- Evaluate Learner’s Level Development:
Identifying a child’s areas of strength and weakness aids in creating an instructional strategy that is more suited to the child. It offers a system for feedback regarding the student’s level of learning and development. Data collected from formal and informal assessments can be incorporated into your teacher lesson plan template as it provides information on how well your teaching strategy is working.
- Speak Slowly:
When conversing with ESL students at the starting level, speak more slowly than you would in a typical conversation with fluent speakers. As pupils get to higher levels of competency, quicken the pace. In addition, when working with beginners of the English language, use simple sentence structures, and as students advance, you can add increasingly complex vocabulary and syntax in line with their level of skill.
- Ensure All Components of SWRL Are Covered:
The four pillars of language learning are speaking, writing, reading, and listening (SWRL). Without a solid foundation, it is impossible to construct a house that will stand tall in all weather conditions. Likewise, the crucial aspects of language learning must be built upon in order to become a well-rounded language speaker. When ESL lesson planning, check that you’re covering a variety of different foundational skills to help your students cover all components of SWRL.
We hope these five teaching tips can help you when working with ESL students. Teaching English can be challenging at times, but there are plenty of great materials online that can ensure your lessons run smoothly and your students are engaged. Resources for Teaching has a wide range of English worksheets, posters, activities and games that can be instantly downloaded from your device. Whether you need a lesson plan for teachers or fun task cards, Resources for Teaching has got you covered! To check out their website, visit https://resourcesforteaching.com.au.