Many teachers and students will be starting up this January, so here are some tips to ensure you get off to a great start in 2017! In a student’s home Introduce yourself and provide a contact number. This way your student can text or call you if they need to cancel. Make sure your student […]
Teacher Tip: Let’s Play a Game
At the CoTESOL conference last weekend, Constance Leonard shared several games. Here are some of them for you to try out in class or with your individual student. Mime an adverb Brainstorm about 10-15 adverbs (such as happily, sadly, etc.) and write them down. Have a student go to the front of the class and […]
Teacher Tip – Increasing Student Talking Time
We all know that students should speak as much as possible in class. However, actually implementing this it can be difficult. Here are a few tips to get your students speaking more: Do pair work. If you pair your students, half of them are talking at once. This provides for much more practice time […]
Teacher Tip – Reading
Interactive English is a four-skills textbook. However, as students progress, they may want extra work on their reading skills. Extensive reading, done outside of class, can be a great way to increase reading skills. One thing to remember is that students should already know at least 80% of the words in the text they are […]
Teacher Tip – The Naturalization Exam
Many of our students hope to become US citizens one day, and many teachers are helping those students. Here are some tips gleaned from a recent presentation by a USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Services) officer. Immigration services are divided into three areas. The USCIS officers are in charge of benefits and applications. They […]
Teacher Tip – Summer is here!
Summer vacation is upon us and this means many of our one-on-one students will now have their kids at home during regular class time. Some students (and some tutors) prefer to take a break over the summer, but if you can find a way work around this, there will certainly be learning gains. Here are […]
Teacher Tip – Getting your students to speak
Many of our adult ESL students are hesitant to use their English. They are afraid they will not be understood, or they are embarrassed by their pronunciation. Here are some tips for helping your students overcome their fear of speaking. Create a warm atmosphere. Whether you are teaching a group or tutoring one-on-one, the first […]
Teacher Tip — Homework
Not everyone will always do it, and some students may never do it, but homework can be a valuable addition to your class. To help you and your student get the most from it, here are some tips for dealing with homework. Be consistent. Your students will learn more if they commit to doing homework […]
Teacher Tip – Talking about the future
Interactive English introduces the future in levels 4a and 4b. Students are often confused about when to use the different future structures, so here are a couple of ideas for practicing them in one-on-on and group settings. Will vs going to for plans vs decisions made at the moment. Bring in a couple of pictures […]
Teacher Tip — Make a Game out of It
One way to make our classes more dynamic and provide for extra practice is to include game-like activities. This can easily be accomplished by using material from the book. Concentration (the Memory Game) can be played in multiple ways, and works well in both one-on-one and group situations. If you are teaching single students, you […]
