Now we all know the truth about tackling vocabulary with beginners.
An educated native speaker of English has a passive vocabulary of about 40,000 words and an active one of around 20,000.
We don’t expect our students to get to …
Author Archive | fionatankard
7 Excellent ESL Video Activities: Lessons and Clips Students Will Love
There’s never been a better time to use video in the ESL classroom.
Remember the old days of VCRs, VHS tapes and trips to Blockbuster?
When I started teaching, my classroom video materials were well-worn, borrowed cassette tapes or ones …
10 Creative Ways to Get Your ESL Students Talking with Pictures
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
In TESOL, a picture can help produce a thousand words.
When it comes to your students’ attitudes and motivation levels, having pictures can really make all the difference.
Otherwise unenthusiastic students …
The Most Effective ESL Teaching Strategy You’re Not Using: Absurdly Short Time Limits
The dreaded plateau.
We’ve all been there.
Your students feel like they are wading through molasses and getting nowhere.
Enthusiasm wanes, and interest fizzles out faster than a firework in a flash flood.
Lessons become a chore for you and …
