The Best Short Sweet Tips For Teaching English Language Learners

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 29, 2025, 3:22 AM

the best short sweet tips for teaching english language learners

Posted by Larry Ferlazzo | Feb 12, 2025 | best of the year, ESL Web | 0 | I’ve shared lots of advice about teaching English Language Learners over the past eighteen years. I’ve tried to make it a little easier to access it all by posting THERE ARE TONS OF RESOURCES ON THIS BLOG TO HELP EDUCATORS TEACH ELLS – THIS POST IS A GOOD PLACE... Today’s “Best” list is another attempt to do the same. Several teachers, including me, have written short articles highlighting something like the “top ten tips” for teaching ELLs. The numbers of English-language learners in schools continue to rise.

How can we best support them? Here are recommendations from educators on X and Facebook: Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts! This is the final post in a two-part series. You can see Part One here. What would you say are the three most important, AND most likely to be used, strategies that general education teachers can use to make their content more accessible to ELLS (and everyone else)?

Imagine trying to learn a classroom lesson when you don’t understand the language in which it is being presented. Teaching English language learners requires specialized strategies; and at the most basic level, one of those strategies is to “put yourself in their shoes.” More than 5 million children in U.S. schools are classified as English language learners (ELLs), according to the Department of Education. These students face the dual challenge of learning the material while also learning the language, as their teachers face the added challenge of using the right educational strategies to help them succeed. Some of the most effective English language learner strategies start with common sense and respect for cultural differences.

Simply getting to know the students is considered to be an essential part of the process. For educators who teach English language learners, developing a deeper understanding of their unique needs and the best practices for teaching them has many benefits. These include: Here, we will review a range of time-tested English language teaching strategies that benefit students and educators alike. Get a year of membership🎃PLUS A FREE BONUS MONTH🎃 Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) can sometimes feel overwhelming, but with the right strategies, you can create a classroom where every student feels seen or supported.

Whether you’re new to working with ELLs or looking to refresh your approach, these seven, simple, effective strategies will help you build a more inclusive and engaging learning environment. Visual aids, like anchor charts and labeled classroom items, help ELLs understand and retain information. Quick Win: Try adding simple labels to classroom objects using both words and pictures. For example, label the door, windows, and supplies with visuals alongside the words in English (and students’ home languages if possible). This small change can make your classroom more language-friendly in minutes! Provide sentence starters that help guide ELLs to write more complete and detailed responses.

As the demand for English as a global language continues to soar, the ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching market is thriving, opening doors for educators worldwide. Whether teaching for business, travel, or personal growth, being an effective ESL instructor goes beyond simply knowing English—it requires skill, preparation, and an awareness of the unique challenges learners face. From navigating diverse cultures and educational backgrounds to adapting to individual or group dynamics, teaching ESL calls for a flexible yet principled approach. While core teaching strategies remain universal, their application in an ESL context demands special consideration. This article offers practical guidance through a series of do’s and don’ts, designed to help you succeed in this rewarding field and support your students on their language-learning journey. The ESL market is booming as English is used as an international language for business and travel.

Being a good teacher requires education, whether it be formal or informal. Remember, many other variables exist outside of a normal classroom. Do check for understanding regularly. Ask for a simple head nod, thumbs up or down, or ask questions that only need a one-word answer. If it’s a private lesson, you could have the student summarize the main points. There are many ways to check if students understand.

Don’t just ask the students if they have questions, and don’t assume the students understand because they answer yes with a verbal or non-verbal cue. Do some advanced studying or consider taking a certification course even if you are an English teacher. As a former teacher and instructor, teaching ESL does have similarities but is wildly different in training and expectations of students. In addition, teaching children is drastically different from teaching adults. Teaching English as a second language is a task that is often easier said than done. Even for an experienced teacher, successfully leading your first ESL class can be challenging.However, teaching ESL, at its core, is the same as teaching fluent students because you still need to apply basic classroom...

Your lessons need to be structured to cater to an array of learning needs too. But you’ll also face some unique challenges when working with English language learners.Teaching language skills while compensating for different cultures, learning styles, and educational backgrounds, all while trying to break through language barriers, can... But with the right tips and tricks up your sleeve, teaching your students the English language can be an extremely rewarding experience.Let’s take a look at some essential language skills and teaching tips every... How to be a Pro at Teaching English as Second Language: Although you might be fluent in the English language, that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to teach others. Anyone serious about teaching English as a second language should obtain a bachelor’s degree (in any subject) and complete a 120-hour TEFL certification course.

Whether you choose to do your TEFL certification or master’s in TESOL online or at a physical college is up to you. After you’ve been certified, you’ll receive the resources you need to apply for teaching positions and set off on your new career, whether that’s in your home country or abroad. Native English speakers might not think that adding a few extra words to a sentence can cause confusion. But from the perspective of a foreign language learner with limited English proficiency, there’s a major difference between “put your book on the shelf” and “would you mind placing your book back on the... You can gradually introduce new English words once your students have the building blocks in place that will ensure they understand the basics of the English language. Visuals can be words on desks, handouts, and even drawings.

Regardless of whether you’re teaching kids or adults, visuals can help your students better relate to physical objects, which speeds up the process of picking up on words outside of their native language. A pictorial wall is also a great way to help expand the vocabulary of your students, and every great teacher knows this. You can also give your students time to watch movies in the English language, perhaps they could be subtitled to encourage active participation in the activity. In the ESL class, the old saying that a picture speaks a thousand words couldn’t be closer to the truth. Language learning can feel bland and boring if you’re going at it in black and white for hours on end. And this is the last thing you want your learners to experience, which is why you need to find fun ways of sprucing up each lesson with interesting verbal and written instructions.

Perhaps incorporating the interests of your students into the lessons helps them engage and broadens their understanding of the topic. Separating the class into teams that compete against each other is also a fun way to encourage students and ensure you’re adding an element of excitement to the learning process. And when learners are excited and interested in the subject, they find it easier to relate to the new language, which makes bridging the language barrier easier. Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) can be a rewarding experience for educators, but it also comes with its challenges With diverse backgrounds, languages, and levels of English proficiency, it’s important to have a range... 1 Provide ample opportunities for language practice through speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities. 2 Use visuals, gestures, and other non-verbal cues to help students understand content.

3 Encourage peer collaboration and group work to promote language development. 4 Incorporate real-life scenarios and situations into lessons to make language learning more meaningful. 5 Use technology such as educational apps and online resources to supplement classroom instruction. 6 Provide frequent feedback and encouragement to boost students’ confidence in using English. 7 Incorporate cultural diversity into lessons to foster an inclusive classroom environment. 8 Use graphic organizers and other visual aids to help students organize their thoughts and understand concepts.

9 Provide opportunities for students to practice English outside of the classroom through community events or language exchange programs. 10 Implement language-focused games and activities to make learning fun and engaging. 11 Use scaffolding techniques to gradually build students’ language skills and knowledge. 12 Allow for flexible grouping to accommodate students’ varying levels of English proficiency. 13 Encourage students to use bilingual dictionaries or translation tools when needed. 14 Provide clear instructions and explanations to ensure students understand tasks and assignments.

15 Use student interests and hobbies as a basis for lesson planning to increase motivation. 16 Incorporate music, videos, and other multimedia resources to engage students. 17 Encourage students to keep a journal or language diary to track their progress and reflect on their learning. 18 Teach students academic vocabulary and language structures specific to their grade level and content area. 19 Model correct pronunciation and sentence structure for students to emulate. 20 Provide opportunities for students to share their own cultural backgrounds and experiences with the class.

21 Use role-playing activities to help students practice language in authentic situations. 22 Incorporate language learning into everyday routines and activities, such as reading signs or writing emails. 23 Encourage students to ask questions and seek clarification when they don’t understand. 24 Create a language-rich environment with posters, labels, and other print materials in English. 25 Implement strategies for teaching reading comprehension, such as predicting, summarizing, and questioning. 26 fifty strategies for teaching english language learners.

Use authentic materials such as newspapers, magazines, and websites to expose students to real-world English. 27 Encourage students to set language learning goals and track their progress over time. 28 Provide opportunities for students to give presentations or participate in debates to practice speaking skills. 29 Use think-pair-share and other cooperative learning strategies to promote active engagement in lessons. 30 Incorporate grammar and language structure instruction in context, rather than in isolation. 31 Provide extra support for students who are struggling with English, such as additional tutoring or mentoring.

The Best Short Sweet Tips For Teaching English Language Learners

People Also Search

Posted By Larry Ferlazzo | Feb 12, 2025 | Best

How Can We Best Support Them? Here Are Recommendations From

Imagine Trying To Learn A Classroom Lesson When You Don’t

Simply Getting To Know The Students Is Considered To Be

Whether You’re New To Working With ELLs Or Looking To