esl-problem-solver

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CONTENTS
3-4 MUST READ: ESL 
Teacher’s Meltdown: 
Problems & Solutions 
5 MUST READ: Too Tired 
to Teach? 7 Tips 
to Detox, De-stress and 
Regain Your Energy 
6 MUST READ: When 
Things Go Awry: 
Problem-Solving 
on Your Feet 
7 MUST READ: 
7 Most Common 
ESL Problems and 
How to Solve Them 
9 LAST-MINUTE TIPS: 
ESL Nightmare! 
What to Do If You’re 
Called to Teach a Class 
at the Last Minute 
10 PROBLEM STUDENTS: 
4 Types 
of Problem Students 
and Strategies 
to Manage Them 
11 PROBLEM STUDENTS: 
ESL SOS! 
7 Most Common 
Behavior Problems and 
How to Deal with Them 
12 PROBLEM STUDENTS: 
Top 10 Tips 
to Deal 
With Indiscipline 
in the Classroom 
13 PROBLEM STUDENTS: 
Keep Your Cool: 
Tips for Handling 
Difficult Students 
14-15 NEW TEACHER: 
New Kid on the Block: 
10 Tips for the Brand 
New ESL Teacher
16 NEW TEACHER: Do 
This, Not That: 
5 Mistakes to Avoid as 
a New ESL Teacher 
17-18 BACK TO SCHOOL: 
Break the Back-to-
School Ice! 10 Fun 
Icebreakers for the 
Beginning of the Year 
19 TECHNOLOGY: 
Where There Is no 
Smartphone: Ways 
to De-Technologize 
your EFL Lessons 
20-21 COLLEAGUES: 
Make Your Life Easier: 
10 Steps to Good 
Co-teacher Relations 
22-23 COMPREHENSION: 
Why You Should 
Never Ask ‘Do You 
Understand’: 6 Tips 
to Help You Check 
Comprehension 
24-25 SPEAKING: Get 
Them Talking: 
3 Activities 
That Motivate Students 
to Speak 
26 VISUAL AIDS: Make it 
visual: Kick start your 
students’ creativity 
with these 9 tips 
for using images 
27 COMMUNITY: From 
Distance to Sharing to 
Critique to Feedback: 
Creating an Effective 
Learning Community 
 
29 READING: This is 
Boring, and Besides, 
I Don’t Understand It: 
Sure-Fire Ways to Turn 
Your Students 
on to Reading
30-31 READING: FAQ 
for Reading Teachers 
32 READING: They Can’t 
Read but They Can 
Learn: 3 Essentials in 
Teaching Illiterate Kids 
33-34 READING: Dyslexia 
in the ESL Classroom – 
5 Ways to beat it! 
35-36 WRITING: I Have 
Nothing to Say on This 
Topic: Sure-Fire Ways 
to Turn Your Students 
on to Writing 
37 WRITING: I Have 
to Teach Writing: 
Now What? Where 
to Start with Your First 
Writing Class 
38-39 WRITING: FAQ 
for Writing Teachers
40-41 LISTENING: What Do 
We Even Do All Term 
(or All Day)?: 
How to Structure 
the Curriculum 
for ESL Listening 
42 LISTENING: FAQ 
for Listening Teacher
43 TIME MANAGEMENT: 
ESL Lesson Pace: 
5 Tips for Class 
Time Management 
You’ll Thank Us For 
44 ASSESSMENT: 
Assessment 
in the ESL Classroom: 
6 Important Things 
You Need to Know
45 RAPPORT: 5 Ways 
to Use Your Cultural 
Differences to Relate 
to Your Students
3
ESL Teacher’s Meltdown: 
Problems & Solutions
FOR THE MOST PART, ESL TEACH-
ING IS SURPRISINGLY STRESS-FREE 
AND A GREAT WAY TO LIVE A FAN-
TASTIC LIFESTYLE IN A FOREIGN 
COUNTRY. BUT THERE ARE TIMES 
WHEN THE BLACK DOG PAYS US ALL 
A VISIT.
This is often brought on when the 
daily challenges that create a posi-
tive amount of stress all accumulate 
at once, and the pressure becomes 
too much. There are days when many 
ESL teachers just want to scream and 
explode in a fit of rage due to the pent 
up frustrations of a long day where 
nothing just seem to go the way it 
should. This article will examine some 
of the leading problems in the ESL 
workplace and try to find a solution.
ESL TEACHER’S 
MELTDOWN: 
PROBLEMS & 
SOLUTIONS
1 PROBLEM - LOW SALARIES
Always in the number one 
spot for ESL teaching gripes. Some 
schools offer appalling salaries to de-
cent teachers who always put the ef-
fort into classes. Unfortunately, ESL 
teaching isn’t one of the highest-paid 
professions out there, but in many 
cases, the wages do not suit the job. 
Simply compare the different wag-
es throughout different countries. A 
first-time ESL teacher at a language 
centre in Jakarta, Indonesia makes 
around US$750 a month, a teacher 
in Korea would be on over US$2000. 
Additionally, with most jobs out there, 
the rate of pay will go up with infla-
tion: not in ESL teaching. After a little 
snooping around, teachers will gener-
ally find that the wages have been the 
same for almost eight years in many 
cases. This is a cause of great con-
cern to many teachers.
Solution - Asides from Prozac and 
living frugally, one of the best ways 
to deal with the low pay is to get out 
there and find some extra teaching 
work. Pick up a few privates here and 
there, or look into teaching on the in-
ternet. But do it on the sly, and don’t 
let your employer find out as there 
may be harsh contractual implications 
for any outside work.
2 PROBLEM – LOW TEACH-ER’S ROOM MORALE
Yup, we’ve all been there. The harmo-
nious nature of the staff room that was 
present when you first arrived at the 
school has all but fizzled out. It start-
ed with one person, then a few weeks 
there were three people whinging and 
moaning. All of a sudden, a month 
later the entire staff room is infected 
with it and there just seems no way 
out. This low morale has an impact on 
everything, the way that staff mem-
bers view their job, their employer, 
and even the country that they have 
grown to love has turned into a cess-
pool of bitter hatred.
Solution – Discreetly bring the mat-
ter up with your academic manager 
or HR go-to person. They have been 
working in ESL teaching long enough, 
and sure enough, the low-morale is-
sue is a common occurrence that 
probably happens at even the best of 
language centres. Your HR manager 
or Academic Coordinator should pro-
vide you with some good advice, while 
acting on your concerns by putting an 
end to the bad vibes in the staff room. 
Once you begin to notice the negativ-
ity beginning to show, try to separate 
yourself from it and do your lesson 
planning in a classroom or simply go 
outside and take a walk. Falling victim 
to the low morale is something that 
can easily happen to us all.
3 PROBLEM – MANAGEMENT
Always another chief complaint 
from teachers that often arises is the 
issue of management. The reason for 
this is management are ultimately the 
ones who are in charge. Whether or 
not they’re right or wrong, the man-
agement are the ones who have the 
power to make the decisions. In many 
cases, language centre management 
has their eyes firmly fixated on one 
thing – the almighty dollar. This is true 
in most cases, and often this immense 
focus on money will have an impact 
on you directly. For example, a stu-
dent wants to study IELTS. They can 
barely string a sentence together, but 
they are insistent on doing an IELTS 
course and will not settle for any other 
course. You are the lucky chosen one 
who is dealt this cruel hand of teach-
ing this stubborn student for 60 hours 
when she can’t answer the question 
‘how are you?’ Other areas which 
management have a controlling hand 
over are contract negotiations, mar-
keting and course material.
Solution - Take it easy, it isn’t your 
problem. Give the student what they 
want, that’s what they paid for. Be 
honest with the student and tell them 
they are not suited for the class, and 
maybe, just maybe the student will 
listen to you. But otherwise, just sit 
back, dish out the work, and don’t let 
the right or wrong decisions of others 
get to you.
4 PROBLEM – LAZY STUDENTS
This one doesn’t usually bother me, 
but seems to bother some teachers 
immensely. Lazy students can be-
come a real pain in the backside, es-
pecially after you have gone through 
the painstaking effort to plan a class 
that is fun, while educational at the 
same time. Nothing can be more frus-
trating than this, especially when it 
takes places on the busiest day of the 
week, a Sunday.
Solution - Two solutions, the first – let 
them be, it will be their own demise. 
The second, bargain with them. Take 
away certain privileges for laziness, 
while rewarding them with activities 
and other treats for completing the 
work.
5 PROBLEM - ARROGANT FELLOW-TEACHERS
Sure, we’ve all worked with them. 
They are the type of people who 
4
speak inhe Queen’s English and 
proper British accent, who talk to their 
colleagues in an identical manner as 
they would address a misbehaving 
student. You must look out for these 
people, as generally they walk around 
with an inflated sense of self-impor-
tance. These are the people who dis-
cipline a teacher because a student 
left a paper in the room. These are 
the worst people to deal with in ESL 
teaching that can really make your 
blood boil, especially when they talk 
to you in a condescending manner as 
if you were a child.
Solution - Take a note of each of the 
encounters and think of the reasons 
why you personally felt it was of-
fensive, for example, he spoke in a 
way that showed total disrespect, or 
he lectured you in front of a student. 
Make a note of when the incidents oc-
curred and some details, and pass it 
on to the Academic Coordinator. It is 
their job to address your concerns di-
rectly with the arrogant sod, taking his 
ego down a few notches.
6 PROBLEM – SCHEDULES
Ah, it’s the time of the week 
when everyone crowds around as if 
it were the lottery. There’s a certain 
sense of dread and excitement at the 
same time. After having a number of 
classes finished this week, you know 
that either the classes will be imme-
diately replaced with more, or you 
could, by some stroke of luck, have 
a relatively easy week where you can 
slip off early and catch a film. But, you 
know what? It’s a lot worse than that. 
A teacher’s contract has finished, and 
it’s your job to teach a morning class 
from 9am to 11am, and a new evening 
class as well! A split shift! Jeez, I’m a 
teacher, not a bloody chef!
Solution - The golden rule... If you 
signed the contract that states that 
you would work those hours, there’s 
more chance of that dream wedding 
with Britney Spears than getting the 
schedules changed. But, if your week-
ly hours exceed the contracted hours, 
make sure that you are adequately 
compensated for the additional work.
7 PROBLEM - TEXTBOOKS NOT BEING RETURNED
A favourite complaint by ESL teach-
ers from over 160 countries, across 
five continents throughout the world. 
There is nothing more annoying than 
looking for your ‘Introduction to Aca-
demic Book Volume 3’, only to discov-
er that the serial hoarder has stashed 
it away with 17 other of the schools 
frequently used textbooks. And the 
worst part, he’s not around to unlock 
his freakin’ locker.
Solution - Make your life easier and 
photocopy the books yourself. That 
way you can draw in the books, fill in 
the answers, draw funny little mous-
taches on the people - whatever, re-
ally! The second option is to discretely 
bring the better to the Academic Man-
ager who will quickly bring about an 
end to the hoarder’s textbook stash.
AFTER A TOUGH DAY AT THE OFFICE, 
MANY ESL TEACHERS THINK THAT 
THEY WOULD RATHER BE DOING 
ANYTHING ELSE THAN TEACHING.
However, after the end of a day like 
this, a new day will bring a completely 
new set of challenges, some good, 
and some bad. Teaching isn’t the only 
career that boasts stresses, but every 
job in every field has their its benefits 
and disadvantages – while many are 
a lot worse than teaching.
5
Too Tired to Teach? 7 Tips to Detox, 
De-stress and Regain Your Energy
THE ALARM GOES OFF, AND YOU 
GROAN.
Getting out of bed is a feat of sheer will. 
You love teaching, and you enjoy the time 
you spend with your ESL students – most 
of the time. But they are not the prob-
lem. The problem is that you are so tired. 
Maybe it’s because you work 40+ hours a 
week, or you have a whole other set of re-
sponsibilities in addition to your classes, 
but hey, it happens to the best of us! 
Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to get 
out of that energy slump. But first, let’s 
think about why it’s important for you de-
stress and regain your energy.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT 
TO DE-STRESS
A stressed out human being is a ticking 
time bomb. The running from one class 
to the next, combined with personal and 
family responsibilities, not to mention 
things like the economic crisis, fear of 
losing your job, poor eating habits, few 
hours of sleep, etc. is one deadly cock-
tail. You cannot simply force yourself to 
go on. Sooner or later your health – phys-
ical, mental and emotional – will suffer 
for it. So, now that we all agree that it is 
indeed very important to take the time to 
detox and de-stress, let’s take a look at 
the steps. Set aside a complete weekend 
(a long weekend is better, and a week off 
will give you the best results).
TRY THESE 7 TIPS TO 
DETOX, DE-STRESS AND 
REGAIN YOUR ENERGY
1 GET UNPLUGGED
Turn off your cell and computer, and 
leave these and any other technological 
devices off for the duration of your detox 
period, ideally. If it’s not possible choose 
one time during the day for you to check 
in, like first thing in the morning for a few 
minutes, and then disconnect yourself. 
This may be difficult, but it will be well 
worth it. Remember what it was like when 
we were little and had nothing better to do 
than sit on the porch and watch birds fly 
from tree to tree? Go back to the basics – 
enjoy time with your family, long walks or 
a cup of coffee with a friend.
2 GET PLENTY OF REST
Allow yourself to sleep in. Indulge in 
a mid-afternoon nap. Or just lie on your 
comfiest sofa and look out the window. 
Let your entire body relax and enjoy the 
feeling that there is no rush, no place you 
have to run to right now. If you haven’t 
been getting enough hours of sleep, catch 
up on your zzzs. When your students see 
you again, they’ll notice the difference.
3 FEED YOUR SOUL
Read some of your most inspiring 
authors. Read magazines as you lounge 
on your favorite chair. But don’t read stuff 
for work. Read things that will take you 
back to a more relaxed, carefree place.
4 FEED YOUR BODY
With our hectic schedules and busy 
life, it’s far too common for ESL teach-
ers to grab a quick bite instead of sitting 
down to lunch, or chow down on what-
ever we can find first once we get home. 
So, during your detox period, eat good, 
nutritious food. And take your time. Savor 
it and enjoy the flavors. Yummy, delicious 
food does wonders to our mood.
5 GUZZLE UP THE H2O
It’s no big news that most of us don’t 
drink enough water. But few are aware 
that dehydration causes headaches, false 
hunger pangs and food cravings, among 
other symptoms. To find out how much 
you should drink in liters, simply multiply 
your weight in kilograms by 0.033. So, if 
you weigh 60 kg, that works out to about 
2 liters of water a day.
6 GET EXERCISE
Running from class to class does 
not qualify as good “exercise”. It’s stress-
ful. Take the time to really enjoy some 
stress-free physical activity. Go jogging, 
walking, hiking, canoeing, rollerblading or 
anything you really enjoy doing outdoors.
7 TRY MEDITATION
As an ESL teacher you need to keep 
your students on their toes. You need to 
provide activities that are challenging, but 
not too difficult for their level. You need to 
complete the coursework and help your 
students meet language goals, but also 
keep your students’ individual needs and 
learning styles in mind. This takes a lot 
of mental work! During your detox period, 
take the time to quiet your mind. A medi-
tation can be as simple as closing your 
eyes and freeing your mind from all of the 
clutter, or it can be guided step by step.
Find a quiet spot, free of any distractions 
and close your eyes. Breathe in and out. 
Let the tempestuous sea of ideas, prob-
lems and issues fizzle out till it’s noth-
ing but a calm ocean of opportunities. If 
you’re interested in learning more about 
meditation, the Meditation Society of 
America (www.meditationsociety.com/) 
offers some wonderful resources and 
techniques.
ABOVE ALL, TAKE SOME TIME OUT FOR 
YOU.
The person who stands before his or her 
ESL students every day is a combination 
of heart, soul and mind, and these work-
ing together as a whole are the source of 
what makes you unique and specialas a 
teacher. Do take care of that.
6
When Things Go Awry: 
Problem-Solving on Your Feet
AS TEACHERS, WE KNOW POSSIBLY 
BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE THAT 
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, THEY 
CAN REALLY GO WRONG.
Being able to solve problems on 
your feet is one of the most valuable 
skills a teacher can have. There are 
so many variables as to what can go 
awry in a classroom that generally 
luck would have it, many things tend 
to go wrong at the same time. Face 
problems head on with these tips, and 
you will be able to handle the worst of 
classroom disasters!
HOWTO: 
PROBLEM-SOLVING 
ON YOUR FEET
1 STAY COOL
It may seem obvious, but when 
a situation goes wrong in the class-
room, the number one element that 
will serve you best is to simply, stay 
cool. Sometimes this is easier said 
than done. Problems that arise in 
the classroom can be embarrassing, 
mentally taxing, and downright ex-
cruciating. If you stay calm though, it 
will only help you to see the picture in 
front of you clearly, and also discover 
what the solution is. For example, if an 
activity is not going according to plan 
and is failing the objectives you had 
set for it, if you were to get worked 
up, you may just add to the problem. 
With a clear head, look at what the 
students are doing, and then examine 
what you assigned them to do. If the 
two don’t come close to matching, the 
next thing to do is to find the discon-
nect. Perhaps students weren’t clear 
on their directives, or they took it upon 
themselves to change the activity 
once they got into it. Don’t get upset 
with the class, but definitely intervene 
and rectify the situation.
2 USE HUMOR
Some classroom difficulties are 
easier to rectify than others. If you 
come across a particularly unsettling 
situation, like having technical difficul-
ties, try to intersperse some humor. 
Perform any solution you can think of 
to fix the problem while making fun of 
either yourself or the technical prob-
lem itself. It does wonders to lighten 
the mood, takes the pressure off, 
and gives you time to really assess 
the problem. Students are generally 
understanding when a technical or 
computer issue arises. Engage the 
class with a joke or funny story while 
you are working on fixing the issue. 
This way, the students’ attention will 
remain on you, and it won’t be an ex-
cuse for them to start side conversa-
tions, begin texting, or worse, become 
unruly or out of hand! Show them that 
you can handle the situation and if you 
can’t fix the problem, all is not lost.
3 BE PREPARED
There are all kinds of problems 
that can happen when you are not 
prepared or when you are not pre-
pared enough. If, for example, you 
are trying out a brand new activity 
and are uncertain as to how it will go, 
prepare yourself that it may not go 
as well as you hope and it may not 
take as long as you think it will. Try 
to troubleshoot new activities by no-
ticing any gaps or things that may not 
be clear for students. Estimate the 
time to be less and if it goes longer, 
then you be prepared for that as well. 
If it falls short, falls flat, or is just plain 
bad you can try a couple of things. If 
it falls short, you want to have enough 
planned so that you are not left strug-
gling to fill the class time. Always have 
an arsenal of quick games or activi-
ties that you can whip up if something 
falls short. If your objective is lost to 
the students, and they don’t jump in 
to the activity, you can try re-explain-
ing it or asking what questions they 
have about what they should be do-
ing. Give the activity a second chance 
to launch and see if there is anything 
that you can quickly tweak to make it 
more palatable. If you need to aban-
don an activity, do it in a way that the 
students will respect. Either admit that 
it didn’t go well and ask them for their 
feedback, or tell that you have other 
things planned for the day and that 
time is running low. You don’t have to 
prepare yourself in advance for things 
to flop necessarily, but you do want to 
make sure to always well-equipped to 
deal with equipment failures, student 
distractions, or logistics gone wrong.
4 BE FLEXIBLE
If things don’t go quite as you 
had planned, flexibility is a great trait 
to develop. Don’t take it personally 
that your activity flopped or that stu-
dents were particularly uncoopera-
tive. Allow yourself and the class to 
move forward without getting stuck 
in the bad juju of a situation that went 
wrong. It is really important to be their 
guiding light in all situations, but par-
ticularly during a storm. If you display 
flexibility and can switch gears it can 
be a remarkable example and learn-
ing moment for students.
5 ASK FOR HELP
There is no harm in asking a 
student or another teacher for help. 
Often with technical problems, your 
students may be just as savvy as 
you are, and you can enlist their help 
while you manage the class. If there 
are other teachers close by you could 
possibly send a student out to locate 
and bring back help. You will no doubt 
learn how to fix the problem, and nev-
er forget it. There is no harm in ask-
ing for or requesting help as long as it 
isn’t a weekly occurrence.
DON’T LET ONE GLITCH (OR SEVERAL) 
GET YOU DOWN.
Teachers are resourceful beings and 
we always find a way to rescue our-
selves and our students from painful 
situations. Don’t beat yourself up, and 
if all else fails, cut yourself a break, 
have a good laugh and trust that you 
pulled out the best possible solution in 
that particular scenario!
7
7 Most Common ESL Problems 
and How to Solve Them
AS FAR AS YOUR ESL CLASS IS CON-
CERNED, YOU COULD FACE A MUL-
TITUDE OR PROBLEMS – OR NONE 
AT ALL.
A typical ESL class, anywhere in the 
world, has its own set of typical prob-
lems and challenges. Is there any way 
to avoid them? Not likely. Is there any 
way to prepare for them? Absolutely! 
And here are the 7 most typical prob-
lems you’ll face as an ESL teacher, 
each one followed by some ways to 
deal with them.
7 MOST COMMON ESL 
PROBLEMS AND HOW 
TO SOLVE THEM
1 STUDENTS SPEAK MORE OF THEIR NATIVE 
LANGUAGE THAN ENGLISH
The lower the students’ level or ages, 
the more probable it is that they will 
speak their native language most of 
the time. Some will even chat in pairs 
or small groups, completely oblivious 
to what is going on in class.
Solution: Now, each ESL class is dif-
ferent, and they all have different 
goals, but no matter what their age 
or level, students must understand 
that they must at the very least try to 
speak as much English as they can, 
even if it is for simple greetings, re-
quests or statements. For younger 
students, turn it into a game. Create 
a chart with the students’ names and 
give those who did not speak their 
native language throughout the class 
a star. Or create a point penalty sys-
tem. Once a student reaches a certain 
number of points, they must do some-
thing in front of the class, like tell a 
story or answer questions from class-
mates. These might not work for older 
students. But they will certainly try to 
communicate in English if you pretend 
you don’t speak their native language.
2 STUDENTS TAKE CONTROL OF THE LESSON
You’ve probably seen this happen. A 
student comes into class all excited 
about something that’s happened and 
dying to tell everyone. They get every-
one else excited about the topic and 
before you know it you have a group 
of students who’ve completely taken 
over. Another common situation, par-
ticularly with youngsters, is when they 
propose all sorts of changes and/or 
improvements to an activity you’ve set 
out for them.
Solution: Take control back. In the 
first case, firmly, yet kindly, let your 
students know that you have to get 
the lesson underway. Tell them that if 
they finish their work, they can have 
a few minutes at the end of the class 
to talk about whatever has them so 
excited. In the second case, firmly tell 
them that you have already planned 
the lesson/activity, but that you willcertainly include their ideas next time. 
Don’t forget to thank them for sharing 
or providing feedback!
3 ONE STUDENT IN PARTICULAR 
DOMINATES THE LESSON
This is the type of student I like to call 
the “eager beaver”: they always raise 
their hands first or just blurt out the 
answer with absolutely no regard for 
the other students in the class. They 
are often competitive and like to win.
Solution: Never call out an eager 
beaver in front of the class. This en-
thusiasm should not be squashed: 
it should simply be channeled in the 
right direction. Say, “I know you know 
the answer, Juan, but I’d love to hear 
from someone else”. Also try this: let 
the eager student be your helper for 
the day. Tell him/her the job is to help 
classmates find the right answers or 
help those who are having trouble 
completing an exercise.
4 STUDENTS ARE TOO DEPENDENT
The other side of the coin is when you 
have students who constantly seek 
your help. They may ask you to help 
them complete an exercise or just 
blurt out they can’t/don’t know how to 
do something on their own.
Solution: It’s very important to em-
power students and help them feel 
that they can indeed do it. Say you 
give them an exercise in which they 
have to decide which article to use, 
“a” or “an”. Look at the first item “ap-
ple” and ask your student, “Is it a ap-
ple or an apple? What sounds right to 
you?” Once they give you the correct 
answer, tell them to try the next one. 
And the next one. “See you CAN do it! 
Good job!” Sometimes students feel 
overwhelmed by the blanks, and all 
they need is a little nudge.
5 STUDENTS ARE BORED OR UNMOTIVATED
Students eyes are glazed over, and 
you blame the boring coursebook or 
the Future Perfect.
Solution: It’s a hard truth, but the rea-
son your students are bored is YOU. 
It is your responsibility to engage stu-
dents and keep the lesson interest-
ing – no matter what you are teach-
ing. Teaching the Future Continuous 
tense? There are ways to make the 
topic more engaging. Talking about 
business? There are ways to make 
the topic more fun.
6 STUDENTS ARRIVE LATE OR DISRUPT THE CLASS
A cell phone rings, while a latecomer 
joins the class. You barely say two 
words and another student shows up. 
And the interruptions go on and are 
worse in larger groups.
Solution: Set the classroom rules from 
the start. Ask students to turn off cell 
phones and other technological de-
vices at the start of class. Give your 
students a five to ten- minute grace 
period for arriving, but tell them they 
won’t be able to join the class after 
that.
8
7 STUDENTS DON’T DO HOMEWORK
Some students never do homework or 
any work outside the classroom. This 
is often the case with adults who say 
they never have time.
Solution: Young learners and teens 
have no choice. They must do their 
homework and if they don’t, simply 
notify the parents that the student is 
not completing tasks to satisfaction. 
As for adults, give them options. Tell 
them to do at least one five-minute 
exercise a day (or a week). Ask them 
how much they can commit to. Be 
clear in communicating that that may 
fall behind and not meet their lan-
guage learning goals.
DON’T LEAVE ANYTHING TO 
CHANCE. HAVE A PLAN AND STICK 
TO IT. HAVE RULES AND STICK TO 
THEM. FOR IF YOU DON’T, YOU’RE 
LEAVING YOURSELF WIDE OPEN TO 
TROUBLE.
9
What to Do If You’re Called to 
Teach a Class at the Last Minute
You’re sipping tea in front of the TV 
hoping to catch up on some of your 
favorite shows. You’ve already taught 
your lessons for the day and have the 
rest of the afternoon off – or so you 
thought. Suddenly, you receive a fran-
tic call from your headmaster/instruc-
tional supervisor/insert person who as-
signs lessons here who is in desperate 
need for a substitute teacher. So, you 
set your cup of tea aside and say yes. 
You’ll do it. After all, you can always 
use the extra cash. But then you real-
ize the lesson you must teach is in less 
than two hours, and you have zero time 
to prepare. In less than five minutes, 
you go from peaceful and relaxed, to a 
nervous wreck! Although you can nev-
er tell when you will be asked to sub 
for another teacher, you can always be 
prepared ahead of time, for each and 
every case. Here’s how you can pre-
pare:
1 GATHER INTEL
Your mission, if you choose to ac-
cept it, is to teach a group of students 
you have never met before. The first 
thing you will have to do is find out as 
much as you can about them:
•	 Students’ ages
•	 English proficiency level
•	 Books and materials they are using
•	 Any recommendations/sugges-
tions? Or special cases? (Maybe 
there’s a foreign student who does 
not speak the group’s native lan-
guage.)
Do not assume you will be given this in-
formation up front. Your supervisor may 
be too busy or flustered, dealing with 
several other problems, and may only 
tell you what time the lesson is. Be sure 
to ask these questions and ask for any 
other information you deem necessary. 
Grab a pen and write all of this down.
2 FIND OUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO TEACH
In the big unknown that is a surprise 
lesson, this is obviously the most es-
sential piece of the puzzle: what ex-
actly will you do with them? There are 
two basic options: you can either teach 
them according to plan or you can re-
view what was previously taught to let 
the regular teacher pick up where he/
she left off. For obvious reasons, the 
second option is the ideal one, and the 
one that most schools accept. Howev-
er, you may be asked to continue with 
the lesson as planned. 
3 WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF OPTION 1
Say you are told you have to continue 
with the lesson as planned. You should 
expect to be given either the teacher’s 
lesson plan/notes or be told where to 
start the lesson, i.e., Chapter 10, Unit 
2. In any case, your lesson will never 
truly be like the regular teacher’s be-
cause he/she most likely has a series of 
habits in place. Don’t be afraid to make 
this lesson your own. You don’t have to 
be exactly like the regular teacher: you 
don’t have to imitate him/her. Don’t be 
afraid to bring your own personality and 
teaching style to the class. 
Now that this is clear, try this. Find out 
what the main learning goals are for 
this lesson in particular. For example, a 
quick glance at the book tells you that 
the main goal for Unit 2 of Chapter 10 
is to talk about plans for the future. So, 
as long as you meet this lesson goal, 
everything that you do in class, i.e., the 
activities you propose or the games 
you play, will be carried out to meet this 
main goal. When the regular teacher 
returns, he/she can be satisfied his/her 
students practiced and learned what 
they were supposed to.
4 WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF OPTION 2
Say you are told not to introduce any-
thing new and just review what they 
previously learned. Do not mistake 
this as babysitting. Yes, you can play 
lots of different games and do plenty of 
fun activities, but these should not be 
meant to simply pass the time. Take 
the book and find out what some of the 
previous learning goals have been. For 
example, you might see they learned 
to talk about events in the past just a 
couple of units ago. It stands to reason 
they could use a review of the simple 
past of irregular verbs. This should 
narrow down the kinds of games you 
can play and the types of activities you 
could use. 
5 GRAB YOUR SUPER SET OF TEACHING MATERIALS
Every ESL teacher should have a Su-
per Set of Teaching Materials, a box or 
bag of items that will help you teach 
anything, any day, any time, whether 
you’re teaching something new or re-
viewing. In my box, I typically have:
•	 Board markers, in an assortment of 
colors
•	 At least one pair of dice
•	 A basic board game with colored or 
numbered boxes, with no writing in 
it
•	 A few rubber balls, in different sizes
•	 A set of index cards with verbs (just 
the verb in its base form, no tens-
es), two sets are better than one
•	 A set of blank index cards
And this is justthe starter’s kit! The 
more experience you gain, the more 
you’ll add to your set. Be sure to in-
clude items that can be adapted to any 
language point or verb tense, like the 
basic board game. You change the 
rules to suit any group at any level.
Hope for the best and prepare for the 
worst? But what is the worst that could 
happen? The students won’t “like you” 
because you’re not their teacher? They 
won’t want to do the activities you pro-
pose? They won’t behave because you 
have “no authority”? If these scenarios 
are the worst that could happen, are 
they really that bad? 
DON’T HOPE FOR THE BEST. DO YOUR 
BEST. AND BEING PREPARED FOR 
ANY SURPRISE LESSONS THAT COME 
YOUR WAY CERTAINLY HELPS!
10
4 Types of Problem Students 
and Strategies to Manage Them
AS WITH ANY CLASSROOM SETTING 
YOU MAY ENCOUNTER PROBLEM 
STUDENTS IN ESL CLASSES.
Problem students are challenging be-
cause they may disrupt the learning 
environment, make your job more dif-
ficult than it has to be or just plain frus-
trate you and the other students. We’ve 
outlined four types of problem students 
and provided several strategies to deal 
with them. You will be able to spot these 
personality types from a mile away!
THE FOUR TYPES OF 
PROBLEM STUDENTS
It’s pretty easy to identify the prospec-
tive problem student from the get-go. 
Always go with your gut and diagnose 
the issue as early on as you can. That 
is half the battle. The sooner you rec-
ognize the problem student the sooner 
you can begin working on your strate-
gies to alleviate the issue and get the 
student on track.
1 THE KNOW-IT-ALL
Some students are overzealous, 
rambunctious, loud talkers or just plain 
annoying. This is usually the student 
who may be above his classmates in 
speaking ability, but not necessarily in 
overall language skills. They tend to 
display helpful nature, but may chroni-
cally interrupt, talk way too much or for 
two long, and in extreme cases may try 
to challenge you in front of the class. 
The best way to deal with this type of 
student is to provide appropriate times 
where he or she can be the leader, but 
set very firm boundaries. You need to 
make it clear to them that you are fa-
cilitator which basically means you are 
running the show. They can have their 
forum occasionally and often have a lot 
of good ideas and questions to contrib-
ute. You don’t want to shut them down 
completely. I’ve found that if you can 
disengage them in the class when they 
are getting off topic or stealing the spot-
light, they generally get the hint. Other 
times it may take a private conversa-
tion. That conversation needs to be 
treated delicately as this type of student 
usually gets a bruised ego pretty easily. 
Give them guidelines for how long they 
are allowed to have the floor, and show 
them each and every time that you are 
the decision-maker in the class.
2 THE PAINFULLY SHY
If anyone has worked in Asia or 
has Asian students, we have all en-
countered this student. They are usu-
ally female, afraid to speak, won’t make 
eye contact, and generally want some-
one to translate for them. This is a deli-
cate situation and it takes some grace 
and humor to reach them and pull them 
out of their shell. Give them time and 
take baby steps. If everyone is asking 
and answering questions, expect that 
they will do almost nothing until they 
reach a certain comfort level. Don’t 
pressure them too much, but try to get 
them to at least repeat after you and 
praise anything that they do contribute. 
The other trick to this personality is to 
use her classmates to break through. 
They will instinctively try to help, so let 
them. Students like this are more apt to 
start sharing with someone from their 
own country or someone very similar to 
themselves. Put her in pairs with some-
one who will be gentle, and chances 
are that student will reach her. You can 
also try to approach something that will 
get a reaction out of the student. Maybe 
she really likes to eat sweets. Try a little 
bribery. Or maybe she is very close to 
her family, so the lesson on family may 
get her to respond. Keep trying and 
don’t give up. Persistence is key with 
this one, and the student will eventually 
come around.
3 MR. INAPPROPRIATE
I’ve encountered this guy way too 
many times for my taste. This is the guy 
who is taking an English class to try to 
get a date either with other students or 
with the teacher. It is usually a man, 
but some women can also be inappro-
priately flirtatious in the class as well. 
First do not engage this behavior. A few 
times you may be able to laugh it off, 
but with this type of problem student, 
you are going to have to tell them what 
is appropriate (and not) for the class-
room. You may have to disengage the 
behavior a few times publicly, and then 
take him or her aside and give them the 
boundaries talk. In some cases the stu-
dent doesn’t realize why their actions 
are inappropriate. One tactic may be to 
teach a lesson on body language, pick-
up lines, or relationships. That way are 
able to approach the sensitive topics 
as a group and get some dialogue hap-
pening.
4 THE REFUSER
The refuser is different from the 
painfully shy. The refuser never wants 
to participate and feels that they don’t 
have to do the same level of work as 
everyone else. Often they don’t do 
their homework, will clam up during 
activities, and also may challenge you 
in front of the class because they are 
unprepared. This type of student can 
be really frustrating as you start won-
dering why they are in the class in the 
first place. One way to reach them may 
be soft public humiliation, meaning that 
you put him or her on the spot when 
they should be prepared and see what 
happens. With younger learners just 
being called out and not being ready 
is often enough for them to start ap-
plying themselves. You can also ap-
ply some discipline. Give the student 
double the amount of homework and 
follow through. Ask them if they need 
extra help and pair them with a student 
who can be a good role model. You can 
also try and set goals for this student. 
For every three days in a row that you 
participate you get 5 minutes extra of 
break time. The incentive should be 
small but meaningful and should also 
be applied to the whole class not just 
the problem student.
GENERALLY THE ESL CLASSROOM 
IS A JOY TO TEACH IN BECAUSE STU-
DENTS HAVE A REAL NEED AND 
DESIRE TO BE THERE.
Occasionally though, you may come 
across one of these problem students. 
Always be sure to keep your cool, ap-
ply patience instead of pressure and 
realize that you have the facilities to 
solve student issues.
11
7 Most Common Behavior Prob-
lems and How to Deal with Them
ESL STUDENTS COME IN ALL SHAPES 
AND SIZES.
They come into your classroom with vary-
ing degrees of motivation and even dif-
ferent skill levels. Most are well-behaved. 
And some are terribly ill-behaved. As an 
ESL teacher, you can handle students 
that are less motivated than most, even 
those that need a little extra help from 
you to get that particular task done. But 
we all know that handling unacceptable 
behavior is hard and can take its toll if it 
is something you have to deal with on a 
daily basis. The way we handle the day-
to-day problems will determine whether 
the same problems will keep cropping up. 
So here are the most common behavior 
problems in the ESL class and how you 
can effectively nip them in the bud.
UNACCEPTABLE 
BEHAVIOR: 7 PROBLEMS 
AND HOW TO HANDLE 
THEM
1 STUDENTS ARE RESTLESS/GET OUT OF SEAT
EXAMPLE: You’re having an animated 
discussion about ways to help the envi-
ronment and a student gets up to look 
out the window. Always give clear in-
structions, and make sure everyone un-
derstands and is engaged in the task. As 
soon as a student gets up to do some-
thing completely unrelated, walk over to 
the child, gently take their hand and walk 
them back to their seat – without inter-
rupting the lesson. If this behavior con-
tinues, talkto them about the importance 
of paying attention, participating in the 
activity at hand and controlling the urge 
to do something else.
2 PLAYING WITH TOYS DURING CLASS
EXAMPLE: Students are quietly complet-
ing a worksheet about parts of the body 
when you see a student playing with a 
doll. Gently take the toy, and place it on 
your desk or a shelf. Tell the child that 
they can share it with the others during 
the break. Make it a habit of encourag-
ing them to bring toys related to some-
thing you’re talking about in class (like 
animals). If there are certain things they 
are allowed to bring, they might not feel 
tempted to bring other toys.
3 NAME CALLING
EXAMPLE: You’re playing Bingo 
when you hear a student call a redhead-
ed child “Carrot Top”. Stop what you’re 
doing and have the child that has called 
out the offending name tell the class 
what the other student’s name actually 
is. Discuss with the class the importance 
of treating each other with respect and 
kindness and why name calling is unac-
ceptable in your classroom and every-
where else, for that matter.
4 TEASING/FIGHTING/ BICKERING
EXAMPLE: You have two students who 
can’t say two words to each other without 
starting a fight. Class began five minutes 
ago, and they’re already at each other’s 
throats. Make sure the students who 
don’t get along are sitting as far apart 
as possible. Discuss with the class the 
importance of ignoring teasing remarks. 
Talk about how arguing all the time is tire-
some, and we should accept differences 
in points of view. On the other hand, 
stress the importance of being consider-
ate towards each other and listening to 
what the other has to say.
5 THROWING THINGS
EXAMPLE: You’re writing some-
thing on the whiteboard and a pencil flies 
across the room. Tell the student that this 
kind of behavior is completely unaccept-
able. Go over the possible dangers of 
tossing objects around. Find out if they 
are doing what they’re supposed to be 
doing and redirect their efforts to the task 
at hand.
6 YELLING/SHOUTING OUT ANSWERS
EXAMPLE: You ask Tom a question, 
and Lucy yells out the answer. Tell the 
student that they’re not being courteous 
– they did not give the other student a 
chance to answer. Remind students they 
should raise their hands if they want to 
speak. On the other hand, remind them 
that it is not necessary to yell – if they 
wait their turn to speak, you will hear 
them perfectly.
7 HAVING PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS
EXAMPLE: You’re asking students 
comprehension questions about a text 
they’ve just read, and you see three stu-
dents in the back of the class holding a 
conversation. Ask the students if they are 
talking about the task at hand. Ask them 
to share their interesting conversation 
with the rest of the class, or tell them they 
can tell the others all about it during the 
break. Discuss why it is not appropriate 
to have conversations during class.
WHEN TO TALK TO 
PARENTS
As a good rule of thumb, I recommend 
contacting parents when a specific prob-
lem seems to be recurring (happens 
every day or several times a week). De-
pending on the gravity of the matter, you 
can either send a note or schedule a 
meeting. I’d save meetings for things that 
put the children’s well-being at risk, for 
instance violent behavior, verbal abuse 
or bullying.
There’s a line between being mischie-
vous and being outright malicious, and 
we can tell the difference. You can deal 
with mischievous behavior in class – 
malicious behavior should be discussed 
with parents.
PREVENTION IS THE 
BEST MEDICINE
Most of these problems will be avoided 
if you set clear rules from the start. Work 
together to establish your rules based on 
how you all want to be treated. Discuss 
the importance of treating others with re-
spect, as well as the fact there is a time 
and place for everything and that some 
things simply can’t be done in class. Don’t 
forget to establish what rewards they will 
receive for good behavior, as well as the 
consequences of inappropriate behavior.
Don’t yell, scream or shout. The best way 
to teach students to behave nicely is to 
lead by example.
12
Top 10 Tips to Deal 
With Indiscipline in the Classroom
It happens to every teacher at some 
point. Sometimes it is with the first class. 
Other times a teacher gets a few good 
years under his or her belt before it hits. 
Sometimes it seems like it happens in 
class after class. The problem that all too 
often rears its ugly head is lack of disci-
pline. Every teacher experiences it, and 
no teacher likes it. The good news is that 
there are ways to handle indiscipline in 
the classroom. Here are some tips to try 
with your students.
HOW TO DEAL WITH 
INDISCIPLINE IN THE 
CLASSROOM
1 SET EXPECTATIONS EARLYSet expectations early in the year. 
The old adage that a good teacher does 
not smile until after Christmas may or 
may not be true, but it is easier to lighten 
your leadership style as the year goes 
on rather than get stricter after being le-
nient. If it is too late to start the year off 
with a firm hand, you can always make 
a new start – with either a new calendar 
year or a new month or a new unit. Make 
sure your class knows that your are wip-
ing the slate and that your expectations 
of them will no longer be compromised!
2 MAKE RULES TOGETHERLet kids be involved in making the 
rules. Before dictating a set of classroom 
rules, ask your students how they would 
like their peers to behave. Have them 
discuss what kind of an environment 
they would like to have in class. By di-
recting a class discussion, your students 
will define a set of rules that meet both 
their criteria and your own. Because they 
have set the expectations, they are more 
likely to follow the rules and to keep one 
another in check, freeing you to do things 
that are more important.
3 CONTACT PARENTSDepending on where you teach 
and where your students come from, 
their parents may be an unexpected sup-
port when it comes to good behavior in 
the classroom. Often American parents 
will side with the child when it comes to 
conflicts in school, but if you teach stu-
dents from other cultures, and it is very 
likely that you do, your students’ parents 
will not automatically take their children’s 
side of things. In fact in many cultures, 
parents will automatically side with the 
teacher against their own child if there is 
a discipline issue. That is not to say that 
you should take advantage of either your 
students or their parents, just do not be 
afraid to approach your kids’ parents if 
the situation necessitates it. Be warned, 
though, you may not want the child to act 
as interpretor if one is necessary.
4 INVITE VOLUNTEERSDepending on the age of your stu-
dents, you may even choose to ask par-
ents into the classroom as volunteers for 
a day. Children may behave better if their 
parents are in the classroom with them. 
Not only that, if your parents interact with 
each other, the stories of how a certain 
child may behave in class could get back 
to mom and dad through other channels 
ultimately saving you an awkward and 
unpleasant conversation!
5 INVITE ANOTHER TEACHERTrading teachers could be helpful 
in your quest for a composed classroom. 
If your students have gotten used to the 
way you operate class and what behav-
ior you may let slide, having a different 
teacher for one or more periods of the 
day may spur them to act a little more 
restrained. Not only can the atmosphere 
of class change, your students will ben-
efit from listening to another voice and 
another style of speech when another 
teacher stands in front of the class.
6 WHY, OH WHY?Think about the reason behind the 
rudeness. Is it possible that your ESL 
students may be acting up to make up 
for a self-perceived inadequacy in their 
language abilities? If there is even the 
slightest possibility that insecurity may 
be behind classroom misbehavior, try to 
look past it and address the real issue. 
Does your student need confidence?Does she need a feeling of success? 
Does he need to feel equal to his peers? 
By addressing the issue rather than the 
symptoms, you will have a healthier and 
better-behaved set of students.
7 QUICK LEARNER DETECTEDIt is also possible that a misbehav-
ing student is bored with class because 
he is a quick learner. Though it may 
seem counterintuitive, putting that child 
in a leadership role may give him the 
extra challenge he needs to engage in 
the classroom activities. He will not only 
not be bored: he will have some invest-
ment in making sure the other students 
in class behave.
8 ATTENTION SPANRemembering the attention span 
of children can also help you keep your 
calm when kids act up in class. As a 
rule, estimate a child’s attention span to 
be one minute for every year of his age. 
That means a seven year old will max 
out on attention at seven minutes. Keep 
the pace moving in class without spend-
ing too much time sitting in one place. 
Let your kids move around, go outside 
or work independently to keep the (stir) 
crazy bugs from biting.
9 RESPOND, NOT REACTIt is extremely important for teach-
ers to remember to respond and not re-
act. There is a big difference between 
the two. A person who reacts acts im-
pulsively and out of emotion. The person 
who responds, on the other hand, takes 
more time before acting and separates 
his or her emotions from the decisions 
he makes. It is a good rule to follow in 
all areas of life, but it is especially impor-
tant to remember when your class is just 
plain getting on your nerves. Do not let 
your emotions get the better of you but 
instead stay calm and make logical and 
intentional responses.
10 DISCIPLINE IN PRIVATEStill, moments will come and 
days will come when one or more of your 
students will misbehave. The best way 
to address the situation is quickly and 
with as little disruption as possible. Re-
frain from disciplining any child in front of 
the class. Choose instead to have those 
conversations in private. If you respect 
your students, they are more likely to re-
spect you.
ULTIMATELY, NO CLASSROOM IS 
PERFECT. YOUR KIDS WILL HAVE GOOD 
AND BAD DAYS, AND YOU WILL, TOO.
Do your best to keep your cool when 
your students start getting out of control. 
Tomorrow will be a new day with limitless 
potential and it may just be the right day 
to get off to a new start!
13
Keep Your Cool: Tips 
for Handling Difficult Students
IMAGINE THIS: YOU ARE TRYING TO 
GIVE A LESSON ON THE PAST PRO-
GRESSIVE TENSE.
You stand up at the white board talking 
about agreement between the subject 
and the helping verb and that this tense 
is used to describe a continuous action 
that was happening at a specific point in 
the past. While most students are listen-
ing and concentrating, a child in the back 
taps his pencil, kicks his feet against the 
desk, leans back in his chair and then 
falls over on to the ground. With the clat-
ter from the back come laughs from the 
front of the classroom, an end zone style 
dance from the student in question and 
a complete loss of concentration about 
any facet of English grammar. What is 
an ESL teacher to do?
Almost every teacher has had a diffi-
cult student in one class or another, and 
some of us are lucky enough to have 
one in every class.
Though we want to be good teachers 
and be sensitive to our students, having 
a difficult student in class is confusing 
and frustrating for us. We want to give 
our student the best education that we 
can, but we do not want to condone mis-
behavior and disruption. If you find your-
self in this situation now or in the future, 
take heart. Here are some tips for han-
dling difficult students that will help you 
teach better and enable them learn bet-
ter at the same time.
IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU
Though it may be a tough thing to hear, 
the first step is to remember it is not 
about you. As a teacher, you are there to 
educate, guide and help your students. 
You are not there to have a captive audi-
ence hanging on your every word. We 
teachers sometimes have to shift our 
focus and remember why we started 
teaching in the first place. It is so easy 
to be caught up in our natural patterns 
as a teacher, especially when they have 
been effective up until this point. Hav-
ing difficult students reminds us that we, 
too, need challenges and changes in our 
teaching style. If you can germinate the 
attitude in yourself that you can always 
improve, always learn, always find some 
way to be a better teacher, teaching a 
challenging student becomes an op-
portunity rather than a chore. Use the 
situation to your advantage to refine and 
deepen your craft as a teacher. All of 
your students, both current and future, 
will benefit from it.
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
Ann, a special education teacher, gives 
this advice when dealing with a difficult 
student. “Read your students.” What 
she means is to pay attention to facial 
expression and body language as you 
teach. Challenge yourself to spend more 
time facing your students than you do 
the white board. Look at them and no-
tice the difficulty coming before it hits 
you and your classroom in full force. 
As you do this, pay attention to why the 
misbehavior is beginning. Sometimes 
students are not challenged. They may 
be a quick learner and find themselves 
bored before the lesson is over. They 
may be a struggling student who has not 
understood previous lessons and is giv-
ing up on this one as well. There may be 
a learning disability coming into play. If 
you suspect this, talk to an expert on the 
signs of and solutions for different learn-
ing disabilities. Another reason they may 
be acting up is because of a cultural is-
sue of which you may not be aware. All 
of these situations and more can make 
class hard to handle for both you and 
your student. Take heart, teacher. There 
are things you can do to make things 
easier on you both.
CHANGE IT UP
Group work can be the most effective 
way of engaging under and over per-
forming students. Pair your most ad-
vanced students with those who are 
struggling. In this, your advanced stu-
dent will become more of a teacher, 
challenging her to explain and learn the 
material better. Your struggling student 
gets individual attention and, perhaps, a 
different explanation of the concept be-
ing taught. Sometimes, too, a student 
with the same native language as the 
one who is challenging may be able to 
explain something in way in which it is 
easier for the challenging student to un-
derstand. Though you are the teacher, 
you do not have to make all the learn-
ing happen solely by your hand. Use the 
resources you have in other students to 
reach the ones you are having difficulty 
reaching. 
You can also change things up by break-
ing out of your curriculum when nec-
essary to challenge students who are 
beyond what today’s schedule says to 
teach. There is nothing wrong with as-
signing special projects to advanced stu-
dents or letting them work at their own 
pace even if it is beyond where the class 
is. When a student is not challenged in 
class, it is not uncommon for that student 
to exhibit behavioral problems. A student 
who is challenged, on the other hand, 
will be more cooperative and tolerant 
when the class is studying something he 
understood long before that time.
Getting physical is another great way 
to help students who have difficulty sit-
ting and paying attention to a whole les-
son. When a student starts fidgeting, it 
is time to get your students up and mov-
ing. If you can, relate some physical ac-
tion to whatever you are teaching. Use 
Simon Says to teach the grammar of 
commands. Have a student follow your 
instructions and move about the room. 
Do partnering activities where students 
must move their desks or walk to anoth-
er area of the room. Anything you can 
do to engage the body with the mind will 
help these students be more attentive 
and absorbent to what you are teach-
ing. Even if you cannot relate something 
physicalto what you are teaching, take a 
seventh inning stretch to make the final 
part of the lesson more accessible.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HELP 
ENGAGE STUDENTS WHO MAY HAVE 
BEHAVIOR ISSUES. THE MOST IMPOR-
TANT THING TO REMEMBER IS NOT TO 
TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Students do not 
refuse to engage because they do not 
want to learn. If you can find the under-
lying issue behind the disruptive behav-
ior, you can tailor your lessons or assign-
ments to best meet your students’ needs. 
As a teacher, you do not always have to 
do things by the book. In fact, the best 
teachers are often the ones who do not.
14
New Kid on the Block: 10 Tips 
for the Brand New ESL Teacher
STARTING YOUR FIRST JOB AS AN 
ESL TEACHER?
Don’t know where to begin? Worry no 
more: this article will give you 10 tips 
to put your mind at ease, whether you 
are about to stand in front of a class-
room of thirty children or begin a se-
ries of seminars for teaching English 
at a workplace. Everyone has to start 
somewhere, and with these 10 tips, 
you will be ready to go!
FEEL SECURE IN YOUR 
NEW TEACHING JOB 
WHILE USING THESE 
10 TIPS
1 ESTABLISH ROUTINES
It is very important to establish 
routines in your classroom for a vari-
ety of reasons. First of all, it will help 
your classroom to run more smoothly. 
Secondly, your students will be ex-
posed to the language involved in the 
routines over and over again. This set 
of vocabulary or phrases will likely 
seem second nature to them after a 
while. Ideally, they would then be able 
to use those terms outside of those 
routines as well.
These routines could be anything from 
your greetings to them (and them to 
you), attendance, or a review of the 
alphabet, for example. The key is to 
use the same terms over and over so 
that they know what to expect and be-
gin to use the vocabulary themselves.
2 MAXIMIZE ORAL COMMUNICATION
Let your students speak aloud as 
much as possible. This helps them on 
so many levels. It puts the language 
in their hands, and helps them to take 
ownership of it. The more they speak 
aloud, the more confident they feel in 
doing so. In a beginner’s class, oral 
communication may start out as the 
students repeating what the teacher 
says. In time, students will try it out 
on their own. It all starts with your 
encouragement. It is so important 
that you support them as they begin 
to grow in the language. If they feel 
secure, they will take risks and begin 
speaking.
3 PERSONALIZE IT
Bring yourself into the class — 
your likes, your dislikes, your family, 
bring the students’ lives into the class 
as well (at least as much as they feel 
comfortable). This will not only foster 
relationships among you all which en-
courages risk taking, but it will make 
for higher interest levels as well. A 
student will always be more invested 
when talking about something he/she 
enjoys. Have a day where everyone 
brings in a picture or shows one on 
their phone, so they can describe 
the people there and the setting. The 
emotional connection the student has 
with the photo may help him/her to 
feel comfortable when speaking.
4 GROUP WORK
Be sure to have students work 
in pairs or groups frequently. This 
also encourages communication. Stu-
dents who are reluctant to speak in 
front of the whole group may be fine 
with speaking in front of two or three 
of their peers. They will be less self-
conscious. Without a doubt, students 
will learn from each other when in co-
operative groups. If it seems possible, 
assign one student as the leader of 
the group. The leader will make sure 
everyone gets a chance to talk and 
be heard. Working in groups is also 
relationship building among the stu-
dents. As that comfort level rises, the 
reluctant students will be more likely 
to take a risk and speak aloud.
5 DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Unless you have a class with a very 
similar make-up, you most likely will 
have students coming to your class 
with many different English abilities. 
In the beginning, you will need to get 
a general idea of the students’ levels. 
After that, it is up to you and/or the di-
rector of your program as to how much 
you cater to individual levels, and how 
much you teach “to the middle.” You 
may want to break them up into small 
groups to address their needs indi-
vidually. If you have volunteers in your 
program, this would be a good way 
to use them. Some teachers teach a 
general lesson to the whole group, 
and then break off into groups with 
ability by level for reinforcement. How 
you do this will be up to you, unless 
you are told how to handle it by your 
supervisor. Start with the class as a 
whole, get to know them, and you will 
feel what is right to do as time goes 
on.
6 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
You may think your lesson is going 
well, but how do you really know as 
you are in the middle of it? It is nec-
essary to check for understanding as 
you are teaching your ESL lesson. 
You can do this in several ways. You 
can ask your students if what you 
said is clear. Usually, they will let you 
know. If they say that it is not clear, 
then you need to show it in another 
way. You can try a hands-on activity 
to show what you mean. You can role 
play with another student who does 
understand the concept. There are 
many different ways you can present 
the same material.
7 TAKE 5: USING ALL THE SENSES
In an ESL classroom, you need to con-
vey your message in a language that 
most of the students know very little of. 
What is the best way to do this? One 
tip to remember is to involve as many 
of the five senses in your lesson as 
possible. For example, if you are do-
ing a lesson on food, you could bring 
in the food to see, touch, smell and 
taste. The multisensory experience is 
bound to help students remember the 
vocabulary and the lesson as a whole 
better. It will also increase the comfort 
level of most, which makes them even 
more comfortable speaking English.
15
8 CURRENT EVENTS
Another way to get students 
talking is to do current events. You 
will need to supply the information to 
them initially, such as some very sim-
ple articles with lots of pictures. You 
can read the article to them, and then 
they can discuss it. As time goes on, 
they may even bring in their own ar-
ticles. It is always great if you can get 
an article that would affect them per-
sonally either in their current home or 
in their country of origin. Again, if they 
are highly interested in the material, 
they are more likely to want to speak. 
It’s all about getting in that comfort 
zone for English.
9 TRADITIONS
It is important to cover the tra-
ditions and holidays that the students 
may not be familiar with. Again, this 
can be done with videos and props. 
Make sure the students get a multi-
sensory experience. You may even 
want to bring in some food and mu-
sic, and recreate the type of celebra-
tion that would usually take place. 
This would certainly make the lesson 
more memorable for the students who 
hopefully will remember and be able 
to use the vocabulary.
10 SHOW THEM WHO YOU ARE
Show your students who you are and 
how you understand their struggles 
to learn English. If you know any of 
their native language, speak it, no 
matter how poorly. Your students will 
appreciate your effort to enter their 
world, and they will see that everyone 
struggles while learning a second lan-
guage, just like them. Don’t be afraid 
to use some humor as well. Laughter 
certainly is the best medicine.
USE THESE 10 TIPS AS YOU START 
TEACHING ESL, AND YOU WILL BE 
GREAT.
The greatest part of teaching is reach-
ing that untapped mind and helping 
them believe that they can do it, that it 
was inside of them all along. So what 
are you waiting for? Go out there and 
be the great ESL teacher that you are!
16
Do This, Not That: 5 Mistakes 
to Avoid as a New ESL Teacher
We’ve all been there. Every ESL 
teacher has to start somewhere, 
and there are usually a few bumps 
in the road before the path becomes 
smooth. Most of us,despite our best 
intentions at the beginning, do things 
very differently now that we have a 
little experience under our belts. If 
you’re a new teacher, you’ll need to 
learn some things through experi-
ence, but here are some things to do 
your best to avoid when you set foot 
in the classroom for the first time.
HOW TO PROCEED
1 KEEP IT STUDENT-CENTERED
Novice teachers may find themselves 
prone to lecturing even if that is not 
what they have set out to do. Most 
of us come across the term “student-
centered” in our preparation as teach-
ers, and of course, we try to design 
activities that will foster this approach 
to learning. When a new teacher finds 
himself or herself in the classroom 
for the first time, however, it can be 
difficult to put into practice what we 
know in theory to be best for students. 
Many a nervous teacher has found 
herself talking too much in front of the 
class. Sometimes, as new teachers, 
because of our sense of responsibil-
ity to control the learning that is taking 
place, it can feel odd to allow students 
to work together in groups or indepen-
dently while we sit back and observe, 
ready to help if needed. Sometimes, 
instead of giving students the space 
they need to work through a task, 
well-meaning new teachers will “hov-
er” and interfere with group work be-
cause they believe they should be di-
rectly involved with what students are 
doing at all times. The truth is, our role 
as an instructor is to facilitate, and 
that includes setting up well-designed 
learning activities that are experiential 
and somewhat independent. Knowing 
when to let go and let things happen 
is a skill, and it’s one that takes prac-
tice.
2 AVOID COMPLICATED LESSONS
We’ve all heard the saying, “less is 
more”. This applies to teaching, as 
well. Eager teachers will often try to 
cram as much as possible into a les-
son, wanting to be as thorough and 
as comprehensive as possible. While 
we do want to maximize our often 
limited classroom time, it’s important 
to remember that concepts need to 
be easy for students to digest. We 
can make this possible by breaking 
things into pieces. In other words, we 
want to avoid overwhelming students 
by trying to teach too many different 
concepts at once. Experienced teach-
ers know that students benefit most 
from a clear step-by-step approach 
to learning. Our job as teachers is 
to make things as uncomplicated as 
possible for students.
3 DON’T TRY TO REINVENT THE WHEEL
Most of us spent many late nights 
planning lessons and creating mate-
rials when we first started teaching. 
Some of this was necessary: after all, 
planning a class is a lot of work, and 
teachers are usually very dedicated to 
making sure they are prepared to de-
liver quality instruction. That said, it’s 
important to keep in mind that the best 
teachers know how to use their time 
and available resources efficiently. It 
is okay to use the Internet to get ideas 
for how to approach teaching points, 
and it is okay to share materials. In 
fact, savvy teachers aren’t afraid to 
find something that is already cre-
ated and tweak it to suit the needs of 
a particular class. Likewise, they are 
open to sharing what they’ve created 
with other teachers in the profession. 
In actuality, this strategy will usually 
benefit students, as it brings together 
the ideas of many instructors instead 
of just one.
4 YOU ARE NOT THERE TO BE FRIENDS 
WITH YOUR STUDENTS
There is a difference between being a 
friend and being friendly. Many begin-
ning teachers, especially young ones 
who may only be a few years older 
than their students (or in some cases 
the same age or younger), fall into the 
trap of becoming overly relaxed with 
students. It’s possible to be warm and 
open to students while still maintain-
ing a position of authority. Regardless 
of age or gender, in order to main-
tain control of the class and to keep 
students focused on learning, the in-
structor has to be mindful of his or her 
role as leader. This can be tricky to 
navigate at first, but it becomes easier 
over time.
5 REALIZING YOU WILL FAIL SOMETIMES
Teaching is a never-ending exercise 
in improvisation. Of course we want 
to go into the classroom with a well-
thought out plan, but it’s inevitable 
that sometimes things will not go as 
planned. There are times that moti-
vating students can feel like an uphill 
battle, and there will be days that no 
matter how much preparation and 
careful planning went into it, a lesson 
just won’t work the way the teacher 
had envisioned that it would. These 
are challenges that can be frustrating 
and disappointing to a new teacher, 
but they are also great learning expe-
riences. Diving in and trying things out 
in the classroom is really the only way 
to learn what works and what doesn’t.
While some teachers seems to have a 
natural aptitude for managing a class-
room, most of us will need to hone our 
abilities as instructors through expe-
rience and over time. Confidence is 
key, and knowing that nothing will ever 
go perfectly as planned is a must for 
new and experienced teachers alike. 
In the early stages of teaching ESL, 
some days will feel overwhelming. 
Stick with it -- it gets easier in time!
17
Break the Ice! 10 Fun Icebreakers 
for the Beginning of the Year
EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD ICE-
BREAKER — IT’S A GREAT WAY TO 
GET TO KNOW OTHER PEOPLE AND 
HELP PEOPLE FEEL RELAXED IN 
STRESSFUL SITUATIONS, SUCH AS 
THE FIRST DAY OF A NEW SCHOOL 
YEAR.
Here are a few icebreakers and some 
variations to the icebreakers to try dur-
ing the first week of school to build 
a good sense of community in your 
classroom that will last throughout the 
year!
TRY THESE 10 
AWESOME IDEAS 
TO KICK OFF YOUR 
SCHOOL YEAR
1 NAME CHAIN GAMES
By far and away the best way to 
learn and retain student names is to 
do a name chain game to start off the 
class. You can vary the specifics to fit 
the needs of your particular class, but 
my class usually goes like this: the first 
student says 1) his or her name, 2) his 
or her home country, 3) one interesting 
fact about himself or herself, and 4) his 
or her favorite English word. The next 
student must then repeat all of the in-
formation about himself or herself and 
then say the name and favorite Eng-
lish word of the preceding student. The 
third student introduces himself or her-
self and then says the names and fa-
vorite English words of the preceding 
two students, and so on until the last 
student. For a challenge, tell the last 
student not to write anything down! As 
the teacher, you can also go last in-
stead and impress the class with your 
knowledge of their names while si-
multaneously making the last student 
feel better. Make sure you quiz your 
students throughout the week to see if 
they can remember everyone’s names 
and favorite words. I’ve also made a 
practice vocabulary quiz using each 
of their favorite English words before 
which is a great way to transition them 
into your testing style.
Variation: Instead of having students 
say their favorite English word, have 
them choose a word that starts with 
the same letter as their name, a favor-
ite city, favorite food, etc... the options 
are endless!
2 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Your students may familiar with this 
popular tradition in January, but a new 
school year should bring about new 
resolutions for students and teach-
ers alike. Have students partner up 
with each other and discuss what 
goals they have for themselves for the 
school year. Encourage them to be 
specific with the things they would like 
to accomplish and what they want to 
be different. Make sure that you as the 
teacher make some resolutions too!
Variation: While students are talking 
together, have them create a poster 
of their resolutions. Display the post-
ers around the room to help students 
remember their goals throughout the 
term.
3 NAME THAT PERSON
Another great activity to get to 
your students to know each other a 
little better is a guessing game.Pass 
out small pieces of paper or notecards 
to each student and tell them to write 
down two facts about themselves on 
the card without writing their name on 
them. Collect the cards in a basket 
and mix them up before redistributing 
them to the students. Students take 
turn reading out the facts from the note 
card and the other students guess 
which person wrote the card.
Variation: Instead of writing them down 
on notecards, have them discuss their 
facts with a partner. After groups have 
had some time to discuss, come back 
together as a whole class. The part-
ners will take turns sharing facts and 
the rest of the class has to guess 
which partner the fact is about! Give 
a point to the partners who guess the 
facts correctly and a point to the part-
ners who are able to fool the class.
4 WOULD YOU RATHER....
Line students up in two lines with 
each line facing each other. Tell them 
to come up with creative “Would you 
rather...” questions to ask their part-
ners, such as “Would you rather eat 
pizza for the rest of your life or choco-
late?”, “Would you rather be a balle-
rina or a florist?”, etc... Give them a 
few examples to prompt them and see 
what kinds of creative questions they 
come up with. This will help to pique 
their creativity and get to know their 
new classmates. After a short time, 
have one of the lines move down so 
students will get to meet everyone in 
the other line.
Variation: In a large circle as a whole 
class, have Student A pose a would 
you rather question for Student B to 
answer. To make things even more in-
teresting, have Student B answer for 
a different student. For example, Stu-
dent A might ask “Student B, do you 
think student C would rather have a 
crocodile or a zebra for a pet?” The 
students will then guess for their class-
mate -- be sure to have Student C an-
swer to see who close Student B was!
5 FIND OBJECTS TO DESCRIBE ME ....
A classic get to know you activity is to 
have students go through their back-
packs, folders, pockets, etc... and find 
3 or 4 things that they feel describe 
them very well. Students then need 
to describe their objects and why they 
chose them as their defining objects. 
Put students into pairs to share their 
objects or share as a whole class so 
that way everyone can hear about 
their new classmates!
Variation: Send students around the 
building with cameras (phones work 
nicely these days) and take a picture 
of something in the building that they 
think defines them or could describe 
them.
18
6 WORD ASSOCIATION
A great speaking activity that 
helps to loosen up nervous students 
on the first day is a word associa-
tion game. One student says a word 
(choose a category like travel if you 
wish to narrow things down) and the 
next person must say a word asso-
ciated with that word, the next stu-
dent says a word associated with that 
word, and so on. If another student 
challenges the association, the stu-
dent must justify how those words are 
related. Make it a competition to see 
who can get the most points if you 
want to add a little friendly rivalry in 
the mix.
Variation: To make things more chal-
lenging or adapt this activity for a 
higher level class, put extra restric-
tions such as the word you say must 
begin with the last letter of the word 
the previous student said. For exam-
ple, if Student A says “Japan,” Student 
B might say “ninja.”
7 WHO AM I?
A great way to mix students up 
to arrange them into groups or just get 
them speaking to one another is to put 
nametags on the back of the students 
of famous people, teachers, movie 
characters etc... Make sure that these 
people will be well known by all of your 
students. Students must walk around 
with their nametag on their back that 
they cannot see and ask questions to 
their classmates about who they are.
Variation: If you wait a few days and 
do this activity on the 2nd or 3rd day 
of class, you can put a classmates’ 
name on their back and their peers 
will have to know that classmate well 
enough to describe him or her to the 
student. This is a great way to review 
names!
8 PICTURE STORY-TELLING
To get some of the more cre-
ative students included, give each 
student a blank piece of paper. Tell 
them to draw a picture of an event 
that happened to them recently, for 
example, a vacation they took, or a 
graduation ceremony etc... There can 
be no words on the paper. Put the stu-
dents into pairs and have the partners 
guess what went the event was based 
on just looking at the picture.
Variation: Before putting students into 
pairs, collect the students’ pictures 
and randomly redistribute them to dif-
ferent students. The students will then 
have to describe to the class what is 
going on in the picture. When they 
finish, ask the artist of the picture to 
say how close that student was and 
to narrate what actually happened in 
their life event.
9 I’M COOL BECAUSE...
If students are getting sluggish 
and you need them to move around 
the first day, do this activity. Have all 
of the students seated in a circle and 
you as a teacher stand in the middle. 
To start off the activity, you will say “I’m 
cool because...” and then finish that 
sentence with something that’s true 
about you, for example, you’re wear-
ing blue jeans, you speak 3 languag-
es, etc... Then, every student who 
shares that fact in common with you 
must stand up and find a new seat. 
You also will need to find a seat mean-
ing that one student will be stranded 
in the middle. This game is great for 
finding commonalities and getting in 
some good laughs!
Variation: Play “I have never....” in-
stead. When students are in the mid-
dle, have them call out things they’ve 
never done and have the students 
move who have done those activities.
10 3 COMMON, 1 UNIQUE
This activity is good for 
small groups. Randomly group stu-
dents into three or four and give them 
a time limit to discover three things 
that all members of the group have in 
common and one thing that is unique 
for all of them. When the time is up, 
have each group report to the class. 
Then, change up the groups and have 
them do it again with their new class 
members. If it starts to get too easy, 
start ruling out common answers like 
“We’re all from different countries” or 
“We all breathe oxygen.”
Variation: Try this with the whole 
class after doing it in small groups. 
If they’ve been good listeners, they 
should be able to recall many things 
that all students had in common. It 
may take awhile, but there are surely 
at least 3 things the whole class has 
in common!
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL CAN BE 
STRESSFUL FOR EVERYONE, BUT 
THESE ICEBREAKERS WILL HELP 
YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS GET 
TO KNOW EACH OTHER IN A FUN, 
INTERACTIVE WAY TO HELP BUILD 
THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT 
ALL YEAR LONG!
19
Where There Is no Smartphone: 
De-Technologize your Lessons
ESL/EFL websites are flooded with 
new techniques to add technology to 
the classroom, and help online has 
moved almost entirely in the direction of 
needing more and/or adapting teaching 
materials for a rapidly advancing tech-
nological world. Many teachers live in 
remote global areas where technology 
is not easily available or reliable, how-
ever. What options does the EFL/ESL 
teacher have in those places where 
there is no Smartphone, notebook, or 
tablet?
ADAPT TO ABSENCE 
OF TECHNOLOGY IN 
THESE SMART WAYS
1 WHERE THERE IS NO PRINTER
Not having access to a printer may 
seem like a serious dilemma for an ESL 
teacher, especially if she is from the de-
veloped world, but she just needs to 
apply a little creativity!
•	 Flashcards: have students (or 
bored local kids) draw and paint 
pictures on cardboard you saved 
from your cereal boxes or whatever 
consumer goods you are able to 
buy in your area.
•	 Worksheets: block print on paper 
if you have paper and access to 
a copier, or hand write on a giant 
sheet of paper or blackboard for 
students to copy exercises. The 
extra writing will reinforce concepts 
for