ESL EFL TESOL

The Internet is dramatically transforming the way English is learned as a second or foreign language. Like other aspects in our daily lives that have been profoundly influenced by Internet technologies, the way learners receive and learn new languages is enriched and fast tracked with the integration of online tools in ESL/EFL education. The way the Internet breaches the physical and cultural distance between learning facilitators and students is possibly its most fundamental impact on education in general. 

That education and social media will share borders and encroach on each other's area of influence shouldn't come as a surprise. On one hand, education as we know it is very much a social engagement in itself, involving teachers (the channels of new cognitive experiences) and students (the learners of new or restructured knowledge). On the other hand, social media is both a technologicaltool for communicating different ideas as well as an enriched environment for collaboration. As such, the benefits that social media can deliver to contemporary education can be very tremendous, indeed. 

Technology transforms virtually all human pursuits. In the field of education, the use of audiovisual aids, computers, and telecommunication devices has radically altered classroom dynamics. For ESL and TFL practitioners, the possibilities being opened up by technology are highly promising, with the currently accepted practices already demonstrating the huge benefits technology offers to both students and educators. Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a growing sector and advocacy in the language instruction area that has huge potentials in making the learning of a second or foreign language easier and more accessible. 

Choosing to teach abroad is a big decision with many exciting prospects and daunting obstacles.  Deciding where to go can be an even bigger challenge, as there are so many options!  When making your list of where to start your job search, there are a number of things to consider, including culture, lifestyle and the teaching market. Though each country has their own hiring practices, nuances, and procedures for their TESOL teachers, there are some generalities that we can attribute to each region.

One of the challenges in ESL/EFL classes is how to motivate language learners to articulate experiences and ideas in English. This is especially true in basic to intermediate level classes wherein the rudimentary rules of English are either just being introduced to or being appreciated by the students. Several factors that cause students' hesitation to communicate in English are commonly encountered. These include--students' self-awareness that their English competency is limited and that they rather wait until they are comfortable enough to use it...

In addition to being highly knowledgeable in the subject matter, teachers also need to know how to manage classroom dynamics effectively. This entails organizational and disciplinary skills that both help make different types of classroom interactions more systematic and aligned with the learning objectives. Otherwise, classes that are conducted by teachers with very minimal classroom management skills tend to produce less favorable outcomes, such as low student achievements. Some studies, in fact, suggest that when teachers are inefficient at managing disruptive classroom behavior, the average pace of cognitive development among all students suffer greatly.

Teaching English to adult learners can be both challenging and rewarding. Adult learners bring to the classroom a lot of issues that a teacher must address before creating a successful learning environment. As a teacher for adult students, you must be prepared to understand the needs of your students and be flexible enough to alter lessons when they’re proving to be ineffective in the classroom. 

An effective lesson plan is the backbone of your repertoire as a teacher. You want a lesson that motivates your pupils, provides useful and necessary language practice and helps students practice their English skills. Two teachers may tackle a lesson plan in different ways but they would still rely on the lesson plan to help them in the classroom. All teachers need to make smart decisions about the strategies and method they will use to help students achieve their language goals. 

Classroom management is one of the most unnoticed aspects of teaching English but it is one of the most important factors that can determine how effective a teacher is in the subject. You may have a great lesson plan and all the materials needed but without the proper classroom management, it will be difficult to succeed in the classroom.

Generally speaking, adult learners are better behaved than younger learners.  Adult ESL students rarely have classroom management issues like shoving each other or refusing to sit still for one class. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s smooth sailing for teachers at this level.  Adult students come with their own challenges and they have their own opinions of appropriate classroom behavior due to their previous experiences under different instructors.