Category: Classroom Culture & Activities

In language teaching, considerable time and energy are often devoted to planning the beginning and middle of a lesson. Teachers carefully select engaging warm-up activities, activate background knowledge, introduce vocabulary,…

Imagine two learners are heads-down on a group task, and you catch a quick exchange between them in Tagalog or Mandarin before they switch back to English. Maybe this is not as…

With Canada Day approaching, I wanted to share a little activity I have been doing with my learners. I drew a map of Canada on the whiteboard, cut out strips…

As ESL educators, we are always on the lookout for games and activities that will engage our classes. And to do that, we increasingly rely on a mind-boggling supply of…

In ESL teaching, we often focus on improving students’ language skills, and yet, despite well-structured lessons and carefully designed activities, many teachers encounter a familiar pattern: some students remain quiet, avoid participation, or contribute minimally,…

I was telling a colleague the other day about my Literacy class. “We have certain expectations,” I said. Will laughed. “Say no more. I know exactly what you’re talking about,”…