Retaining Adult ESL Learners in Class One challenge many ESL instructors face is retaining students in their classes. Throughout the semester, you may see your class size dwindle as students attend class irregularly, or disappear altogether. Some factors for this are beyond the instructor’s control; changing work schedules, family responsibilities, and transportation issues are some … Continue reading Increasing Retention in ESL Programs
One of the best ways to teach skills and information and ensure that students retain it is to connect the teachings to their lives. This can be especially beneficial for adult ESL students, who are often juggling work and families in addition to school. Teaching various computer skills that are useful for performing personal and … Continue reading Tips for Teaching Computer Skills to ESL Students
Adult ESL students have unique needs and challenges in learning the English language. Many work and support families which may make it difficult to find time to study, and some may have not gotten much formal education in their home countries, thus not developing good study habits. Following are a few tips for improving ESL … Continue reading Improving the Study Skills of ESL Students
As technology in the classroom and digital education become more common, the transition to digital teaching and learning means instructors need to develop the necessary skillset to effectively teach digitally. This is particularly true for ESL instructors teaching computer skills to English language learners. “Electracy” is computer literacy. Using electracy in combination with traditional instruction … Continue reading Digital Literacy in ESL Education
One method of classroom instruction that has become widespread in recent years is the use of PowerPoint presentations. Using PowerPoint presentations as a tool to enhance your lectures can be beneficial to students because it can improve audience focus by breaking down and highlighting important information through a combination of text, graphics, and multimedia. Here … Continue reading Using PowerPoint in the Classroom
In the classroom, there are often a few students who readily and willingly raise their hands to answer questions and contribute to class discussions, while other students hold back and listen passively. Some of these students are shy and uncomfortable speaking in front of large groups of people. Others may be reflective learners who prefer … Continue reading Improving Student Participation
Every person has aptitudes in different areas, and different ways in which they learn and absorb information best. Psychologist Howard Gardner proposed the theory that there are eight different types of intelligences which everyone possesses a blend of to varying degrees. They are linguistic, spatial, mathematical-logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. By incorporating a … Continue reading Teaching According to Your Students’ Strengths
When it comes to new college graduates’ preparedness for their future careers, studies show a great divide between the perception students have of their skills, and what employers see from interviewing and working with recent grads. In areas such as organization, working in teams, and applying skills and knowledge in real-world settings, students were more … Continue reading From School to Career: How to Prepare Students for the Workforce
Nearly 60% of students entering community colleges aren’t prepared to take college-level vocational or educational classes and require non-credit remedial courses in math, reading, and writing before they can start on their vocational or academic degrees. Taking months, or even years, of high school-level courses in these subjects before being able to advance to credit … Continue reading Combined Academic and Vocational Education Leads to Success
With the rise of online learning in recent years, students have more options with which to accomplish their educational goals. They can take a course, or even earn a degree, entirely online, receive traditional classroom instruction, or utilize a combination of these options, either throughout their curriculum or within a single course. Each option has … Continue reading Online Learning vs. Classroom Instruction