English as a Second Language

This introductory glossary provides definitions for words, phrases, acronyms and other jargon often used in ESL and TEFL programming.

Feb 6, 2010 - Margaret M. Williams

Learn the acronyms, vocabulary, and program names used by teachers and administrators of English as a second language programs.

Jan 31, 2010 - Margaret M. Williams

The release of a report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation declaring bilingual education to be a failed policy is causing educators to question the practice again.

Sep 13, 2009 - Margaret M. Williams

ESL students may sound fluent when speaking with friends and teachers, but they need to work toward academic language fluency to succeed in school and beyond.

Aug 29, 2009 - Margaret M. Williams

Teach ESL students of all ages how to increase their ability to read for meaning by providing support and accommodations as they improve their English language skills.

Oct 5, 2008 - Margaret M. Williams

Exercises to use in the pronunciation classroom to enable speaking practice, with a focus on clearly produced sounds.

Feb 9, 2010 - Lucille Lever

ESL students can avoid errors by following the rules about prepositions. These rules must be learned and practiced, since preposition use varies widely across languages.

Feb 6, 2010 - Brian Welter

Introductory and conversational games and activities that involve lots of speaking will get kids excited about using and improving their English.

Feb 5, 2010 - Sarah Richards

English speakers use the second conditional to imagine something magical or hypothetical. Children use it to think what they would do if they were a bird or a tiger.

Feb 2, 2010 - Brian Welter

Being able to retain original meaning and then expressing it in other words is the key to paraphrasing.

Feb 1, 2010 - Frances Suselo

Teachers can help second language learners increase their vocabularies by following these simple strategies.

Jan 30, 2010 - Joanna Szeto

Teaching colours to children learning English as a foreign language is a good starting point. Colour activities are fun, visual and easily picked up by the children.

Jan 26, 2010 - Heather Tucker

English speakers use the present perfect when they are thinking about a past situation's importance to the present or when they are discussing life experience.

Jan 26, 2010 - Brian Welter

Help second language learners improve their reading, spelling, and comprehension skills by teaching upper-grade phonics.

Jan 25, 2010 - Joanna Szeto

Anxiety will occupy any test-taker's mind. Therefore, it is not advisable to rely on memory alone. Efficient note-taking will free up the mind and improve TOEFL score.

Jan 25, 2010 - Frances Suselo

Encourage English language learners in the acquisition and retention of vocabulary with unique methods to collect, store and retrieve new words.

Jan 14, 2010 - Arlene Marturano

Visit an urban elementary classroom where immigrant children learn to read and write from their own rich experiences. Reflect on the innovative literacy strategies used.

Jan 14, 2010 - Arlene Marturano

It's important for ESL teachers and students to know there are ten basic patterns providing the underlying structure of all sentences in the English language.

Jan 10, 2010 - Carol Rzadkiewicz

Language immersion is one of the most popular ways of learning English as a Foreign Language. Teachers can take steps to eliminate native (L1) language speaking in class.

Jan 6, 2010 - Eve Lopez

Proofreading written work is vital, no matter what the standard. Follow these proofreading tips tailored for ESL students.

Jan 4, 2010 - Marlene de Wilde

Writing an essay in a foreign language is easy if students follow a basic plan. Here is the plan for a compare contrast essay for English as a Second Language learners.

Jan 1, 2010 - Marlene de Wilde

There are more issues in English Language teaching than simply lesson plans or materials. Professionalism is not only training but also having employment rights.

Dec 29, 2009 - Kiran Summan

The Home Office has introduced a Points System for EFL. How can the regulations and standards affect the schools, students and teachers? Here's some of the issues.

Dec 26, 2009 - Kiran Summan

The fastest way to improve a TOEFL Internet-Based Test score is to know what to expect in the test.

Dec 14, 2009 - Frances Suselo

For the adult student of English, improving communication skills can be a daunting task. Understanding methods of learning English will help make the process much easier

Dec 8, 2009 - Tamara McGee Andersen

Advertisements are not just for selling things, they can also be used to allow children to practice their English.

Nov 26, 2009 - Heather Tucker

Oral presentations are a means to show knowledge, give a lecture, be tested in a classroom, and build confidence to speak to an audience.

Nov 22, 2009 - Lucille Lever

While some English as a Foreign Language teachers yearn to teach conversational English, the truth is that it takes a lot of hard work and practice.

Nov 20, 2009 - Eve Lopez

There are many ways to learn English as a foreign language. One of the most popular methods is called the "communicative method," or "student-centered" learning.

Nov 19, 2009 - Eve Lopez

Act it out! Drama activities are a great way to get children who are learning English talking and practicing the language in real life situations.

Nov 17, 2009 - Heather Tucker