Game Guide Find out all you need to know about the virtual world of JumpStart; Game Updates Learn about all the latest game udpates; FAQs See frequently asked questions. ESL Present Tenses Vs. Past Tenses Grammar Game, Walk the Plank Grammar Game.
This course is for people intending to teach English but with no classroom experience. What the Celta or online TEFL courses don't tell you. How to effectively prepare for your first day, and then walk into the class, exactly what to do and say to hit the ground running.
I am a fully qualified esl teacher for an overseas social enterprise language school which trains new teachers every semester and so I am used to helping transform nervous newbies into confident and popular instructors.
The course is particularly well suited to people who will be teaching in an environment with little or no support. You will learn how to prepare everything needed for day one. Walk into the classroom and build immediate rapport with tried and tested ice-breaker games, plus build a friendly consensus over a few ground-rules to make your life a whole lot easier.
Enough teaching theory is included to construct lesson plans, communicate effectively, drill pronunciation etc.
Lastly, a whole bunch more games, based around revision of the lessons to keep learning fresh and students interested. In fact, a large part of the course explains games, tried and tested, illustrated with photos and diagrams where necessary, because this is much of what's needed for the first week.
Lastly, a whole bunch more games, based around revision of the lessons to keep learning fresh and students interested. In fact, a large part of the course explains games, tried and tested, illustrated with photos and diagrams where necessary, because this is much of what's needed for the first week.
The course is for people who will be teaching adults and teens. It only includes enough basic theory to make a start for the initial seven days, helping you find your feet, after that your confidence is in place and you'll learn on the go from your students! The focus is on fun and conversational practice rather than technical grammar. It would also be useful for people traveling overseas who might try teaching to see if it's a viable option or prospective volunteers heading to challenging conditions, or in fact YOU if you are thinking of trying this and want know how lessons could work and if you can even imagine yourself actually doing this (you can!).
- Volunteer teachers who will be an a largely informal and unsupported environment.
- Newly qualified esl teachers who want more ideas and reassurance (and games) to survive the first week.
From the creator of the world’s best-selling ESL board game—ten practical ideas on using games when teaching English
1. Find books and e-books of ESL games and become familiar with the type of games in each. This will make it easier to find the right game for a particular lesson.
![Walk Walk](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125627733/473523525.jpg)
2. When choosing games for a class, check that they’re for the right age group, the right level of proficiency, the right number of students and they’ll take up a suitable length of time. Books and e-books of ESL games should provide all these details for each game.
3. Occasionally games can be used to fill in time or provide a break from the usual class routines. But most of the time games should have a function within a lesson plan. For example, they can be used at the start of a lesson to introduce material or they can be used towards the end of a lesson to test, reinforce or practise the language elements or skills presented.
4. Choose games with simple rules and clear instructions. You shouldn’t have to waste valuable classroom time explaining complicated rules or giving complex instructions. After explaining how a game works, ask if anyone has any questions.
5. In classes for adults and young adults, you might need to briefly explain the purpose of the game in terms of the material covered in the lesson. Some older learners will think games are only for children, and explaining their function can help these learners see games as a valid and useful activity.
6. For younger learners up to the ages of 10 or 11, games that involve some physical movement often work best. When children are enjoying themselves and having fun, they often feel excited and full of energy. If they’re forced to stay still, they can become restless and even disruptive.
![Make The Teacher Walk The Plank Game Esl Make The Teacher Walk The Plank Game Esl](http://www.pubmeeple.com/wp-content/uploads/WtP-Featured.jpg)
7. Don’t put too much emphasis on winning a game by awarding prizes or titles like “class champion”. The emphasis should be on having fun and learning. If the emphasis is on winning, negative feelings like disappointment, shame, envy or blame can spoil the atmosphere.
8. If a game involves quiz questions or information exchanges, try to use topics that interest your students. These can be topics like music, movies, sports, local news, etc. This will help to make the game more interesting and help your students to stay focused.
9. If you have many students and you’d like them to play a game that works best with just a few players, have them form small groups. Then explain the game while modelling it with one group while the others look on. When everyone understands how it works, the other groups can begin playing. This is better than having one group play while all the other students watch and wait for their turn to play.
10. Start a “Games Diary” in which you keep notes on each game you use in your classes. You can note how difficult or easy it was to explain, whether your students enjoyed it or not, and how well it performed its function. After using a game, you can even ask your students questions like “Was it fun?”, “Did it help you to learn?”, “Could it be improved?” and record their answers in your diary as well.
Written by Matt Errey for EnglishClub | July 2016
Matt has been teaching English for over thirty years and is the creator of Word Up, the world’s best-selling ESL board game, and the author of Matt’s ESL Games and Quizzes Book 1.
Matt has been teaching English for over thirty years and is the creator of Word Up, the world’s best-selling ESL board game, and the author of Matt’s ESL Games and Quizzes Book 1.
- Gamieh says: Thanks a lot it’s really helpful
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- Daniel says: Great article and some really useful tips there. For point 7 I have to say that I’ve had great results when adding in prizes and competition to the classroom and had really positive experiences. Thanks for the tips! – Daniel – TEFLCareer.com