A bag of tricks for the traveling YL ESL teacher

It’s somewhat of a nuisance to carry around but I don’t go to any of my schools without it. I’ve now settled on a large, colourful plastic bag that zips and that can easily be molded to fit into my bicycle hamper. It raises a few eyebrows wherever I go but what the heck it helps me to do my job. Perhaps, you have one too. My bag is full of useful props, things, objects that help me to teach in a creative, magical way and serve to relax and loosen up the children for learning. It’s something akin to a bag of tricks that a magician uses to awe his audience. I strive to do the same with mine.
Here are the things that make up my bag of tricks. It includes:

• Lots of children’s songs CDs. Music is magic to young learners’ ears. I use music as a warm-up to start the class and also to start a game. The children lap it up. They sway, bounce and move their bodies to the music they hear.
• Puppets. It allows me to teach target language and introduce and act out simple dialogue skits. A puppet, I have discovered, actually introduces another native speaker in the classroom. They’re great and the children warmly respond to them.
• Squishy balls. They’re soft and colourful. They are easy to catch. I use them to promote classroom participation.
• A wig. I wear it to liven up the class. It makes me look ridiculous but it grabs their attention.
• Flashcards. It’s a great way to introduce language. I make my own. It’s cheaper if you do. I use them in games. I also carry with me a set of ABC flashcards to teach the alphabet and phonics.
• Stuff toy animals. They’re cute. I use them to teach prepositions such as on, in, under, behind, in front of, etc.
• Soft, large, cushy dice. I use them to play games like snakes and ladders.
• Coloured hollow plastic balls. I use them for teaching colours and in activities such as the passing activity.
• Paper, pencils, coloured pencils, and erasers. I use them in drawing/colouring/connect the dot activities. They are a great way to end the class and to restore peace and calm to a lively and active group of children.
• Magnets. To hang flashcards on the blackboard.
• Tambourines/rattles. I use them to start a game and for drill activities. They act as a cue.
• Peanuts, two bowls, and two sets of chopsticks. I use them to play the chopstick game.

My bag also includes tissue, throat lozenges, and a bottle of water.
I don’t ever leave home without my bag of tricks. I’d be lost without it. It sure makes a difference to the way I teach. Perhaps, if you haven’t one you might just be tempted to start one and take it with you whenever you go to your schools.

Contributed by Stefan Chiarantano | February 2005
Stefan has been teaching English as a foreign language in Asia for the past several years. He presently teaches English in Japan. He's a Canadian with an interest in filmmaking and photography.

The original posting is here http://edition.tefl.net/articles/yl-articles/bag-of-tricks-traveling-yl-esl-teacher/

What is the chopstick game? Any ideas?

Some Ideas for Newbie Teachers of English to Young Learners

I’ve been teaching children for seven years now. And the beginnings were tough both for me and for the kids, I guess. I can still recall my first class. It was a total disaster.

That is why I have decided to write some tips for those of you who have just started or will begin teaching young learners in the future. Hopefully, the following ideas will help you get the hang of dealing with the little monsters ;)


Young Learners in general:

• cannot concentrate as long as adults

• cannot understand abstract concepts easily

• tend to learn and forget quickly

• have high energy levels

• tend to be good at pronunciation

• do not worry about making mistakes

• pay little or no attention to accuracy

• are usually externally motivated

• are NOT interested in everything

• tend to acquire language as opposed to adults who actively go about learning it

• are very interested in talking about themselves


What has to be taken into account while teaching children?

• routines and rules help to solve behavioural problems in the YL classroom

• we need to consider motor skills when teaching Young Learners

• it is crucial to make the meaning of language clear for children because they do not ask a lot of questions

• it is important to do creative and imaginative activities with kids

• we should not encourage young learners to transfer their reading/ writing skills from L1 to L2


Had I known all of that when I started teaching kids, everything would have been so much easier :)

Good luck to all of you!

Hands and Fingers or Sign Language in the EFL Classroom

There are times when words are not enough. There are times when no matter how hard we try we cannot put our message across. In the EFL classroom such situations take place pretty often, especially if you are teaching young learners.

Most of us know that miming is an extremely useful tool for eliciting, presenting or practising new vocabulary. To become good at that requires time, conscious effort and possibly a pinch of talent.

Sadly, some teachers reject the idea as they are afraid to look and act silly in front of their students. My advice – give it a try!

Some basic ideas on how to use hands and fingers in the ESL classroom involve:

• Pointing to objects, students, yourself meaning this/that/you/me etc

• Pointing back indicating past, pointing forward indicating future, pointing to the floor in front of you meaning now, at the moment

• Thumbs up for ok, thumb down meaning not ok, wrong

• Shaking your hand sideways meaning so-so, not really, give it another try

• Showing time’s up using both hands, making a T

• Clapping meaning bravo, well done, good job

• Holding your head in different ways meaning tired, I’m having a headache (e.g. because students talk too much)

• Putting a hand close to your ear as in Chinese whispers meaning speak louder, I can’t hear you, repeat

• Waving your hand meaning Bye bye, Hello

• Raising a hand to indicate that you expect the same from the students

• Shaking a pointing finger meaning you’re naughty, don’t do that, I don’t like that

• Moving hands to mime certain nouns or actions – a car, rain, playing the piano, smoking

• Presenting adjectives - big small, long short, heavy light

• Using fingers to show a number or while counting, numbering, listing


Alternative ideas for using hands:

• to indicate word stress (e.g. vegetable has 4 syllables and the first one is stressed. Holding your palm as if you were knocking on the door, ‘knock‘ the air four times opening your fist for the stressed syllable as in Oooo. Make sure you do it from right to left as the students have to see it from left to right)

• to show intonation by making waves (rise, fall, rise fall, fall rise, level)


Alternative ideas for using fingers:

• to show a number of words in a sentence, syllables in a word and to correct students’ utterances. If a student forgets to use a word in a phrase, show him/her the number of words using fingers with one finger missing.

• holding fingers together to show contractions (e.g. 1st finger I, 2nd finger AM, two fingers held together I’m)

• making the scissors gesture may indicate that too much has been said and something has to be cut out

Why is it worthwhile to consider using these techniques?

• They make students remember things easily as they give them the opportunity to visualise and mime (perfect for learners with the visual and kinaesthetic learning styles)

• They reduce Teacher Talking Time

• They may be used while eliciting

• They provide alternative ways of error correction, indicating stress, showing contractions, intonation

• They might help you create good rapport with the students

• If students are at a loss for words, miming can put them back on track

• They may help teachers express themselves more effectively

On a final note, make sure the gestures you want to use do not have negative connotations in a country you teach in. Taking learners’ backgrounds or age into consideration also plays an important role. Whatever you do, do not be afraid to experiment. In the end, experimenting is a vital part of the learning process.

* Some of the ideas presented above might sound too ‘Silent Way-ish’ to some of you. My aim though is not to advocate this method but to take the best of what it has to offer.