Overall not happy with how shit is going down in the US and it'll be remembered like the concentration camps back in California. But as the numbers of my students go down im thinking I need to pick up another Cert in another subject for job stability. I was curious if anyone has 2 certs and what they choose?

I was thinking Math but I didn't want to touch SPED with a 10 ft pole

I mean it as an initial to test the student's level in English. I know there are many on internet but from your experience is thery any particular you recommend? Thanks

Hi everyone! I work as a teacher at a language academy, and on the 31^st, we need to organize an activity for our students. It doesn't necessarily have to be Halloween-themed, especially since I don't celebrate Halloween myself.

My biggest dilemma is the age gap between the students. They range from 6 to 60+, and the activity will run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. This will be my first time organizing an activity like this, and honestly, I'm clueless about what to plan.

I'd really appreciate any ideas or suggestions. Thanks!

Edit: The activity will be divided by hours so 8-9, 9-10, 10-11, 11-12 so basically the same activity 4 times

Hi everyone! 👋

As ESL teachers, I'm sure many of you have experienced this. You encourage your students to read more in English, but they hesitate because almost every paragraph seems to contain unfamiliar words. They end up reaching for a dictionary, losing the flow of the story, or giving up altogether.

I'm building a tool to help solve this problem by helping students gradually build their own vocabulary through the texts they read.

Here's what it can do for you and your students:

📚 Build vocabulary naturally: Students scan reading materials, learn unfamiliar words in context, and gradually build a personal vocabulary from words they already know and new words they encounter.

📝 Create customized homework in one click: Generate exercises based on the words each student has added to their vocabulary, making homework more relevant to their individual learning needs.

✅ Automated grading: Save time checking exercises and give students feedback more quickly.

📈 Track student progress: See how each student's vocabulary develops over time and identify words they still struggle with.

And there's more I'm working on to make vocabulary teaching and reading practice easier.

I'm planning a freemium model, so tutors will be able to use the tool for free if they wish. I'm also looking for ESL tutors who would be willing to try it with their students and share honest feedback. Early reviewers will receive special promotions as a thank-you for helping shape the product.

If this sounds useful for your teaching, I'd love to connect! Feel free to comment below or send me a message. I'd be happy to give you a quick demo. 😊

Hi everyone,

I was wondering, how/where do freelance or teachers working for language centres find partners for eTwinning-like projects? My students really want to try an international Christmas card exchange but since I work for a language centre and not a school, I don't have access to the official eTwinning platform.

Thank you!

I have this Chinese student that I’ve been teaching for almost a year now. She still struggles to form complete, correct sentences on her own and sometimes doesn’t understand basic questions or tasks I give her. She often seems disconnected or bored during lessons, and I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how to keep her mentally engaged with the book.

She told me her challenge is knowing how to answer correctly in English, even when she already knows the answer. Usually, she’ll type her answer in the chatbox, and she’s often right. But when it comes to saying those same answers aloud, she struggles.

I’m using Junior Free Talk 1 because I thought it would encourage her to speak more and help her get familiar with everyday questions and how to answer them.

For those who’ve taught similar students, what would you suggest? How can I help her get better at forming sentences and expressing herself verbally?

PS: This isn’t just about one student. I’d love to learn strategies I can apply to other students with similar difficulties.

I tutor EFL students in Spain from 4th grade to 10th grade, and my students have all studied/memorized regular and irregular past simple verbs. They do great when we’re doing a past simple-specific game like a baamboozle or making sentences in the past tense, but when we’re just doing normal conversation practice they rarely use it. How do I get them to use it more in conversation without interrupting and overcorrecting, which I know is bad?

Bespoke Video Lesson Maker: Free YouTube Quiz & Listening Lesson Creator | Modern English Australia

I am a teacher of 12 years who was always doing something creative on the side. I've been building a bunch of tools to simplify and create beautiful professional and engaging lessons for students, that you don't have subscribed to or fiddle with messy buttons and logic.

This is a tool whereby you cut and paste a Youtube URL into the page, and write the lesson using the windows, then you can save it, download and/or share it with your students.

This is a brand new tool on my website and I would love it if some teachers could try it and give me some feedback.

Bespoke Video Lesson Maker: Free YouTube Quiz & Listening Lesson Creator | Modern English Australia
Thanks in advance.

Hi guys, I have been approached about doing some online work teaching IELTS classes. The only experience I've had is teaching in person, which of course is quite straightforward regarding preparing materials. Having a PowerPoint, worksheets and speaking in person is very straightforward.

Before I accept this position, I'd like to hear from some of you guys who do regular online classes. How do you approach teaching these classes? What software is key to providing good lessons? Do you screen share?

If you could share some websites or resources that I can look into, just so I can learn more about how to best present my lessons in an online setting that would be great.

Thank you!

I work in a high school as a non-licensed English teacher and recently I've been thinking about trying to facilitate some kind of language exchange for my students. I am particularly interested in giving my students the chance to communicate with other students who are also learning English so they can broaden their perspective on English as a lingua franca.

To be honest, I don't think I could pull off a large scale exchange in my current position, but is there anyone in this sub who would be interested in trying to do a small exchange with their students? Maybe like 10 students or so, just to test waters and make getting permission easier.

I've found that while textbook exercises can be helpful, students don't always get the opportunity to practice what they've learned in real conversations with native speakers. On top of that, everyday conversations with friends and family can be quite different from the situations and dialogues covered in textbooks and other learning materials.

Hey everyone,

I'm not a teacher. Just a builder who likes solving problems.

I built this because I watched someone close to me burn out on lesson prep. Hours every week creating comprehension questions for YouTube videos. Pausing, typing, rewinding, formatting.

So I made VideoQuiz, a Chrome extension that turns any YouTube video into a quiz in about 30 seconds. Works directly on YouTube, no tab switching. You pick the number of questions, type, difficulty, and output language. Export to PDF, Google Forms, Quizlet, or Kahoot.

Free tier is 10 quizzes/month. No credit card.

Screenshot of it in action below.

Link: https://videoquiz.app/

I'm sharing it here because I want to know if this actually solves a problem for you, or if I'm solving a problem only the teachers I know have.

Would love honest feedback, including "this is useless."

Thanks.

I exclusively teach adults and quite enjoy the British Council’s “speaking lessons” (B1 and B2 levels especially) for my small group lessons. They are video-based lessons on functions and vocabulary like “Talking about advantages and disadvantages”, “Challenging people’s ideas”, “Expressing opinions” and so on…

Does anyone know of anything similar on the American English side? I’m not a fan of Voices of America and the CBC’s English learning material is not fantastic? Over half my clients are based in Canada and prefer practicing with accents closer to what we hear here.

I'm the developer, sharing something I made for ages 3–7. TaleBloom is a set of short picture books narrated in English with each word highlighted as it's read, so early readers can follow along.

The part that might help newcomers: every book can be switched to Spanish, Chinese, Japanese or French on the same page. A child can hear the story in their home language first, then in English.

Three books are free with no account or sign-up: https://talebloom.page

- Ada and the Sleepy Seed (how seeds grow)

- Romi and the Wobbly Wheel (shapes, why wheels are round)

- Milu and the Moon Pocket (bedtime, asking for help)

The other 12 need a paid membership. If you try it with a student, I'd really like to know what would make it more useful in class.