Technology can be a very effective learning aid for teaching English – helping to improve class engagement, getting students working together and most important of all, making English lessons more fun!
Most locations we teach from have Wifi these days, which opens up a lot of opportunities for web based software and internet sites that can be a real benefit for learners.
Here we will discuss some brilliant ways to use technology, to help develop classroom techniques.
-
Video Streaming
Videos can truly bring a subject to life and engage students in a way that a picture can not. A topic can be introduced with a video that will help grab the student’s attention from the beginning. It is also a useful way to build vocabulary comprehension, providing a list of keywords to listen out to during the video can be a good introduction. YouTube is a great resource of free video covering every topic imaginable. So get creating and start thinking visually!
-
Online games
All younger learners love games. They can be an essential part of teaching English to really engage students and make lessons fun. Adult learners like games to, but make sure they are appropriate to the students level and do not come across as patronising.
Luckily there are 100’s on online games that can make teaching English more fun. https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/ provide a range of games that you can use in the classroom or for one to one lessons. If you have a projector then it can be a good idea to project your laptop onto a white board to make the game accessible to all. http://www.eslgamesplus.com/ is another good site aimed more for younger learners.
-
Social media
It’s no secret that social media will be popular among your students, instead of banning students using it in the lesson, it can be encouraged. Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp can all be used to stay in contact with a group, posting homework and discussion topics and encouraging students to share with each other between the lessons to build relationships and learning.
-
Blogging
Having a teaching blog accessible for your students is a great way of building a dialogue. By updating your blog after each lesson with related topics, students can use it as a way of consolidating what they have learnt in a lesson. Encourage students to comment on your blog so that they are contributing and giving you useful access to feedback. Blogging also lets you develop themes, maybe posting links to videos and articles the students can locate for further learning.
-
Podcasts
Podcasts can be a great way to encourage passive learning techniques. Students can become hooked on a really interesting podcast and find it easy to pick up vocabulary. Also many ESL podcasts provide a written dialogue to follow along with. Try making a podcast topic part of your lesson, encourage students to listen for homework and then incorporate the topic into a classroom discussion.
Here are 5 great Podcasts for learning English
The English We Speak
All Ears English
Listen to English
6-Minute Grammar
ESL Pod
English lessons by Skype
