30 Ways to be an Excellent ESL/EFL Teacher

  1. Do preliminary testing if possible in order to group students by language level.
  2. Identify your students’ language goals and vocabulary requirements.
  3. Choose your textbooks and resources carefully.
  4. Bring enthusiasm for learning English to the classroom.
  5. Establish your authority in the classroom from the beginning.
  6. Learn your students’ names, and take an active interest in getting to know each student.
  7. Always be culturally sensitive and aware, and show appreciation for the students’ native language.
  8. Don’t be bound by the textbook, rather use supplemental materials as needed.
  9. Prepare a lesson plan for each class, but be flexible and change focus in class as needed.
  10. Explain what you are teaching, and explain why the topic/activity is helpful.
  11. Make your instructions short and clear for each activity.
  12. Speak clearly and with sufficient volume … speak slower as needed, but not too slow.
  13. Don’t talk too much – limit Teacher Talk Time (TTT) to about 50%, depending on the activity.
  14. Respect both “slow” and “fast” learners, and teach to their language level while motivating each student to reach higher.
  15. Don’t try to force change on a student – allow them to be who they are, to use their own learning style.
  16. Motivate your students with variety … turn some activities into games or competition.
  17. Don’t overcorrect.
  18. Allow time for spontaneous communication.
  19. Be an encourager, and use humor to liven up the class.
  20. Stay calm, and don’t exceed their own desire to learn … practice engaged detachment.
  21. Be attentive to each student, and don’t show favoritism toward specific students.
  22. Circulate among all the students.
  23. Be fair and realistic in testing … and give each student honest assessments of their progress.
  24. Develop the 4 language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing … teach these skills in equal measure if possible.
  25. Become a grammar expert, and develop their grammatical abilities in each of the 4 language skills.
  26. A large vocabulary never hurt any language student … the more words they know, the better.
  27. Be reflective on how well a class went, on how well a term went … prepare future changes as necessary.
  28. Keep it light, and be willing to laugh at yourself.
  29. Be dedicated to always improving as a teacher.
  30. Trust that you are an excellent and dedicated ESL/EFL teacher … and trust that the Universe is working through you.