Dear EAL Professionals,

We hope you all had a great summer full of positive events and memories. It has been a busy two months for English Online. As a result, we have several announcements to make. 

News:

• English Online Webinars 2012 – 2013 are on the way! According to the survey results, the majority of the EAL community has chosen Saturday morning (10 a.m.-12 p.m.) as the most convenient time to attend a webinar. We are hosting our first monthly webinar on September 29, 2012. So mark your calendars! Read more here.
  
  
• Professional Development section has been added to Resources page: webinar recordings, educational resources, video tutorials on WEB 2.0 tools, training videos and much more. Click here

Theme: Starting Fresh. New Term, New Class

In your teaching practice…

The summer is over and you may feel a little nervous about the upcoming term. There are many things to consider when preparing for your first day of class. As many EAL/ESL educators agree, there are three important objectives that you should aim to achieve during your first lesson:

• Create a positive and encouraging environment. Remember that your new students are also nervous before their first English class because they may be unsure of what to expect or even afraid of failing their first assignment. Therefore, make it all about getting to know each other better and establishing supportive learning environment in your classroom.
  
  
  1. Promoting Positive Attitudes in ESL/EFL Classes
  2. 5 Tips to Create Positive Vibes in Your ESL Classroom
     
     
• Assess Learners needs to give yourself an opportunity to understand your students’ strengths and weaknesses, their interests and differences. This will help you decide on what materials, activities and assessment tools to use in your lessons and how to group your students effectively (based on their language needs) to maximize the learning outcomes.
  
  
  1. Literacy Learner Needs Assessment
  2. Types of Assessment Tools and Sample Needs Assessments
  3. What Are Your Student’s Language Needs?
     
     
• Discuss your learners’ goals for the course. Your students' goals are very powerful. Nothing motivates your adult learners better than a sense of achievement. On the first day ask the students what they want to learn from your class. Encourage them to record their personal goals for this class/course in their learning journals and discuss what steps they need to take to achieve them. Check back with your learners regularly to see how they are working toward their goals. More ideas (Discussing Course Objectives Activity)
  
  
  1. How to Set Goals for ESL (English as a Second Language) Classes
  2. Adult Learner Goals Toolkit
  3. Learner Goal Setting

In your classroom….

The first days of your class are the most important for establishing the right kind of atmosphere in your classroom. We hope that the resources listed below will help you get to know your students as well as let them get to know you and each other and create a comfortable and positive atmosphere in your classroom.

• Games and icebreakers for ESL classroom from Eslflow.com
• Activities to do the First Week
• First Day (or First Week) Activities, Icebreakers, or Introductory Activities for ESL Classes
• Awesome ESL Resources from Canada-ESL.com
• What You Can Do With a Magazine: 10 Creative ESL Speaking Activities
• What You Can Do With Photos: 10 Creative ESL Games/Activities 

Have a great start!

If I were starting out
MB content on Tutela.ca -tips and suggestions for new teachers on effective lesson planning, classroom management and student evaluation

Adult Education ESL Teachers Guide
a guide for the ESL teachers who are starting their teaching career 

Planning Effective Lessons for Language Teaching and Learning
a set of activities to help the beginning teacher plan clear, logically sequenced lessons.

TESL Canada’s eMagazine for ESL Teachers
features great articles about the latest developments in the EAL field,  culture shock, teaching punctuation and pronunciation and much more

ESL Classroom and Cultural Sensitivity

41 Helpful Tips For ESL Teachers