Discover your Learner's Learning Style and Promote their Success in Learning

Different people learn differently. How to recognize your learner's learning styles and take advantage of them. Here are some tips

Quizlet: More About Customizable Flashcards

Quizlet, the online flashcard resource, is a simple but effective way to help your learners understand a variety of terms and concepts that he or she may be unfamiliar with. Learn how to use the site and create a fully customizable set of cards in minutes.

Teaching Noun and Verb Agreement: Part II (Grammar Grids)

How to take advantage of a learner's narrative to capture grammar mistakes and correct them.Here's an example that relates to noun and verb agreement and how to correct mistakes with a grammar grid.  

What Can a Poem Created by Your Learner Tell You?

Can your learner move beyond a regular response in LEA approach and create a poem?Can this poem tell about your learner's past life and future anticipations? Yes, it can! You'll be able to inspire your learner to write it. Here are some tips.

Using Public Transportation: Help Your Learner Become Familiar Using Customized Flashcards

Public transportation (known as "the T" in Boston) is one of the best ways to get around the city and surrounding areas. Using flashcards from Quizlet, you can effectively teach your learner about the T's lines and destinations.

What Can a Simple Video of a Kitchen Reveal About Three Young Russian Women Living in the US?

A good video shoot by your learner will allow you to find out a lot about their life, their values and their experiences. Here are tips on how to teach your learner to shoot a good video of their home.

Funds of Knowledge: How to Make Tutoring Sessions Meaningful to Learners by Drawing Upon What they Already Know

All learners have unique knowledge and skills called funds of knowledge. How can you discover your learner's funds of knowledge and make your tutoring sessions even more meaningful? Here are some tips.

Speak Up! Use Intonation to Teach Punctuation

A useful activity for teaching the use of periods and question marks

Why It's Important to Use One Type of Font Consistently

When you're typing something - a worksheet, an LEA transcript - somebody is bound to read it, and when that somebody is an ESL learner, you want your text to be as easy as possible to read. One area that can confuse learners are fonts. In this post, we'll discuss the differences between fonts and why it's important to use one type consistently.

Language Experience Approach in Action

We recommend using the Language Experience Approach (LEA) as an effective way to immediately address a learner's Language needs. LEA was recently used by Sandra LaPerche, one of our tutors, to identify her learner Yan's specific language strengths and weaknesses.

Font Frustration: Why Learning the Alphabet Can Be More Difficult Than You Think

How can the font you choose for your teaching materials affect your learner's progress? Font choice can make all the difference for learners whose native languages aren't written with the Roman alphabet.  

Mapbox: Create Your Own Story Maps

A story map is a useful tool that allows you to create a localized map containing information relevant to your learner's interests and everyday destinations. Mapbox is a free, easy-to-use platform for making story maps; it's a good resource to use especially if your learner is new to the area. This post will provide a brief overview of Mapbox, how to use it, and a sample map.

How to use the LEA Method to Teach Learners about For-Profit Schools and Possible Undesirable Consequences of a For-Profit Education

How to help your learner understand the disadvantages of for-profit schools, and how to avoid the undesirable consequences of the education to be got there: high debt loan, financial insecurity, low quality education.

Dyslexia, Part 2: What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach and How Can I Use It?

Dyslexia provides a complex challenge for both learners and tutors alike, but there are several techniques you can use when teaching people with the disorder. You'll have to adapt them to your learner's learning style, but here are some basics to use as a starting point.

Dialogue Journals: How to Assess Errors and How to Deepen A Conversation

Dialogue Journals can provide valuable information to you about your learner's skills as well as the nature of your learner's errors. Here are tips on how to use dialogue journals to do both.

What Makes the Dialogue Journal an Efficient Teaching Tool in Comparison with other Types of Writing

A dialogue journal is an efficient tool for developing your learner's writing skills. However, there are other advantages of dialogue journals such as your learner's involvement in authentic communication with you, the expression of thoughts with ease and in a relaxed way, the provision of a unique feedback about learners'  writing, and an opportunity  to accumulate thoughts, ideas, and writing achievements.

Dyslexia, Part 1

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that causes learners to have trouble with text. Reading and writing are extremely difficult, and the problem only gets worse when learning English as a second language. In this post, you'll gain a  basic understanding of dyslexia.

Dialogue Journals are not just a Tool for Communication, but an Effective Way of Teaching Writing

A dialogue journal can provide valuable information for you about your learner's writing skills as well as the nature of your learner's writing errors. Here are tips on how to create a dialogue journal.

How to use Cloze Tests to Determine Whether your Learner Can Handle a Reading Assignment

How to use the classic cloze test to assess the appropriateness of a reading text for learners. Also, tips on how to create cloze tests from reading texts, and how to analyze what the tests reveal about your learner's ability to understand what they are about to read.  

Learner Reading: is Your Learner at the Instructional Level, the Frustration Level or the Independent Level? Use a Cloze Exercise to Find out!

Readers generally fall into one of three levels: Instructional Level readers, Frustration Level readers, and Independent Level readers. Read more about what the terms mean, and how to assess what level your learner is at is by way of a method known as a cloze.

Is Your Learner Learning English or Acquiring It?

Your learners may be learning English, but are they really acquiring the language? This brief explanation of the differences may help shape your tutoring approach.

How to Use LEA Transcript to Teach Learner About U.S. Conventions of Reporting Crime in Case of a House Break-In

How can you help your learner better understand community safety topics like theft reports, apartment insurance, insurance claims, and where to find the nearest police station and hospital? Here are a few tips.

How to use a LEA transcript to teach topics such as public safety, commuting, and crime

How a tutor can help his learner  understand more about his new community. Here are some tips related to topics like how safe a city is, how to commute, and how to react to crimes.

Where to Practice Speaking English (and Visit!) - The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem

A great place for your learner to practice their spoken English (and visit a new place as well) is at one of the conversation circles held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. 

Using the LEA Method to Teach More than Grammar

The LEA method helps you capture more than just a learner's grammar strengths and weaknesses. LEA transcripts also yield teaching hints for topics that extend far beyond language. 

Improving Your Learner's Handwriting

Helpful writing exercises to improve your learner's handwriting

Show and Tell: Not Just For Kids

Get to know your learner through a Show and Tell-like activity that also builds up your learner's speaking skills

Using LEAs (Language Experience Activities) to Teach Capitalization

Helpful tips on using LEA to teach capitalization
 

Picture-associated Language Learning: Part 2

A simple way to adapt the Laubach method to your learner's specific vocabulary needs.

What Your Learner Can Articulate Verbally: An Assessment Tool

A helpful resource for assessing your learner's speaking ability.

Picture-associated Language Learning: Part 1

The Laubach Method: A visual way to teach vocabulary.

American Body Language: Personal Space and Gestures

More advice to pass along to your learner about American social norms.

American Body Language: Helping Your Learner Make a Good First Impression

Some practical advice to help your learner better understand U.S. conventions around body language.

Introducing New Sounds and Letters to Your Learner

Use a classic elementary school method to teach reading to your learner: the Wilson Reading System. 

Paolo Freire: A Brief History of the LEA

Have you ever wondered about the history of the language experience approach (LEA), the teaching method that we advocate as most effective for our learners? 

How to Sell Literacy to the Skeptical Student

What do you do if your learner has low literacy and seems reluctant to learn how to read and write? 
Here are some tips to help you make literacy attractive and valid.

Learning to Identify Emergent Readers

Did you know that many learners are best referred to as emergent readers? 

An emergent reader is illiterate, yet comes to language learning with a vast skillset. Find out how to identify an emergent reader and employ teaching strategies that best meet their needs. 

Recording Dialogues: A Fun Pronunciation Activity!

Pronunciation can be tricky! Here's one activity to help your learner practice their English pronunciation skills.

Using Cuisenaire Rods to Improve Student Pronunciation and Grammar

Here’s a fun activity to help your learner with pronunciation and grammar using Cuisenaire Rods to help them visualize and correct their errors. 

Using Visual Thinking Strategies with English Language Learners

How looking at art can help your learner develop their language skills. 

Kazoo Who? Musical Methods of Teaching Pitch and Intonation

How can playing a musical instrument help your student learn English?

Total Physical Response: Teaching Through Action

How do you explain the meaning of verbs to learners who understand little or no English? Sometimes your body can be your best teaching tool.

The Benefits of Mistakes

The best ways to help your students correct their pronunciation mistakes and why those mistakes are useful for you. 

Teaching Reductions: Why We "Gotta" and Why We "Hafta"

American English is really two different languages. There's the formal, grammatically correct English that we read and write, and there's the slurred and informal English we speak. 

VTS with English Language Learners Online Forum to Be Held in April

Want to learn more about using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) with English language learners? Sign up for the VTS with English Language Learners Roundtable in April. 

Introducing the New English at Large Blog!

Looking for new lesson plan ideas? Want to learn what other tutors are doing with their learners? Curious to try some new teaching techniques? 

Check out English at Large's new blog for the latest ESOL news and resources.