That Every Teacher Should Try
By Geralde Vincent-Bancroft
Teaching English comes with its challenges. Keeping students engaged, breaking down language barriers, and meeting varied learning needs can push even the most talented educators to think outside the box.
Whether you’re an ESL teacher, TEFL professional, or language enthusiast, innovative strategies can transform your classroom and ignite your students’ love for the language.
Here, we’ll explore fresh, creative methods to enhance your teaching, all while keeping classes fun, interactive, and effective.
1. Gamify Your Classroom to Boost Engagement
Who doesn’t love a good game? Gamification is an excellent way to make language learning exciting and interactive. By incorporating elements of play, students are more likely to stay motivated and retain information.
Examples of Language Games:
- Word Jambo: Create a word scavenger hunt where students find vocabulary hidden around the classroom or online.
- Grammar Bingo: Put grammar rules or vocabulary on a Bingo card. Call out definitions, and have students match them with the right word.
- Roleplay Challenges: Divide students into small groups to act out real-life scenarios like ordering at a restaurant or asking for directions.
Why it works: Games break monotony, encourage competition, and push students to practice English in a low-pressure environment.
Pro Tip: Tailor your games to your students’ language levels to ensure they feel challenged—but not overwhelmed.
2. Use Real-Life Materials for Authentic Learning
Bring the real world into your classroom! While textbooks are great for structure, real-life materials like menus, travel itineraries, newspapers, or YouTube videos expose students to the language as it’s used in daily life.
Ideas for Real-Life Integration:
- Menus: Teach common phrases or vocabulary around ordering food. End the lesson with roleplay.
- Newspapers or Online Articles: Challenge advanced students to summarize headlines or discuss current events.
- YouTube: Language-based vlogs, TED Talks, or cooking tutorials can teach vocabulary, listening, and comprehension.
Why it works: These tools provide learners with practical language skills they can immediately apply in real-world scenarios.
3. Storytelling and Digital Story Creation
Storytelling isn’t just for kids! Ask students to create digital stories using tools like Canva or storyboarding apps. This approach fosters creativity, improves writing, and develops speaking confidence.
How to Incorporate Storytelling:
- Start with prompts like, “Tell me about your dream vacation” or “Imagine you time-travel to 2050.”
- Allow students a mix of individual and collaborative storytelling exercises.
- For shy students, digital tools provide a high-tech, low-stress avenue to express themselves.
Why it works: Stories engage the imagination, link language concepts with real meaning, and help students practice key language structures creatively.
Personal Note: I once asked my learners to create alternate endings for popular fairy tales. The enthusiasm in the classroom was palpable, and students surprised me with their clever, imaginative twists!
4. Flip the Classroom
The flipped classroom method empowers students to take control of their learning by encountering new concepts at home and focusing on practice during class time.
How to Implement Flipping:
- Share videos, podcasts, or reading assignments with students before class. For instance, use a short grammar explainer video on the past tense.
- Classwork can then focus on activities like group discussions, role playing, or peer reviews to apply what they’ve learned.
Why it works: Flipping allows students to progress at their own pace and turns classroom time into an interactive, practice-focused session.
Pro Tip: Platforms like Kahoot or Google Classroom make it easy to share materials and track their progress.
5. Leverage Technology in Creative Ways
Modern tech tools can transform your teaching. Gone are the days of relying on PowerPoints alone when you now have an entire universe of apps and online tools designed specifically for language learning.
Must-Try Tools:
- Duolingo: Use its exercises to reinforce lessons on vocabulary or grammar.
- Kahoot: Create interactive quizzes to monitor student comprehension.
- Padlet: Encourage collaborative learning by sharing resources or ideas in real-time.
- Zoom Games: If teaching online, use activities like word drawing or virtual scavenger hunts for engagement.
Why it works: Technology allows for personalization, adaptability, and connectivity in ways no traditional classroom could before.
Pro Tip: Introduce tech gradually, ensuring students aren’t overwhelmed by too many tools at once.
6. Focus on Cultural Immersion
Language and culture go hand-in-hand. Help learners truly connect with English by introducing them to the cultures it represents. This creates excitement and opens the door for discussions beyond grammar or vocabulary.
Activities for Cultural Immersion:
- Host a “culture day” with English-speaking country themes. Think UK teatime or a 4th of July mock celebration.
- Encourage students to watch popular English shows or movies and discuss themes.
- Teach idiomatic expressions or slang like, “It’s raining cats and dogs” or “Break a leg.”
Why it works: Combining language with culture adds color, context, and authenticity to lessons, making language feel alive.
Personal Anecdote: One of my favorite lessons was hosting a potluck where students brought dishes from English-speaking countries. They presented their dishes and explained the history in English. It wasn’t just fun, but also unforgettable for the students!
7. Make Writing Fun with ‘Free Writes’
Many students dread formal writing tasks, so why not shake things up? Introduce “free writing,” where students are encouraged to write for 10–15 minutes without worrying about grammar or structure.
Topics to Explore:
- “If I woke up as the Prime Minister…”
- “The recipe for my favorite meal”
- “My happiest childhood memory”
Pair this with peer editing for deeper engagement. Students can highlight strengths in each other’s work and learn collaboratively.
Why it works: Free writing encourages confidence, creativity, and flow while taking away the pressure of perfection.
8. Encourage Peer-Based Learning
Sometimes the best lessons don’t come from teachers—but from peers! Pair your students into buddy systems or encourage group work for collaborative language practice.
Ideas for Peer Learning:
- Have students quiz each other with flashcards or questions during vocabulary revision.
- Create group debates on lighthearted topics like “Which is better: Tea or Coffee?”
- Peer-to-peer correction activities where partners check each other’s grammar or pronunciation.
Why it works: Peer learning fosters collaboration, shared responsibility, and an improved sense of community.
9. Create Personalized Learning
Every learner has their own strengths, weaknesses, and pace of learning. Personalization is key to ensuring no one gets left behind.
How to Personalize Lessons:
- Conduct a survey at the beginning of your course to understand student goals.
- Assign homework related to each student’s interests (e.g., sports vocabulary if they love soccer).
- Offer one-on-one check-ins to help learners overcome specific struggles.
Why it works: Students feel valued and engaged when lessons are tailored to their personal aspirations.
The Takeaway
Innovative teaching strategies can truly transform the language-learning experience, not just for your students, but for you as a teacher. Whether you’re bringing games into the classroom, flipping lessons, or leveraging technology, these strategies ensure your lessons are vibrant, effective, and unforgettable.
Ready to put these ideas into action? Begin by introducing just one or two strategies, and build from there. Soon enough, you’ll create an environment where your students thrive, and your passion for teaching soars higher than ever.
What are your go-to teaching hacks? Share them in the comments below—I’d love to hear what’s working in your classrooms! 😊