It can be a minefield out there for a teacher in the ESL classroom! That lesson plan that seemed so brilliant the night before turns out to be on a parr with watching paint dry as far as your students are concerned. Or perhaps worse, you run out of things to do and you still have twenty minutes to go. Luckily, if you are prepared and you have a few simple but effective ideas up your sleeve, you will maintain control of your ESL classroom and keep the atmosphere fun and exciting. Doing a little advance work and choosing to integrate games into the curriculum can make your job easier, and keep your students motivated.

Planning ahead to avoid problems

Any one who has ever taught a class will tell you that prep work makes all the difference. Getting to know your textbook, keeping an organized file of ESL games, having a few activities ready to go at the start of class; all of these are ways to make your classroom run more smoothly. Always be on the lookout for more things you can implement to make your lessons interesting!

Always have a backup plan. Sometimes weather may intervene causing many students to be late, or you may finish early and need to fill an extra ten minutes before class lets out. Having a couple of 'mini-lessons' ready to go may save your skin! Keep a list of 'weak points' that the students need to drill on and have worksheets ready in a folder, or pair up in teams for a quick language game.

If the worst happens, and an activity you have planned falls flat with your students, the whole lesson will hinge on your handling of the situation. If you have gotten ahead of your class on a skill, back up and review the language point before moving forward. If they have mastered the skill, but do not understand the activity, step in and lend a demonstrative hand. If they simply are uninterested it may be because they do not see the point of the exercise. Explaining its relevance to the lesson at hand can usually break through a reluctant students reserve and they will be willing to participate.

Finding the best materials for your class

Many ESL textbooks are undeniably boring. Alternative teaching methods have proven to be quite effective, and you should not be afraid to make up a great deal of your classroom material yourself. You can take each basic idea from a textbook, and build a captivating lesson plan around it. There is no need for a lot of expensive materials; pencils, paper and cardstock offer endless possibilities. There are even books and websites devoted exclusively to ESL learning where you can browse for ideas to fit your needs.

Ask other teachers, in person or online, what they have to offer in the way of creative lesson plans. They may come up with something you would never have thought of! Most educators are more than happy to share their expertise.

Understanding your ESL students

If your students seem bored or unmotivated, sometimes it's not you. Take time to spend a few minutes with each student to find out what their individual goals and motivations are. Once you have an idea of what they want to achieve, you can insert new activities to directly address their goals. Getting everyone out of their seat for a more physical game can break up the monotony and shake off the boredom.

If many members of your class depend on public transportation or have unreliable work schedules, you may need to prepare for stragglers to come in after class has started. You can keep them from feeling lost by planning a simple activity to start the class off - pair the students up and switch partners every few minutes so latecomers will have someone to 'catch them up'. Have a brief overview of your lesson plan with worksheets attached in case any students miss a class altogether; they will appreciate your effort to keep them abreast of the class.

If you have a problem with students from similar backgrounds who insist on carrying on private conversations in their native tongue, try assigning partners and make a point of putting them with someone who doesn't speak their language. If the problem persists, kindly but firmly explain that they are making it difficult for the rest of the class to learn. Make sure they know that you will make time available for them to ask questions later if they do not have the skills yet to make themselves understood in English.

Finally, if you are dealing with refugees or survivors of war or persecution, recognize that games which rely on personal information may be too painful for them to participate in. In these cases, simple trivia and grammar games are more appropriate to help keep the classroom atmosphere light-hearted. The principal or head teacher will be able to hook you up with a counselor or social worker in the event that a student becomes upset during class.

If you do your prep work, then 99% of the time your class should run like clockwork. As for the remaining 1% - keep a level head and you should be able to handle anything that comes your way!

About the author: Shelley Vernon, conscious of the vital role teachers can play in the lives of their pupils, promotes learning through encouragement and games.

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