The English teachers voice

  The online classroom is an ideal place to teach visual learners because of the pictures, slides, and readings that occur with the computer screen interaction . Studies have shown that visual learners make up about 65% of the population and that 90% of our information is presented visually. I have found, though, that we can concentrate so much on the other learning styles , both auditory and kinesthetic , that we can easily forget to engage the visual learners during our classroom time. The most important thing we as teachers can do is to engage all three learning styles as we present information. We should always seek out new ways to appeal to our learners, no matter what their strengths are. In a previous article, I listed methods that can be used to engage the auditory learner in the online ESL classroom . I have compiled a list of creative ways to engage the visually discerning students in our virtual ESL classrooms . Teaching Strategies for Engaging Visual...

  A picture paints a thousand words, an expression that is no truer than it is in the English classroom. Visual aids are so perfect for the ESL classroom . When you present vocabulary using a visual aid, you are giving your students something that they can relate to. Later, when they try to recall the specific vocabulary, all they have to do is bring up the image in their mind, and in most case, the meaning and the context becomes clear to them. Visual aids also help you to present clearly and smoothly, with minimum or no complications. They also allow you to explain the meaning behind various vocabulary and structures without the need for complex explanations or by having to waste a lot of precious classroom time. Visual aids not only present the new vocabulary to your students, they also help to remind your students of the previous vocabulary that they have learned as their learning progresses. For example, if your students make an error with the specific grammar that they a...

  Seriously, who doesn't love watching television, especially your favorite shows or movies, with your favorite characters? Today with on-demand streaming services such as Netflix , Disney , Amazon Prime , HBO , etc, there are literally unlimited programs to choose from 24 hours a day. Whether you are watching the cast of Friends half-heartedly ribbing each other week after week in the coffee shop, Charlie taking the micky out of his brother Allan in Two and a Half Men , Silvester Stalone rescuing the good guys in The Expendables , or Morgan Freeman saving the world as the President of the United States , television captures both our attention and our imagination. How Does Watching English Television Improve Fluency? No matter what your level of English is, learning a second language as complex as English can seem daunting.  It is well known that our brains never forget a thing that they hear, see or experience meaning that when we watch television, our brains will absorb u...