Learning path
ESL Teaching Methodology for New Teachers
Starting to tutor or teach English? Work through the modules in order, or jump to what you need this week. Every guide is short, practical and free. Tick it off when you've read it.
7 modules · 32 guides · about 84 minutes of reading
0 of 32 read
Your ticks are saved on this device only. No account needed.
Module 1
Start here
0 of 3 read
Your first student is booked. Read these before you meet them.
First lesson with a new student: a full plan
A minute-by-minute plan for lesson one with any age, online or in person.
5 min readNew guide
The first lesson with a new kid student: plan + games
If your first student is a child: the same lesson, with games ready to play.
3 min read
The first 60 seconds: a script for lessons that start themselves
What to say in the first sixty seconds so the lesson starts itself.
1 min read
Module 2
Planning lessons
0 of 6 read
From one clear aim to a timed plan, and the moments that hold a lesson together.
PPP, TTT and ESA: lesson structures explained
The three lesson shapes every course mentions, with outlines you can borrow.
6 min readNew guide
How to plan a 45- or 60-minute lesson
Step-by-step planning and a template you can reuse for every lesson.
4 min readNew guide
The first 5 minutes: how to start a lesson so kids settle
A calm, repeatable opening — the stage that sets the tone for the rest.
2 min read
Transitions: the 30 seconds where lessons are won or lost
Plans fall apart between activities. How to move from one to the next.
2 min read
The last three minutes: ending rituals kids look forward to
The last three minutes, planned — so the lesson ends instead of just stopping.
1 min read
How many new words per lesson? Fewer than you think
Realistic targets for new words, so your aims fit the time you have.
2 min read
Tool: Lesson planner for kids' classes
- Coursebook companion — Teaching from a coursebook? Extra 45-minute lessons by unit theme.
Module 3
Classroom management
0 of 6 read
Calm comes from routines and signals, not from a louder voice.
Classroom management basics without shouting
The whole toolkit in one place: routines, signals, instructions, consequences.
4 min readNew guide
First week of English: routines that survive September
Five routines to teach in week one that keep working all year.
3 min read
10 attention getters kids actually respond to
Signals that gather a noisy room in seconds, and how to keep them working.
3 min read
Managing noise with games, not shushing
Turn volume into part of the game instead of fighting it.
1 min read
The reset button: rescuing a lesson that's fallen apart
For the day it goes wrong anyway: a 90-second reset.
2 min read
Points, teams and tears: using scoreboards without the dark side
Points and teams motivate — until they don't. Where the line is.
1 min read
Module 4
Teaching young learners
0 of 5 read
Children learn through movement, play and repetition. Plan around how they really are.
Attention spans by age: planning lessons around real children
How long children can focus at each age, and how to slice a lesson to fit.
3 min read
TPR for the smallest: 15 move-to-learn games for ages 3–6
Total Physical Response, the core method for pre-readers, in fifteen games.
2 min read
How to teach vocabulary to kids: the 4-step loop that works
A simple four-step loop for every new word: meet, say, play, use.
3 min read
How to get kids speaking English: lower the price of every sentence
Why children stay silent, and how to make speaking feel safe and worth it.
3 min read
Correcting kids' mistakes without killing the talk
When to correct, when to let it go, and five gentle ways to do it.
2 min read
Module 5
Teaching online
0 of 5 read
The screen changes timing, attention and how you check understanding.
The 25-minute online lesson: a structure that never fails
A five-block structure for short online lessons, timed to the minute.
1 min read
How to hold a child's attention through a whole online lesson
Keeping attention through a whole lesson when you can't walk over to the desk.
3 min read
The online teacher's tech setup: what matters, what's marketing
Camera, light and sound: what matters and what you can skip buying.
2 min read
When a child won't talk online: the silence toolkit
Shy, lost, bored or tired? Diagnose the silence first, then fix it.
2 min read
Homework kids actually do: 2-minute missions, not worksheets
Short practice between lessons that students actually complete.
2 min read
Module 6
Teens & adults
0 of 4 read
Older learners need relevance, respect and visible progress.
Teaching kids vs teens vs adults
What changes from children to teens to adults, and what stays the same.
4 min readNew guide
Magazine is not магазин: false friends for Russian speakers
Written for kids, but these Russian–English false friends trip up adults just as often.
2 min read
Embarazada is not embarrassed: false friends for Spanish speakers
Written for kids, but adults stumble over the same Spanish–English false friends.
2 min read
Turn any exercise into a game: 8 universal formats
Eight formats that turn a coursebook exercise into a game for any age group.
3 min read
- Reading texts — Graded A2–B2 texts with comprehension questions and worksheets.
- Listening practice, A2–B2 — A2–B2 listening lessons: gist, detail, dictation and transcript.
- Word lists — Practical vocabulary, A2–C1, with audio, practice and a worksheet.
Module 7
Assessment & levels
0 of 3 read
Know where a student is, check what has stuck, and decide what comes next.
CEFR levels explained for English teachers
What each level from Pre-A1 to C1 means in a real lesson, and how to place a student.
6 min readNew guide
Vocabulary review games: beating the forgetting curve, playfully
Spaced review as games: check what has stuck without a test.
2 min read
Is the child ready to read? Six signs that say yes (and three that say wait)
How to tell a child is ready to start reading in English.
2 min read