Woodson, Oregon TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Learning new language is the core of English Language Learning. In this unit, I learned techniques in teaching new language to learners. This includes teaching vocabulary, introducing grammatical structures, and teaching language functions. To learn new language, students are encouraged to be exposed to it, understand its meaning and its construction, and be given enough opportunity for practice and production. As a teacher, I am a valuable resource in giving lots of exposure to students since they learn from being surrounded by the language. I can provide them with lessons that would discuss the meaning of the language as well as its formal features like pronunciation and its grammatical structures. Since this is my first time to encounter the ESA approach, I learned a great deal from the “Typical ESA lesson” presented in this unit. As stated in the handout, a “straight arrow” ESA approach is advisable in grammar or vocabulary lessons while “boomerang” or “patchwork” ESA structures are commonly used in functions-based lessons. In presenting vocabulary, it is important to choose vocabulary that is appropriate to the students and the task, and that is used regularly by the students. In introducing grammatical structures, it helps to teach the language’s meaning, use, forms and patterns and the spoken and written form. There are a lot of considerations in teaching new vocabulary. This unit gave me a way to think about the techniques that are most appropriate for the students.