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Kenneth's ESL Blog

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide to ESL since 1997

Documentary Focusing on ESL - Inspiring!

Thursday December 4, 2008
Here is a wonderfully inspiring documentary on Dallas' largest adult ESL-only program with 550 students. The program is taught by volunteers and is having a very positive effect on people's life. One of the volunteer teachers, Barbara Johnson, comments:

It kind of gets me out of my north Dallas bubble. I come over here and sometimes feel that I don't have time. Every time I leave, I feel like that was the greatest part of my week.

I can't think of a more appropriate comment about the joy of teaching ESL. Congratulations to the Vickery Meadow Learning Center on their great work!

For those interested in volunteering to teach English, here is a guide to teaching ESL for non-professionals:

The Basics
Creating Your Lessons

You might also find the section on teaching "absolute beginners" helpful for those first few lessons.

Comments

December 12, 2008 at 12:59 pm
(1) Cadet Nixon says:

You have a great help to me and you have earned my vote. Keep up the great work!

December 13, 2008 at 1:12 pm
(2) Muhyadin says:

woow good break!you got my vote not now but from the time I began the enrollment up to this time.its not just an approxmation but its we say “you deserve to be voted as one of the precious instructors in this world or I say the frist one”.Thanks Mr keanthe for you covering the holes in which the non-native speaker need to know when learning this accent(english accent).

expecting this year and and the rest of the days you experience in teaching will do grow longer and longer deep into our heart and mind.

Muhyadin haji omar abdi.

December 16, 2008 at 8:14 am
(3) Chaya says:

I teach numbers right from the first lesson before they can even read. I use the ‘finger flash’ method, first teaching the first five numbers – and then doing a dictation (3 – 1 – 5 – 2 -4). Then the next five – and a dictation. Then all ten numbers as a dictation.

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