from esl zero to hero

8/11/2019 From ESL Zero to Hero

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From ESL Zero to Hero: How to TeachAbsolute Beginners

In todays globalized world, most beginner ESL students have had some contact withthe English language, usually through the Internet, movies or TV.

They have most likely studied English at some point in their lives and abandoned their studies

they are often referred to as false beginners. But every now and then, we come across

an absolute beginner, someone who has had so little exposure to English, they cant even

handle the most basic greetings, verbs or vocabulary. hether you are teaching a complete

group of absolute beginners, or a few within a group of false beginners, here are some tis that

will hel your students go from ESL zeroes to heroes!

How To Teach Absolute Beginners

1"rioritize Learning #oals

$bsolute beginners have had so little e%osure to the English language, they

have absolutely nothing to build on.!aturally, youll start with the basics, but

consider what theyll need to know first. "oes it make sense to start with a list

of foodsin English# $r colorsor numbers# %robably not. hat they need to know first

is how to introduce themselves and greet others. The natural progression from there is

the use of the verb &to be' (I am from) He is from, etc*+. Then youll progress on
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to ossessives(my country, your name, his family+ and so on*#ive riority to the

language they will need first and foremost.

2&ont $ssume $nything

&ont ma'e assumtions about what your students 'now.ssume they know

nothing. -or example, to practice the verb to be, you ask them what nationalities they

are, only to find out they dont know how to say nationalities in English. (ountries and

nationalitiesshould be taught first, and then practiced with the verb &to be'. nd this

goes for a multitude of vocabulary and expressions. "ont assume a student will be

able to answer you if you ask, &How are you?' bsolute beginners wont know how to

reply, unless youve specifically taught them.

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(elebrate Small $chievements

$bsolute beginners will tell you they dont sea' English ) till the very end of thecourse.hat theyre thinking is that they dont speak English fluently, or like you, for

example. But make sure theyre aware of what they cando. f on the first day of class

theyve learned to greet each in English, end your lesson by celebrating this,

&Congratulations! You can now introduce yourself and greet each other in

English'. Ta'e the focus away from what they cant do and focus on what they

can do instead. This proves to be tremendously encouraging/

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*se Their Senses

$bsolute beginners may not have enough 'nowledge to understand

e%lanations, synonyms, definitions, i.e. anything you describe with

words.nstead, use their senses to maximi0e learning. The easiest to use with

beginners are visual aids like flashcards, but dont forget to include lenty of

gestures, as well as real life ob1ects. The use of realiawill allow you to utili0e several
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senses at the same time, and its often more engaging than two2dimensional pictures.

"ont forget to use things they can smell and taste, too/

5Show, &ont Tell

+ecause they havent been e%osed to the English language enough, try to

minimize their reading of dialogues and conversations, and act out the

situations, instead.3onsider this4 when you teach students to reply to a &How are

you?' do you have them read this short exchange first or 1ust act it out directly# $f

course, its a lot better to simply show them how to reply. This goes for most of the

expressions and functions they will have to learn.

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+uild on hat Theyve Learned +efore

It is essential for absolute beginners to review what theyve reviously learned,

and its a great idea to start each lesson with a brief review.But you can also re2use previously taught language points and introduce them into a new context. 5ay you

are now teaching your students how to as' for directions. 5tudent is walking down

the street with a friend, 5tudent B, when they run into 5tudent 3. introduces B to 3

(they review how to introduce someone+, and then 3 asks for directions.

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-ee It eal

/ust because students are absolute beginners, it doesnt mean they cant handle

real life situations.6ou should still teach in context, and provide as many examples of

real life situations and real props as you can. Even though real maps, brochuresor

catalogues are filled with vocabulary they wont understand, it is important to help your

absolute beginners deal with, precisely, these types of things. 5how them how to

pinpoint the information they may need like aphone number, addressor website. 7ake

sure they understand that it doesnt matter that they cant read the entire brochure, the

important thing is that they learn to obtain what they need from it.
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+y the time your absolute beginners finish their course, they will robably still not feelconfident enough to say they 0sea'1 English. Thats 2-. The idea of 0sea'ingEnglish1 is too vague in this conte%t.

Try providing them with some specific examples of what they can do now4 go shoingby

themselves, ask for assistance, order food in a restaurant, etc* sk them to remember what it

was like when they knew none of this. Tell them they are your heroes for learning so much and

overcoming their language barriers. They will feel like heroes, too/
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