Monica Said:

What are the best words to use in an ad for ESL students??

We Answered:

In my ads I use a simple, point-form list outlining my qualifications and teaching areas. It looks sort of like this:

~ Bachelor of Arts degree - English
~ Bachelor of Education degree - Language Arts & ESL
~ TESL Certificate
~ More than five thousand hours teaching experience

~ K-12 ESL Tutoring
~ Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation
~ General and Business English
~ Conversation classes available
~ University proofreading and editing services available

Contact Jetgirly at 555-5555 or jetgirly@5555555.com.

On the bottom I have strips that read "ESL Tutoring / Jetgirly / 555-5555 / jetgirly@5555555.com". I'm not lazy- I pre-cut the strips to make them easy to tear off, and I also tear off at least one from each poster before I hang it, to make it look like other people are interested in my services.

My posters are extremely simple but visually appealing, with a HUGE "headline" that reads, "ESL TUTORING". I hang them around the local post-secondary schools, and I also contacted my old K-12 schools (where I still have good relationships with the staff) and they put the ad in their newsletters for free. I target my posters to the bulletin boards at the university outside ESL classes or other classes popular with ESL students. I don't need to hang them in the English department, where everyone is white and English-speaking! I find the room numbers by checking the online course timetable.

Carolyn Said:

Why is english so difficult to speak but easy to write for ESL students?

We Answered:

I don't think it is. Speech comes before writing for most ESL students. Writing is usually the last piece obtained before exiting the program.

Paul Said:

who can give me an idea to write a short play for esl students?

We Answered:

Teach them baseball or Bowling. That will take them out of the classroom and they will have fun.

Anthony Said:

Are there any online ESL teachers to help foreign students write papers for US colleges?

We Answered:

As an ESL teacher I would recommend that your friend does not rely on someone else to help with his papers - the university that I work for regards this as plagerism. But I suppose he could try a local library as they sometimes have free conversation classes for foreign students. He should also talk to his teacher to find out where his problem areas are. good luck.

Gene Said:

What's the best method for improving an ESL student's writing ability?

We Answered:

Try word sorts- write phrase on cards "an orange," " a car," etc. and have the students separate them into piles and come up with a rule for each pile (ex: phrases that have an and then a word that starts with a vowel & phrases that have "a" and words that do not start with a vowel sound). Then have them make up new cards that match the rules. You can also develop extension activities- write sentences with the phrases, etc. Also, keep them writing as much as possible.