5 Best Resources For EFL Teachers

01 June 2021 Guest posts

Quality resources will help you to produce better learning outcomes. Whether you are teaching online or in a physical class, the resources you use can help you to put together an engaging and exciting lesson that makes learning easier for your students.

The internet and physical libraries have endless resources that can support your teaching. So, with top quality resources at your disposal, even the laziest students won’t go online googling “can someone write my dissertation?” - instead, they’ll be motivated to write it on their own. However, there are also so many resources that it can be difficult to know where to start!

So, here are the top 5 resources for teachers offering English as a Foreign/Second Language.

Busuu

The platform provides the most interactive English lessons. Beyond English, the platform offers training in other languages. The resources are prepared in more than 10 other languages. Such intense preparation gives you ideas on how to structure your lessons and resource materials, especially for virtual learning.

Busuu is huge on the audio-visual combination. The learning materials are presented in sound, image, and video formats. All the voiceovers are done by native English speakers. The use of native English speakers ensures that the students will get the actual pronunciation and intonation.

Busuu is available as an app on iOS and Android. The app has more than 3,000 words with all their dimensions explained. The platform provides more than 150 daily lessons that are structured to cater to the needs of learners at different comprehension levels. If you are a teacher, you can pick or recommend these lessons to make learning easier for your class. The exciting English quizzes and challenges on the platform make learning even easier.

Busy Teacher

Call it a library of all the materials you need to produce the best EFL graduates. The platform offers the best classroom posters, downloadable e-books, and informative educational posters. You also get more than 10,000 printable worksheets on different aspects of the English language.

The resources go beyond what you offer to your learners. A special category is created to assist teachers to deliver the best lessons. You will get practical tips on teaching English as a second or foreign language. The tips also include innovative ways to coach grammar.

The innovative content on Busy Teacher makes the platform even more attractive. There are seasonal lessons or content that contextualize the sessions. It will make it easier for your students to relate to the content they are learning.

Busy teacher also comes with numerous games, all geared towards making learning fun. There are daily warmers, puzzles, and games that simplify English. The simple and fun approach to learning makes Busy Teacher the place to go for EFL teachers.

ESL Video

ESL has taken an innovative approach to learn English. It takes advantage of the fact that students are already handling videos in their daily activities. The teacher will pick an exercise online from where he will create a learning video.

The teacher creates quizzes based on the content of the video. The approach makes English an ordinary part of the life of a student. Students do not feel as though they are learning foreign ideas or dealing with abstract ideas. The exercise can be completed over the phone. The idea is to allow students to learn anywhere and at any time.

Materials on the platform are ranked based on the level of mastery. Such ranking protects students from ending up with quizzes or content beyond their scope. It is free to register to the website and run an account.

TEFL Net

TEFL Net prepares its resources in British English. Your students will, therefore, be learning from the pioneers of the language. Still, it has a lot of materials for teachers following US English. 

Some of the resources you get from the platform include downloadable lesson plans, worksheet generators, and all the information you need about TEFL qualification. There is a community of teachers where intense discussions about language and learning take place. If you are looking for a place to polish your EFL career profile, this is the place to go.

Fun English Games

The philosophy behind Fun English Games is that the language will be easier if the learning approach changes. Fun English games uses interesting games to teach English. For a teacher, it gives you ideas you can use to test whether your students have understood. The website has all types of games including printable puzzles, jokes, tongue twisters, and healthy videos on specific topics. The resources are practical, making it easier to apply the lessons learned in class.

The resources are specific to the variety of concepts you need to learn in English. For instance, there are games on grammar, pronunciation, punctuation, and history, among others. Language on Fun English Games feels like playtime yet comes with extremely crucial lessons.

Resources at Fun English Games are clustered for different ages and mastery levels. There are games for kids and adults. Others are rated beginner, intermediate, and expert level. The games also offer the opportunity to play as a team, with opponents, or against the computer. It means that you can play anytime without having to wait for your teacher or peers.

Fun English Games is available as an app. The app allows you to keep learning even while traveling. Further, the app has integrated AI that detects your areas of weakness and uses the data to suggest new games that will help you out. Learning English as a foreign language can never be any easier.

The best EFL resources are free. They help the teacher to master his area and the students to revise the content taught in class. With these resources, you will graduate the most brilliant class on- and offline.

Author’s Bio:

Cathy Abbot is a former teacher and currently a passionate freelance writer at Thesis Helpers. She loves traveling with her kids and reading Jane Austen, but in the evening you'll most likely find her watching The Crown on Netflix.