Introduction
As the world of online English teaching continues to grow, the number of teachers using online English teaching platforms grows with it. Maybe you’re one of them! If you’ve been around the world of online teaching (which is quite likely within the past several years), you have probably stumbled across a multitude of online teaching strategies and tips to help you in your online classroom.
But what about before the lesson? What about teaching aids and lesson planning resources for online English teachers? Well, you’re in luck. Whether you are just beginning on your teaching journey or are a veteran English teacher, there are many resources out there for you.
In fact, there are often so many results that it can seem overwhelming to find the perfect resources to fit your needs. The trick is narrowing down the choices from the thousands of search results and finding what resources are right for you. So, how can you do this? Here are some options!
Career vs. Side Hustle
The first step in finding the right resources for you is determining how serious you are about teaching online. Is it a fun side hustle that you only spend a couple of hours a week on? Or are you trying to turn it into a full-time job?
If your end goal is to make teaching English a full-time job, then consider looking into online TESOL or TEFL certification courses. There are also specialized English training courses such as business English or courses specifically designed to train online teachers. Certification is not always required for English teachers, especially if you are teaching English as a second language. However, if your ultimate goal is to make a career out of English teaching and it's something you’re serious about, then definitely look into certification. This provides you with additional knowledge and resources as well as boosts your credibility to potential employers.
If teaching English is more of a fun side job for you, then certification is certainly not necessary. There are a variety of platforms that you could teach from that do not require any certification, such as
Complete Lesson Plan vs. Teaching Aid
The second thing to consider when looking at English teacher resources is whether you want a complete lesson plan or just need some building blocks like a vocabulary list or grammar exercises to build your lesson around.
If you are looking for a complete lesson plan, there are a variety of both free and paid-for lesson plans that are readily available online.
Recommended options for free lesson plans include British Council and Study.com. These sites include free lesson plans at a variety of learning levels depending on your needs. There are many more options for both free and paid English teaching lesson plans online just a quick search away.
If you already have an idea of what you are teaching, but need the help of a teaching aid, there are several resources available.
Vocabulary
For making vocabulary lists and other vocabulary aids, helpful resources include Quizlet (free) and Vocabulary.com (both free and paid options). Both sites include vocabulary lists and offer ways to practice vocabulary.
Grammar
If you need to brush up on your grammar before teaching or just want examples of helpful approaches to teaching grammar to your students, then resources such as Learn English and GrammarBank can be quite helpful.
Pronunciation
If you need practice in helping your students with their pronunciation, familiarizing yourself with the International Phonetic Alphabet can be extremely helpful in terms of describing sounds to students. It can also be used by students to help them master pronunciation and therefore grow in their communication skills.
Conversation Starters
For lessons focusing on conversation practice, there are thousands of icebreaker questions and conversation starters online to help you get started. There are entire websites devoted to questions to ask other people, like Conversation Starters World.
Additional
In addition to resources mentioned above, there are a number of other types of resources that could be helpful when it comes to teaching English.
Platforms like Hilokal allow teachers to see and use other trainers' notebooks, making it easy to find a variety of lesson slides and study materials. You can also create your own notebooks or save other lessons to your private notebook for easy review.
Websites such as Project Gutenberg allow for free access to books and readings that are in the public domain and are great for using as reading practice with students.
Many universities have incredible grammar and writing resources on their websites. One that is particularly helpful is the Purdue OWL from the Purdue Writing Lab, which has help for general grammar, writing, and citations, as well as ESL specific help.
For students that want extra practice or if you yourself need a refresher when it comes to language art skills, there are free lessons on websites such as Khan Academy, as well as easy lessons in a variety of other subjects in the form of videos, making them easily accessible to both you and students.
For offline options, consider visiting your local library. Many local libraries provide access to a number of otherwise paid resources if you are member. If you do not have a local library, check with the libraries in your nearest city to see if they allow online access to resources for those who do not have a local branch.
Finding Community
Another thing to consider when looking for English teaching resources is getting plugged into a teaching community, be it online or in person. Belonging to a community with fellow teachers opens up an enormous new resource bank. These teachers are doing the same thing as you are and likely have advice on different resources, teaching aids, and lesson plans.
Online forums and teaching groups are but a click away on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and more! Some teaching platforms, such as Hilokal, come with built in community once you become a trainer, which allows you talk to other trainers and gives you access to other trainers’ public lesson lessons.
So, let's Recap
- Keep your English teaching end goal in mind. Is this a career or a side hustle?
- Know what kind of resource you’re looking for. Do you want a fully planned lesson or something more specific?
- Ask other teachers!
And finally, have fun! The English teaching resources mentioned here are only a small fraction of what is available to you. So, take some time to explore the resources that are out there. You will be a pro in no time!
