ESL teachers are always happy to find new ESL learning resources. There are many to choose from on websites that specialize in helping learners improve their understanding of the English language. The teacher who is attempting to make his or her class interesting and challenging are always on the lookout for new ways to make learning a great experience for their students.

Online esl learning resources
Teachers can use online ESL learning resources in many different ways. They can be used as a scheduled part of each day’s lesson plan so that students get online for a daily activity. One of these is a very helpful website that teaches students a new idiom each day. As ESL teachers and regular English teachers know, learning idioms and slang is difficult for students until they reach a certain age and a proficiency of basic English. The website provides a new word, its meaning, and a sentence using the word. Students are encouraged to use it in conversation three times during the day. It is also possible to find lesson plans and worksheets for students to use for practice at many websites specializing in ESL.

ESL software for classroom use
Schools can purchase a variety of software for use in the ESL classrooms. Some programs feature ESL learning resources with all of the language components that students need to learn. They include reading, writing, pronunciation, grammar, and conversation activities that can be done on a CD-ROM. If students meet in the media center of the school, each intermediate or older student can work independently on a computer. This enables to teacher to work as a facilitators who can individualize learning plans according to the needs of each student. The various companies who write the ESL curriculum try to make the material fun and interesting. Many computer-centered programs are supplemented by workbooks that can be used for practice after learning a new skill on the computer. The workbooks often contain lessons in comic book style. They have colored graphics that help the learner understand the language by associating the photo or picture with the words that coordinate with it. There are supplemental audio MP3’s that feature educational songs to help students remember important words in the language. Teacher assessment materials help the educator know whether or not a student has mastered each part of the program.

ESL learning resources geared toward eventual job placement
High school students and adults may benefit from special ESL learning resources that focus on job preparation. Even if the student plans to attend college or further his or her education after learning basic English, they can benefit from these business-focused programs. This is because the programs feature everyday language terms that every English speaker needs to know. Programs may include activities related to business communication as well as practical listening lessons on finding an apartment for rent, medical advice, or immigration and customs. Students can work in partnerships to work on contacting a prospective employer, mock interview questions and answers, and other skills that they will need when they are out in the world looking for employment. Some programs for adults are specifically geared towards the growing job market that many ESL learners hope to enter, such as hospitality, construction, hotel work, and other positions. In these, they learn the language of the business they hope to enter as they practice basic English lessons.

Keeping learning moving forward
Learning a new language can be difficult, especially if the language is English. If teens and adults are beginning students, they often have more trouble acquiring the language skills that young children do. For this reason, ESL learning resources are important, even for older students. Older students need visual aids, interesting content, conversation practice, and specific business language in addition to what the basic learner of any age needs to learn English. Teachers need to look for interesting resources in the form of magazine articles on the reading level of their older students. The resources need to be tailored to meet the interests of the group, based on their academic goals and how far they want to go in learning the language. Not all teens and adult students will have an interest in progressing to the point of reading proficiency that they would in their native tongue. By using ESL learning resources that are on their reading level, teachers can help students meet goals successfully, whatever those goals may be.