ESL students learn well on their own when their teacher sets them up for it. Break each student's goal into small steps, give them reading at the right level, point them to TED talks for listening, set up study groups, and stay available for questions.
Distance learning is not a new idea. Learners in many parts of the world, especially in remote areas, have studied this way for years. Video calls and online classes bring teachers and students together, but many teachers feel that this is not enough on its own. To make up for the downsides of distance learning, you can motivate your students to learn by themselves.
5 self-learning tips for your ESL students at home
1. Turn goals into steps
Students learn English for many reasons. Some need it for a course, while others learn it because their employer asks them to. Make sure your students spend their time and effort on their own goals.
Break the goal down into smaller steps they can achieve. For example, if a student learns English to get into university, they should build the vocabulary of the field they want to study. Medicine and engineering use very different sets of words and phrases, and a student must master the ones of their own field.
A good way to build this kind of vocabulary is to find a free textbook in the field and let the student note down new words along with their meanings. For listening, students can watch videos about their subject with captions turned on. That way, they also learn how the words are pronounced. For more ideas, see these ways to improve vocabulary for ESL students.
2. Provide reading materials
Students who study at home often have more time to read. As a teacher, you can make that time more productive with a list of reading materials that lead toward each student's goal.
The internet offers plenty of reading materials, from articles and journals to free ebooks. Students in the same class may have very different levels of English, so sort the reading materials by difficulty.
3. Introduce students to TED talks
For many ESL students, listening is the least exciting part of learning English, and few of them practice it on their own. A simple remedy is to introduce them to TED talks.
TED talks cover a huge range of topics, so every student can find something that interests them. Most speakers talk clearly and at a pace that is easy to follow, and many talks come with subtitles and a transcript. Listening to TED talks is a great learning experience for any ESL student.
4. Set up study groups
Self-learning does not mean that each student has to study alone. Group study that students organize themselves is a form of self-learning, too.
Another benefit of a study group is that students get conversation partners. This helps them feel comfortable speaking English. Many students feel anxious when they talk with a teacher or a native speaker, but it is a different story when their friends are their conversation partners.
5. Be there for them
Do not leave all of the learning to the students. As a teacher, you still need to guide them. Tell your students that you are open to questions by email, by text message, or on another platform. In fact, encourage them to ask one question every day.
Beginners may need more guidance than more advanced learners. Be ready to answer even the most obvious questions: they are obvious to you, an expert in English, but not to someone who is learning English as a second language. So that you can focus on the questions that need a teacher, students can run their written work through the Spell Checker first. It marks spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes and explains each one. For more on guiding students who study alone, read helping students to self-study English effectively.