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Free Catfish ESL Lesson Plan

Posted on June 7, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

Television is an excellent source of authentic and engaging content for your classroom. It’s easy enough to find educational films for your classroom, but the real fun and the real challenge lie in reality TV. Today I’m sharing one of my most popular lesson plans based on the reality TV show Catfish. MTV’s Catfish is…

two yellow emoji on yellow case

3 Reliable Ways to Lower the Affective Filter

Posted on May 10, 2021May 10, 2021 by Kristine Totanes

The affective filter is a psychological filter that, for better or worse, can affect a student’s ability to learn a second language. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “affective” means “referring to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions.”

Think of this affective filter as a wall; when it’s high, it inhibits learning. When it’s low, the students are better able to learn and acquire new information.

Some surefire ways to raise the affective filter include too much error correction, lack of self-confidence, and feelings of embarrassment or shame. Unfortunately, these are all-too-common phenomena that, when left untreated, can prevent student growth and, even worse, result in a lifetime of distress.

theater masks

Imposter Syndrome: How to Be a Big Fish in a Big Sea

Posted on March 6, 2021March 6, 2021 by Kristine Totanes

Even if you’ve never heard the term “impostor syndrome,” chances are that you’ve experienced it before, especially if you worked or studied in a high-achieving environment such as a college or university. It basically sums up in psychological terms the phenomenon that takes place when you transition from being a “big fish in a small…

How to Be a Freelance English Teacher

Posted on February 21, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

Being a freelance English teacher comes with a lot of freedom. As a freelancer, you are in control of your own schedule, how much or how little to want to work, where you want to work, whom you want to work with, the materials you use, and the type of English you want to teach….

Adaptability, Inspiration, Self-discipline: 3 Urgent Things Your Students Need to Learn Now

Posted on February 14, 2021July 26, 2021 by Adrian Pantonial

2021, with the world still mostly locked down, looks a lot like 2020. Yes, some economies are opening up more than before, but the majority are still not there yet.  These are the times that call for urgency about the values that come from lessons we ought to be living out. Now is the time…

Fine Art and ESL

Posted on January 23, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

I first started teaching English as a volunteer tutor while studying art history at New College of Florida. Since then, teaching ESL and art history have been intertwined in my life and in my classroom. For me, I can share two passions simultaneously; for the students, fine art helps encourage creativity and critical thinking while…

Resilience is Only the Beginning: 3 Ways to Build Antifragile Students

Posted on December 14, 2020December 16, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

As someone who just finished reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s New York Times Best Seller Antifragile, I’d like to share ways that we can build antifragility in our students. “What’s ‘antifragility’?” you might ask. As Taleb nicely puts it, “Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets…

12 Tasks of Christmas Digital Scavenger Hunt

Posted on December 8, 2020December 8, 2020 by Sarah Tew

December is here and so are all the winter holidays!  Holidays and traditions are a great way to engage your students and bring some variety and fun to your ESL students.  This year, I’ve made a completely digital Christmas scavenger hunt. This activity builds English skills as well as digital literacy and research skills. It…

Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness: 3 Things We Need Most Now

Posted on November 28, 2020July 15, 2021 by Adrian Pantonial

We’re nine months into this global pandemic now, having nearly 60 million confirmed COVID-19 cases to date. It seems the situation is getting better, but have we become better through it? This new normal has challenged teachers to prepare and conduct their classes in new ways. Education in third world countries like the Philippines especially…

Should I Teach My ESL Student Filipinisms?

Posted on November 8, 2020November 8, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

With nearly 400 years of Spanish, Japanese, and American colonial history and hundreds of years of trade and settlements of people from places such as China and the Indian subcontinent, it should come as no surprise that the Philippines today is home to a wide variety of ethnicities, languages and dialects, and religious and spiritual…

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Our Mission:
To support ESL teachers in the Philippines and around the world by providing top-notch ESL educational services.

Our Vision:
To provide personal and professional support tailored to our clients’ individual needs and create a supportive and encouraging environment for teachers that nourishes diversity, inclusion, and growth (DIG).

Our Values:
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