Dialogues in ESL Teaching

Just an update. I am a certified educator who has gone from being in the classroom full-time to writing about teaching and several other topics. I am also involved in tutoring ESL students.  

I have started a business for tutoring students who want to improve their English by conversing with a Native speaker, and learning about grammar, vocabulary, and Canadian culture. I am available for teaching, online or in Winnipeg, MB, if you need a teacher.

As a teacher that is not presently in the classroom, I have started doing some ESL tutoring. I like to use drama in the classroom and it also works with ESL tutoring. To use a dialogue effectively, choose a script that relates to your learning goals for that day.

Practice the script by taking turns reading the parts. As the instructor, be sure to take turns reading so that your students have a chance to hear a role model of how the lines in the dialogue are supposed to sound. 

Dialogues are a good tool for teaching ESL

Dialogues are effective for EAL instruction because they provide a chance for your student to speak fluently, using typical English sentences. They show language in context, rather than simply isolated within exercises. And they are fun to do and can allow your student to relax. 

It is also a good idea to get  up and move around during the dialogue, mimicking actions that might occur during the dialogue. Adding some movement helps the student know the language with her whole body, not just her mind.

Here are some good links for ESL dialogues:

Free ESL Materials: This site has many links of dialogues to look through.

Beginner ESL Dialogues: This page has links to several beginner dialogues.

Communication Dialogues: This is a page with some great short dialogues for common English situations.

Articles are also another excellent method for teaching ESL. Here are some great tips for teaching ESL with articles.

For a complete list of teaching articles, see this list of teaching articles by this author.

You may also wish to check this very extensive list of teaching articles at Hubpages by several experienced educators.