Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is a rewarding but challenging career.
Education
Dave's ESL Café - What You Should Know
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is a rewarding but challenging career.
Luckily many online resources can help ESL teachers to make connections, search for new opportunities and develop their teaching abilities. Dave’s ESL café is one such resource and is renowned among ESL teachers across the globe.
Education resources
What is there to know about Dave’s ESL Café?
The creator of the website, Dave Sperling, spent over ten years teaching ESL in Japan and Thailand. He released Dave’s ESL café in 1995 after returning to Los Angeles and beginning a new career as an author and multimedia consultant. Millions of users visit Dave’s ESL café monthly as both ESL teachers and students use the website to connect and share information.
At a glance, Dave’s ESL café offers users:
- Lesson planning materials
- Forums for discussions
- Job boards
- Teaching resources
Let’s examine how educators can benefit from Dave’s ESL café…
ESL jobs
If you are looking for a new teaching opportunity abroad, Dave’s ESL café has a dedicated job-seeking area. Users can browse daily international job postings or search specifically by area, such as by job vacancies in Korea or China. Teachers can upload their CVs for potential employers to view if the right position isn’t advertised.
Job seeking can be a confusing and time-consuming process. Dave’s ESL café simplifies this process and even gives job seekers a forum to discuss job opportunities and offer one another support.
Building your ESL PLN
You may be wondering why it is important that ESL teachers can connect.
Through connecting, teachers can collaborate and discuss ideas to ensure they are providing the best teaching experience possible for their students. Dave’s ESL Café has forums for teachers to network and a live chat feature so teachers can connect instantly. Through connecting, teachers can build a unique PLN (professional learning network) which improves their teaching resources and expertise. For example, teachers can share useful textbooks or technical tips and build their PLNs.
Dave’s ESL café professional development
Perhaps due to his background as a multimedia consultant, Dave carefully diversifies the content available on Dave’s ESL Café to ensure everyone can access and enjoy some resources. For example, Dave hosts his own podcast and offers audio and video resources for teachers.
Video resources can help provide invaluable insight into teaching abroad, as teachers can record and share their experiences of ESL and how they overcame certain challenges, like not speaking the same native language as their students.
Lesson planning
Dave’s ESL café cookbook is not a collection of cooking recipes. Rather, it is a selection of recipes for success. The idea cookbook is a contents page that organizes ESL resources to ensure teachers have all the ingredients needed to plan the perfect lesson. Some of the topics featured include:
- Ideas about how to get students excited about writing
- Games that are both fun and educational
- Innovative ways to include music in the classroom
- How to help students actively listen in class
- Icebreakers to help new students
A section is dedicated to one-on-one teaching, which is particularly beneficial for private tutors or ESL teaching assistants.
Student Resources
Not just for teachers, Dave’s ESL café has resources and a help center dedicated just to students. Students can test their knowledge by taking quizzes or finding answers to any queries they may have in the student forums. Dave’s ESL café provides a great platform for English language learners to connect and practice their written English.
To conclude, Dave’s ESL Café is much more than a free online resource for teachers. It is a website that allows teachers to build real connections and develop innovative ideas together. Dave’s humor and personality can be seen in all elements of the website, making it an engaging and enjoyable platform for ESL teachers and students to collaborate.
