ESL Teacher

If, like me, you’re lucky enough to be teaching a multicultural class of students who are living in an English-speaking country, then taking your students out into the “real world” is an absolutely justifiable way to improve their English. Getting a change of scenery and providing a place for them to put their English skills into practice in an environment where you can help them out can be a really productive time out of the classroom. Some of my favourite excursions in Perth include the following; adapt them for similar places in your local area:

• Caversham Wildlife Park – they can get hands-on with a lot of Australia’s amazing native animals, and the shy students are often able to get over their anxieties about speaking to native speakers because they want to ask the handlers questions about the animals.
• Swan Brewery – for a multicultural bunch of adult students, there’s no place that brings them together more than a place where they make beer. And since the brewery also gives tour groups the chance to taste a few of the beers, the students are able to relax a little; and the same thing applies about asking questions. Students in their twenties are pretty much universally fascinated by beer.
• Penguin Island – this is an island just off the coast south of Perth, and the best part from an English-learning viewpoint is it’s crawling with elderly volunteers who give their time to help conserve wildlife – and to chat with English learners about the penguins, pelicans and daily life there.
• The pub – for a quick hour or two at the end of the week, nothing beats getting the students around the corner to the pub where they’ll socialize with each other, practice ordering beer and as they get a little drunk and therefore bolder, start flirting with the bar staff – perfect English practice!