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Effective Teaching Strategies
6 Things Not to Say to Your ESL / EAL/D Students (And What to Say Instead)
There are certain phrases I will never say to my ESL or EAL/D students.
Whenever I hear other teachers use them, it’s like nails on a chalkboard. They make my shoulders tense because I know exactly what’s about to happen next: students nodding, smiling politely, saying “yes”… and then sitting there completely lost.
The tricky part is that many of these phrases sound polite.
They sound supportive.
They feel natural.
If you teach ESL or EAL/D students in Australian classrooms, chances are you say some of these phrases every week — maybe even every day.
And that’s understandable. These expressions are deeply embedded in mainstream teaching language.
However, while these phrases feel helpful, they often do the opposite. For English language learners, these well-intended expressions can quietly shut down real understanding instead of supporting it.
In this post, I’ll walk through six common phrases not to say to ESL and EAL/D students, explain why they don’t work, and show you what to say instead. Most importantly, the alternatives are practical, realistic, and easy to apply immediately in ESL and EAL/D classrooms.
These strategies are especially effective with Beginning and Emerging learners, across both primary and secondary settings.
Effective Teaching Strategies
Why Language Choices Matter in ESL / EAL/D Classrooms
ESL and EAL/D students are always doing double the work.
They are:
learning new content
processing that content through a developing English system
This means that even simple classroom language can carry a heavy cognitive load.
When teacher talk is vague, abstract, or socially risky, students often choose compliance over clarity. They nod. They copy. They say “yes.” They wait and watch others.
And quietly, they fall behind.
The solution is not easier content.
The solution is clearer teacher language.
Effective Teaching Strategies
1. ❌ “Do you understand?”
This is the most common — and the most ineffective — question asked of ESL and EAL/D students.
It relies on:
self-assessment
confidence in English
willingness to say “no” publicly
For many English language learners, answering “no” feels unsafe. It can mean standing out, slowing the class down, or losing face in front of peers.
So many students answer “yes” even when they don’t understand, simply to:
save face
avoid embarrassment
keep the lesson moving
A “yes” here tells you nothing about comprehension.
Effective Teaching Strategies
✅ Use Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) instead
Concept Checking Questions check meaning, not confidence.
Try questions like:
“Is this happening now or in the past?”
“Is it one person or many people?”
“Is this real or imagined?”
CCQs:
reduce language load
avoid yes/no answers
give you immediate, useful feedback
They are especially powerful for teaching grammar, vocabulary, sentence meaning, and key concepts.
Effective Teaching Strategies
2. ❌ “Does that make sense?”
This phrase sounds gentle and supportive, but it creates the same problem.
A nod, smile, or quiet “yes” is often politeness, not understanding — especially for students from cultures where disagreeing with a teacher feels inappropriate or disrespectful.
The phrase also puts pressure on students to evaluate sense, which is abstract and linguistically demanding.
✅ Ask students to show understanding
Instead of asking how something feels, ask students to demonstrate understanding.
For example:
“Show me the correct picture.”
“Underline the key word.”
“Match the sentence to the image.”
This approach works particularly well for:
beginners
students with limited speaking confidence
newly arrived learners
Understanding doesn’t always need words.
Effective Teaching Strategies
3. ❌ “Any questions?”
This question assumes students:
know what they don’t understand
can form a question in English
feel confident asking it publicly
For many ESL students, silence simply means:
“I don’t know how to ask.”
Silence is often misread as comprehension.
✅ Use Instruction Checking Questions (ICQs)
Instruction Checking Questions check task understanding, not curiosity.
Try:
“How many sentences are you writing?”
“Are you working alone or with a partner?”
“Do you write or speak first?”
ICQs:
prevent confusion before it starts
save time later
reduce anxiety
They are especially powerful in mixed-ability and mainstream classrooms with EAL/D students.
Effective Teaching Strategies
4. ❌ “It’s easy.”
This phrase can unintentionally shut students down.
What’s easy for a fluent speaker may be overwhelming for a learner still developing:
vocabulary
grammar
sentence structure
academic language
When students hear “it’s easy” and still struggle, they often assume the problem is them.
This can lead to withdrawal, silence, or avoidance.
✅ Name the challenge and scaffold it instead
Try:
“This part is new, so let’s do one together.”
“First we practise — then you try.”
“I’ll show you the model.”
Normalising difficulty builds trust, resilience, and persistence.
Effective Teaching Strategies
5. ❌ “You learned this last year.”
This sentence often creates pressure rather than support.
ESL and EAL/D students may:
have been present but not ready linguistically
remember the concept but not the language
have gaps due to interrupted schooling
For many learners, this phrase triggers anxiety instead of recall.
✅ Do this instead: Activate prior knowledge gently
Try:
“Show me one thing you remember.”
“Tell your partner one idea.”
“Let’s try one example together.”
This gives you real information — and helps students reconnect without shame.
6. ❌ “Just try your best.”
This sounds encouraging, but it’s too vague.
Without clear steps, many ESL students don’t know:
where to start
what success looks like
how much is enough
✅ Break tasks into visible steps
For example:
Look at the picture
Circle the verb
Write one sentence
Then check with ICQs:
“What do we do first?”
“How many sentences?”
Clear steps = confidence.
Effective Teaching Strategies
Why This Matters in Australian ESL / EAL/D Classrooms
Australian classrooms are linguistically and culturally diverse.
ESL and EAL/D students may be:
learning English for the first time
literate in another script
new to Australian schooling expectations
Explicit language support is not lowering standards.
It is equitable teaching.
ESL students don’t need less challenge.
They need clearer access.
One Small Shift That Makes a Big Difference
If you take one thing from this post, let it be this:
👉 Stop asking questions that invite polite agreement.
👉 Start asking questions that show understanding.
This small shift:
increases participation
reduces anxiety
improves learning outcomes
And it benefits every student, not just ESL learners.
Final Thoughts
Teaching ESL and EAL/D students requires intentional language choices.
The words we use shape:
student confidence
classroom safety
access to learning