When it comes to giving instructions to EFL/ESL students, especially those with a lower level, the potential for misunderstanding and frustration is enormous. When I first started English teaching, I really struggled to get my point across. But I learned there are five things you can do to make the situation a whole lot easier.
When giving instructions to an EFL/ESL class, take it one step at a time to avoid overwhelming students. Use physical gestures and a consistent choice of words. Repeat the instruction several times and check your students’ understanding through observation and careful questioning.
An expert teacher can give clear instructions with ease. Of course, if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t at that point yet, but if you apply the tips in this article, you’ll be well on your way.
1. Use physical gestures
This is hands down the most powerful way of communicating when there’s a language barrier.
Some people do this naturally. We all know a person who uses their hands, their head, and even their whole body to express the meaning behind their words.
If you’re one of these people, great. But if you’re like me, and physical gestures don’t come naturally, it’s something you need to focus on.
When you’re speaking, think about a gesture to best express the action you want your students to take. Let’s take the example:
“Write your name on the paper, fold the paper in half and pass it to the person to your left.”
For “write your name on the paper”, you could mime writing with a pen. Or you could even get a piece of paper yourself and write your own name. The same goes for folding the paper in half. Props are great.
“Pass it to the person to your left” is a little trickier. You can mime passing the paper, but you’ll have to be a bit more creative when gesturing the idea of “left”. Maybe face the same direction as your students and hold up your left hand, then mime passing the paper in that direction.
Using fingers to indicate steps in a process is surprisingly powerful, too. They provide visual hooks for hanging information and allow students to organise their thoughts.
Not only do gestures help transmit a message, but they also direct students’ attention. When there’s something dynamic to look at, students focus on it. It’s hard not to. But if you’re standing motionless at the front, a person walking past the window, or a fly buzzing in the corner will draw their focus away from you.
This isn’t to say you need to be constantly moving. In fact, too many physical actions can be confusing and, at times, ridiculous. Be deliberate and precise with your gestures.
For more on the power of using gestures, and implementing them when learning vocab, read my article How to Use Gestures to Embed Vocab in EFL/ESL + 2 Games.
2. Repeat as necessary
Probably the most obvious tip on this list. Repeat the instructions.
There are two reasons to do this.
- It helps students who didn’t understand the first time and allows the processing of complex information.
- It embeds the words (and gestures) in the minds of the students, so when you say the instructions in the future, they’re more familiar with the language used.
How many times should you repeat the instructions? The answer to this depends on if your students need to hear them again. In step 4, we’ll look at how to check they understand.
I’d always repeat the instructions at least twice, then see how things are going. If it gets to four or five times and students still don’t get it, switch things up and try a different approach.
3. Keep your choice of words consistent
The language you use when giving instructions is important. If the vocabulary is too advanced, or you’re using complex grammar structures, students won’t understand.
But beyond that, consistency is key. I’ll show you what I mean.
Let’s look at the example from tip 1: “Write your name on the paper, fold the paper in half and pass it to the person to your left.“
If you repeat those instructions by saying “put your name on the sheet, fold it down the middle and give it to whoever’s sitting on your left,” you’re making students process an entirely different sentence.
There are lots of ways of saying the same thing. Stick to one. Sure, it’s good to teach synonyms and colloquial terms on occasion, but when the aim is to transmit a clear message, you don’t want to add extra difficulty.
With one repeated phrase, students can “chunk” the information. The phrase “fold the paper in half” becomes something you can say to them in the future without them needing to think through every single word again.
4. Check for understanding
When you give an instruction, pay attention to the class. Do they look ready to do whatever they need to do, or are they looking at you like you’re from another planet?
Some in the class may understand, while others don’t. If that’s the case, you need to repeat the instructions until everyone knows what they’re doing.
The other way of checking if your students understand is to ask them. But be careful.
Asking “do you understand?” will almost always get the answer, “yes” when really they don’t fully get it.
Instead, get a student (ideally one who looks a bit unsure) to repeat the instruction back to you, or at least act it out. If they’re very low level and you know a bit of their language, you could allow them to say the instructions in that language to confirm understanding.
5. One step at a time
More than anything, patience is required when giving instructions. Whether you’re teaching little kids with a very low level of English, or adults with an intermediate level, too many instructions at once stresses them out.
Even if it seems simple to you, it can be too much for students.
Let’s take our example, “write your name on the paper, fold the paper in half and pass it to the person to your left.”
To an English speaker, this is easy to follow. But for someone learning the language, there’s a lot to take in. Three steps and some potentially unknown vocab, like “fold”.
When it comes that fast, it’s hard to process. So instead, say:
- “First, write your name on the paper.” Perform the gesture and repeat the sentence using exactly the same words. Pause. Check students know what they’re doing. In this case, if they write their name on the paper, then they must have understood the instruction!
- “Fold the paper in half.” Again, do a gesture, repeat the instruction and give students some time.
- “Now, pass it to the person to your left.” Same thing. You know how it goes by now.
To add even more structure, hold up fingers to indicate which step you’re on.
It may seem slower this way. If you’re in a hurry, it’s tempting to rush through the instructions, but trust me, the time you’ll lose by communicating poorly and having your students do things wrong will outweigh the seconds spent ensuring clarity and comprehension.
Conclusion: Practice makes perfect
There’s quite a lot to take in here. And at first, it may seem too much – how can you possibly remember to do all these things in your next class? Well, maybe you can’t. That’s fine. Take it slow and focus on what you can do right now.
And if you want to practice giving instructions, why not design a class around it? The best way to do this is through arts and crafts activities where there are lots of step-by-step instructions.
To learn how to do this and discover some great ideas, read my article How to Use Arts and Crafts in EFL/ESL + 7 easy activities
And to learn more about EFL/ESL teaching strategies, read one of my other guides:
Best Method to Improve EFL/ESL Students’ Vocabulary: 9 Steps
How to Teach Children EFL/ESL With Role Play: Best tips
Gamification in EFL/ESL: Guide to motivating students
