PRACTICUM ON GENERAL ENGLISH EDUCATION – II

SUBMITTED BY
PRINCY RISHI A
19 BDEN 27
 REPORT ON ELT WEBSITES

A few years ago I wrote a blog post about 10 Websites for English Language Teachers. At the
time it seemed to be quite popular with readers but it suddenly dawned that I did not write about
any websites which would be best suited for learners of English. So read on to find out the 10
websites which I recommend for learners of English.

1. ESOL Courses

This wonderful self-study website, ESOL Courses, is great for students as all lessons are
available online, there is no registration so lessons are free and they cover a range of areas as
well as levels. I was first introduced to this website when I met Sue Lyon-Jones and she was
referring to this website. I would definitely recommend students to look at this website and do
some of the lessons in their spare time.

2. BBC Learning English

I have been using the BBC Learning English website since I first started English language
teaching in South Korea. I always used to refer my students to it so that they could develop their
own listening and vocabulary skills in their own time. The website has obviously developed and
improved over time and there are now videos and activities.

3. Five Minute English

This website, Five Minute English, was one that I came across by accident and it contains quite a
number of lessons which focus on listening, grammar, vocabulary as well as a range of other
skills. It is fantastic and students can look at this website in their free time. The website is basic
but content is good for students to study a little bit more after lessons and is invaluable for those
students who have very little time for self-study.
4. ESL Podcast

This website, ESL Podcast, has small listening lessons for students to learn vocabulary and
idiomatic expressions related to a particular theme. When students look at the lesson, there is a
script. There are not any activities but it is just an additional opportunity for learners to improve
their listening skills in their own time.

5. English Page

English Page is an engaging learner focused website which offers areas of study with grammar,
vocabulary as well as weekly lessons. It is a useful website with exercises within the website so
students do not have to download or print activities. This can reinforce what is being studied
during lessons.

6. Flo-Joe

Flo-Joe has been around for years and I was introduced to it when I was working in Korea as it
was the go-to website as lessons were associated with Cambridge ESOL Examinations and it still
is. It is still an invaluable website for those learners that are preparing for examinations such as
the PET, KET, FCE or any other Cambridge ESOL focused examination. Students will develop a
lot of exam skills and they will be able to use this in their free time.

7. English at Home
English at Home is a great website for students as there is a focus on spoken English, vocabulary
and grammar. There are lessons available but most of the activities are basic ‘choose the correct
answer’. However, it is a useful website that students could use to refer to during their selfstudy.

8. DuoLingo

You cannot write a blog post for learners of any language who wishes to study in their own time
without mentioning the great DuoLingo website/application. I have this on my phone whenever I
feel inspired to study French or German. However, there are courses for students whose first
language is not English but wish to selfstudy English. For example, a South Korean student can
access DuoLingo and learn English with the ease of using their L1. You should definitely
recommend your learners to access this website on their smartphones or on their laptop.

9. Breaking News English

This is a wonderful website for students who wish to learn more about what is happening around
the world, with regular updates to Breaking News English by Sean Banville. Students have
free access to all lessons and activities as well as the audio. Students may need some support and
introduction to the website but you could always get learners to complete a listening activity as
part of their homework and then share their experiences of learning through this website.

10. University of Victoria Study Zone

The University of Victoria has free access to a Study Zone and learners may benefit from the
numerous online lessons. It is primarily aimed for students from the University of Victoria. This
website has a lot of resources available for students with a focus on grammar, vocabulary and
reading. It does require a bit of learner training but once students have developed confidence
with the website, it could supplement lessons quite nicely. Lessons are organised into levels and
there is also a grammar index.

As an idea for getting students to become more aware of online content to complement their
studies, I try to show the websites in class with a class set of laptops or Chromebooks, students
then choose a lesson, from one of the websites, to complete during the lesson. After they have
completed a lesson, they then chat to their partner about the website and for homework I
organise students to write about their thoughts of the self-study content and a review with a
Google Drive document, which can then be shared to all other learners when they return to class
another day.
What are your favourite websites to get students to learn English outside of the classroom? Do
you recommend any that have not been mentioned here? Do you have any activities that you
incorporate in class to supplement learner autonomy and training?