ESL teacher demonstrating interleaving practice with mixed grammar on whiteboard

Interleaving Practice: 7 ESL Techniques for Better Retention

Interleaving practice means mixing different grammar points, vocabulary sets, or skills within a single lesson instead of drilling one topic until it’s “done.” Second language acquisition research shows this mixed approach produces better long-term retention and more accurate use than the traditional block-then-move-on model, even though students often feel like they’re learning less while it’s…

High school ESL classroom during a genre-based writing lesson

Genre-Based Writing: 7 ESL Techniques

Genre-based writing instruction teaches students to write by studying a real example of the target text type first, then building toward independent writing through three stages: deconstruction (analyzing a model), joint construction (writing together as a class), and independent construction (students write alone). It works because it gives ESL students the structure of academic and…