Teaching aids are tremendously important in the ESL classroom, as they not only introduce real-life examples, but also give your students something tangible to use or see when learning grammar and vocabulary. Teaching aids can be anything aside from a textbook that provides examples of a concept or that gives a student a platform on which to practice a concept. They also break up the monotony of relying strictly on textbooks and workbooks.

Use props or pictures whenever introducing new vocabulary. For example, when learning the names of fruit, bring in the fruit that you will be covering that day. Have each student pass around each piece of fruit you bring in, repeating its name in English. Of course, you can't do this with every vocabulary word; you can find pictures on the Internet of other items impossible to bring in, like "theater" or "sailboat." Pictures are always more effective than having students look up words in their dictionaries and memorize accordingly.

Bring in tools that facilitate dialogue between two students. When appropriate during your curriculum, bring in tools like menus; catalogs; movie, bus and train schedules; museum calendars; and atlases. Put your students into pairs, and have them use the tools in creating a dialogue after you give them a scenario. For example, the setting could be a restaurant, with one student the customer and the other the waiter.

Play clips of movies in class. Particularly for higher-level classes, movies can be a great teaching aid to exhibit conversational pronunciation. Movies not only pique students' interest, but get their ears used to hearing voices other than the teacher's. They can also be useful in showcasing slang.

Encourage students to bring in props and tools. Let them use what they've learned in your class so far to talk about their native country and culture. Have them bring in and describe photos, food, clothing and traditions in English.