ESL Classroom Decoration Ideas

A classroom environment is essential for students. First and foremost, it should be inviting. 

Classes for ESL students are not exceptions. 

Students are told about all possible sources to surround themselves with the English language: listening to podcasts, subscribing to native bloggers, reading original texts and watching authentic content. 

So, why not surround them with English in a physical space by decorating an ESL classroom? “But why?” — you would ask.

Why classroom decor is important for ESL learning?

Entering the classroom, students are immediately immersed in English vibes. It might facilitate their spirits and develop a knack for learning the language. Overcoming the speaking barrier is a common challenge. Every student faces it.

As a teacher, you know how much time is required for them to struggle with it, how much effort they need to put in, how much time is needed to prepare themselves for speaking each time. Unfortunately, there is no magic switch to turn on your speaking and go on.

The conversations start as usual. First questions may seem embarrassing. Your speaking is not clear to them. Ahh, again, a new unclear word. Again, phrases like:

…and these scared eyes. Of course, they are afraid of making mistakes. They feel shy because the teacher has already explained or mentioned it and somebody else has understood. Kind of competition and desperation starts.

As the lesson goes on, more confidence is gained. Some words just flow into these brilliant minds. 

They start subconsciously recalling some rules and words, speaking and correcting themselves immediately. That’s it — switching their passive vocabulary into an active one. That is the progress of even noticing mistakes. 

Eventually, at the end of the lesson, the speeches are in progress, and the teacher notices how much better the students speak. Pronunciation and the use of freshly learned vocabulary improve. Fluency becomes evident, too.

The teacher notices how fluently they speak and feels proud of the small steps.

Nobody is talking about changing the level and stepping up immediately to a new one. This is already about the knowledge that students possess. 

But… they needed some time. Some time to refresh what is known, to warm themselves up.

It is like with sport. How can you target cardio or resistance training without having any warm-up? Is it easy to do without having a gym or just kind of comfortable clothes? What if you do it in your kitchen, but not a specially equipped corner of your flat? (The corner with a mat is enough, but the more, the better.)

The same happens to ESL learners’ lessons. They will be much faster acclimated to the place connected to language. 

Their brain will start recalling words on the spot after just entering the classroom. They will be soaking up this “London is the capital of Great Britain” atmosphere more and more quickly. 

The brain will try to switch from their native language to English before the lesson, which makes this classroom decoration a great tool.

Summing up all benefits, suffice it to say that:

Pretty enough to persuade teachers to decorate their classrooms. Students’ comfort, not only the result, matters. Putting comfort as a priority will make the teacher reap the benefits soon.

Importance is defined. Hooray! For now, let’s take a look and find out how to make 'this' atmosphere. Here are some points to focus on when decorating an ESL classroom.

How to decorate an ESL classroom?

The first thing that they will spot is the door. Sure, it should leave the students impressed. 

The teacher can add a “Welcome” sticker/piece of paper, then many-many other “welcomes” in other languages. It will immediately set a positive and amicable tone. Such simple ESL classroom decoration ideas help students feel more engaged from the very beginning.

As it was said, their brains would start activating when seeing some phrases in foreign languages.

The word “hello” is the same basics. It is okay to add it in different languages, too. 

The students will get a vision of this phrase, as with the “welcome” one. Additionally, it is cool to know some words in other foreign languages besides English. It broadens the mindset. 

So, it depends on the teacher’s preferences to add even more word phrases like that.

It is inevitable, for sure, to get to know basic phrases of communication. In case somebody forgets something, that can come in handy. There are many reasons why. 

The students might simply forget and it will be good to peep at it and remind them. They might be shy to break the teacher in, interrupt the whole working process, or re-ask something they have already learned. So, some basic phrases may act as lifesavers, helping them feel more confident.

It can be divided into some categories, again:

One more way to help your students is to give grammar tips. What can the teachers add there?

The students will be able to look at it with the blink of their eye by chance and recall the formation again. So, the teacher makes for their development in such a way, too.

Seems like there is no vital information to help speak. However, the motivation lies here. 

Having different posters with quotes will engage your students even more and encourage them to get down to some studying. They will be eagerly learning if they notice the teacher’s support, even in such a way.

For instance, it can be:

Your overall attitude matters, too. It is good for you to keep those quotes on repeat. It will be so inspiring to hear what comes from your lips. 

Altogether with the teacher’s flamboyant energy and posters, the students will get to know some credos. It will really matter in such a case, not just blunt words. 

Having mottos in common combines and adds team spirit. As a result, they will see something familiar looking at these posters each time. And that is a 10x mood boost. 

Good to appeal to the poster when somebody makes a mistake and the teacher highlights that it is okay. The students will be more persuaded. Not only does their teacher think like that, but some other people came up with the ideas for these quotes, so maybe it sounds true. Maybe you could trust your teacher. That is how the bond of trust has been established.

Many countries, many accents and words that natives will understand only. The teacher can add some English-speaking countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and some specific information about them.

Here are word variations and pronunciation. The table can be enlarged further and further. 

The teacher can add such basics while learning about some cultural differences or as the students come across them. Of course, they don’t need to learn it by heart. But as they add it in a process, it is likely to be remembered. 

That’s cool to possess such knowledge and differentiate some words. The students will be more competent and feel more comfortable. It may also boost their confidence in front of peers. And, a plus to their self-esteem is added, congrats!

Here we go again. The teacher should add some interactive boards and split them into the topics they are learning. Food, shopping, daily routine, travelling, emotions, etc. It is great if the students can adjust it each time they learn a new portion of vocabulary. 

They can write a few phrases on their own and fill in a new topic. 

From time to time, the teacher can provide them with revisions. They can take out all the words and assign their students to sort them out based on the topics. They will recall the words, work in groups developing one more essential skill. 

The ideas for posters or any other decorations are endless. The teacher can convert to some basics, add something essential to remember or both. There is no right or wrong way. It should always correspond to their teaching vibes and match the students, then. 

Hence, it is important to understand the superpower of ESL classroom decoration, simple tricks and hacks that boost classroom spirit, to motivate students more and to enlighten their learning process.

Remember: classroom tricks and posters help, but the foundation is a well-structured lesson. Learn how to build one step by step with our courses — https://grade-university.com/courses.