Best AI Tools for Online ESL Teachers

Online ESL teaching involves more than delivering a lesson through a screen.

Teachers need materials students can access, activities that encourage participation, and practice that continues between lessons. They also need to manage feedback and communication without turning every class into a collection of links and logins.

The most useful AI tool is the one that solves a specific problem in that process.

This guide organizes tools around three stages: before class, during class, and after class. The workflows are practical suggestions based on documented features, not a ranking from comparative classroom testing.

Choose the Tool for the Task

These tools complement your video-meeting platform. They do not automatically replace its audio, screen-sharing, or classroom-management functions.

Before Class: Prepare Materials Students Can Use

1. Twee: Create the Activity, Then Choose How to Share It

Twee is useful when you need a specific language activity rather than a complete new lesson. For example:

• Use Create a Dialogue on Any Topic for a model conversation.
• Use Find Discussion Questions for topic-based speaking prompts.
• Use Audio & Video Question Creator for questions accompanying a recording.

Choose only the activities needed for your objective. For an online travel lesson, a short model dialogue and a pair role-play may be more useful than a long worksheet.

Then decide how students will access the material.

For teacher-led work: Display the reviewed activity through your meeting platform.

For pair or group work: Provide a student-facing document or activity link so learners can see the instructions while working.

For homework: Use Twee’s assignment-sharing options. Its official guide explains how to assign lessons to students with accounts, while its export guide covers Google Docs and Forms. (assignment guide, export guide)

Before class, test access from the student’s perspective. Check permissions and make sure you are not sharing an editable teacher copy or a document containing the answer key.

2. Diffit: Adjust Support Without Splitting the Class

Online groups may include students who speak confidently but read slowly, or learners who understand the topic but need vocabulary support.

Diffit lets you begin with existing content and refine the materials through Diffit Chat. You can request changes to the reading level, activities, or supporting resources. (Diffit’s official workflow)

A useful request might be:

Share the appropriate version privately, then bring everyone back to the same discussion.

Avoid preparing unrelated lessons for each group unless the objectives genuinely differ. A shared topic makes it easier for students to exchange ideas online.

For more detail, see How to Use Diffit for Mixed-Level ESL Classes.

During Class: Make Participation Visible

3. Curipod: Collect Responses Before Opening the Discussion

Curipod supports teacher-led lessons with student responses, discussion, and feedback. It can be useful when only a few students tend to answer aloud.

Prepare a short activity, launch the lesson, and ask students to join at curi.live using the displayed PIN. The official teaching guide explains the joining process.

For an ESL lesson, keep the response task manageable:

1. Ask students to choose between two options.
2. Have them write one reason.
3. Give pairs time to explain their choices aloud.
4. Discuss selected responses as a class.

For example, students might choose a destination for a class trip and explain what makes it suitable.

The written response gives students thinking time, but it should not replace speaking when spoken interaction is the objective.

On small screens, moving between a video call and an activity can be awkward. Test the workflow before assigning a complex task, and keep an alternative available: students can answer orally or in the meeting chat if necessary.

Between Lessons: Assign a Goal, Not Just an App

4. Gliglish: Short Conversational Rehearsal

Gliglish provides AI conversation practice with features such as adjustable speaking pace and grammar feedback. These can support learners who need more rehearsal between live lessons. (Gliglish’s practice features)

Give students a specific outcome:

Encourage students to use response suggestions as support, not simply repeat every suggested answer.

At the next class, conduct a similar conversation with different details. This helps you see whether students can use the language beyond the original practice.

Check age requirements and your school’s rules before assigning independent AI conversation. It is not an automatic homework solution for young children.

For other conversational options, including ChatGPT Voice, see Best AI Tools for ESL Speaking Practice.

5. ELSA: Focused Speaking Practice and Follow-Up

ELSA offers speaking and pronunciation practice. Its ELSA AI feature lets learners choose a recommended scenario or describe their own role-play situation. (ELSA AI scenario guide)

Keep the assignment connected to something you noticed in class.

For example, if a learner struggles to make a request clearly, ask them to practice that situation and identify one expression they want to improve. In the next lesson, listen to the expression in a new exchange.

An app score is useful information, but it is not the final measure of success. Check whether the learner is understandable and can communicate without relying on a script.

Also distinguish the personal app from ELSA Schools. Institutional dashboards and classroom-management features should not be assumed to come with an individual subscription. (ELSA Schools)

See ELSA Speak Review: Is It Worth It for ESL Classrooms? for the classroom considerations.

After Class: Turn Observations Into Useful Feedback

6. MagicSchool: Draft Progress Comments From Your Notes

MagicSchool’s Report Card Comments tool can help turn observations into a clear progress summary.

For a private student, provide anonymous notes such as:

Ask for a brief, encouraging summary with one specific next step.

Review every statement before sending it. The tool should organize your evidence, not invent improvement, attendance, effort, or ability.

If a formal report-card style does not suit your tutoring relationship, request plain language and a shorter format.

A Simple Online Lesson Workflow

You do not need a different platform for every stage.

For a private lesson about changing a reservation, a manageable workflow could be:

1. Prepare: Use Twee to create a short model dialogue and two role cards.
2. Teach: Display the model, check meaning, and rehearse useful expressions.
3. Perform: Have the student complete a new exchange with you.
4. Assign: If appropriate, set a related Gliglish or ELSA scenario between lessons.
5. Check: Begin the next class with a similar task using different information.

The purpose of homework is to prepare for better communication — not simply to accumulate app activity.

For a group class, you might replace individual AI homework with pair practice and use Curipod for a brief written response before discussion.

Check Access Before Choosing the Tool

Before assigning any digital activity, confirm:

• Can students open it on the devices they actually use?
• Does it require an account, payment, or microphone access?
• Is the activity appropriate for their age and school policy?
• Can students find the instructions without your help?
• Is there an alternative for weak connectivity?
• What evidence of learning will you review afterward?

For young learners, teacher-operated materials may be more practical than independent app use. A clear image, a spoken model, and a purposeful response can be enough.

Do not upload confidential student information or require learners to share private conversation histories. Ask for a brief reflection or selected example instead.

Final Recommendation

Start with the problem that affects your teaching most.

Use Twee for language activities and sharing, Diffit for differentiated support, and Curipod for participation during class.

Consider Gliglish or ELSA for focused practice between lessons when appropriate for the learner. Use MagicSchool to help communicate progress based on your own observations.

Check current plans through the official pages for Twee, Diffit, Curipod, Gliglish, and MagicSchool. For ELSA, check the offers available through its official site or the relevant school plan.

A useful online teaching setup is not the one with the most apps. It is one students can access easily and that connects preparation, live interaction, and follow-up practice.