Category Archives: TEFL reviews

Conflicts of interest and disclosure in the age of TEFL online

Posted on 18/01/2012 by alexcase

Given what an incestuous little industry we work in, I’m quite surprised that I rarely if ever read disclosure of links to authors in TEFL reviews. Just to start, with there must be loads of reviewers and writers who: – … Continue reading →

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A great review of Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics

Posted on 02/12/2011 by alexcase

… and not only because the reviewer seems to have seen my own reaction to the book as a (failed) scientist by some weird paranormal powers: Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics review by Mark Bain – LINK FIXED Other great reviews … Continue reading →

Posted in TEFL reviews | 2 Comments

Reviewing graded readers

Posted on 01/02/2010 by alexcase

… is tricky, possibly second only to dictionaries in being difficult to write about. You can of course list their component bits (CD, exercises at the back, glossary, illustrations, list of characters) and judgements on them, but the main things … Continue reading →

Posted in ELT publishing, Graded readers (easy readers), links, Materials, TEFL reviews | 4 Comments

Development, blogs, books and Japan- An interview with Darren Elliott of Lives of Teachers blog

Posted on 09/01/2010 by alexcase

We all seem to be seeing your name around a lot recently. A masterplan to become the next Thornbury/ trying to keep yourself busy while your wife watches Japanese television/ sleep disorder/ other? I think it takes more than a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Critical Mass ELT, Eikaiwa, Experience of Language Teaching, first TEFL job, MA TESOL, Teacher training, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TEFL blogs, TEFL conferences, TEFL heroes- Rose M Senior, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury, TEFL qualifications, TEFL reviews, TEFL villains- Jennifer Jenkins, TEFL workshops | Tagged | 8 Comments

ELT publishing trendspotter

Posted on 07/09/2009 by alexcase

New ways of getting content – Big publishers have been buying up books from smaller publishers (e.g. a couple from Helbling Languages ending up on CUP and Oxford buying up some business skills books) and even self-published books (I gave … Continue reading →

Posted in board games, Cambridge University Press, Critical Mass ELT, Delta Publishing, EFL CD ROMs, EFL geek, ELT Journal, ELT publishing, getting into ELT publishing, Helbling Languages, links, Macmillan, Marshall Cavendish, Materials, modern english teacher magazine, online games, Oxford University Press (OUP), Pearson Longman, Technology, TEFL, TEFL blogs, TEFL e books, TEFL games, TEFL reviews, textbooks, Writing ELT textbooks and materials | 7 Comments

Rules, patterns, words and conclusions

Posted on 23/08/2009 by alexcase

At last, an ending to the series of posts that started here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here* several blogging decades ago on the book by Dave Willis. My chief objections to the approach suggested in the … Continue reading →

Posted in CPD, Dave Willis, PPP (Presentation practice production), TBA (Task Based Approach), Teaching methods and methodologies, TEFL reviews, textbooks | Leave a comment

The secret to writing EFL textbooks

Posted on 29/07/2009 by alexcase

“Thanks to… McVities’ Jamaica Ginger Cake and PG Tips” From the contents pages to Innovations Pre-Intermediate by Hugh Dellar and Andrew Walkley. I’m missing one of those two, which is why I’m here knocking on people’s doors with my freebie … Continue reading →

Posted in ELT publishing, Materials, TEFL, TEFL reviews, textbooks, Writing ELT textbooks and materials | Tagged | 1 Comment

My top 10 books for/ about EFL for young learners

Posted on 09/01/2009 by alexcase

Wrote this list for a (teacher training) student and thought it might be worth a blog post and maybe a bit of friendly debate. Here are my all time favourites- off the top of my head, but if they’re that … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Young Learner Exams, Delta Publishing, EFL exams, ELT publishing, Macmillan, Materials, Oxford University Press (OUP), Photocopiable worksheets, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL reviews, textbooks, Using songs with kids | 4 Comments

New Teaching English Reviews and Articles Dec 08 Part Two

Posted on 01/01/2009 by alexcase

Before I get onto the shameless selling of my own articles, I’d like to thank all TEFL.net book reviewers from 2008 (Kelly Quinn, Lara Promnitz-Hayashi, Dave Allen, Janis Crolla, Stephen Lodziak, Nicholas Whitely, Katie Cordes, Joshua Antle, Kaithe Greene, Paula Swenson, … Continue reading →

Posted in CLIL, EFL exams, ELT publishing, Error correction, Error correction games, Grammar, links, Materials, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TEFL games, TEFL reviews, TOEIC, Writing | Tagged | 3 Comments

An alternative way of boosting your teaching confidence

Posted on 27/10/2008 by alexcase

“She… reported that her self-esteem was raised when her [MA in TESOL] assignments were returned with comments that revealed, in her view, a degree of closed-mindedness on the part of the tutors who had marked them.” From pg 72 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge University Press, CPD, ELT management, ELT publishing, Lesson planning, Materials, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Staging, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL games, TEFL reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment