Category Archives: textbooks

TEFL book reviews reach a new low

Posted on 26/01/2009 by alexcase

No, most certainly not my fellow TEFL.net Book Review pages enthusiastic amateurs, who have written some great recent reviews on Creative Poetry Writing, New Insight into IELTS and Vocabulary . The guilty parties are people who really should know better and in fact … Continue reading →

Posted in ELT publishing, General English textbooks, Materials, Teaching methods and methodologies, TEFL, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, textbooks | 10 Comments

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

Interview- Jason West Dishes on Guardian Languages and Sets the TEFL World to Rights!

Posted on 04/01/2009 by alexcase

It’s a great interview, stimulating, controversial, and full of TEFL insider tidbits. So many ideas did the CEO of English Out There have, in fact, that it takes a good 10 minutes to read. Please feel free to leave questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, British Council, British Council accreditation, Distance learning, EFL exams, ELT publishing, Guardian TEFL, Job security, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, links, Materials, self employed TEFL teachers, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching methods and methodologies, teaching online, Technology, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions, textbooks | Tagged | 9 Comments

Natural English Intermediate

Posted on 28/11/2008 by alexcase

… is pants! Based on a dubious theory and with everything based on that theory rather than interesting content or things tying together properly, I haven’t seen anything this bad but commercially successful since (old) Cutting Edge. If you are cursing the … Continue reading →

Posted in General English textbooks, Materials, Natural English, TEFL games, TEFL reviews, textbooks | 1 Comment

23 Experiences of Language Teaching

Posted on 22/11/2008 by alexcase

Finished reading the Experience of Language Teaching a week or two ago, and here are some of my favourite quotes: on continuous enrollment “like teaching on a moving bus, or in the middle of a railway station, with people coming … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Experience of Language Teaching, Grammar, Lesson planning, MA TESOL, Problem students, Teacher training, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL games, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL working conditions, textbooks | Tagged | 6 Comments

Stolen teaching idea of the day

Posted on 05/11/2008 by alexcase

Backwards dialogues Students write a dialogue and then read it out starting with the last line, then the second to last line and last line, then the last three lines etc- working their way towards the beginning of the dialogue until the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, ELT publishing, Functional language, General English textbooks, links, Materials, Oxford University Press (OUP), Skills, Speaking, Speaking games, TEFL, TEFL games, Telephoning, textbooks | Leave a comment

New TEFL articles September 08 Part Two

Posted on 30/09/2008 by alexcase

As this batch is nowhere near the size of September Part One, let’s start by padding out a little with a link to an interesting newspaper article on speed dating adapted for language learning, shall we? Right, as that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Adapting textbooks, Body language in the classroom, Classroom management, Classroom routines, Eliciting, ELT publishing, Lesson planning, links, Teaching mixed level classes, TEFL games, textbooks, Usingenglish | Tagged | Leave a comment

25 motivational messages for TESOL teachers

Posted on 29/08/2008 by alexcase

Positive messages to chant to yourself in front of the mirror or record on your iPod include: 1. “I will make my students love English so much that they cry when they can’t come to class” 2. “Having no money … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Humanistic language teaching, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL heroes- Jeremy Harmer, TEFL heroes- John and Liz Soars, textbooks | Tagged | 4 Comments

Are EFL textbooks getting better or worse?

Posted on 22/05/2008 by alexcase

The case for the prosecution starts with exhibit A, Intelligent Business, the newish series of textbooks from Longman. First, a mea culpa. At first glance Intelligent Business seemed like such a good concept that I recommended it to my school … Continue reading →

Posted in Business English and ESP, ELT publishing, Materials, Pearson Longman, TEFL, TEFL reviews, Telephoning, textbooks | 3 Comments

The best TEFL anecdote of the century?

Posted on 16/05/2008 by alexcase

Re-reading my little story on weeping housewives (or not) who hadn’t done their homework, I must admit that it does really cut it as an anecdote- never been a talent of mine, as I find my own life incredibly dull … Continue reading →

Posted in Adapting textbooks, Classroom management, Materials, Songs with adults | Tagged | 5 Comments