Job Discussion Forums

[srtab]

Hi all! I want to invest in some good books which could give me a foundation before I take a TEFL course next summer. So, I'd love some recommendations!

I see that the Internation House (playa del carmen CELTA cert webpage) recommends:

Grammar for English Language Teachers, by Martin Parrott (CUP)
Practical English Usage, by Michael Swan (OUP)

In a post here someone recommended "The English Verb"

Gracias de antemano por cualquiera recomendacion!

[TheLongWayHome]

[kitkat1]

[MO39]

I recently discovered a good book for intermediate (and low-advanced) level adult students, Grammar in Use, Intermediate, by Raymond Murphy and William R. Smalzer. It's designed for self-study, but I've also used it effectively in a classroom setting. Oh, it's for North American English grammar, by the way.

[MELEE]

I'm a big fan of Scott Thornbury these days. But, many of his books might be better for someone who's already gotten their feet wet, not really as pre TEFL course reading. One that might be good, is along the lines of The English Verb (I'm the one who recommended that before, love that book.) in that its not a grammar rules book but gives you a whole nother way to think about grammar. The title is Uncovering Grammar and its published by Macmillan.

Another area that might be good to read up on, because I think the CELTA totally neglects it, is Phonology. I've seen many new teachers frustrated by the "repeat after me" aproach to improving pronunciation. A little knowledge about how the sounds are made can make a big difference. There are many books on this topic. One that includes ideas on how to use knowledge of phonology in the classroom is Sound Foundations by Adrian Underhill, also published by Macmillan, but there are many good books.

If you have spare time on the internet, instead of shelling out money for books, you can read a lot on-line. Dave's has another set of "teacher forums" where people talk about non job teaching issues (This question would be good over there) and there are lots of teacher support sights. I like Macmillan's support sight. www.onestopenglish.com (I hope someone at Macmillan reads this and sends me a free book for all these plugs!) Oxford's Teacher's club is also good. www.oup.com/elt/teachersclub
I also read The Internet TESL Journal
Forum Magazine
TESL Electronic Journal
and Humanizing Language Teaching
on a regular basis.

Oh and Raymond Murphy's Grammar in Use Series is available in both American and British English versions from Cambridge University Press.

[MO39]

Thanks for letting us know that the Raymond Murphy book is also available in a British version, in case I ever find myself teaching English in Scotland or Ireland.

[srtab]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions!

It's funny about phonology... because in my teacher preparation I wasn't really given any concrete methods for teaching it in Spanish either. I teach the vowels... and try to explain when consonants change (gato vs. gitana) and things like that... but I end up with the "repitan" method, which is boring. Giving beginning language learners a good foundation is tough.

[lozwich]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[some waygug-in]

los dos centavos mios.


If you're going to be teaching children, you may want to take some good children's course books with you. I don't know if this is common everywhere in Mexico, but certainly in Queretaro and in Comitan where I taught there wasn't much in the way of resources for children.

A book of songs and chants for kids and perhaps some game/puzzle books.

Let's Go coursebooks or English Time published by Oxford are great, but that's getting a bit excessive.

Anyhoo, hope this helps.

que le vaya bien.

[AjarnErnes]

I like the "Idiot" book. I'm pretty sure it's called "English grammar for the complete Idiot"

very easy to read and understand.

ajarnernest