Don Snow (2)

From Language Learner to Language Teacher
Snow, Don
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL)

Today, there are about four nonnative-speaking English teachers for every teacher who is a native speaker.

More English teachers work in non-English-speaking settings than in English-speaking settings, and most are natives of the countries in which they teach.

This volume focuses on the challenges faced by English teachers for whom English is a second (or even third or fourth) language.

Four themes receive special emphasis:
communicative language teaching,
proficiency,
language learning, and
practicality.

Chapters 1-5 cover issues of classroom survival:
basic principles of language learning and teaching and
course and lesson planning.

Chapters 6-13 discuss the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar;
the role of culture in language teaching; and
some of the problems that recur in EFL classrooms.

An afterword suggests paths for teachers who want to pursue further study.

Appendices offer a starter kit for course planning, sample course plans, culture-topic activity ideas for oral skills classes, and print and Internet resources for teachers and students.

Following an introduction, this book is divided into two parts.
Part I, Preparing to Teach, presents:
(1) Language Teachers as Language Learners;
(2) Principles of Language Learning and the Role of the Teacher;
(3) Course Planning: Knowing Where You Are Going;
(4) Evaluation, Grading, and Backwash; and
(5) Lesson Planning and Classroom Survival.

Part II, Aspects of English Teaching, concludes with:
(6) Listening: Putting the Horse before the Cart;
(7) Speaking: A Linguistic Juggling Act;
(8) Reading and Decoding;
(9) Writing: Keeping Your Head above Water;
(10) Vocabulary: Students in Charge;
(11) Grammar: Finding a Balance;
(12) Teaching Culture; and
(13) A Troubleshooter's Guide to the Classroom.

This book also includes an Afterword:
On Continued Professional Development and concludes with five appendices:
(1) The Goals Menu: A Starter Kit for Course Planning;
(2) Sample Course Plans: Putting It All Together;
(3) Culture-Topic Activity Ideas for Oral Skills Classes;
(4) Books for Further Reading;
(5) Internet Resources and references.

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. 700 South Washington Street Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: 888-547-3369; Tel: 703-836-0774; Fax: 703-836-7864; Fax: 703-836-6447; e-mail: info@tesol.org; Web site: http://www.tesol.org… (mehr)