Best Books for Beginning ESL Teachers

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Brian
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Best Books for Beginning ESL Teachers

Unread post by Brian »

What are the two or three best books for a beginning teacher of ESL?

Thanks
Ben

Unread post by Ben »

Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener

This book is so useful, covers everything from what to do on your first day to how to deal with teacher burnout to sample lessons to everything else. He also writes at One Stop English if you want to get a feel for his style. If you're looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do, look somewhere else. His is more of a thoughtful, trial and error, "this is what I did, but your results may differ," kind of style. I am so glad I bought this book.

After that it depends on what you're interested in, the How to Teach... series is pretty good and if you're looking for a grammar book I think Raymond Murphy's Grammar in Use Intermediate has great examples for just about everything. Or check out Scott Thornbury's books or website for a completely different approach.

Happy reading!

Ben
Brian
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Unread post by Brian »

Thanks! I'll look for it.
Ele
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Unread post by Ele »

Yes, R. Murphy is good. Also, anything by Jeremy Harmer.
The sun sets, the sun rises.
Jazz
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Unread post by Jazz »

I have also found Jeremy Harmer to be of great use. For me however, as a teacher with little experience, the internet has been wonderful resource with me being able to pick up tips and pointers here and there.
Heads Up Eng
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Unread post by Heads Up Eng »

Scrivener is good, and I believe his book gets used in CELTA courses from time to time. I'm partial to H. Douglas Brown's "Teaching Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy." Don't let the title scare you away, as it's not a difficult read. Take a look at "How Languages are Learned" by Lightbown and Patsy. Both books are typically used in TESOL courses.

If you just want articles, take a look at http://www.ezinearticles.com, although there's a lot of questionable articles there. Even better is http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com, which is put together by a teacher in Italy. It's really a top-notch site. There's http://www.eslteachertalk.com, which does podcast articles. Lastly, I have a few articles on my site, http://www.headsupenglish.com

Good luck!

Chris Cotter
Heads Up English - Materials based on current events. Just print, and teach!
http://www.headsupenglish.com
ddeubel
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Unread post by ddeubel »

Let me take the conversation somewhere else. What textbook does a new teacher need?

You are right, a new teacher really can be helped immensely by a good book. Then slowly with experience, the book becomes less the focus and more of a frame for the lesson (not the meat).

I really like as mentioned, Harmer's Go for it. (Ill see him at a conference tomorrow!). I started learning to teach with Side by Side and it did me well, years ago. Why? Not so much glitter, each lesson the same so I could really get my feet under me. A young teacher needs a book that offers lots of routine.

David
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

PS. I like practical books like "how to teach English" and also "Keep them Talking"
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