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Blog Category: Teaching Materials

Different Types of English in TEFL

When you teach English as a foreign language you don't just teach "English". No, you teach a specific type of English depending on your class: different people need different English. You can view this in the same way as dance. If you go to a dance class you don't...

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Choosing a Good Dictionary

For both teachers and students a dictionary is one of the most important books (or apps) you can own. This article offers tips for choosing the best possible dictionary for help in the classroom and with preparing lessons. If you're buying a dictionary then the best...

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Old Fashioned Teachers & Music

Most teachers are old in comparison to their students. And because most teachers choose materials for their class, this often means that the materials they use are old. And by old, I mean stuck in the past and out of date. When a TEFL teacher decides to use music in...

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Peter Mark Roget

Peter Mark Roget FRS (18 January 1779 – 12 September 1869) was a British doctor, writer, and inventor but also most famous nowadays as a lexicographer and author of Roget's Thesaurus. Background to Roget's Thesaurus Although he had no lexicographic training or...

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Roget’s Thesaurus (book)

Roget's Thesaurus is an English language thesaurus created by Peter Mark Roget in the 19th century. It was first published in 1852 and contained some 15,000 words. Subsequent editions have enlarged on this. Although there are other thesauri, the term Roget is often...

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Tony Buzan

Born in London in 1942, Tony Buzan is the originator of mind mapping and one of the pioneers of the "Brain science". He topped his education with a double Honours in Psychology, English, Mathematics and the General Sciences from the University of British Columbia in...

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Use Both Sides of Your Brain (book)

Although the first edition of this book was written in 1974, it is still considered as an ideal presentation of the "modern approach" to mind mapping. Use Both Sides of Your Brain: New Mind-Mapping Techniques uses the latest research on the workings of the human...

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Thesaurus

A thesaurus (plural thesauri or thesauruses) is a book of words collected together according to meaning and similarity. In other words, words grouped according to semantic field. Compare this to a dictionary which lists words alphabetically and then gives their...

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Oxford English Dictionary (book)

The Oxford English Dictionary (or OED) is one of the major English language dictionaries. It is published by Oxford University Press (OUP). Apart from defining words, it also traces their history and is used not only by people wanting to learn word meaning but also by...

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Clare McDowell

Clare McDowell is an Australian ELT author specializing in IELTS‏‎ preparation books. McDowell graduated with a BA in French & Spanish language and literature from the University of South Wales in Australia in 1979. This was followed by an MA in Applied...

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Vanessa Jakeman

Vanessa Jakeman is an ELT author most well known for her IELTS books published by CUP. Vanessa worked as an EFL teacher for many years including 10 years in Hong Kong where she taught and worked for the HK Examinations Authority as well as UCLES. During this time she...

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Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His surviving works consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets and several poems....

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Descriptive vs Prescriptive Grammars

Grammar‏‎ books can generally be divided into two different types: Descriptive or Prescriptive. This article looks at the difference between them. Very simply, a descriptive grammar looks at what people actually say in real life and then lays out a series of...

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Materials & Materials Writing

Materials is a general term to describe the TEFL coursebooks‏‎ and exercises used in teaching English. The author of such is known as a Materials Writer. Materials can include: exercise books grammar books videos various exercises & activities listening tapes...

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The Non-Native Teacher (book)‏‎

Author: Peter Medgyes Publisher: Hueber Macmillan Prentice Hall Phoenix ELT Details: paperback, 144 pages; pub 1998 ISBN: 3190066310 Despite the many advantages that a teacher sharing the students’ MT can bring, native speakers are always preferred when it comes to...

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Charles Hadfield‏‎

Charles Hadfield has worked as a teacher and trainer, administrator, and consultant in many places including Madagascar, Tibet, China, and France, with shorter visits to many African countries, most of Europe, and Japan. He often collaborates with his wife Jill on...

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Teaching and Assessing Phonics (book)‏‎

Author: Jeanne S. Chall ; Helen M. Popp Publisher: Education Pub. Service Details: Paperback; 163 pages; Pub.1996 ISBN: 0838823149 Teaching phonics should be done in small incremental steps, though teachers should be somewhat flexible and open to go back or forward a...

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Heinemann‏‎

Heinemann is a publisher of professional development books and resources for teachers, from kindergarten through college. The titles published include books for theatre professionals, general books on education, and quality works of world literature. Heinemann...

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New International Business English‏‎ (book)

Author: Leo Jones ; Richard Alexander Publisher: Cambridge University Press Details: Paperback; 176 pages; Pub.2003 ISBN: 052153173X This course has 15 topic-based units which cover a wide range of business situations and provide frequent opportunity for discussion...

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Chambers Dictionary‏‎ (book)

Publisher: Chambers Details: Hardcover; 1825 pages; Pub.2003 ISBN: 055010013X This edition of the "Chambers Dictionary" combines the long-established virtues of its predecessors with a modern design and updated content. It offers coverage of English vocabulary,...

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Stenhouse Publishers‏‎

Stenhouse Publishers started in 1993 with two employees in a one-room attic walk-up in York, Maine. That fall six titles were published. Today, Stenhouse Publishers has a catalogue of more than 200 books and videos. Stenhouse publishes professional development books...

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Teaching Adult Second Language Learners (book)‏‎

Author: Heather Mckay ; Abigail Tom Publisher: Cambridge University Press Details: Paperback; 244 pages; Pub.1999 ISBN: 0521649900 This is the latest in the excellent Handbooks for Language Teachers series edited by Penny Ur. The book addresses the needs of adults...

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J.C. Wells‏‎

Emeritus Professor of Phonetics at University College London, John C. Wells' interests centre on the phonetic and phonological description of languages but also extend to lexicography and language teaching. He directs UCL’s annual Summer Course in English Phonetics....

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Uncovering Grammar‏‎ (book)

Author: Scott G. Thornbury Publisher: Macmillan ELT Details: Paperback; 12 pages; Pub.2005 ISBN: 140508006X As teachers we often talk about "covering" grammar points. Thornbury explains why it is more useful to think about how we "uncover" grammar, to reveal the...

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Anne Upczak Garcia‏‎

A writer and a bilingual teacher in Colorado, she has lived and taught in South America for many years. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and an Master's degree in Multicultural, Bilingual and ESL education from the University of Colorado in Boulder....

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Macmillan ELT‏‎

Macmillan is one of the world’s leading publishers of English Language teaching and school curriculum materials, with over 150 years of publishing experience. Based in Oxford, UK, and operating in over 40 countries worldwide, the Macmillan Publishers work with...

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Scott G. Thornbury‏‎

He has been working in the private EFL sector as teacher, director of studies, school director and teacher trainer for many years. He now lives in Spain but his previous experience includes teaching and training in the UK and in his native New Zealand. Teacher...

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Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies‏‎

Author: Brad Buhrow ; Anne Upczak Garcia Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers Details: Paperback; 187 pages; Pub.2006 ISBN: 1571104003   This book aims to help English language learners discover their world through inquiry. It rests on the idea that content comprehension...

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