Language Teacher Toolkit: Steve Smith's blog

This is a short extract from my new book Becoming an Outstanding Languages Teacher . The book, primarily aimed at new or newish language teachers, features a number of examples of detailed descriptions of interactions between the teacher and students. These are effectively blow-by-blow accounts of how you might run specific lessons - what the teacher might say, what the pupils might say. Each of these descriptions is accompanied by a running commentary of tips. This particular example is from the chapter on developing speaking lessons . It is aimed at intermediate students and uses a text about Cinderella as the stimulus. First, here is the text (you would translate it into your chosen language): Cinderella There was once a beautiful girl, an orphan, who lived in a big house with her father. Her stepmother had two daughters who were ugly and unkind. The stepmother and the two sisters forced Cinderella to do all the housework every day. She had to do the laundry, wash t...

Key Issues in Language Teaching is an impressive 800 page volume by veteran ELT writer Jack C. Richards and published by Cambridge University Press in 2015. Although Richards is from the ELT field, this book would be of great interest to modern language teachers. The book is divided into four major sections: 1. English language teaching today 2. Facilitating student learning 3. Language and the four skills 4. The teacher's environment The 21 chapter titles include: Second language learning Approaches and methods The language lesson Age-appropriate methodology Grammar Vocabulary Listening Reading Speaking Textbooks Technology Testing and assessment Chapters usually include an overview of the main theory and research in the area, practical ways of applying theory in the classroom, teacher testimonies, lesson plans and other resources. For example, his chapter on listening discusses approaches to teaching listening, one-way and two-way listening, features of...