Anyone who has done a CELTA or TEFL training course will probably be familiar with the headway series or perhaps the Cutting Edge series. In my opinion these books are ok for people who are teaching in western countries, however, for me, they don't target very accurately the needs of my Asian students. Some of the cultural anchors used to teach the language in these books are just not appropriate within an Asian context, but we still go on using them just because it saves time to develop the whole curriculum yourself.
There is a choice now though! So for those who fancy a change or for Newbies who are looking for some inspiration and opionions from experienced teachers are the books that the Teach Asia Online team feel are the most useful for their teaching.
How to Teach English and Grammar for English Language Teachers are highly recommended as reference books for ELT teachers and are often used in CELTA courses. When teaching English as a foreign language, it is advisable to look up the typical learning problems arising from the first language in Learner English.
Foreign teachers are often hired to teach conversation and listening; all the books mentioned here have been used successfully in our own classes. If you any feedback, good or bad about the books mentioned here, please let us know. If there are any books you feel should be included here, just send us an email with the details and why you think it should be included.
TEACHING ENGLISH
How to Teach English - Jeremy Harmer
Provides practical coverage of specific methods, lesson planning, using textbooks and coping with the unexpected! It includes a clear introduction to describing language so that you can understand technical words relating to grammar and pronunciation.http://eltcatalogue.pearsoned-ema.com/
GRAMMAR FOR TEACHERS
Grammar for English Language Teachers - Martin Parrott
Provides an accessible reference for planning lessons and clarifying learners’ problems. It includes a typical difficulties section in each chapter, which explores learners’ problems and mistakes and offers ways of overcoming them. http://www.cambridge.org
An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage by Geoffrey Leech, Susan Conrad, Benita Cruickshank , Roz Ivanic
This is my preferred choice of English grammar book, it's not a book that I would recommend for students, but for a teacher it has got absolutely everything you might ever be asked to explain in the English classroom. It might not be the easiest book in the world to find exactly what you are looking for, but the examples are nice and clear (usually with some visuals) and it answers any questions you may have (and some you might not have) about English grammar.
Practical English Usage by Michael Swan
This is the other main choice of grammar reference book and it is written in a very straightfoward way. It answers most, if not all questions on English. Any differences between formal written English, and informal written English are clearly explained, and there are a lot of examples given too to aid understanding. There is even a section on British and American English.
Entries cover pronunciation, punctuation marks, idioms, taboo words, slang, spelling, this books has so much to it which makes it a great reference book. The book is very user friendly (some might say, easier to use than An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage) and is one of the most valuable books sitting on the shelves of many an English teacher.
SPECIFIC PROBLEMS BY FIRST LANGUAGE
Learner English. A Teacher's Guide to Interference and other Problems - Swan/Smith
A practical reference guide which compares the relevant features of a student’s own language with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems their students have. Learner English has chapters focusing on major problems of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and other errors. Covers Indian, Malay/Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai speakers and more.
Conversation
Impact Topics - Richard R. Day, Joseph Shaules, Junko Yamanaka
Providing 30 short personal stories, Impact Topics helps students identify themes, and guides them to expressing and sharing their opinions. False beginner.
Impact Issues - Richard R. Day, Joseph Shaules, Junko Yamanaka
Presenting 30 controversial issues of timeless interest, Impact Issues guides students in understanding the issues and expressing their viewpoints. With audio CD recording of all stories. High beginner to intermediate.
Impact Values - Richard R. Day, Joseph Shaules, Junko Yamanaka
Providing 30 natural pieces on timeless topics, Impact Values guides students in expressing and sharing their values with others. Intermediate.
Conversation Gambits - Eric Keller and Sylvia T. Warner
CONVERSATION GAMBITS is specially designed to teach the language of conversation and discussion. Through their careful choice of language, the authors predict the words and phrases students will require to take part in the conversation activities effectively. Conversation Gambits is the ideal material for a conversation course or conversation option. Pre Intermediate to Advanced.
Pronunciation
Ship or Sheep? - Ann Baker
This book will train students to recognise and produce English sounds, and includes work on stress and intonation. Intermediate to Upper-intermediate.
Others
Intermediate Communication Games - Jill Hadfield'''
A fantastic selection of pairwork, small group and whole class games and activities to help your students develop understanding and fluency in a real, communicative way. Intermediate.
Business English
Business Basics
Games and Activities
Reward Business Resource Pack
Technical English
Tech Talk
This is a great book for teaching any technical staff, starting from a basic level. All task are related to technical work is undertaken by engineers, factory workers, offshore staff. The course is billed as a "practical course for adult learners working in the international technical sector."
There are currently two levels; an elementary book; and a pre intermediate book. Each set has a student coursebook, a student workbook, and a teacher book.
If you need to move away from a constant focus on business English, then take a look at this series.
