Customer Reviews

Teach English as a Foreign Language: All you need to know to enjoy a varied and adventurous career (How to)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is very much the same as the other books on the subject of teaching English as a foreign language. Some chapters may even appear to say exactly the same as previous authors. But in some aspects this book is quite original. It starts with an outburst of patriotic praise of the English language.You get the message that the world speaks English and we must teach the very few who are so unfortunate not to so so yet. What about them, your students? You are advised not to be preconceived, to avoid stereotypes. Unfortunately the book does precisely what it tells you not to do. It says that the Arabs are too demanding, the Spaniards get too excited, and so on, complaining about different nationalities. In my view this book is rather trivial and too unfriendly.

This book starts with an outburst of British patriotism, everyone speaks the language, but on reflection we are trying to teach it to the poor folks who dont speak it yet. Then these folks and their teachers are thoroughly patronized, they are all stupid, but this book will guide everyone. Very unpleasant reading. Some information is biased and clearly flawed.

There is a lot of information in this book, the same you find in others on the same topic. And I have read them all! Two things I do not like in this one. It appears to expect the EFL teacher to be totally incompetent and tends to state the obvious in a very patronising tone. It tells you what a CV is:"A CV is a record of your education, training, emplyment and related aspects of your life...". It tells you that you should find out the address of a chemist before you go abroad just in case you fall ill. And more advice of the same nature and at the same level. The other thing I do not like is that it appears to borrow from other books on the topic but I cannot find any acknowledgements.