Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Routledge Education Books) [Paperback]

Dr Geoffrey Broughton (Author), Geoffrey Broughton (Author), Christopher Brumfit (Author), Anita Pincas (Author), Roger D. Wilde (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415058821 | ISBN-13: 978-0415058827 | Publication Date: November 11, 1993 | Edition: 2

For the many categories of EFL teachers throughout the world, this book examines the main principles which concern them. By drawing upon their experience the authors provide a hands-on approach.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A work that many of us have been waiting for . . . a clear and comprehensive discussion of a whole range of problems that the teaching of English raises: a reasonable and well-balanced survey that could have been compiled only after wide reading and invaluable experience, this book is recommended to all who have a practical involvement in the subject.
–British Book News

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (November 11, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415058821
• ISBN-13: 978-0415058827
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,236,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some ideas for teaching, but in general...not useful, September 7, 2005

By 

Edward G. Nilges "Author, 'Build Your Own .Ne... (Hong Kong, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Routledge Education Books) (Paperback)

Educating the educator, and training the trainer, and a science of education *per se* sounds like a terrific idea. To educate educators in how to educate sounds great (especially if one has no ear for language).

To many political conservatives, whose real concern is not spending much money on the needs of the next generation, such an effort implies the ability to increase the surveillance and monitoring of teachers according to "objective" criteria.

But comes now a book on the topic of teaching English as a second language which illustrates the tragic paradox of educating educators.

Educating educators contains the paradox of infinite regress, for educational "theory" replaces enthusiasm and a lived or learned, or both, acquisition of subject matter: the ideal educational system might well consist in a forced draft of the wealthy and successful, who would have the duty to society to spend two years teaching the least well off. As long as they could project or feign the enthusiasm, this might be more meaningful than the current system.

This book tries and fails to enunciate general principles for teaching English as a foreign language but its first maxim or saw should be "love English". No lover of English would use the nonword "appropriacy" for appropriateness but here it is a section heading and used in several locations.

It pretends that we can classify people according to styles and abilities which the teaching process itself fosters and creates, or discourages and destroys.

It contains a few good ideas but altogether too much emphasis on the pseudo-democracy of group work which in my experience is dominated by the psychos and bullies in the classroom and which causes gifted students to tune out.



The English teacher's companions should be instead The Oxford Reference Grammar and Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage.