A New Edition of a Classical Methodology Handbook

If you are involved in Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL) training, either as trainer or trainee, you will be familiar with Harmer’s (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching, first published in 1983. This book belongs to the Longman Handbooks for Language Teachers series. The book is divided into ten chapters with clear sub-headings; each chapter has a valuable list of references and further reading suggestions. This new edition contains an interesting Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) of classroom practice and teacher interviews conducted by Harmer himself, which can be used as a focus for discussion.

There are many positive features in this book. Given the breadth and depth of topics covered, the author has done a remarkably good job, using clear and simple language, suitable for teacher trainees whose first language is not English. Furthermore, it contains many examples of teaching activities that make use of various techniques and resources discussed. Another plus is that the author’s personal preferences do not intrude. Everything is described objectively and clearly, leaving it to the reader to select what may be appropriate to the specific teaching context.

The book has much to recommend it, but there are a few drawbacks. Some explanations tend to be a bit lengthy, so it would have been simpler for a reader to grasp a concept if the text had been aided by visual representations. Another weakness is that the nine lessons presented in the DVD are highly neutral; a wider range of contexts could have been included to reproduce real teaching situations. Additionally, they seem teacher-centred following the Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP) style; this might have been a result of the editing which had reduced each lesson to a ten minutes length.

The book attempts to deal with almost every aspect of English Language Teaching (ELT), a difficult goal, but it has covered all the major basics. Whether teachers dip into this book to follow threads of a particular issue or topic, or whether they read it from cover to cover, they will find it a useful, well-resourced discussion of ELT practice. This edition is offered as a record of where ELT is right now, meeting the challenges of new ideas, new technology and new concerns. The book will undoubtedly continue its strong contribution to the ELT profession.

References

Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching (4th ed.). England: Pearson Education Limited.