Teaching Materials and the Roles of EFL/ESL Teachers is published amidst a decade long increase in academic publications and training courses concerned with the evaluation and design of English language teaching materials. It is timely to consider what effect the advice on offer has had on teachers' practice. Are teachers evaluating materials carefully, using textbooks in the ways expected by textbook writers, developing their own materials, and mediating between materials and learners in the ways advised in the professional literature? The book explores these issues from a variety of perspectives. The views of publishers/textbook writers, those contributing to the professional literature, and teacher educators are synthesised to establish a 'theory' of how teachers can best fulfil their roles vis-à-vis materials and learners. This is then compared with 'practice', as represented by published accounts of teachers' actual practices and learners' perspectives. The conclusion reached is that teacher education in materials evaluation and design is essential and suggestions are offered as to the form this might take. The book is intended particularly for MA students and teacher educators concerned with materials evaluation and design, but is of interest to all those concerned with the publication and use of English language teaching materials.

Teaching materials and the roles of EFL/ESL teachers is published amidst a decade long increase in academic publications and training courses concerned with the evaluation and design of English language teaching materials. It is timely to consider what effect the advice on offer has had on teachers' practice. Are teachers evaluating materials carefully, using textbooks in the ways expected by textbook writers, developing their own materials, and mediating between materials and learners in the ways advised in the professional literature? The book explores these issues from a variety of perspectives. The views of publishers/textbook writers, those contributing to the professional literature, and teacher educators are synthesised to establish a 'theory' of how teachers can best fulfil their roles vis-à-vis materials and learners. This is then compared with 'practice', as represented by published accounts of teachers' actual practices and learners' perspectives. The conclusion reached is that teacher education in materials evaluation and design is essential and suggestions are offered as to the form this might take. The book is intended particularly for MA students and teacher educators concerned with materials evaluation and design, but is of interest to all those concerned with the publication and use of English language teaching materials.

This creative book focuses on teaching English as a foreign or second language. It is designed for use by self-motivated teachers of EFL/ESL who seek to maximize their own potential as teachers and, in doing so, maximize the learning of their students. The book includes information about exploration of teaching, classroom interaction and management, teaching materials and media, culture and the sojourning teacher, as well as how language instructors can teach students listening, conversation, reading, and writing skills. It can be used by EFL/ESL teachers nor formally trained in teaching English to students of other languages and by individuals who wish to increase their teaching skills through independent self-study. The book is appropriate for use in preservice teaching programs and inservice development programs. Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language is unique in emphasizing self-development as central to being an EFL/ESL teacher. Each chapter presents a set of questions directly relevant to teaching and includes advice on teaching problems. An appendix provides addresses, phoned numbers, and information on professional journals and publishing houses.

This book examines the importance of English language teaching in China, but also the need for this teaching to be modernised in order for China to better join the world economy. The current trend within English teaching in China is for 'communicative competence' - that is, being able to communicate with linguistic, pragmatic, discourse and strategic competence. This volume argues that such a theoretical framework of communicative competence needs to be expanded to address both global needs and local contexts, if English language teaching in China is to be successful. The contributors to this volume examine every aspect of language teaching and suggest new ways in which communication and grammar can be balanced. The chapters include coverage of: * the importance of English in a global world * the theoretical framework of communicative competence * the role of grammar in learning English * assessing and evaluating communicative competence * the starting age of learning English * teaching language skills in the post-methods era * using multimedia in teaching and testing * online learning and self-learning * teacher training through empowerment. With its balance of theory and practice, and internationally renowned contributors, this guide to new approaches, perspectives and standards in language teaching will be essential reading for academics interested in applied linguistics and second language acquisition, and English language teaching professionals.