What the reviewers say
The
EL Gazette
Survive and thrive
Essential kit for the EL teacher apparently includes a head, mints and a deck of cards
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER'S SURVIVAL HANDBOOK
(iT's Magazines) Lindsay Clandfield and Duncan Foord
AT A mere 66 pages, and somewhere between a booklet and a magazine, this title is nevertheless a treasure trove. The con- tents reflect the insights and experience of the co-authors, both of whom have published highly regarded work in recent years, most notably Clandfield (and Prodromou's) award-winning Dealing with Difficulties, Delta Publishing (2007).
The Language Teacher's Survival Handbook (LTSH) is a title with a difference, the authors admitting early on what it does not deal with: 'This book is not a methodology book about teaching - we think there are already a lot of very good books like that on the market - but it does address some methodological issues. It's not an activity book (again, there are lots of these available), but there are activities that teachers can use.' Instead, what the reader is treated to is a smorgasboard of generally ignored features of teaching, both inside and outside the class- room.
First up are the recommended contents of a teacher's survival kit: pocket-sized bilingual dictionary, CDs for background music, dice and counters for the many language games appearing in resource materials nowadays, stationery pack containing the ever-essential scissors and paper clips, personal photo album, deck of cards, flash memory device and, for awkward moments following a garlicky lunch, a bag of mints or sweets. All added to by the results of a survey which concluded the most vital thing to bring to the lesson was the teacher's head; 'preferably filled with ideas, experience, imagination and knowledge'. And that's all in the three pages of chapter one!
'Teaching Under the Influence' might conjure up rather different images for some among the EFL community, but in this chapter of LTSH the authors look at 'the methods behind the madness', asking the reader to scan their potted history of language teaching before attempting to match succinct explanations to the appropriate approach. 'Surviving the Job Interview' curiously includes an anti-interview which involves matching bad answers to good questions such as 'What's your approach to teaching?' Correct incorrect answer: 'I usually walk through the front door, open the book and we begin.' 'First Classes' lists twenty activities to get new classes off to a good start, including the ever-popular and quickly prepared 'important numbers in my life'.
Two chapters of particular interest deal with areas unfortunately often given very little coverage: the stages of culture shock, and body language. How many of us are able to correctly identify just why we don't feel so enthralled by local news when England are battling to save a game of cricket? In 'Strike a Pose' the comment that 'aggressive dogs can smell fear' should be enough to encourage us all to monitor how we stand, sit and gesture in the classroom. In , Surviving the Staffroom' we are encouraged to keep away the blues by doing other things apart from talking shop, such as organising a crossword challenge or getting colleagues to post their top ten smells on a bulletin board. Other areas with useful tips on survival concern basic grammar items, young learners, teaching in companies and using technology. At the same time, the authors' views on professional development, the use of the mother-tongue, troubleshooting and their emergency activity file should each be given a close read.
Squeezed into all the above are several single-page guides to key areas: various international qualifications, the irritating number of acronyms in Tesol (whoops there's another one!), EFL exams, how to spot teacher burn-out, the ever-expanding range of course and supplementary material, and finally a list of 'The Other Books You Need To Read' which had me nodding at every title there, especially Jim Scrivener's new edition of Learning Teaching (Macmillan 2005). Splendid stuff, indeed.
Wayne Trotman survives ELT in the Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey.
This review was published in the July 2008 issue of the EL Gazette (www.elgazette.com)
English
Teaching Professional
The Language Teacher's Survival Handbook
by Lindsay Clandfield and Duncan Foord
iT's Magazines 2008
One notable section in The Language Teacher's Survival Handbook is entitled 'If only I had known…' These words could easily have been the title of this book because, as you leaf through its pages, you start to wish it had been around when you started teaching. If the typical initial training course was a DVD, this book would be the 'extras': all the good stuff they had to leave on the cutting room floor due to time constraints.
There are two major aspects to The Survival Handbook. On one hand, as authors Lindsay Clandfield and Duncan Foord point out in their introduction, you can never have too many practical teaching tips. There are a good number of these sprinkled liberally throughout the book, taking up where most initial training courses leave off. Young learners and 'in-company' classes are covered in some detail, for example. However, the majority of tips are multi-purpose, suitable for a range of day-to-day teaching situations. Highlights include the article which offers hints on how to assemble a 'teacher's survival kit', based on the essential miscellanea that experienced teachers carry to every class. And as one would expect from a book called The Survival Handbook, there are also a number of zero-preparation 'emergency' lesson ideas.
However, this book is much more about how to survive 'being an English language teacher', so much of the content focuses on what happens outside the classroom. On the first page, the authors provide space in which to write important reference numbers, email addresses and contact details, making it clear from the outset that this is not a book to be read and discarded; it is designed to be a practical field guide to the uncertainties of post-certification life.
At your wits' end with the negative attitude of your colleagues? You'll find some useful suggestions for beating the staffroom blues in this book. Want to know what IELTS stands for? There's a handy guide to TEFL acronyms. Particularly useful is the aforementioned, 'If only I had known...' article, a checklist of sensible questions first-time teachers should ask during a job interview. Many teachers will cringe as they read this part of the book, having learned their lessons the hard way. Other articles provide advice on topics as diverse as culture shock, how to avoid burnout, and what to do if the photocopier breaks down. Almost all of the advice is spot on.
While clearly aimed at novice language teachers and focused on practical solutions to the common problems they encounter, the book's short articles and engaging quizzes also aim to arouse curiosity in the reader. It is the stated hope of the authors that teachers will be interested enough to pursue the topics in greater depth. Professional development is discussed as one of the ways of avoiding burnout and 'keeping the flame alive'. As a result, even experienced practitioners may find something to inspire them. How much do you know, for example, about the weird and wacky history of teaching methods? There's a quiz in this book to help you find out more.
The Language Teacher's Survival Handbook is a highly accessible read: slender, colourful and made up of magazine-style articles ideally suited to the lifestyle of the language teacher. Each is short enough to be digested in a few minutes, providing a stimulating way to fill those annoying gaps in the timetable. This also means you can carry it from company to company without worrying about backache. So if you are just starting out on the adventure that is English language teaching, you'd do well to get your hands on this book. And if your candle starts to flicker and burn down after a few years, pick it up again. You might just learn something new.
Mark Bain
Sabadell, Spain
This review was published in the July 2008 issue of the English Teaching Professional (www.etprofessional.com)