Other New Titles

A New Edition of an Old Favourite!

It seems everything is going for a makeover these days.

Grammar Practice Activities, a classic handbook for anyone needing interesting and engaging grammar practice activities, has had a face-lift.

This book is already one the faves on our top 10 books for new teachers list, and now, we'll underline it and put it in bold!

The improvements:

• updated versions of popular activities
• addition of new activities
• clearer organization
• effective teaching tips and guidelines

A CD-ROM is also now included and it features:

• all materials in ready-to-print and photocopiable size
• book artwork able to be displayed on-screen in colour

Personally, we're going to miss those retro images of fashionable chaps with handlebar mustaches.

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Cool Blogs

One of the very best EFL blogs we've seen has recently come to my attention: kalinago.blogspot.com.

Karenne has done a fantastic job at gathering the most interesting and current information on all things EFL and made it easy to access and understand.

Check out Kalinago for:

• lesson plan ideas
• excellent articles
• fabulous links to other sites and blogs
• conference reports
• tech tips

...and more, all written in a friendly, easily-digestible style.

I venture to name a new blogging queen and her name is Karenne.

I suppose every queen needs her king (or perhaps a jester) and in the ESL blogging world, Alex Case has to wear the crown (one with jingle bells on it).

Why TEFLtastic gets the crown jewels:

• photocopiable worksheets
• funny and interesting articles
• lesson and activity ideas
• insightful book reviews

...and more, written in a witty, clever style.

I f you need to take a moment to rave over these sites, but aren't quite sure how...click here.

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Last month we looked at cool on-line journal sites. We asked if anyone out there had another one they'd like to share.

Luckily for us, Lesline S. recommended another one for technology and language learning.

Click to check out Language Learning & Technology.

• Great articles
• No fee and subscription free

Thanks Lesline!!

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Teaching Tips 101

Taking the Static out of Observation and Feedback

We know that being observed can be a stressful experience - even for the most confident of us.

But opening our classroom door needn't seem like a necessary evil.

Put your insecurities away, stand up straight...and see if some of our tips help.

For observees, don't play the ostrich - speak to your observer before the dreaded visit to:

• understand the criteria you'll be assessed by
• let the observer know about your students and the current class dynamics
• ask them to focus on areas you would especially like some feedback on

And most importantly,

• stay open-minded and avoid being defensive. You can't control what the observer will say, but you can control your reaction.

For observers, respect and empathy need to be a top priority.


Be sensitive and reduce your colleague's stress by:

• being aware of your conduct and style
• avoiding overwhelming with too much information/input
• backing all comments with specific examples from the lesson
• acknowledging the teacher's perspective
• letting the teacher analyze first
• being proactive - avoid using language like "you should've.."- try "next time you could.." instead

Remember - there is no such thing as failure...only feedback.

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