Other Featured Titles Oxford Resource Books for Teachers 
In the spirit of creativity, who couldn't use a little kick start and inspiration now and again?
This month we've decided not to only focus on one or two books, but to focus on a whole
series - the Oxford Resource Books for Teachers series.
In our efforts to move forward, a glance back at what has come before can be a very refreshing change of pace.
Some of our favourite titles are:
Writing Vocabulary Classroom Dynamics We love this series because each book:
- has up to 100 activities
- has a detailed introduction outlining important information on the topic
- detailed notes on the management, timing, variations and follow up suggestions for each activity
Check out all the different titles and
download sample lessons by clicking
here.
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Good Things Come in Threes Special
Shop online at our new website and
- BUY ONE of Classroom Dynamics, Images or The Internet
- AND TWO or more of any other titles in the Oxford Resource Books for Teachers series...
and get a
30% discount off your purchase.
Offer is limited to the first 30 customers and is valid until September 30, 2009.
(Please note that the discount will not be seen when you go through checkout - the discount will be applied when your order is processed.)
Cool (and funny) Blogs 
Personally, we love September - but we are aware that not everyone feels so chipper at the thought of winter coming along again.
So - to brighten up any dark clouds looming, check out the best of ESL humour blogs.
We've picked three for this month, (with some help from Alex Case from TEFLtastic.com) and they range from gentle to a bit wicked and cynical.
Ken Wilson's blog gives us a peek into the interesting mind of a very experienced teacher, trainer and author.
His posts are relevant and interesting with a big smattering of gentle humour.
The post about the King of Norway being introduced on the BBC made us laugh out loud!
An Englishman in Osaka is a little edgier and explores the combined issues of teaching and trying to understand Japanese culture.
Quirky and observational, these posts bring the life an en ex-pat into kaleidoscope focus.
Notes from the TEFL Graveyard is definitely in the risky category.
If you are:
- male
- still wondering why the heck you are still an ESL/EFL teacher
- a fan of cynical humour
this is the blog for you!
Teaching Tips 101 
Creativity is... ..an intelligence in itself. ...one of the most important work literacy skills. ...the difference between a teacher that talks and a teacher that inspires. Regardless of how important you believe the role of creativity to be in our lives, in our industry the effect of creativity in a class can be immediate and obvious:
- exercises are engagingly lifted off the pages
- mundane activities become meaningful and fun
- students light up and your lessons come alive
Sounds great, right?
Before we highlight some tips to spark greater creativity in your classes, take this short quiz to see how much you could use a bit of outside help and how much you just need to bring more of your own quirkiness to the classroom.
Click the quiz button to find out. Tips to get you thinking, now matter what your score was:
Use your Students allow more student-generated content in your lessons - suddenly you have 10-16+ creative minds at work
Utilize a wider range of teaching hardwares and softwares - bring in the cuisinaire rods
- get inspired by cool non-esl websites
- use the games you play in 'real life'
- use your students' cameras/phones
- use animation and cartoons
- pick up a new teacher resource
- surf the net using stumble.com and allow your brain to make connections to your classroom
Look in the Mirror and Reflect 
identify your comfort zone and then try something out of it- notice and trust your hunches
- have the courage to make mistakes (and learn from them)
- do something creative and non ESL-related purely for the fun of it
- keep a journal
- rest and daydream - and don't feel guilty for doing it!
- foster a sharing and collaborative environment in your workplace
And for immediate inspiration...
Watch this highly interesting and entertaining talk by
Ken Robinson at
TED Talks, discussing creativity and education.
Trust us, you'll forward this newsletter just to share this - it's that good!
Office Soft Skills: How to Make a Good First Impression at Work - in Person, in Writing and on the Phone
We have been attending teachers' conferences for many years and after sharing our own experiences and talking to other teachers, we dared to dream a little dream...
...a conference that facilitated more peer-to-peer interaction and that would probe the specific issues of our industry in a narrow focus instead of trying to be everything to everyone.
A 
We've had a lot of fun starting our blog as well. We post about new or interesting things we find in our industry, connections we make and thoughts we have - all from the perspective of English teachers and trainers.
Our subscriber spotlight this month is Wendy Wells.
After being handed the reins to a brand new TESOL course for international students, she took up the challenge with enthusiasm. For the past 18 months, Wendy has developed all the curriculum and materials for this course (and read through a pile of methodology books!).
