Issue 39

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Issue 39

Welcome to Issue 39!

Welcome to issue 39 of the IH Journal and our first edition of 2016. It’s been the usual busy start to the year for everyone involved in teaching and we’re no different. We have a larger than normal issue for you this time and there have been some changes to the Special Interest Columns, so read on…

Becoming an ELT Writer - Ask the Publishers Q&A

with Neil Wood, Oxford University Press 1) When a publisher looks to recruit a writer, what kind of profile are they looking for? There’s no one profile that will meet the requirements of every project, but there are a few key attributes that all ELT writers need to possess. The ability to follow a…

Self-publishing: the Road to Independence

by Julie Pratten Mainstream ELT publishing has been stuck in a rut for several years now. Major publishers are still churning out the same old books; lots of glossy covers and sales talk, but it’s the same kind of material. It is difficult for new talent to get published – safe names sell books,…

Five Uncomfortable Realities of ELT Writing

by Laura Phelps Are your worksheets the envy of your friends? (Get some friends who aren’t teachers!) Could you write the next Cutting Edge? I certainly haven’t and probably couldn’t, but I’ve written some other bits and pieces, and it’s a peculiar sort of job. If you think you might be peculiar…

Communication Frameworks: Designing Performance-related Materials for ESP

by Ros Wright ‘It is important to remember that the overall objective of Business English [and ESP] courses is to improve performance.’ (1994) Ellis and Johnson’s observation is as relevent today as it was 20 years ago. Areas they suggest will lead to enhanced learner performance are the development…

Writing Pronunciation Materials

by Wayne Rimmer Much is made of the lack of attention pronunciation receives in the classroom compared to grammar and vocabulary but this is not down to a lack of material as coursebooks all include pronunciation exercises, usually cramped into a corner somewhere, and there are actually a fair…

Becoming an ELT Writer: Ask the Publishers Q&A

with Kirsten Holt, Macmillan Education 1. When a publisher looks to recruit a writer, what kind of profile are they looking for? It depends on the publisher and what type of writer somewhat but generally, I’d say it would be someone who is an experienced EFL teacher – ideally with a deep…

YL Column: 5 Ways to Manage Your Littlest of Learners

by Kylie Malinowska If you have any experience teaching our littlest of English learners, the under 6 set, you’ll know only too well that there is arguably little else more important (or more difficult) for us than classroom management. One can never be too organised or vigilant when teaching these…

Phonics in the YL classroom

by Katy Simpson What is phonics? Synthetic phonics is a way of learning to read and write by making sound-letter connections – either breaking down a word sound-by-sound (when reading), or putting sounds together to build a word (when writing).

Recipe for Successful Classroom Management in the YL Classroom

by Yvette Phipps We’ve all been there. In that class, with those kids- the ones who you’ve been with for a few weeks now. They’ve gotten comfortable with you, and you with them. They’re a wild bunch. Yes, you know you should have been stricter in the beginning, but how strict can you really be when…

Bringing Parental Objectives into the Young Learner Classroom

by Shay Coyne. The most important people besides our YLs themselves are their parents, and this relationship is not always easy. Given the status English now has in a globalised world, many parents believe mastering English essential to have more opportunities in the future. However, some…

Challenges of Teaching Oral Skills to YL in a Non English Speaking Environment

by Maria Conca The challenges of teaching English around the world are huge for many native and non-native EL teachers. By definition, a context where English is not widely spoken can hardly provide the practice opportunities or authenticity that is virtually unlimited in English speaking teaching…

Technology Column: ‘Face with Tears of Joy’

I am sure it can’t have escaped your notice that the much-heralded Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year wasn’t actually a word at all; rather, it was an image representing the word that comes from the Japanese for picture character. That would be e(picture)+ moji (character). The emoji character…

Why Diigo Could be Your New Best Friend

by Sandy Millin Do you ever use bookmarks in your web browser, but can only access them from one computer? Or get annoyed because you can’t remember how to find a great activity you saw on a site which would be perfect for this afternoon’s lesson? If the answer to either of those questions is ‘yes’,…

Examinator Column: Helping Learners with Exam Writing

by David Petrie Exam classes can be some of the most rewarding AND most frustrating teaching that you can do. Often at the same time. While learners in exam classes often have a good idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie, perhaps from all the testing they get exposed to, there is often a…

Developing Teachers Column: A Critical Reflection of the CELTA

by Jamie King What is this article? To reflect the face that this is my first entry as the new columnist of the teacher training/teacher development section of the IH Journal, I’d like look at where many of us first start our ELT careers, by doing (and presumably obtaining!) a pre-service, initial…

Introducing the New Management Column

by Maureen McGarvey It’s never a good idea to get too pally with people at the IHWO Academic Managers and Trainers’ Conference, is it? Had I managed to remain more aloof, I’m sure Chris Ożόg would never have contacted me asking me if I would write a management column for the IHWO Journal. Had he…

How to Motivate Yourself and Your Teaching Staff

by Susanne Fuchsberger What motivated me to write this article The idea for this article came about during the IH inspection when the inspector, Lisa Phillips from IH Malta, asked me what I did to motivate myself after having worked as a DoS for more than a decade at the same school. At first Lisa’s…

Reality Not Realia

by Rachael Harris One of the issues in EFL is how close to real life the classroom situation can be and realia, i.e. bringing in real objects – clothes, fruit, etc. can be effective. I once observed a lesson where the teacher brought in a box of soil to teach this vocabulary item to her class, the…

All’s Well That Ends Well: Perfecting the Report Phase of a Speaking Activity

by Hall Houston Many ESL/EFL teachers enjoy assigning speaking activities and watching students practice English in groups and pairs. However, going abruptly from one fluency activity to another can end up with students uncertain of what the point is.

Modern Languages: La Littérature de Jeunesse en Classe de FLE

by Marian Perez de Barradas Beaucoup d’enseignants et de maisons d’éditions ont compris l’intérêt d’introduire la littérature de jeunesse en cours de FLE et de multiplier les rencontres des enfants avec les lectures. Le récit littéraire, à travers les albums, est une aire de jeu pour la classe,…

Let the Summer Scramble for Teaching Work Begin!

by Yvonne Dagan This is the time of year when Universities, Further Education (FE) colleges and language teaching organisations such as International House World, British Council, Bell and many others start recruiting for work over the summer period. This work tends to take the form of English for…