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Review - Teaching Practice

Title: Teaching Practice (Macmillan Books for Teachers)

Publisher: MACMILLAN

Authors: Roger Gower, Diane Phillips, Steve Walters

Reviewer: Alex Warren, Academic Director from British Study Centres, Bournemouth

Overall rating: 

For anyone looking to get into teaching EFL more often than not the scariest proposition is having to get up in front of a class of strangers and teach, imparting your wisdom as a native-English speaker. Anyone can sit in the classroom and learn, but it is always the teaching practice (TP) sessions that bring out the sweats and nervous ticks. Which is where Teaching Practice comes in to save the day, so to speak.

 

Written for trainees on pre-service training courses it focuses specifically on the teaching practice aspect of the course, increasing awareness of the teaching environment and what to expect, providing teaching guidelines as well touching on the theory behind the techniques and skills suggested. Of course it also has plenty of advice and ideas throughout to help the would-be teacher. The aim, therefore, is to help make the trainee as comfortable and confident as possible about going into the classroom and teaching for the first time. With this in mind, we can say that it successfully achieves it aims and as such not only supplements the input that the trainee receives on the course, but compliments it too. Across nine chapters Teaching Practice covers all the main areas which the trainee can dip in and out of as their needs want. Of the nine chapters, eight are trainee focussed and one trainer focussed (Chapter 9, For the new trainer). They tackle such areas as managing the class (2), managing resources (3), developing skills and strategies (5), giving feedback to students (7) and planning lessons (8) amongst others. In this respect it is not a linear course, it is after all a reference book, and so trainees can focus on and read about specific areas that they might be either interested in or struggling with.

 

Each chapter is divided into sub-sections, dealing with specific items, thus turning them into manageable chunks and making navigation of the book easy for the trainee. For example Chapter 2 (Managing the class), is sub-divided into nine categories, including use of eye contact, gesture and voice, classroom arrangements, teacher talk and student talk, eliciting, monitoring and establishing rapport. Therefore trainees are able to easily hone in on the area they want to. One thing to note is that the chapter on Managing Resources (3) needs to be updated to reflect more modern technology in the classroom. Information on using IWBs (as opposed to OHPs), DVD (as opposed to video), MP3s and CDs (as opposed to cassettes) and the internet should be included as they are now commonplace in the classroom. Indeed many CELTA courses now encourage teachers to do at least one lesson using an IWB.

 

Where Teaching Practice excels is with the inclusion of tasks for the trainee. These tasks come at the end of each sub-section and aim to encourage the trainee to try new things, to reflect and to think about why things are done the way they are. This not only personalises the learning experience of the trainee and makes them more aware of teaching as a skill, but it also rationalises it too, thus making it a more memorable process. Hopefully in turn it also makes them a better teacher. The tasks are split into four different types – individual, pair work, group work and observation – and by their very nature are very practical. What these tasks also do is get trainees working together which helps build the bond that is needed in any TP group to help them get through the training course.

All in all, Teaching Practice is a great introduction to teaching in an EFL classroom. It’s written and presented in such a way as not to ever sound patronising or overbearing and it covers all the main bases while giving a huge amount of advice to the novice teacher. It not only arms them well for the rigours of the classroom but gives them confidence on entering it which is priceless.

Overall rating

4