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BOOK REVIEW: HOW TO TEACH ENGLISH BY

JEREMY HARMER

Right at the top of the recommended reading list for Eton Institute’s TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program is “How to Teach English” by Jeremy Harmer. Alisa W., TESOL graduate from Eton Institute, shares with us a review of the book and how it helped her own personal TESOL journey.

Prior to the training course I took to learn how to be an EFL teacher, I had no formal teacher training, I had a limited exposure to different styles of teaching, and I had never even done basic self-reflection about why I preferred some instructors over others (I always assumed it was their personality that I enjoyed). If the CEFR gave teacher ratings, I would be at the A1.1 level. I read ‘How to Teach English’ by Jeremy Harmer as part of my TESOL training course, and it was perfect for my level. It is by no means a replacement to a full teaching course, but it is a valuable supplement to those who are learning and a good refresher for those who have been out of practice for a while. It provides contemporary teaching practices and keeps its descriptions pithy and hands-on.

While some of the sections are a bit obvious or too shallow to be useful, the book is so well organized that it is easy to find what you need and skip over what you don’t. Each chapter is divided into main sections (also listed in the table of contents), and subdivided again, bolds important words, and features a list at the end of the chapter that allows you to briefly review what you just read.

As with any well-designed reference book, the glossary, index, and appendices in the back are good sources for extending your self-education as a teacher.

The book comes with a DVD that has clips from real classes so you can observe good teaching practice in the comfort of your pyjamas and the support of a bowl of chips. The DVD wouldn’t play on my MacBook, so I can’t tell you if it is helpful or not. Another feature that is nice-to-have-but-I-didn’t-use is the “Task Files” at the back. After completing a chapter, you can quiz yourself by completing info tables, answering multiple-choice questions, matching definitions, and the like.

Adaptado de: ETON INSTITUTE. Disponível em: https://etoninstitute.com/blog/book-review-how-toteach-english-by-jeremy-harmer. Acesso em 27 mar. 2021.