Sunday, December 30, 2012

On the 9th day of Christmas...

....I delved into two very different types of books.

After taking about a 3-week post-DELTA Module One break from reading books about English Language Teaching, I decided to go back to the basics with Jim Scrivener's Learning Teaching.


I had already read some chapters from it, but with the emphasis on practice that is coming up in DELTA Module Two, I thought I would go back to the beginning.

I really love this book. First, the new edition has the Millau Viaduct on it, so that can't be bad for someone who lives in Aveyron.

Second, Scrivener has a way of dividing language teaching stages into such easily comprehensible steps. He never seems to get preachy or dogmatic, and slips in the occasional bit of classroom reality by making statements along the lines of "at this point, you may want to stop the activity because your students are tired of it."

I think I am going to try to read, or re-read, the whole darned thing before going to my first DELTA Module Two session in...10 short days.

But all work and no play does not a vacation make. After spending the afternoon "learning teaching," I settled down to read in one of my Christmas presents:


I would have loved to have gone to the Edward Hopper show that's happening at Le Grand Palais until January 28.  But it looks like it probably isn't going to happen...then again...I just saw that it's open until 10pm on Thursdays, and I will be spending one night in Paris on January 24!

I'll see if I can squeeze it in. If not, the book is a lovely replacement.

5 comments:

  1. I'd love to see that Hopper exhibit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am looking through blogs that I've recently started following and came across this post. Thanks for the book recommendation. I think I'll order Learning Teaching. It sounds really useful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Marina for finding and commenting on my dormant blog! I do hope to get back to it soon...maybe this school year!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Betty, I think I will find another way to contact you. (From Adelaide, South Australia). I would love to hear your opinion of the DELTA course and whether it changed your teaching. After 25 years teaching here, I dud the CELTA course in HaNoi last year, and loved working with people in their own country, as different from Australia.

    ReplyDelete