This short review first appeared in IATEFL Voices magazine last month. Sharing here for general interest. This is a good resource: 4 stars from me. A-Z of ESOL is a useful set of classroom-ready resources for TESOL contexts. Activities in… Read More ›

reviews
Spoken Grammar: a Guide for English Language Teachers
I got offered free access to this course on Udemy. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while. Finally got around to it and… wow! It’s very impressive. Course overview Spoken Grammar is a teacher training course. It provides… Read More ›
Course review: Evaluating Digital Materials (iTDi)
I recently took the iTDi course on Evaluating Digital Materials, delivered by Pete Sharma. If you can’t be bothered with the whole review – here’s a summary in, er… wait… 17 words: Excellent input, great delivery, very active forum, useful… Read More ›
Book review: Teaching English as a Lingua Franca
I’ve finally got my hands on a copy of this book! Woohoo! What can I say? I’ve a keen interest in the topic of English as a Lingua Franca. ELF was a buzzword during my BA, well before I entered… Read More ›
Review: NILE Technology-assisted Language Learning course
I took the MA module in Technology-assisted Language Learning through NILE back in 2017. Here are some thoughts on the course (views my own). Overview The course “covers the uses of technology in language education and includes theoretical perspectives, practical… Read More ›
Review: NILE Materials Development course
I completed the MA module on Materials Development through NILE back in 2016. Here’s a quick review of the course (all views my own). Overview The online course runs for 8 weeks, with a mid-course break. It explores ‘many aspects… Read More ›
Webinar: The Value of Gamification for Language Learning
I watched this short webinar today from Cambridge Assessment English on gamifying learning (Sarah Albrecht and Ollie Wood). It was a straightforward introduction to the topic of gamification, then a short Q+A between presenters and live listeners. Here is the… Read More ›
Book review: Egghead
Egghead (Michael Lacey Freeman, 2015) is an A2 level graded reader for teens from ELI Publishing. It is an autobiographical story of the author’s experience of being bullied at school, and how friendship helped him overcome his difficulties.
Book review: Loving London
Loving London by Angela Tomkinson is an A2 level reader for teens. It provides 26 short texts on London (alphabetical), covering a whole range of topics (see image). Each text includes a short after-reading activity, and there are audio recordings… Read More ›
Book review: ELI Vocabulary in Pictures
This week I received a huge box of resources from ELI Publishing. The first book that caught my eye was ELI Vocabulary in Pictures, which looks like a useful and good value resource. Vocabulary in Pictures (VIP) is a picture… Read More ›