REVIEWS: A BOOK I’VE USED
and the lack of physical exercise that
comes with too much computer time
has many educators, and parents,
concerned. On the plus side is how
technology can accommodate learners
with special educational needs
(dyslexia, ADHD, hearing or vision
impairment) and how engaging online
materials can be.
I was particularly interested in
the discussion about vocabulary
acquisition. Because of the portability
of mobiles and tablets, students have
definitions and translations at their
fingertips. That is a clear positive.
However, students may not retain
these words. If they only look up a
word to fill in a blank or hear the
pronunciation, but never do anything
with it or say it out loud, that word will
not be remembered. However, if they
use online activities, like flashcards
or taking pictures of new words, and
then do something with them (fill in
the blanks, write a sentence, short
answers, etc.) they will more likely
remember them. Certainly, this is my
own experience.
In the fourth chapter the focus is on
online behaviour, excessive screen
time, and friendship-based interactions.
Students need to learn how to socialise
online in a safe, and controlled way.
This includes the language they use,
the pictures they send, the materials
they search and save on their phones
and a myriad of other issues. There
are fears that the language used in text
messaging will leak into the classroom,
eroding the language of formal
learning. There is also data to suggest
that if young adults use technology to
replace classroom time, their marks will
decrease. However, for communities
where teachers are in short supply, or
for students who are unable to access
a regular classroom, blended learning
is a viable option. Using technology in
the classroom can improve students’
writing and encourage authenticity and
communication since they can write
blogs, add comments about a text in
a discussion forum, or write on wikis.
Using the features of a word program,
82 www.modernenglishteacher.com n Volume 26
students can learn to identify spelling
errors, format papers and add visuals
to their work. There are equally a large
number of programs for speaking
and pronunciation work, as well as
a plethora of listening and reading
opportunities.
The final chapter identifies ten things
we ‘know’, or rather suppose, about
technology, and then debunks or
expands on them. The one I most
related to was that adolescents (or
young adults in my case), are ‘naturally
good at using new technologies’. All
of this really comes down to exposure,
access to technology at home and
at school, and the knowledge and
education of parents. My students
can all navigate programs like
Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp to
communicate with one another, and
send pictures and video messages, but
they cannot use tables or features like
‘spell check’, search for information
efficiently, or access online practice
material without guidance. They
use technology to socialise and
communicate with friends and are only
beginning to see it as an educational
resource ripe for the picking.
Sandee Thompson
Sandee Thompson is a teacher at the
College of the North Atlantic in Qatar and a
CELTA tutor.
The Practice of English
Language Teaching (5th
edition)
Jeremy Harmer
Pearson ELT 2016
See page 87 for details
A staple of ELT staffrooms around the
world, Jeremy Harmer’s Practice of
English Language Teaching (PELT)
was first published in 1983, over 30
years ago. Now in its fifth edition,
Harmer continues to keep up to date
with current trends in ELT and to
supplement the book with a number
of digital add-ons. For a discussion of
the first three editions, Hedge’s review
(2003) provides a comprehensive
discussion of key considerations, many
of which remain relevant.
Building on the successful launch
of the DVD in the fourth edition,
significant attention has been given to
the supplementary videos. Completely
new, the videos have high production
value, combining classroom footage,
interviews with teachers, and Harmer’s
own narration. In total, there are nine
lesson videos shot in the UK, Turkey
and Mexico, varying in length from
eight to 39 minutes (much longer than
in the previous edition), and covering
a mix of age groups and class sizes.
In contrast, the range of levels and
types of lessons is restricted to A2 to
B2 on the CEFR, primarily in a General
English setting. On the DVD, there are
also two mini documentaries, one
dealing with contrasting views of the
n Issue 3

use of L1 in the classroom, and the
other focusing on different uses of
classroom equipment such as posters
and mobile devices. Many teacher
trainers will surely find these videos
to be of great use, especially as they
are now accompanied by lesson
plans and a range of observation
worksheets. Likewise, of significant
added benefit, the videos from the
fourth edition are also available at no
cost on the publisher’s website. One
minor inconvenience does remain: the
table of contents does not include the
type of lesson framework or teaching
approach, information which would
assist trainers in selecting videos.
Perhaps as an acknowledgement to
the fact that there is an ever-increasing
quantity of content to digest, guided
reading tasks for each chapter are also
available online. These reading tasks
are designed to prompt reflection on
existing beliefs and may be of use to
both teachers and teacher trainers
alike.
What is most immediately striking about
this new edition is the difference in
appearance. As well as the addition of
colour and the simplified numbering
system, the overall effect is that of a
much cleaner, streamlined feel. Gone
are more formal/terminological titles
like Streaming, replaced instead with
the much clearer Grouping by ability.
There are also significant changes to
the content. In terms of sequence, the
most notable adjustments are to the
discussion on ‘native-speakerism’ and
chapters on learner autonomy and
planning, all of which have been moved
to much earlier in the book. According
to Harmer, the logical sequencing
of the chapters was influenced by
feedback from focus groups, reviews
and by practical considerations. As
for new and expanded sections, there
are sections on planning CLIL lessons
and learners with Special Educational
Needs, and more in-depth discussions
of English as a Lingua Franca and
varieties of English. The chapter on
popular methodology has also been
reworked and now has a more logical
flow, looking at Communicative
n Volume 26 n Issue 3 www.modernenglishteacher.com 83
Language Teaching in general before
turning to its offshoots, with an
expanded look at Teaching Unplugged.
To this end, the concept of ‘principled
eclecticism’ is also explicitly defined,
and clear and concise sections entitled
What research offers and Making sense
of it all push teachers towards a more
evidence-based pedagogy. As would
be expected, there is also a great deal
more text dedicated to describing the
use of technology in ELT. Specifically,
updates include descriptions of digital
literacies, viral video activity, flipped
classrooms, podcasts as well as further
elaboration on IWBs and mobile
learning. There is a corresponding
reduction in the emphasis on traditional
materials and resources like physical
libraries, realia and Cuisenaire rods.
The one section lacking seamless
coherence is Some important
grammatical concepts. It is admittedly
an impossible task to do justice to
an entire language system in a single
chapter, but the assortment of points
about clauses, phrases, futurity
and modality comes across as a bit
scattered; it is likely that teachers aware
of these concepts will find little new
information here, while teachers new
to these areas of grammar will require
much more clarification.
What is arguably most impressive
is the attention to detail evidenced
by the numerous minor alterations
throughout (including the surprising
addition of three phonemes to the
Standard Southern English IPA chart!).
With new introductory paragraphs to
many chapters, additional suggested
reading titles, and more up-to-date
references, Harmer’s continued
awareness of current research and
professional writing is admirable. The
overall impression is that PELT once
again provides an accurate snapshot
of the current issues in ELT, while
still covering the typical teaching
essentials for any novice practitioner.
Simultaneously, Harmer’s distinctive
voice, and at times preferences,
remains present throughout, as testified
to by the number of references and
activities related to poetry.
REVIEWS: A BOOK I’VE USED
The publishers claim that the book is
for ‘teachers of English in a wide range
of contexts’, but as Weissberg (2003)
notes, ‘its encyclopaedic coverage
results in a somewhat awkward
compromise between a reference work
and a course textbook’.
And yet Harmer does manage the feat
of catering to pre-service, novice and
experienced teachers alike, relying
on the clarity of his prose and clear
signalling, so readers are able to select
sections according to context, whether
practical classroom management
considerations or deeper dives into
more theoretical and philosophical
topics. On the whole, however, it
should be noted that much of PELT
does seem to cater more towards
experienced in-service teachers.
Nevertheless, in many ways using PELT
on pre-service courses like CELTA is
to be expected given that CELTA is
frequently criticised on the grounds that
it tries to achieve more than is possible
in a one-month training programme.
Perhaps then the best course of
action is not to recommend the
entire book but to suggest principled
use depending on the context. In
adopting such an approach, PELT can
continue to be an invaluable resource
to teachers ranging in their levels of
experience. Considering the quality
and thoughtfulness of the writing, the
breadth and relevance of the research
and the many updated features, there
is little doubt that the fifth edition of
PELT is well worth the investment from
individuals and institutions interested in
an up-to-date and thorough overview of
English Language Teaching in 2017.
References
Hedge T (2003) Review of The Practice of
English Language Teaching. ELT Journal 74
(4) 401–404.
Weissberg R (2003) Review of The Practice
of English Language Teaching. TESOL
Quarterly 37 (1) 179–181.
Ben Naismith
Ben Naismith is a freelance English
language teacher, teacher educator,
writer and aspiring researcher based in
Vancouver, Canada.