THE JOURNAL OF ASIA TEFL

Vol. 14, No. 3, Fall 2017, 583-584

http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2017.14.3.17.583

The Journal of Asia TEFL

http://journal.asiatefl.org/
e-ISSN 2466-1511 © 2004 AsiaTEFL.org. All rights reserved.

Book Review

Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, Third

Edition, by H. Douglas Brown, Pearson Longman, 2007, 569 pp., $71.75 (US), ISBN:
978-0-13-612711-6

This book deals with a comprehensive but widely acclaimed methodology in foreign or second language
teaching, from theoretical and contextual groundwork to practical practices, which cover the most practical
aspects to consider in designing and implementing lessons, the unique factors and guidelines to consider in
teaching listening, speaking, reading and writing separately, classroom assessment, and teachers’ lifelong
learning and reflection, which helps sharpen teachers’ senses and craft of teaching.
Part I, foundations for classroom practice, provides readers the theoretical groundwork for subsequent
sections. Chapter 1 to Chapter 5 briefly introduces one-period process of language teaching, history of
language teaching and various teaching methods, L2 principles of language teaching and learning, and the
complexity of intrinsic motivation and of power, sequentially and respectively.
Part II, contexts of learning and teaching, is concerned with major factors affecting learning and teaching.
Chapter 6 and 7 separately explore the effects of two important factors (learners’ age and learners’
proficiency level) on lesson design. Then Chapter 8 illustrates other ignored or underlying factors which still,
more or less, affect the final results of learning and teaching.
Part III, designing and implementing classroom lessons, discusses multiple aspects to consider in practical
classroom lessons. Chapter 9 presents fundamental elements embedded in curriculum design of a lesson.
Then Chapter 10 specifically demonstrates the format of a lesson plan and guidelines for lesson planning
with examples. Chapter 11 and 12 illustrates the selection of teaching materials from the angle of traditional
teaching and computer-aided language teaching separately. Chapter 13 and 14 emphasize specific guidelines
for creating interaction and fundamental ways to create successfully interactive group work, respectively.
Finally, Chapter 15 and 16 demonstrates specific and effective measures for classroom management and
strategy-based instruction individually.
Part IV, teaching language skills, deals with specific considerations when teaching listening, speaking,
reading and writing separately. Chapter 17 discusses the importance and inevitability of the integration of at
least two of the four skills if not all while teaching, then Chapters 18 to 21 respectively analyze
characteristics, factors and guidelines for teaching each skill. Finally, Chapter 22 demonstrates issues,
problems and guidelines in leading students through the study of vocabulary and grammar.
Part V, assessing language skills, deals with the integral link of evaluating teaching and learning
performance. Chapter 23 introduces basic guidelines and concepts involved in informal and formal language
assessment. Then Chapter 24 explores how teachers carry out effective and practical classroom assessments
and the dilemmas in balancing some factors involved in assessments.
Part VI, lifelong learning, delineates the needs for teachers’ lifelong learning and reflection to sharpen our
senses and improve the art of teaching. Chapter 25 and 26 respectively offer some general and specific
suggestions for individual teacher development, and the necessity to devote our lives to teaching careers for
social responsibility.

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