The Magazine for English Professionals - English Teachers ...

Volume 25 - No. 1
Winter 2007
Journal
The ETAS
The Magazine for English Professionals
1 3
ISBN 9771660650003
9 7 7 1 6 6 0 6 5 0 0 0 3

Volume 25 - No. 1
Winter 2007
Publisher:
ETAS, English Teachers Association, Switzerland
Rue de l’Hôpital 32, CH-1400 Yverdon
Publications Chair:
Steve Lander, Basel
Editorial Board:
Frances Burkhalter, Eclépens
Nicola Martignoni, Quartino
John Raggett, Cornaux
Diane Theobald, Biel-Bienne
Lee Wennerberg, Berg
Graphic Design:
Angela Munson Pfenninger, Oberdürnten
e-mail: layout@e-tas.ch
Printer:
KDMZ, Zürich
ISSN: 1660-6507
Price for non-members: SFr. 20.–
Circulation: 1500
Advertisements:
To place an advertisement in ETAS publications,
please contact ETAS Administration
e-mail: office@e-tas.ch
© Each article in this ETAS Journal is the property of
its author(s) and may not be reprinted without prior
permission of the author. Opinions expressed by
contributors to this Journal do not necessarily reflect the
policies of ETAS or the opinion of the ETAS Committee.
Articles, letters and reviews are accepted on the basis of
appropriateness and general interest to ETAS members.
The publication of an article or advertisement does not
necessarily constitute product or service endorsement by
ETAS. The ETAS Journal team reserve the right to alter or
edit for reasons of clarity or brevity.
Index of Advertisers Page
Bergli Bookshop 8
Bergli Bookshop 8
Bider & Tanner 39
University of Cambridge ESOL 37
Cambridge University Press 21
Castle’s English Institute 34
Express Publishing 35
Harcourt Education 5
Hull’s School 11
Langenscheidt 6
Macmillan 45
Oxford University Press 22
PC Designs 40
Pearson Longman 12 & 55
Summertown Publishing 2
TLC Baden 56
Contents
NEWS
ETAS Organisation 4
Editorial 5
President’s Report 7
SIG Day 2007: Workshop Reviews 16 - 33
Call for Papers: ETAS SIG Day 2008 34
Matopo Primary School, Zimbabwe: Teacher-to-Teacher Project 2007 36
SPECIAL Supplement: Explorations in ELT
Editorial 8
Revising Vocabulary Task 8
Vocab Taboo 9
Pairwork; in Small Groups? 9
Exploiting Your Students’ Experiences 10
Creating a Picture Book for Adult Students 10
Earning a Crust 13
Bringing Your Books To Life 13
Adapting Speaking Activities for Assessment Purposes 14
MEMBER MIX
10 Ideas for Using Comic Strips and Cartoons in Language Teaching 38
Institutional Constraints and Resources - Implications for Teaching and the
Convergence between Talk Inside and Outside the Classroom 38
Homophones, Homonyms, Homographs: some Exercises to Use Straight Out of
the Box 41
What’s a Life Worth? 42
Indian English 43
The Place of a ‘Résumé’ in English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)
A Practitioner’s Perspective 44
REGIONS REVIEWS
News and Events 46 - 47
A Look at Books 48 - 50
Books to Review 50 - 51
SERVICES
Library Updates 52
Library Order and Check-out Form 53
Membership Administration 54
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 3

Editorial
After a few editions without a special theme
Supplement, we’re pleased to welcome back
the ‘Mini-Supplement’, produced by a Region
and a SIG. Thanks to Vanessa Ostertag,
JoAnn Salvisberg and their teams for getting
their Supplement on Explorations in ELT
ready for this issue of the Journal.
English is the lifeblood of the global economy,
oiling and smoothing the channels of communication
between different cultures and different
language groups. We had a very insightful
analysis of what this might mean for the future
at our 2006 AGM, when David Graddol presented
the results of his research to 2 packed
lecture theatres in Winterthur. David said
then that the ability to speak English means
the possibility of work in countries like China
and India, and I am delighted that, in this
edition of the Journal, we can offer a further
account of the reality for young job-seekers
in India. Visuvasam Prakash experiences
their difficulties on a day-to-day basis, and his
contribution tells us a lot about how things are
developing there. Thanks to Sarah Emch, our
specialist on India, for her help in liaising with
Visuvasam to bring this article to the Journal.
John Raggett also provided an anecdote
on his experience with the Indian flavour of
English, a reminder that English is a global
resource and not owned by any one nation or
group. I’m pleased to see that this topic is not
going to be neglected at our next AGM, where
we can welcome Jennifer Jenkins for a keynote
address on English as a Lingua Franca.
Among the other articles, for practical teaching
materials and ideas we have a couple of
articles on how to use cartoons in class and
exercises on homographs, homophones, etc.
We have also not forgotten our sponsored
project in Zimbabwe, with an update from
Cindy Hauert on how our friends there are
managing with the enormous problems they
face.
As always, this Journal was a team effort from
many different people: the Editorial Board,
NEWS
the ETAS Committee, our tireless DTP expert
Angela Munson and many others. Thanks to
all who helped to make this issue a reality and
a success.
I wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year, and hope to see as many as
possible at the AGM in Lugano in January.
Steve Lander
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 5

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President’s Report
After four years and sixteen publications,
it’s hard to believe that I am writing my last
President’s Report. At the AGM in Lugano in
January I will be handing over to Amy Jost,
the new ETAS President, and I will then serve
on the next committee as Past President.
As I look back over these four years, following
the four years I was on the committee as
Teacher Development Chair and the five
years I spent as Branch Contact, I believe that
ETAS has many reasons to be proud. We are
a vibrant professional organisation run almost
entirely by enthusiastic volunteers. I cannot
mention everyone who has worked so hard to
make ETAS into the professional organisation
it is today, but I would like to thank everyone
I have worked with over the years for your
enthusiasm, commitment and support.
ETAS has become much more professional
and things are also becoming more expensive.
Therefore, the Committee has decided to
propose that the annual subscription fees be
raised for the next financial year 2008/2009.
There are details of the new rates in the AGM
invitation and Amy, our Treasurer, has written
clearly about the reasons for this decision.
The new fees will be discussed and voted on
at the AGM and we hope that you will support
the Committee on this. It is the first increase
since 2000 and ETAS membership still
represents extraordinarily good value. For
less than SFr.100.-, members get four
Journals, the chance to attend two national
events, use of an extensive library, access to
insurance and pension schemes at special
rates and the opportunity to network with
other members through our regional events
and SIG groups.
In order to have enough time to discuss this
and other important issues, the AGM has
been moved to the beginning of the day in
Lugano. The Committee members will also
be giving their reports personally (a printed
version will no longer be included in your
AGM packs) and we hope that you will come
along and become involved in this important
meeting.
One challenge that is facing ETAS is falling
membership. Many of the original members
are now reaching retirement age and the
number of new members does not cover the
number of those leaving. For this reason we
included an extra pay-in slip with your renewal
letters this summer, in the hope that every
member would encourage a colleague to join.
Unfortunately, the response was not as great
as we had hoped but the names of everyone
who did introduce a new member will be
included in a draw for a free membership in
Lugano – many thanks to you and good luck. I
would also like to extend a special welcome to
all our new members!
A similar prize will also be drawn for everyone
who has written an article or review for the
Journal over the past year. The wealth of
talent and wide range of interests in ETAS
are clearly displayed in this fascinating
Winter Journal. In addition to the reports
from the excellent SIG Day in Wil and the
useful practical ideas in the Mini-Supplement
(both coordinated by JoAnn Salvisberg and
Vanessa Ostertag), there is a wide range of
thought-provoking articles and reviews. Many
thanks go to JoAnn and Vanessa, to the
Publications Chair, Steve Lander, DTP wizard
Angela Munson Pfenninger - and everyone
else who has contributed to this intellectually
stimulating and visually stunning issue.
As you read this, the 24th AGM in Lugano on
January 12-13 will not be far away. Jayne
Herzog has put together an exciting
programme and Nicole Jaks and Gabriella
Pedrini and the LOC team have been working
hard to ensure that this will be a truly memorable
occasion. There is also a Friday Evening
Event with a cruise, aperitif and talk, so I hope
that many of you will also be able to join us
then to start the weekend off in style.
As I said, this weekend is when the presidency
will be handed over to Amy. The transition will
be very smooth as she has been a wonderfully
efficient Treasurer over the past four
years and as such has been involved in every
aspect of ETAS Committee work. She will be
an excellent President, and is already full of
good ideas and exciting plans for next year.
We are also very fortunate that we now have
a full Committee, as Steve Lander, who was
co-opted onto the Committee in August, will
have his position as Publications Chair confirmed
by the membership at the AGM. The
Committee members who were elected last
year, Norelee Wolf (in charge of RCs), Karen
Kerley (PR), Gillian Nussbaum (Secretary)
and JoAnn Salvisberg (Teacher Development),
have worked with great enthusiasm
and commitment throughout the year and will
have the chance to continue putting their
NEWS
innovative ideas into practice next year. In
addition to these newer members, we are delighted
that Jayne Herzog will serve a second
term expertly overseeing our annual convention,
Angela Munson will continue to revamp
our website, and we are very pleased to
welcome Cindy Hauert as our new Treasurer.
Next year will be a particularly important one
as ETAS is celebrating its 25th birthday. There
will be a Special Supplement in the Summer
Journal, looking back over this quarter of a
century, our SIG Day in Baden on September
20th promises to be another stimulating event
and our 25th AGM in Chur will be an extra
special one.
Another important aspect of ETAS is our
Teacher-to-Teacher Fund. Cindy’s reports on
the Matopo Primary School in Zimbabwe have
captured the imagination of our members and
we have been able to send some muchneeded
help to this desperately poor country.
Therefore, the Committee has decided to
extend our support for this very deserving
project for a second year. You will be able to
contribute to the fund by buying raffle tickets
at our national events or by sending a
donation directly to Cindy, our Treasurer.
I would like to wish you all a very merry
Christmas and hope that 2008 will be a
wonderful year for you all, both personally and
professionally.
Very best wishes
Alison Taylor
ETAS President (2003-2007)
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 7

SPECIAL Supplement Explorations in ELT
Editorial
In the spirit of networking and encouraging
members to get involved by contributing to the
ETAS Journal Mini-Supplement, the Regional
and SIG Coordinators will be teaming up to
draw on the members under their respective
domains. This is the first offering – a joint
effort of the St. Gallen Region and the
Research SIG members.
The topic for this edition was Explorations in
ELT, and we advertised for adventurous,
creative authors to write articles on:
� Exploits in bringing classbooks to life
through supplementary tasks/games
� Ferreting out successful revision tasks
� Creating/adapting materials for the smaller
classroom
The following articles were drawn from the
authors’ personal research, and are based
on what they found worked for them in their
classes.
Starting off we have Caroline Bauer’s article
Revising Vocabulary Task, which offers not
only a new twist on getting students involved
in activating their vocabulary, but an easy and
valid filler for those often ten to fifteen minutes
extra time at the end of a lesson.
Following this theme, Caroline Grünig has
written Vocab Taboo, an activity which can be
used at any age and level, in small groups
or larger ones. The purpose is to revise
vocabulary the students have been working
on in their course material (e.g. end of unit,
book, article).
Next up, we have three different pieces
submitted by Elsbeth Mäder, Pairwork; in
Small Groups?, Exploiting Your Students’
Experiences and Creating a Picture Book for
Adult Students. Each one, in its own way,
offers practical ways to involve your students
in meaningful exchanges of information. The
last one is particularly intriguing as it gives
guidelines and examples of one of her classes
revising writing and speaking by using
language they had learned to invent to
describe characters.
John Raggett, in his piece Earning a Crust...,
begins by explaining why he doesn’t feel he
fits into the mold of a ‘proper teacher’. Yet he
is able to draw on his past managerial experi-
8 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
ence to help professional executives achieve
their specific language-learning goals as well
as improve their career prospects.
Tracy Tobler offers a fresh genre of text in
Bringing Your Books To Life. She tells the tale
of a beautiful princess, I mean teacher, who
heard tiny voices groaning about having to
write, and how the heroine succeeded in
turning lifeless writing tasks into creative
ones.
Last but not least, JoAnn Salvisberg offers
practical guidelines to transform a simple
pairwork fluency task into an assessment
tool to see how well the students are able
to exchange meaningful information (e.g.
negotiations).
We hope that you, the ETAS members, will
find something interesting and useful to try out
in your lessons. Future ideas that members
have found useful can be submitted to the
Editor, Steve Landers, for the Member Mix
section of the Journal.
Vanessa Ostertag
Regional Coordinator – St. Gallen
JoAnn Salvisberg
Research SIG Coordinator
Revising Vocabulary Task
Whenever I see, towards the end of a lesson,
that my lesson plan is about to exhale its last
breath and my class and I will be left with ten
to fifteen idle minutes, I give my students the
following vocabulary revision activity to do.
Without any preparation I pick enough
recently learned words and phrases from
my past lesson notes, the wordlist or the
coursebook so that there are about three per
student. I dictate the words around the class
fairly quickly until each student has written
down their three. Students now have about
five to ten minutes to write short definitions of
the words (not including any elements of the
word or phrase itself, of course). So, for
example, if the word is ‘experience’, the
student can write, “When you know a lot about
something because you’ve done it many
times.” (pre-intermediate and up) or “You
know a lot. You did many things.” (elementary).
The definitions do not have to be sophisticated
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Explorations in ELT
at all, just enough to trigger the other
students’ memory. I circulate, monitor and
help with any difficulties students may have.
In the last five minutes of the lesson, students
take turns in reading out their definitions. The
first student to call out the correct word or
phrase gets a point. My adult students usually
dig into this one with enthusiasm, and it gives
the end of a lesson that buzz we teachers
love.
Caroline Bauer
Caroline was born in England but has spent most
of her life in Switzerland. She’s a trained translator
but finds working with people much more rewarding.
After completing CELTA, she started up her
own English school in Küsnacht, where she enjoys
teaching General and Business English to adults.
www.communicate-english.ch
Vocab Taboo
This can be used at any age and any level, in
small groups or larger ones to revise vocabulary
you have been working with, e.g. at the
end of a unit, book or article.
Preparation:
� Write one ‘vocab word’ on each note-size
piece of paper/card. This is the word that has
to be guessed, so underline it or write it in
colour.
� Use a different-coloured pen to write
two to five ‘definition words’ you would use
to describe the ‘vocab word’. The number of
definition words you choose depends on the
level of your class.
Lesson:
� Give each student one piece of paper with
the words written on it. They are not allowed
to show this to anyone.
� One student has to try to describe the
‘vocab word’ but is not allowed to use that
word or any part of it, nor any of the ‘definition
words’.
� The other students have to guess the
‘vocab word’ and call out their answers.
With teams there is more competition and
they score points for the team, or subtract
points for wrong answers shouted out. Also,
when you prepare the cards/pages you can
select ‘definition words’ you feel your students
know, or should know. They learn these
indirectly, too.
Caroline Grünig
Before ending up here in Switzerland about 20
years ago, I lived, studied, worked and travelled
in several countries. I am British and grew up in
South Africa where I did my schooling and
university. I teach all sorts and ages, privately and
at the Seeländische Volkshochschule.
Pairwork; in Small Groups?
My advice: no matter how small your groups,
make them work in pairs as often as possible.
You can make them practice certain given
structures, let them go through their homework,
make them chat, give them all kind of tasks,
etc., just like in large classes.
Advantages for students: they get to talk more
and become more fluent. They learn from
SPECIAL Supplement
each other and also get to know each other
better.
Advantages for teachers: if there is an even
number of students, you can take turns
listening to each pair and take notes. You
are also ready to help if needs be. If there is
an uneven number of students, take turns
working yourself with individual students while
the others are in pairs. I’ve even done this
successfully in groups of just three students.
You will find out more about your students, not
just their command of the language.
Mind: your notes should be not only a collection
of mistakes, telling you what needs
revising or explaining and helping you plan
further lessons, but also, a collection of
language structures and vocabulary your
students have used well (for positive
feedback) and, very important, of any kind
of content, which helps you remember your
individual student’s likes, dislikes, home,
family, job, opinions, trips abroad, problems,
etc., because your knowledge of students’
background and circumstances may come
in handy one day. You’ll be able to help them
personalise language structures and you’ll get
some ideas for interesting extra reading or
listening material to give to individual students.
Topics suitable for pairwork
After the summer holiday I gave various-level
students the following list to choose from and
make them talk. I made this list, because
some people hadn’t had a holiday and that
way nobody could say: “I have nothing to tell, I
have just been working all summer.”
That way I could also counter students’
stereotype sentences: “I have done nothing,
I have forgotten all my English.” In fact, after
doing this task even the lowest-level students
realised that they were still able to contribute
something.
Tell each other about:
� A person you met,
� A place you visited,
� A meal (at home or in a restaurant),
� A journey,
� A conversation,
� The 1st of August,
� A book you read,
� A film you saw,
� Something you learnt,
� A story you heard,
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 9

SPECIAL Supplement Explorations in ELT
� An encounter with an animal, ……during
the past five weeks.
Exploiting Your Students’ Experiences
Emergency
One of my private A1-level students is a
professional firefighter. The other week he
had to rush off because of some emergency
before his lesson was finished. So the
following week I, of course, wanted to know
more about it. Thanks to my curiosity we both
learned something: I found out that there are
actually all-female ambulance teams (driver
and nurse) and that in case strong arms are
needed, they just call the firefighters (that day
my student had to help carry an injured man
from the fourth floor down to the ambulance).
My student learnt the use of female/male in
connection with jobs and some more vocabulary
to do with emergencies. Plus, he had to
use past and present tenses in a meaningful
context.
Lift
A student of an A2-level group of six arrived
first and since I knew that she sometimes
came on foot and the weather was bad that
night, I asked her whether she had walked,
just to get her into speaking English. She
turned out to have been given a lift by her
husband, so I put ‘give a lift’, ‘get a lift’ on the
board and when her co-students arrived by
and by, they wondered about these strange
expressions and the first student could explain
and therefore repeat it several times. The
following weeks we kept repeating, just by
briefly asking how students had come here
and now, several months later, all of them
remember.
My advice: find out as much as you can about
your individual students in whatever possible
ways and supplement your coursebooks by
exploiting your knowledge. If necessary, start
by giving them all kinds of information about
yourself and your past week and they will start
doing the same.
Creating a Picture Book for Adult Students
... or: How to supplement a course book and
get students to revise writing and speaking.
A group of five adult beginner/false-beginner
students of various ages and gender were
willing to do some extra homework besides
working with Hueber English Elements Basic
10 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
Course. As this very recommendable coursebook
for beginners gives instructions in
German as well as in English and includes
CDs and a home study section with answers
and, as I also encourage them to do whatever
bits of the units they can understand, what
they feel like doing and find time for as homework,
the students are very motivated to get
as much as possible done and, thus, make
faster progress. So in our 90-minute weekly
lessons, we can focus our efforts on all kinds
of speaking tasks linked to the vocabulary and
grammar of the various coursebook units.
In order to give them an extra incentive for
writing and speaking, I first make them create
a character in the following way:
1. I let them choose a postcard of a place
from my collection.
2. I did a drawing dictation where students
had to pass on their paper after each single
step: draw a circle – draw eyes – draw a nose
– draw a mouth, etc. (At the time my students
didn’t know any English body words yet, so I
just pointed to my own head.)
When we had finished I told them to take
one drawing and their postcard home and
create a character, which we then used in the
following lesson for speaking practice in pairs
and to which we kept adding, as you’ll see
below, while we were progressing through our
coursebook.
The group have meanwhile started working
with English Elements A1 and some students
are still happy to add anything linked somehow
to the Units of their coursebook, like
e.g., the recipe of their individual character’s
favourite dish, description of a wedding their
character attended, a trip in a luxury train, etc.
The ultimate goal is for the students to have
a picture book which contains a personalised
summary of topics, vocabulary and structures
they’ve been working with throughout the
course while, at the same time, providing
them with their own useful material for further
oral practice.
Character (Beginners’ Group)
1. Portrait character 1 (drawing on white
paper): name, age, job, family, home place,
likes/dislikes
2. Home (picture of house door): Where?
How many rooms?, etc.
3. Postcard from rich relative (hotel
description from brochure* + photo of a person):
the person in the photo is a rich
relative of character 1 and writes a postcard
to character 1 from the hotel. The person is on
holiday in this hotel.
4. Daily routine/weekly routine
a) What does character 1 do every day/
every week?
b) What does the rich relative (photo) do
every day on holiday?
5. Poor relative (drawing on yellow paper)
a) portrait (see 1 above)
b) home (see 2 above)
c) daily/weekly routine
6. Yesterday/last Monday/last weekend
a) character 1
b) rich relative
c) poor relative
7. Biographies
a) character 1
b) rich relative
c) poor relative
8. At work (find a picture of a workplace):
Where does he/she work? (describe the
place: there is/there are ...)
How does he/she get to work? (by car …, etc.)
What does he/she do every day/every week?
When does he/she work?
How long does he/she work?
a) character 1
b) rich relative
c) poor relative
9. Holidays (2 postcards)
Where did he/she go on holiday?
Who did he/she go on holiday with?
How did he/she go on holiday?
What did he/she do on holiday?
What did he/she see on holiday?
How long did he/she go on holiday for?
What was the weather like on holiday?
What was the hotel/holiday house/campsite
... like?
*Concerning the hotel description: each
student had one page from an authentic
brochure giving lots of information about
each hotel. As homework, the students first
highlighted all the words they actually could
understand. In our lesson they tried to tell
their partner as much as possible about the
hotel. We worked without dictionaries and
they realised that they could pick out all the
relevant information. From the work in their
coursebooks they had already learnt the
structure ‘there is/there are’ plus how to write
postcards.

Explorations in ELT
An example of the characters we created in
our drawing dictation and the corresponding
text from a student (corrected version):
Character: Mister Jack Braun.
Jack Braun is from London. He’s an artist and
he’s single. Jack is 35 years old. He lives and
works in Paris. Jack paints. He has a studio at
“Montmartre Quartier”.
His girlfriend’s name is Cathrine Vernier. She’s
from Marseille. She lives and works in Paris,
too. Cathrine is a musician.
Jack loves Paris. It’s a beautiful city. In his
free time he likes going for a walk “au bord de
la Seine”, meeting artist friends, going window
shopping in the Champs-Elysées with Cathrine
or going to the Louvre museum together.
In the evening, they like listening to jazz or
going to the cinema.
On weekends Jack works, he draws portraits
at Place du Tertre. His hobbies are reading,
playing chess and learning French.
He has two brothers, David and Michael.
Hull’s School – Zürich’s downtown
international school
Beautiful centrally located turn-of-the-century building
just behind the Zürich Opera House.
10 th School Year Programme for
teenagers aged 15+
• Full-time tuition, all subjects taught in English
• For Swiss and expat teenagers alike
• Two international language certificates,
European Computer Driving Licence
• Preparatory year for the university entrance
programme
University Entrance Programme for teenagers
• 2-year full-time tuition, all subjects taught in English
• British GCE O- and A-levels
• Recognised by all universities in Switzerland and
worldwide
Hull’s School
Seehofstrasse 3, CH-8008 Zürich
Phone 01 267 60 60, Fax 01 267 60 65
info@hullschool.ch
www.hullschool.ch
David is married and he has a child. He lives
in the USA with his family. Michael is married
too. He lives in London.
Jack doesn’t like cooking, he prefers having
dinner in a restaurant. He loves French food
with a glass of red wine.
Mister Braun’s home:
Mister Jack Braun lives in Paris. He lives in
an old block of flats in the town centre, not far
from the “Place du Tertre”, where he works.
Mister Braun’s apartment is on the 5th floor.
It’s a nice flat with a beautiful view of the roofs
of Paris. It has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, a
kitchen and a living room.
When Mister Braun comes into his house
there’s a small and dark hall with old stairs. In
his apartment, on the right, there are the kitchen,
a bathroom and a bedroom. The kitchen is
small, but it’s very nice with a lovely balcony.
And then on the left there are a bedroom, a
study and the living room. The living room is
very big and has three windows. This is his
work room.
Ltd.
University Entrance Programme for adults
• Full-time and part-time tuition, all subjects taught
in English
• British GCE O- and A-levels
Language Courses
• German, English, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese
for adults and Teenagers
Hull’s School is a member of
the Zürich Association of Private Schools (VZP).
Robin Hull will be pleased to answer your queries.
SPECIAL Supplement
Elsbeth Mäder
Swiss primary school teacher (1969), fell in love
with England and English (Swan School Oxford
1971), studied English at Zürich University (Lic Phil
I + Dipl. Für Höheres Lehramt Uni Zürich, 1979),
owner of a small school for teaching EFL to adults
of ages 18 – 80 since 1987 (result of juggling
family/job).
Principal: Robin Hull, lic. phil. I Dip. RSA
The school is the authorized centre for the following examining boards:
EDEXCEL, Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie Paris, The Open University, University of London, CIMA
Member of the
International House
World Organisation
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 11

Language Leader
Purposeful and thought-provoking!
factual and content-rich for serious-minded students
systematic skills work and study skills
lots of reading texts taken from a variety of authentic sources
stimulating writing lesson and ‘scenario’ spread in each unit
range of adult speaking tasks, e.g. discussions, debates, problem-solving
For further information and sample copy requests please contact:
Pearson Education Schweiz AG, Pearson Longman Verlag
Chollerstrasse 37, 6300 Zug
Telefon 041 / 747 47 47 Telefax 041 / 747 47 77
E-Mail: mailbox@longman.ch
David Cotton, David Falvey, Simon Kent et al.
Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate
and Upper Intermediate
Coursebook with CD-ROM
NEW
All 4 levels
available in 2008
www.longman.ch

Explorations in ELT
Earning a Crust…
The trouble is, see, I don’t consider myself a
proper teacher. Oh, I earn a crust (of bread)
as a self-employed tutor in professional
English to a number of financial and commercial
institutions in Geneva and Lausanne. But
I didn’t get my CELTA qualification until I was
60, came to The “Switz” when I was 62, and
didn’t start to use the qualification until I was
63. So, I’m not sure I’m really in a position to
give advice to anyone.
However, from my 40 years’ management
experience in hotels, legal and financial
businesses and, most recently, medical
services, both public and private, I know what
is important: do not take life seriously. The
best any of us can do is to touch life lightly
and be kind to those around us. Life is not an
obstacle race to heaven; this is it.
My students (between three and five in a
class) are mature people who, if not already
in senior positions, are on the way up. In my
working life, I have done most of the tasks
that they are doing. In the conference room, I
do not use textbooks because I am not
teaching them to pass an examination set
by some academic who perhaps has never
had to deal with an angry client who thinks
he should be paying less tax than my student
says he owes. I am helping her - and him - to
achieve their own objectives or improve their
career prospects.
I use original material: financial and legal
reports, television news items and newspaper
articles. For example, the telephone always
presents problems so, imitating some regional
British, American or Indian accent, I ring them
up playing the role of their ‘back office’
assistant. If they have a problem with their
English, for a specific task, they can e-mail
me, at any time, and I will help them sort it
out. We have a strict code of confidentiality,
anything discussed during the tutorial or in
any document where I give help is not
discussed by me or with anyone else.
In some ways I do not consider myself to be a
proper teacher. If you asked me to teach you
the present perfect, I would have to go away
and hide for a while to look it up. But, putting
a report together, precisely and elegantly, with
no b.s., we can do that now. Then we do
PowerPoint presentations. We have
arguments: they state a case and I take the
contrary view. We have round-table
discussions and we have a good time.
After the tutorial, I send them, usually the
same day, a Reminder Note (what we call in
English an Aide-Memoire) to explain any of
the points that caused difficulty or which I feel
need further explanation.
And don’t forget, there are three types of
accountant: those that can count and those
that can’t.
John Raggett
John, a former waiter, barman, cook, Hotel
Manager, uniformed policeman, plain-clothes
detective, Office Manager City of London, Director
of Radiology Services, Hospital Director, and
Practice Manager, is now House Husband and
English Teacher. John is also a new member of the
ETAS Editorial Board.
Bringing Your Books To Life
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there
lived a beautiful teacher who was full of ideas
and had 10 happy and motivated students.
Then one day during class a tiny voice said,
“This is boring,” and then she heard more
voices chiming in with, “Yeah, we don’t want
to write!” and they added groans for effect.
Then the beautiful teacher was disheartened.
Later as she was preparing her next lesson,
she cried out, “How can I inspire them
to write?” A loud booming voice answered,
“Bring the books to life and they will learn.” At
first she was puzzled and thought about this
answer for a few moments. “How do I bring
them to life?” she pondered. Then she heard
the loud voice again, “The way to bring a book
SPECIAL Supplement
to life is to become a part of it.” Curious as to
where this voice was coming from, she tested
it by asking, “Will I get a raise this year?” and
the voice did not reply. “So clearly it is just a
pedagogic guide,” she said to herself with a
chuckle as she shrugged her shoulders. She
took the pedagogic guide’s advice and from
that day on she had brilliantly inspired lessons
with stories that came to life in the hands of
her students. It is easy to take any story and
make it one’s own. Here are her notes as they
were transcribed to me.
Sometimes it is difficult for students to think
of a story topic on their own. By using a book
that you are reading in class, they can easily
add new characters and create a world of
their own within that story, and then the book
becomes a life and the student a part of it. In
her book Jojo’s Story, a Cambridge English
Reader, Antoinette Moses wrote about a boy
soldier within an anonymous country, so the
reader could place it where they imagined. At
the beginning of her ETAS SIG Day workshop
Antoinette read a passage from the book in
which Jojo describes the violence that he had
experienced around him. Then she asked us
all to create a character that would fit into the
story and provide a different perspective. We
then wrote a story based on that character’s
perspective. This is called “creating a parallel
text.” In the case of Jojo’s story, a character
could be a BBC reporter on location, speaking
to the camera and reacting to the scene of the
war: the putrid odors, the sights, maybe finding
Jojo still alive, hiding near a war-ravaged
home. Another character idea could be a boy
in the orphanage where Jojo might go later
after being rescued by the UN. The student
could write what this boy might think, feel or
ask Jojo when he arrives at the orphanage.
It allows the student to experience the story
from another angle, and involves each person
in the story, making it much more personal.
This could be done with any book and any
age of student.
Other possibilities include: creating alternative
endings or writing narrative interventions.
One way to gain more personal contact with
the characters in a story is to turn the narrative
into a drama, or vice versa. By acting out
the story, students physically live the story
and can develop the characters deeper as
well as give them a spatial presence, which
is also important for some types of learners
who are spatially and movement oriented. By
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 13

SPECIAL Supplement Explorations in ELT
re-constructing and de-constructing a story,
you can have fun by moving scenes and
characters around and re-creating your own
new story.
For further reading on this topic please take a
look at the following books:
Moses, Antoinette: Jojo’s Story, Frozen Pizza
and Other Slices of Life; Let Me Out!, Cambridge
English Readers. Cambridge University
Press, 2000-2007
Pope, Rob: Textual Intervention, Routledge,
1994
Sidman, Joyce: This is Just to Say: Poems
of Apology and Forgiveness, Houghton Mifflin
Company, 2007
Spiro, Jane: Creative Poetry Writing. Oxford
University Press, 2004
Spiro, Jane: Storybuilding. Oxford University
Press, 2007
Tracy Tobler
Tracy Tobler is an English teacher at the Institüt auf
dem Rosenberg and the FHS in St. Gallen. She
has been teaching English in Switzerland since
her arrival in 2004. Recently, Tracy has begun
working with Crystal and Indigo children and plans
to focus her Master’s research on the learning
styles of these remarkable children. Tracy holds a
BA Degree in International Business and previously
worked in banking and management in the United
States. Her hobbies include: writing, cooking,
traveling and playing tennis. She is married and
has a one-year-old kitten named Mia.
14 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
Adapting Speaking Activities for
Assessment Purposes
For in-company classes that I have taught, the
company has often required that the students
be tested on a regular basis. In one situation,
the twenty-week semester for all classes
ended with an improved overall attendance
and motivation was high. After discussing
about the students and classes with the
responsible person at the company, it was
decided that a communicative skills test could
be given at the end of term rather than the
usual grammar and vocabulary type of test.
This was partly to reflect the interests of the
students, and their needs gleaned from needs
analyses. They were also designed to reflect
the types of real-life (authentic) tasks/activities
we had done in the classroom.
It was also agreed that the primary skill to
assess would be speaking since most
students wanted to improve their fluency and
ability to communicate effectively. The primary
sub-skill being assessed was task achievement.
Students would also be required to
make notes, based on their discussion with
their partner. Writing skills, however, would
not be assessed (i.e. notes not checked for
accuracy in spelling/grammar). Rather they
would be used to make sure the two students
who were negotiating an agreement had
understood each other, a valid skill in today’s
world of business.
The original tasks were taken from Face to
Face (Langenscheidt 1993) under the topic
‘Making Complaints’ (p.152-153):
Original Tasks
68A.3 You are on holiday in a 3-star hotel,
and your room is on the 7th floor. You have
some complaints to make to the manager
(your partner) about the following:
� the lift (AmE elevator) has been out of
order since you arrived
� the chambermaid (AmE maid) has not
changed your sheets or cleaned your room
because the lift is out of order
� in front of the hotel is a church, and every
morning at 7 o’clock the bells wake you up
� there is no air conditioning in the dining
room
� there is only hot water between 5 o’clock
and 7 o’clock in the morning
� the hotel discotheque on the 8th floor
keeps you awake until 3 o’clock in the
morning
68B.3 You are the manager of a 3-star
hotel. A guest (your partner) is coming to
see you to make some complaints. You can
accept or reject the complaints. You can also
clarify the situation, if you think this is appropriate.
68A.4 You are the owner of a house. Your
neighbor (your partner) is coming to see you
to make some complaints. You can decide to
accept or reject the complaints that he/she
makes. You can also clarify the situation, if
you think this is appropriate.
68B.4 You have recently bought a new
house and your neighbor (your partner) is
causing you some problems. You have some
complaints to make about the following:
� there is often a lot of noise at night which
keeps you awake
� the neighbor’s son stole apples from the
tree
� your neighbor sometimes throws rubbish
into your garden
� your neighbor’s dog destroyed your
favorite flowers
� your neighbor’s elder son is a motor-bike
fanatic and he often rides his motor-bike
around the garden (even on Sunday
morning)
� smoke from your neighbor’s house often
makes your clean washing dirty again
Adapted Task and Sheets
Similar to the original fluency tasks, students
were given a specific identity and role to play
and took turns discussing a specific complaint
with another student. In both cases they were
to negotiate a solution and make notes. This
was marked on an individual basis and the
focus was to ascertain how well they could
achieve a communicative task, as described
below. Each student had two roles, listed as
(1) and (2), giving each one the chance to be
the ‘complainer’ and the ‘responsible person’.
Student A
1. You are on holiday in a hotel and your
room is on the 7th floor. You have some
complaints to make to the manager and have
made the following notes. You go and share
them with him/her. Try to negotiate a peaceful

Explorations in ELT
solution, then write notes for yourself about what you agreed on, in case you need to write a
follow-up letter of complaint.
Your complaints � the lift has been out of order since you arrived
� the chambermaid has not changed your sheets or cleaned
your room because the lift is out of order
� in front of the hotel is a church, and every morning at 7 o’clock
the bells wake you up
� there is no air conditioning in the dining room
� there is only hot water between 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock in the
morning
� the hotel discotheque on the 8th floor keeps you awake until
3 o’clock in the morning
The Hotel Manager’s
Proposed Solutions
2. You are the owner of a house. Your neighbor has called to say he/she is coming to see you to
make some complaints. Write the complaints down so you won’t forget them. Then try to negotiate
a peaceful solution and write notes for yourself about what you agreed on (in case there are
some problems later with the same neighbor). Ask your neighbor some personal questions to get
acquainted, and write notes about that, too.
Complaints
Your Proposed Solutions
Details about your neighbor
Name
Hobbies
Family status
Job
Student B
1. You are the manager of a hotel. A guest is coming to see you to make some complaints. Tell
them you need to fill in a formal report for the owner. Ask them for the information you need and
fill in the chart below. You can accept or reject the complaints, but try to negotiate a compromise.
Then write a few notes on your negotiated situation just in case you need it for legal purposes
later.
Guest’s name
Telephone
E-mail address
Floor which they stayed on
Complaints
Notes
2. You have recently bought a new house and your neighbor is causing you some problems.
You go and share the following complaints with them. Try to negotiate a peaceful solution, then
write notes for yourself about what you agreed on (for future reference/discussions with your
neighbor).
SPECIAL Supplement
Complaints
� there is often a lot of noise at night which
keeps you awake
� the neighbor’s son stole apples from the
tree
� your neighbor sometimes throws rubbish
into your garden
� your neighbor’s dog destroyed your
favorite flowers
� your neighbor’s elder son is a motor-bike
fanatic and he often rides his motor-bike
around the garden (even on Sunday
morning)
� smoke from your neighbor’s house often
makes your clean washing dirty again
Your Neighbor’s Proposed Solutions
This type of assessment gives students the
opportunity to do their best because they are
used to working in pairs, and the exchange
of information is not new for them. In this
particular case, the company was content with
the report provided from the assessment as it
underlined the validity of their paying for the
courses (i.e. students were learning practical
skills they could use in their jobs). The data
from the task sheets also allowed me to
see how well the students could negotiate
meaningfully, based on whether or not their
notes agreed with what their partner had also
written.
It is not always necessary to re-invent the
wheel when adapting tasks suitable for your
classes. If you want to use them for assessment
purposes, as I have, then the tasks and
sub-skills should reflect classroom practice
(working in pairs) and course content (e.g. the
function of negotiations for these in-company
learners). It is possible to adapt pairwork
fluency activities offered by most publishers.
In the immortal words of Cole Porter –
Experiment!
JoAnn Salvisberg
JoAnn has eighteen years’ experience teaching
adult English language learners at all levels. The
primary focus of her doctoral research involved
designing a framework for diagnostic oral skills
assessment in the EFL classroom. Within the field
of ELT she is particularly curious about English for
specific purposes (ESP), oral skills assessment
(OSA), and how we develop ourselves, and our
skills and qualifications as teachers.
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 15

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
ETAS SIG Day 2007
12th May 2007 - Kantonsschule Wil
The SIG Day 2007 Conference was once
again a roaring success. Close to 250 participants
from all parts of Switzerland gathered
in the Kantonsschule Wil to listen, learn and
let themselves be inspired. Although many
people are responsible for its success, it was
Vanessa Ostertag who took primary responsibility
for the local organization. Hats off and
sincerest appreciation to Vanessa and her
team for an excellent event!
Taking a slight deviation from his planned
plenary, Dave Willis kick-started the day with
a brilliant keynote address on Accuracy,
Fluency and Autonomous Learning: A Three-
Way Distinction, and was quoted by speakers
and participants continuously throughout the
day. Sincerest thanks again to Dave and Oxford
University Press who sponsored his visit,
and to the many other sponsors of workshop
speakers, raffle prizes, and other goodies
enjoyed by the conference participants
including:
� Bioforce AG – Raffle Prize
� Brilliantmont International School-
Lausanne – Fruit Baskets
� British Council Switzerland – Speakers
� Cambridge ESOL-St. Gallen – Flowers
� The Cambridge Institute Zürich –
Cash Donation
� Cambridge University Press – Notepads
and Speakers
� Hull’s School – Croissants
� Express Publishing – Speaker
� Georgian Press – Cash Donation
� Kantonsschule Wil – Venue Rental
� Macmillan – Bags and Speaker
� Max Zeller Sohne – Fruit Basket
� Migros Klubschule Basel – Pens
� NILE – Raffle Grand Prize*
� Oxford University Press – Speaker
� Pearson Longman – Speaker
� Pension Fund Music and Education –
Apero and Speaker
� Ringier Print – Raffle Prize
� Spotlight Verlag – 5 Raffle Prizes
16 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
� Summertown – Lanyards and Speaker
� Wil Rathaus – Cash Donation
� Thurella AG – Raffle Prize
� Winterthur Insurance – Speaker
A special attraction to ETAS national events
is the tempting book and resource material
display provided by our exhibitors. This year
was no exception and we were pleased the
venue offered these exhibitors an ideal setting
to show off their new and popular offerings:
Cambridge ESOL St. Gallen, Cambridge
University Press, Chadburn Publishing,
CIDEB Publishing-Black Cat, Express
Publishing, Flying Teachers GmbH, Garnet
Education, Hull’s School-International House
Zürich, Langenscheidt KG, Macmillan
Education, Marshall Cavendish, ELT
Oxford University Press, PC Designs,
Pearson Education, Spotlight Verlag GmbH,
Stäheli’s Bookshops Ltd “Interlingua”, Summertown
Publishing, Thomson ELT, and
Winterthur Insurance
Pension Fund Music and Education.
We are also deeply indebted to all the SIG
Coordinators and their guest speakers. With
twelve different SIGs, it was the widest array
of workshops offered at a SIG Day
Conference yet – 39 to be exact! The number
one pre- and post-conference complaint from
participants was the difficulty in choosing
which workshop to attend in each of the three
session. The collaboration between SIGs
which began this year will be expanded on so
that in future the quality will not be overshadowed
by the quantity of workshops on
offer.
Please note, too, that the annual timeframe
of SIG Day Conferences will be moving from
May to September to avoid both national holidays
and exam schedules. Be sure to reserve
September 20th in your calendar for the 2008
SIG Day Conference to be held in Baden.
JoAnn Salvisberg
ETAS Teacher Development Chair
and SIG Day Coordinator
* Will the winner of the Raffle Grand Prize
(offered by NILE) please get in touch with
me? tede@e-tas.ch

Business English SIG (BESIG)
A1.2
Business English for pre-service learners
Steve Pawlett
Steve’s energetic and engaging personality
kept everyone interested throughout the
whole session. He started off with the question
“What are the challenges of teenagers who
need to learn Business English?” Although
our group was quite small, we had a great
exchange of opinions and ideas during the
brainstorming and feedback in class and
came up with the following:
Challenges
� Not enough time
� Other subjects have a higher priority
� Mixed-ability classes
� Little experience in the world of work
� Various levels of motivation
Needs
� Relevance
� Engaging and up-to-date materials
� Teacher support/extra material
� Background information, no assumption
Steve went on, “What do they need Business
English for?”
The answers were instant: e-mails, reports
(PowerPoint presentations), meetings, charts,
figures, presentations, telephoning, communication
and passing exams.
“Where do we set priorities?” Reflecting for a
moment, we came up with the following rank:
01. Specific vocabulary
02. Writing
03. Speaking
04. Listening
05. Telephoning
06. General English
07. Reading
08. Grammar
09. Meetings
10. Negotiating
Specific vocabulary is vital as students need
to understand and be able to work in a
particular field.
It was an exciting moment when the new
course book series Oxford English for Careers
Tourism 1, Commerce 1, Nursing 1 and
Technology 1 was introduced. Everybody
looked expectantly through the colourful and
well-organised books. A quick tour and short
analysis of the units was quite useful.
Regarding the participants’ feedback, most
people found the topic interesting and their
expectations were mainly met. However, more
detailed ideas of how to work with pre-service
learners would have been appreciated. All in
all, everyone left the classroom with useful
new books and fresh ideas.
Isabelle Amrein
Business English SIG (BESIG)
B1
What is behind blended learning anyway?
Karen Richardson
This semi-commercial workshop was
presented by Karen Richardson, Business
English teacher in Germany, teacher trainer,
member of ELTAS (Stuttgart), mother, student
and juggler. And yes, she can juggle.
On arrival we found on our desks: an article
on the juggling world record holders and
sibling prodigies Vova and Olga Galchenko,
a questionnaire, and a blank yellow card. We
were then asked to write on this card what we
thought blended learning was.
So what does blended learning mean? We
then looked at some words that usually come
up in this context: ‘mix’ ‘face to face’, ‘technology’,
‘different teaching mediums’, ‘multiple
approaches to leaning’, ‘blending of the virtual
and the physical’.
We were then guided through a section of the
DVD-ROM from The Business, Intermediate
level, by John Allison with Paul Emmerson,
Macmillan 2007, which comes with the coursebook
and is the next level from the usual
course book with an Audio CD.
“It’s happening…,” as Karen said and apart
from some of the advantages mentioned there
is also the aspect of fun. Fun, because the
young learners of today enjoy using technology
and are now spoken of as the “net
generation” or “digital natives” as opposed to
the older generation of “digital immigrants”.
Having started the workshop with a onedimensional
(or should that actually be twodimensional?)
written text on the jugglers, we
2007
ended this informative workshop by watching
the siblings actually juggling on video, with
sound and emotion coming through, showing
how much more fun three-dimensional
language presentation can be.
We all came away from this workshop with a
copy of The Business Intermediate Student’s
Book with DVD-ROM, compliments
of Macmillan, and a better understanding of
what blended learning is all about, as was
promised in the workshop description. Thank
you, Karen.
Caroline Rickli
Business English SIG (BESIG)
C1
Good business practice
Stuart Beaumont
You might think that we Business English
teachers and trainers have exhausted the
topic of What Business English Is, but you
would be wrong. We all still have plenty to say
on this topic, as Stuart’s workshop discussion
proved.
After a short discussion in pairs, Stuart shifted
the focus by asking us if we thought that such
ESP areas as English for Tourism, Nursing,
Engineering and so on are also Business
English. After all, tour operators, nurses and
engineers also make telephone calls, give
presentations, take part in negotiations and
for sure go to meetings. We came to the
conclusion that these areas could be called
‘Professional English’, and that Business
English falls under this umbrella term.
Stuart told us about a student of his who,
when asked what she expected to gain from
her Business English course, said that she
wanted to learn how to “appear professional”.
This idea is food for thought. It seems to
indicate that our role as Business English
teachers and trainers is to help people to become
more “slick”! Indeed, Business English
does convey an air of elitism and exclusivity.
Just look at the Business English materials
around these days. The images and colours,
topics and themes all have a certain look and
feel. But is it all just “bling” and “spin”, with no
substance?
Moving on to the theme of Good Business
Practice, we tried to answer this question
by examining the professional skills we are
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 17

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
teaching our Business English students.
These include, like any ELT course, the
teaching (or reminding) of basic grammar
and vocabulary, but also functions which are
appropriate to a working environment, an
understanding of style and formality in a given
setting, and cultural aspects. In so doing, it
often seems that what we are doing could be
better described as CLIL (Content Language
Integrated Learning) than as ELT.
I loved Stuart’s conclusion: “Business English
is General English dressed in Armani”!
Cindy Hauert
Drama & Literature SIG
A2
Write now! Creative writing for the ELT
classroom
Antoinette Moses
Antoinette Moses started this fascinating
workshop by explaining that she is not an
EFL teacher, but a published writer of several
plays and stories and a tutor on the University
of East Anglia’s famous MA course in Creative
Writing. She then cleverly linked her workshop
to Dave Willis’s excellent plenary talk, agreeing
that, as with Dave’s granddaughter, our
need to tell stories precedes language and
we use language because of this need – a
realistic task.
Creative writing, therefore, has a place in the
language classroom. Students can practice
and gain confidence in writing and speaking,
can develop cooperative teamwork (as there
is often a pre-writing collaborative task), can
improve editing and rewriting skills, and, by
understanding the process of writing, become
more appreciative readers.
We brainstormed ideas for generating stories:
books (a topic which was explored further
in her second excellent workshop which I
also attended), newspapers, and especially
pictures. Pictures are very powerful as we can
look both into and beyond them to explore
character, causality, motivation and mood.
Character is the key to good writing (which
explained a puzzling sentence in the workshop
description “writers never write dialogue”
– this is because once a character is created,
the dialogue comes naturally!) We
18 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
experienced a powerful example of this
phenomenon ourselves. Antoinette showed us
a black and white photo of a man looking
through a window onto a bleak snowy landscape
(which she had just found on Google
Images) and we had to answer the “W…”
questions: Who? Where? When? Why? about
him. We did this individually but it could also
be done in groups. After this stage, we had
to move into the first person and write his
story. I experienced myself how powerful and
effective a writing experience this was, as the
character developed his own “voice” and, as I
wrote, the story and character developed and
became clear.
We then compared our stories, discussed
the names we had chosen and the evocative
power of a name. Antoinette also gave us
other ideas for generating stories, like discovering
a character from the contents of a bag
and “hot seating”.
Unfortunately, there were only seven people
at this workshop but every participant was
enriched, not only with ideas for the classroom
and tips from a published writer, but
also a key to unlocking creativity in ourselves.
Many thanks to CUP for bringing Antoinette to
Switzerland.
Alison Taylor
Drama & Literature SIG
B2
Poetry for the classroom
Eva König
In total seven people attended this workshop
whose stated aim was to provide ideas and
suggestions about the ways in which teachers
of English might incorporate poetry into the
classroom and how poetry might provide the
stimulus for a variety of other activities including
language acquisition, developing language
skills, as well as forming the basis for reading
and writing tasks.
These aims were most certainly well fulfilled
over the course of this fascinating and thoughtprovoking
workshop. The success of Eva
König’s workshop lay in the way in which she
anchored her theoretical framework – the
value of something that at times can be
abstract and intimidating to students – in concrete
examples in which workshop attendees
were invited to participate. Thus we were
given an idea how the exemplars might
actually play out in the classroom and the
manner in which the primary text, the poem itself,
might serve as the basis for further work.
The first exercise in which we participated
was based on the Roger McGough poem
‘Forty Love’. The text of the poem was
handed out to us as continuous text and we
were invited to punctuate it. Our suggestions
were then discussed as a group before Eva
König showed us the actual, very novel way
in which the text appears. There followed a
discussion as to why the poet chose this particular
structure and the exercise terminated
with a chorus reading between two groups.
This was great fun and showed the possibility
of teaching poetry without being bound to
discussion of tone, form, imagery, etc. which
students frequently find monotonous.
Another particularly successful exercise was
the one that used the Peter Appleton poem
‘The Responsibility’. We were given the poem
with each stanza printed on individual sheets
and had to create our own sequence for the
stanzas. This was a very effective exercise as
it meant that you really had to concentrate on
the text and what was being said, and evaluate
your own ideas about what was the likely
logical order and thus the message the text
was conveying.
Personally, I thought that the workshop taught
me more about teaching poetry than a year
of seminars on English teaching during my
teacher training, the reason being that Eva
König illustrated her examples so clearly
that each exercise functioned almost like an
individual lesson plan and that was extremely
helpful. Especially as I find that when teaching
second-language speakers, the teacher
constantly needs to come up with innovative
ideas to maintain their interest.
Joan Ennis

Drama & Literature SIG
C2
Creative writing: Working with voices
Franz Morrissey
It had been a rather consuming day full of inputs
– of both intellectual and physical nature.
Thus, it was a somewhat tired group of ten
people assembling for their last workshop of
the day.
From the presenter’s (i.e. Franz Morrissey’s)
point of view the task was probably an unenviable
one. However, he rose to the challenge
and came out with flying colours.
Franz kept us busy and interested with handson
writing activities that were as much fun as
they were challenging. The ninety minutes
passed all too quickly, and in the process a
number of original (and also weird!) written
products evolved.
Franz supplied us with step-by-step procedures
for several creative writing activities,
four of which we tried out ourselves. These
activities mostly need little or no copyroom
preparation; pens and paper suffice.
As a starter, Franz used an activity called
‘Value-Added Dialogue’, which may serve as
an example to illustrate this:
It is a pairwork activity for which you need two
pieces of paper. Goal: creation of two dialogues,
each beginning with one word, adding
a word for each change of speaker until you
reach seven words, and then the whole process
in reverse. As the two people are writing
two dialogues at the same time, each one is
always busy writing and there is hardly any
empty waiting time. Franz emphasized the
need to begin with an ‘unusual’ word rather
than with the classic “Hi” or “Hello” to trigger
engaging conversations. So, my partner and I
started scribbling away, our two pieces having
as their respective openers ‘Milk’ and ‘Diarrhoea’!
Soon, the room was full of giggling,
our tiredness magically blown away and our
energy tanks refueled. Finally, all the pairs
had to choose the dialogue they liked better
and perform it for the class (in radio play
fashion).
The workshop continued in an equally rewarding
vein through activities called ‘Conflict
Situations’, ‘An Old Song Resung’ and ‘Animal
Vegetable Mineral’. Should any readers be
interested in what they missed, go to Franz
Morrissey’s homepage: http://www.creativewriting.ch/creativeways.html,
where you will
find a pdf file for download entitled ‘Creative
Ways’ containing a plethora of writing ideas
and activities.
All in all, an excellent finish to an interesting
and well-organised ETAS SIG Day on the
premises of the Kantonsschule Wil.
Oliver Töngi
2007
Examinations, Testing & Assessment SIG
(ETA SIG)
A3
An introduction to IELTS
Sarah Fabel
The IELTS (Independent English Language
Testing System) exam was developed in 1989
by Cambridge ESOL, IDP Australia and the
British Council to provide proof of a candidate’s
level and ability in English. It is now
taken by around 500,000 candidates per year,
a figure which is increasing, and is recognised
by over 3,800 educational institutions, government
agencies and professional organisations
in 120 countries, including the US and the UK.
Achieving a specific grade in the IELTS exam,
which can also be taken by native speakers,
is a requirement for immigration to Australia,
New Zealand and Canada.
The exam consists of 4 papers: Listening,
Reading, Writing and Speaking. Candidates
may choose between an Academic or a
General strand, the latter being suitable for
candidates who wish to study in an Englishspeaking
environment. Results are graded
from 1 (false beginner) to 9 (native speaker),
and in Switzerland are sent out on the 13th
day after the exam. More details can be obtained
from the British Council in Bern (www.
britishcouncil.org/switzerland) or from the
IELTS website (www.ielts.org).
Sarah gave workshop participants a clear
overview of the exam, and was very willing
and competent to answer our many questions.
Lots of useful tips to help prepare students for
the exam were given, including information
about training sessions, exam materials and
coursebooks. Sarah shared her knowledge as
well as her experience as an examiner in an
informative, interesting and helpful way. The
feedback sheets returned serve to confirm
my own impression – this was 90 minutes
valuably spent!
Maggi Lussi Bell
Examinations, Testing & Assessment SIG
(ETA SIG)
B3
Assessing Speaking Skills
Ann Humphry-Baker
A good turnout of 18 participants attended
Ann Humphry-Baker’s presentation, hoping
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 19

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
to gain, as according to the feedback,”‘more
information and insight into this grey area of
assessment”. Ann informed us of a myriad of
aspects to consider when preparing to assess
your students’ oral skills:
Assessment
� self-assessment
� peer assessment
� teacher/examiner assessment
Tasks
� presentations
� interactive
Stakes
� informal assessment - low stakes
� formal assessment - high stakes
Formative
� assessment with feedback on performance
and how to improve in future
Summative
� assessing what has been achieved to date
Anne pointed out that the positive aspects of
doing ‘self-’ and ‘peer’ assessment is that it
doesn’t take a lot of preparation time and the
feedback can be kept and used in the students’
dossier. The positive points of teacher
assessment were that the teacher knows the
students’ level, what has been taught, and
students tend to feel more comfortable being
assessed by someone they know. On the
other hand, an examiner would be unbiased
and impartial and is trained to look at students
differently.
Ann went on to illustrate examples of criteria
which students could use to carry out selfand
peer assessment, as well as showing us
the different criteria to take into consideration
when producing our own assessment grids.
Besides the usual form, content, structure and
features of spoken English, the differences
which were highlighted were when assessing
either an oral presentation or an oral interaction.
Criteria for self- and peer assessment
� Did I get my message across?
� Was my speech logically organized?
� Was my grammar accurate and varied?
� Did I use an appropriate range of
vocabulary?
� Was my pronunciation clear?
20 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
Oral presentation:
Criteria for communicative quality
� maintaining interest of audience
� independence of notes
� reply to questions
� body language
� visual support
� fluency
Oral interaction:
Criteria for interactive communication
� interpersonal skills
� initiating and responding
� turn taking
� cooperation
� body language
� fluency
� repair strategies
Ann armed us with examples of assessment
scales, a presentation evaluation and a global
assessment grid and a little more theory to
hopefully facilitate us in becoming better
assessors of speaking skills.
Norelee Wolf
Immersion/CLIL SIG (ICSIG)
A4
First-hand Catalan immersion experience
Caroline Huelva
Caroline introduced herself and the lesson
in Catalan and as someone with very little
experience of Catalan or Spanish, I was
surprised that I got the gist. She then gave a
longer introduction that completely lost me.
Fortunately, she then handed out a text with
a diagram and I was relieved to see that this
helped me get back on track.
After reading the text we answered some
comprehension questions and completed a
series of exercises not unlike those in the
EFL classroom (cloze, word matching and
diagram labelling). Although some words
looked familiar, others were totally foreign and
so I found myself using all the exam strategies
I know to make up for lack of language and
subject knowledge. Also, I found myself trying
to analyse the language in order to guess
the answers. By the end of the lesson I was
surprised that I had managed to learn some
vocabulary and understood the subject matter.
Credit should be given to Caroline’s way of
speaking clearly, using body language and a
very calm and friendly manner to motivate us
and help keep us working at a fairly fast pace.
Equally important, her materials and
exercises worked well to gradually build up
our language skills and subject knowledge.
Also, the tasks were varied and there was
plenty of repetition.
Most of us felt positive about the 60-minute
lesson as Eveline Reichel asked for feedback.
Some mentioned feeling tired and frustrated
when they did not understand or could not
complete a task and I certainly felt under
stress at times. As one participant mentioned,
the focus was on biology and the goal was
to complete the tasks while the Catalan
language was the medium. Attending biology
classes regularly in Catalan with parallel
language classes, I could imagine learning
the language and being able to gauge my
progress.
By the end, there was much to ponder about
learning styles and ways of learning a language.
We had a chance to put ourselves in
our pupils’ shoes and realise the importance
of a positive learning situation. Thanks to
Caroline for the interesting lesson and being a
model teacher. Eveline Reichel also deserves
congratulations for starting off the ICSIG with
this successful first workshop and leading an
interesting discussion.
Hazel Trepp

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1

Immersion/CLIL (ICSIG)
B4/7
Enhancing language acquisition through
immersion
Dr des Heidi Bürgi
Ms Bürgi started her speech in a crowded
room, with the OHP showing a map of
Switzerland entitled “The Swiss Languagescape”,
which she used to show where the
three surveyed schools were (Lucerne, Winterthur
and Zürich). She talked about a threeyear
survey in these schools. Whilst doing
her survey the difficulty lay in the fact that the
programs were different, though they all had
in common that students had no additional
lessons in respect to the regular classes and
moreover the schools selected the students
for the immersion courses. She stated that
the pupils’ language skills improved due
to special ties with the English language,
English seemed more interesting and exciting
to students and the latter were looking for a
challenge. In fact, they stated that they were
putting in, depending on which subject, an
average of 0% to 50% more effort than in the
same subject in their first language (L1). She
tested the receptive skills, the productive skills
and the systems (vocabulary) at B2, C1 and
C2 levels and these were the findings: on
the listening and the reading comprehension
generally the immersion classes were better
than the regular ones at the B2 level. She
also did a survey on how many words learners
need, using frequency lists and Nation’s
Vocabulary Levels Tests. She pointed out
that even if English is the language with the
largest vocabulary (800,000), learners need
3,000–5,000 words for comprehension and
2,000–3,000 words for production seem to
be enough. In fact, if pupils only knew 2,000
words, they understood 20% of the text,
exploiting knowledge in other languages, too.
The results showed that after only one immersion
year only 50% of the students mastered
2,000 words. By the end of the three-year
program they knew 100% of the words,
whereas students in the regular classes only
knew a few words.
According to the workshop feedback sheets
most participants found the workshop interesting,
because some saw it as an eye-opener
on immersion classes. Then, most found the
content good due to the preciseness and the
load of information, and nearly all thought that
the speaker’s preparation and presentation
was very good.
Gabriella Pedrini
2007
Immersion/CLIL SIG (IC SIG)
C4
The Zürich immersion project for a
bilingual matura
Eveline Reichel
You may be asking yourself—What’s a
bilingual matura and what project are they
immersing in Zürich? Well, immersion teaching,
as it is known in Switzerland, is a form of
Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL).
Actually, immersion teaching is a very simple
idea. School subjects (i.e. history, geography,
math) are taught in English to non-native
English-speaking students. Students expand
their vocabulary and skills while being
exposed to more English during the school
week. This results in them learning English
at a faster and more complete pace than the
‘normal tract’ students. In a bilingual matura
some subjects are taught in German and
some are taught in English. It should be noted
that these immersion classes do not replace
the EFL lessons, which continue as usual.
The Zürich Bilingual Matura Program started
in 2002/03 with only three secondary schools.
By 2004/05 there were 10 secondary schools
in the pilot project. The project was a big
success and as a result there are 13
secondary schools now in Canton Zürich
with bilingual maturas. Interestingly, each
gymnasium has a different mix of immersion
subjects and requirements. Swiss individualism
in action!
Since only a handful of people attended, we
were able to personalize the workshop. It
started off as a presentation of the project and
developed quickly into a very informative and
enjoyable exchange of ideas and information
about immersion teaching. I particularly
benefited from the insider experience and
viewpoint of the presenter, Eveline Reichel.
Eveline has been involved with the project
from the beginning. In addition, she teaches
the course for those teachers who would like
to teach immersion classes (http://www.
mba.zh.ch/downloads/Projektstellen/Infoblatt_Kurs.pdf)
It was the perfect way to wind down a very
hectic and busy SIG Day and I look forward
to more events and workshops from this new
SIG.
See the following links for more details about
immersion teaching and what is happening in
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 23

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
Canton Zürich:
http://www.mba.zh.ch/downloads/Projektstellen/broschuereimmersion.pdfhttp://www.mba.zh.ch/downloads/Projektstellen/FAQs_Antworten2.pdfhttp://www.mba.zh.ch/downloads/Projektstellen/Arbeitsblatt_guidelines.pdfhttp://www.mba.zh.ch/downloads/Projektstellen/Arbeitsblatt_handout1.pdf
Janet M. Borner
Learning Technologies SIG (L Tech)
A5
Efficient use of interactive
whiteboards in the classroom
Jayne Herzog
It was Hugh Dellar at the Winterthur ETAS
AGM 2006 that started me thinking I should
exploit the whiteboard more in class. He
brought to my attention how often we teachers
neglect to use the whiteboard to its full
potential. So I was eagerly awaiting Jayne’s
workshop to activate some new ideas. I
wasn’t disappointed!
When we entered the room Jayne had
already been busy and sectioned off a part
of the board with different information for the
students. The lesson plan was on one part of
it, the date and weather on another, a section
for new vocabulary and one for the last
lesson’s vocabulary. There was also some
empty space for new phrases or things that
came up in the lesson. For me it gave immediate
focus on learning and the path the lesson
would take.
In a lot of my lessons there is general chatting
among the students until finally they all have
arrived and I usually say what we’ll be doing.
The presence of the plan to view on entering
the classroom settles students into the
learning mode at the onset. The simplicity
and beauty of this it that it can be adapted to
suit your learners and the level they are at, be
they business, exam students or beginners.
Several activities were looked at where
students can come to the board and either
add ideas or words and phrases on a topic or
even correct other contributions from peers.
The idea of the board being an active, public,
physical and competitive attraction gave a
24 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
new dimension to the classroom and moves
away from pairwork and groupwork. Jayne
had a plethora of ideas including getting to
know you, picture dictation, pronunciation,
writing and speaking and also feedback
activities all taking place at the board and with
everyone participating. These ideas together
with a comprehensive handout ensured we
went away with plenty of motivation to make
better use of an age-old but eternally useful
prop.
Gillian Nussbaum
Learning Technologies SIG (L Tech)
B5
A dictionary at your fingertips
Gwyneth Fox
Have you often wished you were making
better use of learners’ dictionaries as a
teaching resource in the classroom? Do you
do more than turn to it hurriedly to look up a
difficult word just before class starts?
If you attended Gwyneth Fox’s workshop,
you would, like 25 other excited teachers that
day, have walked away not only with a bunch
of great ideas and activities to support you
but also a free copy of the new edition of the
award-winning Macmillan English Dictionary
(MED) for Advanced Learners plus CD-ROM.
Gwyneth, Associate Editor of Macmillan
Dictionaries, and Matt Kay, their marketing
manager, gave us a highly entertaining
demonstration of the innovative features of
this new edition on CD-ROM.
The most important new feature is the clear
distinction it makes between high frequency
core vocabulary (coded in red) and the less
common words (coded in black). Extensive
research from a 200-million word corpus
shows that native speakers use about 7,500
words 90% of the time in anything they read,
write or speak. By identifying these essential
7,500 words in red (Oxford English Dictionary
focuses on 3,000 words), MED helps give
students the confidence and ability to get their
message across whether in writing or speaking,
with the ease of a native speaker.
Sporting a user-friendly navigation system,
this CD-ROM dictionary has over 1,300
illustrations, animations and photographs and
more than 300 sound effects. It contains over
6,000 items of clearly labelled subject-specific
vocabulary on 5 key subject areas: business
and economics, science, information technology,
medicine and the arts.
The ‘supersearch’ facility can be used to build
a lesson around a particular topic, say, the
theatre – class brainstorm as many words
as possible, then use ‘supersearch’ to find
more, up to 100 words. The results ranked
in red and black code together with common
collocations, idioms, etc. could be used as a
basis for storytelling or essay writing.
Another completely new feature is the
thesaurus (little book symbol beside every
word), boasting 77 synonyms for ‘angry’
alone!

Simply a wealth of new material, innovative
search features, … the list goes on. Do give
this dictionary a try.
Christina Kwok
Learning Technologies SIG (L Tech)
C5
Exploration of internet tools relevant to
teaching and teacher development
Illya Arnet-Clark
Drop what you are doing. Go to the computer
and enter http://etasblog.wordpress.com
This will take you to the ETAS Blog where
you can retrieve this workshop’s PowerPoint
information and more than enough websites
to keep you busy for some time. (Click on the
blue lettered... A quick tour through the internet).
Information about blogs, blog providers,
wikis, and RSS feeds are listed. Don’t worry
if you don’t understand this terminology; the
PowerPoint site will explain it.
When someone starts talking tech I smile,
nod, and wonder how you can change the
subject. The other response is panic. It was
in this spirit that I attended this workshop and
was impressed by the speaker’s passion and
knowledge of this area.
But, best made plans don’t always work.
Several people had computer problems and
Illya went right to their assistance but this
left others waiting. It was necessary to have
provider information of your e-mail site, which
I had, so I was able to start a blog.
Information can be posted and students can
communicate with each other, in English of
course, to complete assignments using this
tool. Classes from literally all over the globe
can be contacted. Time is the factor but what
a wonderful way to meet teenagers on their
turf. Go to the ETAS Blog and see the brilliant
idea it inspired another teacher to do!
Participants were requested to have at least
basic knowledge of how to use the internet.
Perhaps this should have mentioned having
their provider information so they could
access their e-mail sites, necessary for
starting a blog. The topics to be discussed
may have been too broadly described in the
programme. If everything had gone smoothly,
it would have been a lot to cover in that period
of time and with that number of participants.
Other tools were mentioned on the internet
but time didn’t allow us to explore them in
detail. This gave me the opportunity to try
something I had just read about.
Elizabeth Ulrich
Multimedia SIG
A6
Podcasting
Tom O’Sullivan
The title ‘podcasting’ intrigued me as I had
seen the term often on the internet and in connection
to my iPod, but I had never bothered
to find out what it meant. I was obviously not
alone as the workshop was fully attended with
every computer terminal occupied.
Tom set out not to teach us how to us podcasting
in a lesson but, as his online handout
stated, to help find internet multimedia which
we could use in the class room. It was not
a ‘regular’ workshop, as some might have
expected, but instead Tom had produced
a detailed online-handout which contained
many sites where we could find multimedia.
2007
All of the relevant sites were hyperlinked so,
while on the computer, we could go into his
document and hyperlink around the internet
to see the relevant sources. If interested, I do
recommend that you e-mail Tom on tos.tefl@
citycable.ch for a copy of this eleven page
interactive handout.
For the rest of the time, with some guidance
from Tom, we looked at some issues raised
on his worksheet like ‘streaming’ versus
‘podcasts’; ‘copyright’ versus ‘copy protection’;
understanding different types of search
engines; and what are ‘aggregators’?
I was more than happy to go along with Tom’s
loose control of the workshop where he acted
more as a facilitator and we were allowed
to explore his worksheet. However, I think,
though most were more than happy with the
quality of information given, they would have
liked more hands-on guidance about what to
do.
For the future there is obviously a need for
workshops which are for the less technical
minded to help them with more step by step
guidance about how to access the different
types of multimedia and for other workshops
which might take a piece of multimedia and
show how to convert it into something that can
be used in a lesson.
Thanks to Tom for sharing his in-depth knowledge
and starting the ball rolling.
Tim Black
Multimedia SIG
B6
Read and watch – using the movie of the
Reader to motivate students to read
Steve Pawlett
I chose this workshop because I thought it
was something different to the usual lectures
and wanted to know if it really works. Well, I
wasn’t disappointed when a friendly,
motivated, well-prepared, confident and
dynamic Steve Pawlett started by putting
a few sentences to us and said, “Who said
this and in which movie?” Wow, I thought,
how does anyone remember sentences from
movies? To everyone’s surprise there were
participants who knew! This sort of broke the
ice and everyone joined in automatically.
Thanks to modern technology, we can now
use movies easily in our classrooms. Visual
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 25

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
images are important as they are memorable
and motivating. When students know that they
can watch a movie in class, the reading task
involved does not seem such an uphill task.
Steve also showed us many interesting activities
that we can use with film clips.
We watched a clip from Cry Freedom. We discussed
feelings, impressions and questions.
It was great as all the attending participants
communicated spontaneously and we found
ourselves in a very relaxed atmosphere.
‘Vision on, sound off’ was an especially interesting
guessing game. Actually, it was rather a
brainstorming exercise with much laughter as
we tried to reconstruct the dialogue! It amazed
me how much one can take from a movie,
for example, grammar, reading, writing and
discussing.
The second clip was a highly-charged
emotional scene from The Elephant Man. We
brainstormed a) visual images b) reactions
c) sounds d) feelings and realised how much
language had been generated - as well as
having a lot of fun.
The conclusion of this workshop revealed how
easily one participates in reading questions
and writing by watching. This is a great way of
encouraging students to develop their reading
and writing skills and can be used at all levels.
Steve Pawlett definitely delivered what he
had promised. Thanks, Steve, for all the great
ideas we took with us and to OUP for sponsoring
this workshop, which was attended by
15 participants.
Colleen Hasler
Multimedia SIG
C6
Looking at the future with film
Graham Workman
For those of us who are always looking for
new ways to put across our ‘future’ lessons,
this workshop presented by Graham
Workman was just what the doctor ordered.
By using futuristic films as a tool for awareness
raising we, and hopefully our students,
were propelled into the future down three
exciting and thought-provoking avenues. The
first film was about the environment and the
effects of global warming. Using The Day
After Tomorrow directed by Roland Emmerich
26 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
(2004), we saw how strange weather patterns
could cause devastation on well-loved cities
such as New York and Los Angeles. This film
dramatically illustrates the effects of global
warming, and its special effects will make your
students sit up in their seats and want to talk
more about it.
The second film Gattica, directed by Andrew
Nicole (1997), gave us a scary look at the
future with regard to genetic engineering.
Your students will love this film for its horrific
virtual reality and it should provoke lively
classroom discussions and a strong platform
for the language requirements for advanced
speaking tests.
The next film Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), a
science-fiction movie from director Steven
Spielberg (2001), illustrates another popular
futuristic topic – robots. Can robots love? Can
a robot be created to love? In the movie a
robot manufacturer, Roboter, attempts to do
just this and creates David, a robot boy who
is adopted by a family whose own son lies in
a coma. David eventually longs to become
‘real’ so that he can experience the love of his
human mother. A provocative, thoughtprovoking
as well as disturbing topic which will
promote great classroom discussions for your
advanced students.
Graham’s language focus was not only ‘the
future’ but rather a collection of well-designed
speaking (predicting and reviewing), lexis
(great collocations) and exam practice speaking
tasks. As usual, his handouts were first
class and suitable for immediate classroom
use at B2-C2 levels.
If anyone would like more information about
using these films in class, e-mail Graham at
grahamworkman@aol.com. Thanks, Graham.
Denise Mattsson
Multimedia SIG Coordinator Report
Another successful SIG Day has come and
gone. This one was especially important for
me as it was in my own region and of course
we wanted it to be as successful as all of the
other ones. I think we can in all modesty say
that we achieved our goal thanks to Vanessa
and her team’s organisational skill and hard
work – so thank you, Vanessa.
As Coordinator for the Multimedia SIG it was
a pleasure to be able to offer such a variety of
workshops again. As technology is taking an
ever-big place in our classrooms and our
students - especially those of us who work
with adolescents - are more computer than
coursebook oriented, it was exciting to be
able to have an insight into what podcasting
actually is and how to integrate it into our
teaching.
I still haven’t worked out all of the ins and outs
of this tool, but at least I have learned that is
has nothing to do with an iPod! Thanks for
making that point clear, Tom!
For those of us who either already know about
podcasting or are too much in awe of this new
dimension in the classroom to try it out, there
was the chance to see how Readers, when
used in connection with films, can turn even
the younger generation into avid readers.
Steve’s activities were motivating, combined
various skills, and gave the participants ideas
for activities for their own favourite book and
film.
Thank you, Steve, for sharing your know-how
and humour with us.
Those of us teaching examination classes are
under terrible time pressure to get through the
book, yet at the same time we would like to
make the lessons as interesting as possible.
Graham once again demonstrated that this
is possible if we can just find the right film,
combine it with challenging activities and voilà
- the routine lesson about genetic engineering
becomes livelier and students are actually
using more sophisticated vocabulary to get
their meaning across. As always Graham’s
enthusiasm and knowledge of films, combined
with his excellent handouts, made his
workshop well worth attending. Also thanks to
you, Graham.
I’m sure that many of us know that lovely
song sung by Sarah Brightman ‘Time to Say
Goodbye’. That song has been going around
in my head for a few months now and I have
finally decided to heed its words. After many

years as an active member of ETAS I have
decided that the time has come to hand over
my job to someone with more time and also
more initiative. I have enjoyed working with
all of the presenters, the organisational teams
and of course the ETAS Committee. I have
learned a great deal in this job and would like
to thank everyone for their support and their
trust in me.
I wish everyone lots of fun trying out what we
learned from Tom, Steve and Graham, and
look forward to seeing all of you at our next
AGM.
Ilona Bossart
Research SIG (RSIG)
A7
Doing TESOL research
Simon Borg
Simon Borg, Senior Lecturer in TESOL and
Postgraduate Research Tutor for the School
of Education at the University of Leeds, structured
his presentation into three main parts all
concerned with research:
1. What is research?
2. Why do research?
3. How do you do research?
Simon convincingly got one of his key
messages across to the 18 participants:
academic research cannot be a model for
teacher research. We often find teachers
being scared away from doing research by
thinking of it as academic research. By scaling
down on what is research, classroom teachers
lose their inhibitions concerning the time
investment, which is the most often heard
reason for not doing research.
In a survey on why teachers do research the
most frequent answers included improved
teaching and professional development.
There are countless other reasons for doing
research. Participants also mentioned that
institutes of higher education more and more
expect their teachers to do research as part of
their work obligation. The presenter commented
that such top-down decisions are likely to
cause resentment.
The last section of the presentation dealt with
the way research could be done. There will
always be an extra requirement in time even
for small-scale teacher research, but as mentioned
above, by reducing the requirements
the task becomes less daunting. Additionally,
work can be shared by colleagues in
collaborative approaches. When thinking
about the data collecting options we realized
that it does not always have to be a questionnaire:
observation, learning materials, interviews,
recordings can be equally efficient.
The findings can be shared either orally (staff
meetings, local teachers’ meetings, regional
events) or in writing (website, noticeboards,
newsletters, journals).
Participants liked the clear and well-organized
structure of the presentation. One said it was
the best ETAS workshop she has been to yet.
Other feedback, inspired by the presentation,
looked ahead and wished for networking
2007
possibilities on an international level. This
certainly has been a very competently led and
reassuring meeting – is there anything more
one could wish for the kick-off of our new
Research SIG?
Urs Kalberer
Research SIG (RSIG)
C7/9
Classroom research and the whole teacher
Alan Pulverness
Developing teaching skills is a continuing
process which should accompany every
teacher throughout their career. It is so easy
to get in a rut, run from lesson to lesson one
year after the next, yearning for the summer
holidays (which pass by all too fast) and
then it’s back again, new faces, perhaps a
different classroom, with a bit of luck a new
coursebook, but basically the same thing all
over again. The danger is when the ritual
outweighs the creative; that is the straight
road towards burn-out. This workshop showed
us strategies to help keep us on our toes and
retain the enthusiasm we started out with.
Unlike teacher training, which is end-focused
and limited in its time span, teacher development
is about realising one’s own potential
and aiming at “being one’s own best” (Adrian
Underhill), and most importantly, developing
one’s own style.
Developing one’s classroom skills can be
achieved through a systematic cycle of data
collection, e.g. audio recording, video recording
(daring!), teacher diary, student interviews
and feedback, to name but a few. The three
conditions for success are: don’t tackle what
you can’t change, take on small-scale limited
projects, choose something relevant to you
and your students.
This well-attended workshop was reviewed
positively by most participants; a few
comments from more experienced teachers
indicated that there was not enough new
input. Personally I felt it was a pity the groupwork
tended to be somewhat rushed; fewer
activities at a more leisurely pace would have
brought more. However, all in all, it was a very
interesting workshop. Thank you, Alan.
Carol Siegenthaler
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 27

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
School Management SIG
A8
What schools should know about social
security
Jürg Lehmann
Roughly 10 school managers and freelancers
attended this workshop including Claire
Jackson, who had put in a great deal of work
on the ETAS Committee to enable the ETAS
BVG scheme to go forward. Robin kicked off
by reminding participants of the history of the
ETAS social security scheme set up with
Winterthur Insurance. The main point had
been to offer a solution to part-timers who
worked for two or three schools and did not
reach the BVG minimum of roughly CHF
19,000.- at either school, or only at one school
but not at others. Clearly these teachers
missed out on the benefits of the Second
Pillar and exposed themselves to serious
risks. Falling seriously ill was not a good
idea if there was no Second Pillar scheme
in place. Jürg answered a great number of
questions with his customary professionalism.
For instance, he pointed out that teachers
should beware of ‘pseudo self-employment’
implying that whoever worked for a school
was basically employed and that authorities
were not happy about ‘agreements’ which
relieved schools of the obligation to pay their
share of the BVG. The discussion showed
that the ETAS BVG solution offers considerable
advantages to freelancers and part-timers
who work for different schools. However,
some managers of larger schools employing
full-timers felt they would need to consider an
alternative to the ETAS BVG scheme which
offered more benefits to teachers who teach
all their hours for one school. Finally Jürg as
the representative of a large insurance was
reminded by participants that the percentage
teachers and schools had to pay for accidents
on and off the job was way too high and by no
means reflected the low occupational hazards
of the teaching industry. Jürg agreed and
held out the hope that the year 2008 would
see a revaluation of the UVG and how it was
calculated in the case of teachers. Good news
all along the line and many thanks, Jürg!
Robin Hull
28 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
School Management SIG
B8
???Problem students – school’s
problems?
Elsbeth Mäder
Elsbeth Mäder started by distributing a
number of cards with scenarios to participants
who then started to think about possible
solutions. As usual, Elsbeth prepared carefully
and offered input informed by many years of
experience. The scenarios were so interesting
that the discussion was able to cover only
the first two or three and we all regretted that
a mere 60 minutes had been reserved for
this workshop. Some of the problems which
seemed to strike a chord with many school
managers were students who do not have
enough time to learn and do homework due
to work pressure, students in their mid-50s or
even early sixties who are pressurised by their
employers into taking tests (shortly before
they retire…), young learners who have been
told by their primary or secondary school
teachers that they lack the talent to learn
languages, students who are in too much of
a hurry to take examinations but are not yet
at the level, students who do not want to pay
for the three or four evenings they have not
attended, students who have a chemistry
problem with their teacher or their fellow students.
The main benefit of this workshop was
to hear how other school managers deal with
these issues. Everyone agreed that Elsbeth
should offer a follow-up workshop with the
same focus some time in 2008. Well done and
many thanks, Elsbeth!
Robin Hull
School Management SIG
C8
What is a qualified teacher? How to find
them? How to keep them?
Robin Hull
The presentation covered a large number
of issues related to selecting, recruiting and
retaining staff. The aim was not to provide
participants with ready-made answers, but
rather to invite managers to reflect on their
own schools.
In a buoyant economy English teachers
become more scarce while the number of
students sharply increases. Robin pointed out
that the time had come again for schools to
increase their fees in order to offer better
terms to their staff. The market, at least in
larger cities in Switzerland, may now be ready
for this, though it is by no means certain as
competition remains fierce. There are probably
fewer and smaller language schools
teaching English to adults now than there
were 10 years ago. Where there has been
a sharp rise in demand in 2007 schools are
struggling to staff new courses and face a
number of thorny problems, such as finding
applicants, recruiting with the necessary care
and professionalism, mentoring new staff
properly whilst trying to offer existing staff an
increasingly interesting package of pay, social
security, the right teaching jobs, the desired
number of hours and a professional development
programme. Participants agreed that
ETAS was an important organisation as it
could assist in advertising jobs, providing
professional development and by offering
schools an attractive Second Pillar and Krankentaggeld
solution. The discussion showed
that larger schools would do well to offer more
professional development opportunities to
their staff. There was a need for incentives for
experienced staff not to wander off into different
careers. It seemed conceivable again that
DELTA programmes would stage a comeback,
together with post-CELTA programmes,
language awareness courses and in-service
teacher training workshops. Managers of
larger schools also felt that membership of
international school organisations such as
EAQUALS and International House would
help them to retain staff, as these organisations
offered an impressive range of professional
development packs for teachers. Working
for an ‘accredited’ language school looked
good in teachers’ CVs. Schools received
unsolicited applications from teachers who
had worked for similar schools abroad and
- at least in some organisations – there was
a sense of community extending beyond the
individual school.
Robin Hull

Teacher Development SIG (TD SIG)
B9
Learner types and task-based learning
Paul Raper
The presentation on ‘learner types and taskbased
learning’ is part of Paul Raper’s MSc
degree at Aston University and also his first
presentation at an ETAS event.
Paul first addressed the question of why there
is a connection with students in some classes
but not in others. As an example he focused
on his engineer students and compared
them to ‘normal’ students. A class full of
engineers has different needs and a different
learner style than other classes. According to
research findings certain learner styles can
be attached to a profession. This means that
if you have a class of people from the same
profession, particular learner types are found
more often than others. If one’s teaching style
and methodology is not adapted to students’
needs and learner style, teacher and learners
are not on the same wavelength. Therefore,
learning cannot successfully take place
because the lesson lacks meaningfulness for
the students. In his case of the engineers Paul
found it very useful to introduce his version of
task-based learning.
This first part was followed by a brief look
at the findings of researchers in the field of
learner types such as Vester, Looss, Felder,
Jung, Myers & Briggs, Caine & Caine and
Gardner.
Key aspects of Paul Raper’s presentation
were:
� learner styles can be attached to
professions
� learning is better context-based
� task-based learning may promote learning,
provided it is context-based.
But what about the majority of us who are
confronted with more heterogeneous classes
and mixed-learner types? The reality is that
we have a vast array of learner styles in our
classes and there are some vital questions
that remained unanswered. This presentation
may not have been ground-breaking but I left
the room with my own conclusions, which are:
� My responsibility as a teacher is to find out
as much as possible about my students.
� Reflect on my lessons and performance in
the classroom.
� Be aware of my own teacher and learner
2007
style.
IHC TEFLA have acquired “analogue” status
� Include a selection of methods, techniques from eduQua, meaning that staff with an
and tasks that appeal to different learner “analogue” qualification are suitably qualified
styles.
to teach in the school. Trinity College is currently
involved in acquiring “analogue” status.
Irene Wiesendanger
A number of workshop participants with TEFL
related degrees were naturally keen to know
what their position was. However, so far no
such status has been recognised for degree
Teacher Development SIG (TD SIG)
courses.
B9.2
A number of providers are currently offering a
The SVEB Debate: what schools aren’t
two-day bridge course to obtain the SVEB 1
telling teachers
Certificate. However, only holders of CELTA
Jeanne C. Baer
and IHC TEFLA may do this course. By the
end of the workshop, we had established that
The participants of this workshop included
the only reason for acquiring this certificate
both teachers and school managers who
is simply to have a Swiss qualification when
were clearly attending with the hope of get-
dealing with non-TEFLA professionals or
ting some clarification as to what exactly the
employers! The workshop was certainly help-
SVEB certificate is, and whether it is a necesful
in clarifying the salient points regarding this
sary qualification to have.
certificate. Thank you, Jeanne.
Jeanne, herself a teacher trainer, explained
Nicola Chillingworth
that the aim of the workshop was to give us
answers to the following questions:
� What is the difference between SVEB and
CELTA/IHC TEFLA/Trinity cert. TESOL?
� Do you, as a TEFLA teacher working in
Switzerland, need to acquire the SVEB
certificate?
� Why are schools asking for the SVEB
certificate regardless of your TEFLA
qualifications?
However, along the way we were able to raise
our own queries, of which there were many,
according to what qualifications we already
had, or, in the case of the school managers,
exactly what eduQua (the quality label for
Swiss Institutions in Adult Education) requires
institutions to make sure their teachers have.
The SVEB certificate is an in-service qualification,
focusing only on the methodology
involved in teaching adults. It can be done by
anyone who wants to teach adults in any subject
in which they already have a recognised
qualification and teaching experience.
In terms of content, there is no logical reason
to take this course if you already have a
TEFLA qualification. It is being offered, however,
because members of eduQua wishing to
acquire or maintain membership need to have
staff who are qualified in adult methodology
to SVEB 1 Certificate level or higher. Hence a
number of schools are making it a
requirement.
Jeanne explained that both the CELTA and
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 29

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
Teacher Training SIG (TT SIG)
A10
Language as a topic for the task-based
classroom
Dave Willis
The stated aims of this workshop were:
1) to show how language itself can be a
relevant and worthwhile topic for learners,
and 2) to use the insights gained from looking
at language to develop lesson plans for
intermediate-level learners. The first aim was
completely fulfilled but time limitations meant
that for the second aim, participants came
away with ideas rather than developed lesson
plans. However, for most of the approximately
thirty experienced teachers who took part, this
was clearly acceptable.
We looked first at some of the language topics
we might ask learners to consider. These
included: collocation, how to be polite, fixed
phrases, what is a dialect, and even, what is
a language. Bees, whales and dolphins communicate
but do they tell jokes and lies? Does
this ability define language?
We then focused on the differences between
spoken and written language using a
transcription of a recording of native speakers.
Particular features of spoken language
such as unusual word order resulting from
bringing together the main topic points early
in a statement, and frequent repetition, were
noted and discussed. This led naturally to
the subject of vague language exemplified in
words and phrases like ‘sort of’, or ‘around’,
‘about’, and so on. Do native speakers use
these imprecise terms in order to sound less
threatening? What are the equivalent terms
in other languages? Do English speakers use
these more than German speakers do?
Such examination of language may seem
rather theoretical, but learners as well as
teachers can find such aspects valuable.
As far as practical application is concerned,
I immediately thought of its usefulness for
Cambridge classes: put a transcript of a spoken
narrative into an acceptable written form,
eliminate redundancy, make the language
more formal, for example. Teachers of exam
classes usually already do these things with
their students, but the task-based approach
certainly contributes focus and structure. It
would have been interesting to have developed
a lesson plan for a General English
class.
Thank you, Dave Willis, for a stimulating work-
30 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
shop accompanied by an excellent handout.
Julia Blackwell
Teacher Training SIG (TT SIG) & Young
Learners SIG (YL SIG)
B 10/12
Using TPR creatively in the primary
classroom
Graham Workman
Using Total Physical Response creatively in
the classroom appealed to me as I expected it
to be an active workshop, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The room filled as Graham Workman
welcomed everyone personally.
First we were asked to predict how TPR
works and then compared this to a toddler
learning his first language. We watched a
short documentary film from James Asher
and saw that children learn in a stress-free
environment and they first speak when they
are ready. Their initial language is mostly
commands and they respond physically which
means they listen and understand before they
speak. We learned that TPR tries to mimic
the way children learn their first language.
Graham gave us many examples on how to
use TPR, well, actually he made us do them.
The class followed Japanese commands such
as walk, run, and jump. Through the actions
and repetition we learned the words. Later we
were jumping out of bed, making coffee, and
singing in the shower to see how we were
learning the language through everyday situations.
We were not only learning words like
milk and chocolate, but through actions the
collocation along with them, drinking milk and
eating chocolate.
Graham showed that TPR can be as simple
as a cut and paste activity. After a physical
break chant filled with rhyme and action to
bring oxygen back into the brain, we thought
of known stories where TPR elements could
be used. The last activity showed the
effectiveness of miming, and we were acting
out gorillas, clowns, and toilets. This workshop
showed the benefits of using TPR and
many excellent examples.
We learned by doing that TPR is memorable,
kinesthetic and creates a sense of success. It
is aptitude free, can be used for adults as well
as children, and can be integrated with little
preparation. Most of all Graham, allowed us to
make the experience ourselves that learning
with TPR means less stress and less stress
equals more learning. Thanks to Graham for
another well-presented and action packed
workshop.
Sharon Mettler
Teacher Training SIG (TT SIG)
C10
Writing to read: reading to write
Antoinette Moses
The aims of Antoinette Moses workshop were
to demonstrate how classroom readers can
be used in creative writing assignments that
develop students’ writing skills as well as
reading comprehension.
The workshop included hands-on writing of
short stories based on different angles that
were created using her reader Jojo’s Story, a
story about a child soldier with an unspecified
location, which allows the reader to imagine it
takes place anywhere in the world. She created
writing assignments that developed our
creativity by having us write from the perspective
of the news journalist covering the story
or from the child soldier that murders Jojo’s
family. It was incredibly inspirational.
We also wrote poems based on clues and
questions given by her. Then we read the
actual published poems, which had inspired
the assignment, such as: This is Just to Say
by William Carlos Williams, and Cats Sleep
Anywhere by Eleanor Farjeon. It was delightful
and intriguing.
She offered so many ideas and resources that
provided us with many exercises which we
could take back and use in the classroom on
Monday. I personally liked the eye-opening
topics and being able to write about themes
that I never thought about, such as the
immense problem of children soldiers in the
world today. Also, receiving ideas that students
would actually really relate to was priceless.
All of the participants were positively
moved by this excellent workshop and gave
rave reviews and feedback of this workshop.
Tracy Tobler

Teen SIG
A11
Keeping boredom at bay
Barbara Stucki-Schenk
In a room of nearly 30 teachers keen to hear
how to keep teenage students from being
bored, Barbara took us through an actionpacked
workshop of games and activities.
We were able to have hands-on experience
of several very interactive games, some new
and others old favourites. One game Barbara
has adapted for use in the ESL classroom is
The Bomb. Students sit in a circle and are
given a vocabulary or grammar task that
requires a one word input. They then get
a plastic ticking bomb to pass around and
the aim is to give a contribution as quickly
as possible and hand on the bomb before it
‘explodes’. The atmosphere becomes quite
electrified and I can imagine this would
certainly be an energy raiser on a dull day.
Barbara also demonstrated other well-known
games such as Battleship to drill the alphabet
and numbers in a more enjoyable way than is
often done.
Barbara is very interested in songs and tries
to start at least one lesson a week with a
gap- fill exercise or other vocabulary discovery
activity using a song text. Not only
are the words in the song used, but also the
background to the text. For example, who was
Carly Simon talking about when she wrote
‘You’re so vain’? For teenagers on the roller
coaster of adolescent emotions, songs can be
quite thought-provoking and provide interesting
vocabulary and grammar examples.
Many of the games and activities are quite
time intensive to prepare but if used with
different levels and parallel classes, the work
pays off. The room was buzzing during the
activities and Barbara’s enthusiasm for teaching
and learning was obvious. There was not
enough time to explore the wealth of ideas
and activities she had but we were given
several handouts with descriptions of many
other activities.
Gabrielle Schiegg-Cleary
2007
Teen SIG
C11.1
Much, little or none, sooner or later…. but
how much and when?
Anick Mariller
Anick had a full house for her first workshop. I,
for one, had come along to see if I could glean
some ideas to pass on to my own teachers
because we are constantly confronted by
multi-level groups in our language club for 3
to 15-year-olds. Who isn’t ? How do we keep
the one who finishes first from bugging the
others whilst he has to wait, or allow that
terribly slow student to complete at least a
few sentences without making her once again
feel low because she did not have the time to
finish the exercise (sigh)?
Anick is obviously confronted, like us all, with
this problem every day, and showed us
immediately, on a stand-up-and-show-theclass
scale, where we considered our classes
to be. Homogenous? No, obviously not.
We were all standing bunched up somewhere
around the middle, which showed that as
a group, we were all concerned with the
problems of a mixed-ability class in one way
or another.
Anick led a discussion about how we perceive
our students. Do we consider our classes
as A Class, or as a group of individuals who
each have their own ways of learning? Are our
tasks adapted to the individuals or are we just
preparing our lessons for the average student
mass within the class? What is a multi-level
class and are teachers’ tasks appropriate?
On a more detailed level, we looked at reading
and writing, since this is an area where
many multi-level problems frequently occur.
Anick took us through a reading task scenario
using small groups of students. The tasks
for the groups were varied in level, allowing
quicker or slower students to feel able to
complete something. Looking at stories (stemming
from a short video cartoon), creating
a group story, then reading it, editing it, and
reviewing it were some of the suggestions for
teenage classes. Anick also showed us other
ways to allow students to feel satisfied with
their work on different levels, including more
story creating using objects, class work-plans
so each individual works at their own pace,
preparation using clear instructions and selfcorrection,
different level reading tasks, and
so on.
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 31

SIGDAY
Special Interest Group
On a personal level, this workshop was satisfying
because it showed me that we are all
concerned with multi-level classes, no matter
how old the students are. Also, it opened discussion
about our own possible solutions that
we could find if we took more time to think
things through properly for the different individual
students. Lesson planning, preparing
appropriate material, knowing our students
well and thinking about potential difficulties
are key elements to a more successful lesson.
Thank you, Anick.
Ruth Benvegnen
Teen SIG
C11.2
Motivation and fun for your pupils: using
Spot on magazine in the classroom
Carrie Andrews
The workshop with Carrie started off very well,
with all of us getting a package full of useful
material. Not only did we get two issues of
Spot on but also a Spot on MORE! a Spot
on EXTRA and two issues of Spot on in the
classroom.
Then Carrie explained the magazine to those
of us who had never used it, which was quite
challenging, as there are so many symbols
used in the magazines: light bulbs mean the
text is more difficult; the MORE sign tells you
that there are extra exercises in the MORE
magazine; POD on means there is a podcast
online about the topic; a bomb means rude
expressions are used and a loudspeaker
means you can listen to the text online or on
the phone. Once we got the hang of how it
all worked, we had time to browse through all
the issues, looking at the teaching ideas and
exchanging our own ideas.
Then Carrie showed us the Spot on
homepage, which provided some of the ‘fun
ideas for your pupils’ which the workshop title
had promised. It is full of material you can
download and use. There is a new podcast
every week, which you can burn onto a CD or
play directly from the internet in the classroom.
It is related to an article in the current
magazine, but you can easily use it alone.
You can also download audio files (including
the tapescript) relating to certain articles
- some taken from films or interviews, others
from surveys or other interesting soundbites
32 ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007
you can easily use in your classroom.
So, all in all it was a really interesting
presentation with good materials and a great
homepage I’ll certainly visit again soon.
Natalie Milsom
Young Learners SIG (YL SIG)
A12
Classroom language
Rosemary Smeets
Eleven participants attended this lively, very
informative and hands-on workshop as promised
in the title. To relieve putting the onus on
one person to do the write-up, some of the
participants volunteered to do it collaboratively.
Here are a few impressions from some
of the enthusiastic participants:
We enjoyed the interactive, hands-on activities
with many very practical and interesting
ideas which made this workshop so great.
We were given excellent tips to teach children,
especially the memory cards game - matching
pictures of classroom objects such as a
paper clip, a pencil sharpener, some glue, etc.
with the appropriate words; and introductory
activity – write the name of an object in the
classroom on a post-in and stick it on the object
and walk around the classroom looking at
all the names. Then collect all the post-its and
stick them onto the whiteboard in their respective
category - which I will use and cannot wait
to try it out in the classroom. The time flew! A
very stimulating workshop. I appreciated the
variety of activities Rosemary showed us. A
very enriching workshop. Great workshop with
lots of material and ideas to take home. Time
passed so quickly. This was a great hands-on
workshop. We were given ideas and examples
and used them ourselves. One of the
ideas I liked best was getting the students to
imitate the language we use in the classroom.
‘Be quiet!’ ‘May I borrow…’
The workshop was totally hands-on from
memory cards for learning classroom language
to Play-Doh for giving and following
instructions (children learning propositions,
numbers, adjectives, comparatives, etc.)
Thank you very much, Rosemary.

Young Learner SIG (YL SIG)
C12
How do children think and learn?
Vicky Sereti
This workshop emphasized the importance
of making and doing in the young learners
classroom. We looked at the tools available
to the teacher such as rhymes, drama, songs,
games and stories, and did several of the activities
ourselves. One activity was ‘color and
movement’. The teacher distributes a variety
of colored strips of paper to the students. The
teacher then calls out a particular color and
waves that strip of colored paper. All students
repeat the color and those with the same
colored strip of paper stand up and wave it in
the air. The second step is for the teacher to
show the colored strip and the students with
the same color stand, wave the strip and give
the color. The third step is to add the clapping
of hands creating a rhythm as students waved
and said colors.
This simple activity demonstrated the
importance of integrating speech and movement
and involving the senses. It required
concentration but at the same time was age
appropriate and can be used to build on,
which we did in a second activity, ‘me and
you’. The purpose of this chant was to revise
colors, practice directions, pronunciation,
linking and coordination of speech and movement.
This could be followed up with a skills
activity focusing on guided writing by having
the students create their own chant.
Vicky stressed the importance of visual
reinforcement, listening and repeating, and
demonstrating actions then rehearsing along
with the students when teaching at this level.
It’s all child’s play with an added component. A
language game will not only develop cognitive
and motor skills but encourage and develop
social skills as well.
This workshop was an excellent combination
of theory and practice. I would like to thank
Vicky for her well-prepared, action-packed
session, Express Publishing for providing
the materials and ETAS for sponsoring the
workshop.
Donna Aebersold
SIG Day Conference – May 12 2007
Plenary given by Dave Willis
Accuracy, Fluency and Autonomous
Learning: A Three-Way Distinction
Addressing an auditorium full of teachers and
trainers with various backgrounds and levels
of experience, Dave began his talk by disarming
us with the notion that we can’t teach
grammar because:
� it’s too complex.
� there’s too much of it.
� that’s not how learners learn.
“Good news,” thought many of us who still
find teaching grammar a bit of a challenge.
He didn’t let us off the hook, though. Instead
he quickly pointed out that he wasn’t saying
that we would never focus on grammar in the
English language classroom, as grammar is
needed:
� to express some complex notions
� to be receiver friendly (textual)
� for precision (textual)
� for presentation of self (interpersonal)
� to respect the receiver (interpersonal)
The defining difference between the two
approaches involves either a focus on meaning
or on form. A focus on meaning was
illustrated by the ‘macro-functions’ identified
by Halliday:
� ideational (getting the message across)
� textual (making the message readily
accessible)
� interpersonal (taking account of the
receiver and presentation of self)
By contrast, a focus on form, or accuracy,
explained Dave, would include:
� a focus on one or two forms, specified by
the teacher
� learners’ language production is controlled
by the teacher
� the success of the procedure is judged in
terms of whether or not learners do
produce the target forms with an acceptable
level of accuracy.
Nevertheless, learners benefit from having
a break during a meaning-focused activity
to contemplate how they can best express
2007
what they want to say. He said that this is the
ideal moment in the lesson for the teacher to
take part in the interaction and facilitate the
discourse by rephrasing or clarifying the
learner’s language as they are planning.
SIG Day participants were then given the task
of discussing the topic “How strict were your
parents?” in pairs or groups. Using a set of
questions as guidelines, we had the chance
to try out, first-hand, the process of priming,
mining and rehearsing which was designed
to focus on meaning and fluency as well as
on language and autonomous learning. The
first approach to the task required a focus
on meaning. In other words, what would our
answer to one of the questions be, and how
to get this message across (ideational). It is
during this planning stage that learners draw
on the language resources they have
(autonomous). At the report stage, learners
then focus more on precision or accuracy
(textual) and the presentation of self (interpersonal).
The advantage of incorporating autonomous
learning (focus on language) into the language
task is that it:
� maximises learning opportunities
� encourages learners to incorporate ‘new’
forms in their language
� promotes genuine learning
Dave closed by reminding us of the fact that
without autonomous learning, no one could
possibly learn a language as the (language)
systems are too complex and too numerous
for conscious learning. His depicted his concept
of the three-way distinction in this way:
� Meaning
� Language
� Form
� Autonomous learning
� Fluency
� Accuracy
� Conformity
Judging by the number of references made to
Dave’s plenary talk throughout the day, it was
clear that the points had been well received
and appreciated. Those not able to attend the
event can find further reference to this topic
in Dave and Jane Willis’ book which just hit
shelves this May, Doing Task-Based Learning,
published by Oxford University Press.
JoAnn Salvisberg
ETAS Journal 24/3 Summer 2007 33

34 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
NEWS
24th AGM and
Convention
Università della Svizzera
Italiana, Lugano
Saturday 12th and
Sunday 13th January
2008
Call for Papers:
ETAS SIG Day 2008
The ETAS SIG Day 2008 will take place at the beautiful Berufsfachschule BBB in
Baden on Saturday September 20, 200.8
We are looking forward to welcoming you! If you are interested in offering a presentation for
this event, please send an e-mail by 31st January 2008 to: JoAnn Salvisberg, ETAS Teacher
Development Chair: tede@e-tas.ch and ask for the Call for Papers form.

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..

News from Matopo Primary School,
Zimbabwe
Autumn Update
A quarter of Zimbabweans – more than three
million people – now live abroad, having fled
the horrendous living conditions which now
prevail. Many of these pay remittances to half
of Zimbabwe’s families who depend on their
friends and relatives for foreign currency and
vouchers for food, fuel and medicine. Hyperinflation
of over 4,500% is destroying the
economy, forcing people to resort to bartering.
Rural areas like Matopo are the worst off.
All of this has resulted in Zimbabwe having
the lowest life expectancy in the world: it has
dropped under Mugabe from 60 to 37 for men
and from 65 to 34 for women.
There is no hope of recovery until Mugabe’s
regime is replaced. All of this makes our
efforts to help Matopo Primary School seem
futile … but how can we decline? Our donations
have already given the teachers and
children a small ray of hope, little victories
which, I hope, will enable survival until the tide
finally turns.
As I reported in the Spring and Summer Journals,
the ETAS Teacher-to-Teacher Project
has already provided funds for books and
uniforms. Denis Paul, our on-site go-between
on the project, was also able to bring in some
36 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
NEWS Teacher-to-Teacher Project 2007
basic supplies such as cooking oil from Botswana.
I hope to use some of the remaining
funds to assist with school fees for the neediest
pupils, and for repairs to the crumbling
infrastructure of the school.
Many of my students, friends and colleagues
have spontaneously come forward with donations,
large and small. One ETAS member
(who prefers to remain anonymous), even
donated his retirement bonus - SFr. 500.- to
the project!
One of my students, Sabrina Fasano from
Ringier Print AG in Zofingen, took a special
interest in the project and began busily calling
up companies and asking for freebies. It was
amazing what she came up with: paper and
pens, an enormous box of coloured pencils,
bags, even samples of Nivea cream! In the
end we had 90 kilos of stuff to send to the
school. The only problem was how to get it
there! The postage would cost over SFr. 500.and
I didn’t really want to use our hard-won
ETAS donation money for that! But Sabrina
didn’t give up. She kept on making her phone
calls, and in the end she got the Swiss Post
to cover the costs of sending the materials to
Zimbabwe!
By the time you are reading this, I will have
already returned from visiting the school in
October. This visit is especially important, as I
will be leading a day-long series of workshops
for the Matopo Primary School teachers as
well as teachers from the surrounding primary
and secondary schools. Right now I am busy
preparing booklets for each teacher which
will contain ideas for teaching English which
require little or no materials. This is quite a
challenge, as most published material these
days highlights activities which need
computers and internet access, not to say
unlimited amounts of paper and drawing and
writing equipment, and usually show children
and teenagers living a lifestyle nothing at all
like that of the people who live in Zimbabwe.
Speaking for myself, however, I find that
activities which use the students’ ideas and
don’t have to have any whistles and bells are
often the best anyway.
So I am very much looking forward to the
event, as is everyone in Matopo. I plan to
write up a report on it which should appear in
the next Journal, with lots of pictures!
A big thank you once again to everyone who
has donated to this year’s Teacher-to-Teacher
Project. Your help has really made a difference
and touched the lives of many children
who would otherwise be forgotten.
Cindy Hauert
e-mail: business@e-tas.ch

MEMBER MIX
10 Ideas for Using Comic Strips and
Cartoons in Language Teaching
The visual element in comic strips and
cartoons, which in many cases will be both
amusing and topical, can be very motivating
for some learners. There are a number of different
ways to use comic strips and cartoons.
I have found the following simple activities to
be fairly successful with classes at various
levels from pre-intermediate to advanced:
1) Comic strips typically consist of 4 to 6
pictures telling a simple story, often with a
joke or punchline in the final picture. Cutting
the strip into individual boxes and getting the
students to rearrange them into an appropriate
order is a simple alternative to doing a similar
activity with strips of text. However, it may not
be quite as simple as it seems because
ordering the pictures appropriately will often
involve recognising discourse markers as
well as putting the pictures themselves into
an order that makes some sort of sense. You
can either use a single strip comprising 4 to 6
boxes (Fig. i) or a longer series of strips when
you can cut up and mix four or five sets of 4
to 6 boxes, requiring the students to decide
a logical order for each set (Fig. ii). The first
activity can be compared to rearranging the
sentences within a paragraph, while the
second activity is more or less equivalent to
rearranging the paragraphs within a whole
story.
Fig. i
�+ �+�+ �
Fig ii.
+
+
+
2) As an alternative to gap-fill exercises with
continuous text you can also try blanking out
some or all of the speech bubbles in a comic
strip. If you blank out the lines spoken by one
character, the questions or responses given
by the other character or characters will help
the students to suggest possible responses or
questions respectively. If you blank out all the
speech bubbles, the students will have more
scope for creativity, depending on what is
going on in the pictures.
3) Another activity you can use is blanking out
all the speech bubbles in alternate boxes, so
38 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
that the storyline is given continuity and the
students have to fill in the speech bubbles in
the blank boxes.
4) For lowe- level students, simply blank out
key words in some of the speech bubbles and
either ask them to select words from a list to
fill the gaps or ask them to suggest words that
could logically fill the gaps.
5) Combine activities 1) and 2) by cutting up
a strip into individual boxes and also blanking
out the speech bubbles in the final box. When
the students have reordered the strip correctly,
ask them to suggest possible endings.
6) For a lesson that is more focused on structure,
you could ask your students to rewrite
a comic strip dialogue in reported form. This
might involve the use of verbs such as ask,
reply, wonder, exclaim and so on.
7) Ask your students to bring in examples
of comic strips in their native language and
ask them to work in pairs or small groups
and translate a brief section into English. Ask
them to compare their English versions of the
original.
8) Select five or six cartoons and remove the
captions. Write the captions on the board and
ask the students to guess what the cartoons
might be or even draw the cartoons. For
example, “He’s at a difficult age”; “How was
your first day at school?”; “I think we’ve come
to the wrong house”.
9) Give the students two or three cartoons
without captions and ask them to think of
suitable captions for each cartoon.
10) Give the students a worksheet with
ten cartoons without captions and another
worksheet with the ten captions in random
order. Ask them to match the captions to the
cartoons.
Comic strips and cartoons can easily be
found in the online editions of British and
American newspapers. For a huge database
of downloadable cartoons grouped according
to category (e.g. medical, law, politics), go to
www.cartoonstock.com
You can download various comic strips from
www.unitedmedia.com
For sets of the Doonesbury cartoon strip that
are typically published every day for a week
in the International Herald Tribune (and The
Guardian), go to www.doonesbury.com
Tim Bowen
Tim Bowen has taught English and trained teachers
in more than 20 countries, including Russia,
China, Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Poland and
Turkey. He graduated in Slavonic languages at the
University of Leeds, did a postgraduate Certificate
in Education (TESL) at the University College of
North Wales, Bangor, and has an MPhil in the field
of TEFL from the University of Southampton. He
is co-author of The Pronunciation Book (Longman),
Inside Teaching (Macmillan) and the student
portfolios for Straightforward (Macmillan), and
author of Build Your Business Grammar (Thomson
ELT) and the teacher’s books for the Attitude and
Expressions series (Macmillan). He also writes
regularly for the Onestopenglish website. His current
interests include contrastive linguistics, etymology
and pronunciation. Outside the classroom his
interests include learning foreign languages, history
and politics, long-distance running and (tragically)
following Shrewsbury Town football
Institutional Constraints and Resources
– Implications for Teaching and the
Convergence between Talk Inside and
Outside the Classroom
Introduction
The objective of this paper is to contextualise
and summarise the main points put forward by
Leo van Lier (2001) in his article ‘Constraints
and resources in classroom talk: issues of
equality and symmetry’ and to evaluate them
in view of my personal and professional experience
as a language teacher and learner and
that of some of my colleagues. The sources
I will refer to are van Lier’s article, Open University
literature and Open University online
conferences.
Main points in van Lier’s paper
In line with more recent thinking that sees a
shift from ‘learner in isolation to contexts of
learning’, Van Lier puts contexts at the centre
of language teaching and language learning
and consequently for doing research in this
field. He inserts his analysis into the wider
shift of language learning as a social function
rather than notions to be acquired in a purely
systematic way. Van Lier refers to two main
types of classroom interactions related to
language learning, namely teacher-learner
and learner-learner interactions and considers

their implications for language learning and
teaching in today’s contexts. The former is a
more traditional approach in which techniques
such as IRF (initiation-response-feedback)
find their place. This type of interaction puts
the teacher in control and gives generally
little scope for dynamics similar to those that
occur outside the classroom. The latter, on
the other hand, to greater or lesser extents,
facilitates ‘natural communication’, maintains
intrinsic motivation, which is closely related
to self motivation, own choice, and control of
one’s actions, and provides learner autonomy,
creating greater convergence between talk
inside and outside the classroom.
The backdrop to van Lier’s analysis is the
language classroom and the resources and
constraints, applied by institutional settings
that aid or hinder language learning and
teaching. He states that institutional settings
can constrain the types of talk and create
asymmetry and inequality and he questions
the extent to which teachers are free to ignore
them. Van Lier further argues that contingent
talk offers greater equality and symmetry. He
then considers the value of strategies typical
of the two groups of interactions and their implications
for language learning and calls for
change if teachers and schools are to provide
better quality.
Development and implications of van
Lier’s arguments
Issues of equality and symmetry
Issues of equality and symmetry incorporate
those of control and power versus negotiation
and joint construction of talk. In teacher-learner
interactions, teacher-fronted monologues and
IRF structures tip the scale in favour of the
teacher. This might also happen in learnerlearner
interactions when the divide in skills
and competences is such as to create noticeable
imbalances, such as in native speaker
and non-native speaker talk, or in more and
less proficient non-native speaker talk. However,
generally, learner-learner interactions
“require an orientation toward interactional
symmetry” (van Lier, in Candlin and Mercer,
2001, p.98) which is expressed in “relations of
contingency between an utterance and other
entities, primarily other utterances (preceding,
concurrent, and following), shared knowledge
and relevant features in the world” (Gibson,
1979 cited in van Lier in Candlin and Mercer,
2001, p.98) and is most typically associated
with conversational talk.
In my experience of teaching in English
speaking and non-English speaking countries,
where the language is being learned plays an
important role in any further developments.
In English-speaking countries learner-learner
interactions tend to be in English (unless
students are from the same linguistic background)
and are more likely to be carried on
outside the classroom. However, in non-
English-speaking contexts, L1 tends to be
the language used for peer communication
and learner-learner interaction outside the
classroom. The implications of this are that
what happens outside the classroom comes
into the classroom and what happens inside
rarely goes out. In these contexts, learnerlearner
interactions have to be designed by
the teacher and then co-constructed with the
students. Pollard (2007) raises an interesting
point and question in saying that “even in
a highly student-centred classroom it is still
the teacher who sets the agenda... Does the
teacher need to hand explicit control of the
agenda over to the students, or is it enough to
allow students’ interests and concerns to influence
us as we plan lessons and courses?”
MEMBER MIX
(online conference).
In my experience as a learner and teacher,
the type of context that is artificially created
(the roles and the objectives of the tasks at
hand) becomes of great importance in ‘stimulating’
and triggering learners’ instrinsic
motivation and therefore simulating the patterns
of ‘natural’ conversations where “contingent
language use encourages, justifies and
motivates grammaticalization” (van Lier, 2001,
p. 99). This seems to be one of the driving
forces of Task Based Learning. Once again,
the notion of contingency leading to grammaticalization
finds a headstart in
English-speaking countries where the
contingent language use enters the realm of
the learners’ resources more readily through
exposure.
Constraints
As the title suggests, the classroom and
classroom talk are the setting and the objects
of van Lier’s analysis. Classrooms, however,
are part of institutional settings which offer
resources and constraints in the form of
“budgets, materials, equipment and the like,
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ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 39

MEMBER MIX
but also in the form….of authority and power
to set the agenda, control and evaluate the
speech of others” (van Lier, 2001, p. 93). He
does nevertheless question whether a teacher
is free to ignore such (institutional) constraints
in the interest of pedagogical action.
My experience is that while generally there
is scope for creating greater equality and
symmetry in any classroom setting by including
a variety of activities that follow different
dynamics, the overall objectives set by the
‘commissioners’ cannot be left out of the
picture. Sometimes less noble ‘market forces’
take over from the more noble educational
and pedagogical ones. For instance, companies
may set micro functional objectives (e.g.
learning to write e-mails or telephone talk in a
restricted communicative context). As Furlong
(2007) states, “the increasing focus on clear
functional objectives and pressure on
resources seems to be reducing learning
space to almost nothing in so many areas
and/or making the objectives so detailed
that we get lost in them” (online conference).
However, the teacher’s role remains vital in
the co-construction of classroom dynamics. “It
all comes back to keeping our lessons varied
and using a range of teaching tools to move
from dependence to autonomy” (Furlong,
2007).
Pedagogical value of IRF structures
Van Lier considers the effects and potential of
IRF (initiation-response-feedback) structures,
which although a step ahead of totally frontal
and teacher-led lessons, do not seem to
respond to the current needs of co-construction,
responsive teaching or critical pedagogy
(Bowers and Flinders 1990; Shuy 1991;
Darder 1991; Shor 1992 cited in van Lier,
2001, p. 96). “Not only are students’ utterances
often highly elliptical and syntactically
reduced ……they provide little opportunity to
the language learners for interrupting, turn
taking and negotiating” (van Lier 1996a cited
in van Lier, 2001, p. 96).
In van Lier’s opinion, IRF sequences should
be seen occupying a “continuum between
mechanical and demanding where the depth
of processing ranges from mere recitation to
display to cognition and finally precision” (and
therefore) “knowing the purpose of a particular
IRF exercise, is crucial in determining its
pedagogical value” (van Lier, 2001, p.95).
40 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
The pedagogical benefit of IRF structures
consist in their temporary existence which
must lead to what Bruner (1983 cited in van
Lier, 2001, p. 96) calls handover. “For handover
to be possible, IRF must be abandoned
at some point to make place for autonomous
learner discourse … (and) this switch (is) a
crucial pedagogical decision point”. (van Lier,
2001, p. 96).
IRF can play a role in a ‘Vygotskian’ perspective
of zones of proximal development (ZPD).
This is a situation where some activities and
skills are positioned higher than the learners’
competence and can be attained through the
guidance of a more able companion. This
system of “guiding a learner into an activity
that initially is too complex (is) also called
scaffolding” (Bruner 1983 cited in van Lier ,
2001, p. 96).
Similarly, in a more learner autonomous perspective,
IRF structures must be considered
“discoursal training wheels” (van Lier, 2001, p.
97) and “pedagogical action must be oriented
toward increasing levels of intrinsic motivation”
(van Lier, 2001, p. 97). This means that
IRF to be of real value must eventually “break
its lockstep and yield to other participation
patterns” (van Lier, 2001, p. 97). Finally, critical
pedagogy aims to provide learners with
the means for finding their own voices and so
become “critical and autonomous learners”
(van Lier, 2001, p. 97). With this objective in
mind van Lier sees the potential of IRF as “a
preparatory step toward more emancipatory
forms of discourse; … valuable not for what
it is but, rather for what it potentially leads to”
(van Lier, 2001, p. 97). As an example I refer
to an instance where conditionals had been
practiced in the morning (including IRF and
freer practice). During a class dinner the same
evening an interesting and spontaneous
debate arose on adoption and fostering
that moved on ‘contingently’ and through
the grammatically correct use of conditional
structures.
Conclusions
Language is not a mechanical set of rules that
must be acquired and ‘performed’. Language
has a vital social role and far reaching
implications. Through language society exists,
identities are created, and rules and roles
are established. The language classroom
should be able to mirror these dynamics. The
changing role of the teacher from a position of
authority and power to a catalyst for contingent
communication, with greater symmetry
and equality, is central to the shift that sees
the incorporation or emulation of real life in
the classroom.
In his article, van Lier seems to come ‘full
circle’. The circle closes with the notion that
there are overlaps between teaching and
learning contexts and that strategies from
teacher-learner and learner-learner spheres
are pedagogically valid, providing the main
shift (part of a wider social shift) in approach
and delivery is the common thread and linking
factor.
Nadia Marzocco
Nadia Marzocco has been professionally active
in the ELT world for over 15 years. She has a
multicultural and multi-linguistic background, which
is what sparked her early interest in languages,
people, literacy and identity. She completed her
MA in the Geography of Third World Development,
in 1995 and, after an academic break, is currently
studying for her PhD in Education. She also enjoys
life outside the ELT environment.
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Homophones, Homonyms and
Homographs: some Exercises to Use
Straight Out of the Box
Homophones are words that sound the same
but are spelt differently, PIECE and PEACE,
for example. Now find the homophones that fit
into the following pairs of sentences:
1a. Although we were expecting them to be
late, they turned up right on ... .
1b. I’m afraid there’s rather a long ... so you’ll
just have to be a bit patient.
2a. Every night before I go to bed I ... for your
good health and happiness.
2b. A vulture is classified as a bird of ... .
3a. You seem to have a real ... for languages
and I’m sure you’ll make a fine linguist one
day.
3b. The survivors of the shipwreck sent up a
... from the lifeboat when they saw a plane
passing overhead.
4a. How can I know ... you’re telling me the
truth or not?
4b. You’re as changeable as the ... so I never
know what to expect.
5a. Knowing your illness isn’t as serious as
you had first thought it to be must be a great
... off your mind.
5b. I’m afraid there’s been a delay so you’ll
just have to be patient and ... a bit.
6a. Swimming here can be dangerous at
times because of the strong ... .
6b. Muesli is a breakfast cereal that contains
nuts and ... .
7a. Were you ... invited to the party or did you
find out about it purely by chance?
7b. He was ... a Cabinet Minister but now
works voluntarily for a charity for the homeless.
8a. If you put on your Wellington boots, you’ll
be able to ... through the stream and cross
over to the other side.
8b. When I ... myself after my holiday, I found
I’d put on three kilos and I needed to go on a
diet.
9a. Why do you moan and ... all the time?
What on earth’s wrong with you?
9b. How the children have ... since the last
time I saw them!
10a. They say all’s ... in love and war but I’m
not sure I agree.
10b. I wonder how much the return ... costs.
It’s likely to be little more than a single.
11a. Although the authorities tried to ... the
wreck from the seabed, unfortunately it
proved to be impossible.
11b. To protect you from the harmful ... of the
sun, you should wear a high factor suntan
lotion.
12a. It’s as plain as the ... on your face!
12b. Nobody ... the trouble I’ve seen!
13a. A word is enough to the ... .
13b. I don’t know all the ... and wherefores of
the situation, so I’m unable to comment on it,
I’m afraid.
14a. The trouble with you is that you can’t see
the ... for the trees.
14b. I ... if I could but I’m afraid I can’t.
15a. My next-door neighbour always ... into
my personal life and I find it really annoying.
15b. My flatmate won first ... in a Poetry
Competition.
16a. They say there’s no ... without gain and I
have to say I’ve found it to be true in my case.
16b. The ... of glass in the front window had to
be replaced.
ANSWERS: 1a. cue 1b. queue 2a. pray 2b.
prey 3a. flair 3b. flare 4a. whether
4b. weather 5a. weight 5b. wait 6a. currents
6b. currants 7a. formally 7b. formerly
8a. wade 8b. weighed 9a. groan 9b. grown
10a. fair 10b. fare 11a. raise 11b. rays
12a. nose 12b. knows 13a. wise 13b. whys
14a. wood 14b. would 15a. pries 15b. prize
16a. pain 16b. pane
Homonyms are words that are pronounced
the same but have different meanings, FINE
(adjective) and A FINE (noun), for example.
Now find the homonyms that fit into the
following pairs of sentences:
1a. If people are happy the way they are, we
should let sleeping dogs ... .
1b. If you ... when under oath, you can be
convicted of perjury.
MEMBER MIX
2a. Thread the cotton through the ... of the
needle, then you can start to sew.
2b. Please keep an ... on the children for me
to make sure they behave themselves.
3a. Every worker in the company has an
important ... to play to ensure its success.
3b. I hope we can stay together forever - till
death do us ..., as they say.
4a. I’m single and I live on my ... in a studio
flat.
4b. Everything I ... will go to my children when
I die because they are my sole heirs.
5a. If you want a ... with a sea view, then you
have to pay a supplement.
5b. There isn’t enough ... for all of us here so
I’m afraid you’ll have to find somewhere else
to stay.
6a. The doctor will try to ... the patient with
antibiotics to clear up the infection.
6b. On my birthday, as a special ..., my partner
brought me breakfast in bed.
7a. One ... doesn’t make a summer.
7b. When you’ve got a sore throat it’s difficult
to ... .
8a. If you exceed the speed limit, you have to
pay a ... .
8b. I’m feeling absolutely ... so please stop
worrying about me.
9a. If there was a General Election tomorrow,
which political ... would you vote for?
9b. I’d like to invite you to my birthday ... and I
hope you can come.
10a. To tell you the truth, you’re getting on my
nerves and I’ll be pleased to see the ... of you.
10b. If I’m going to stand up against the Director
of the company, I need to know that my
colleagues will ... me.
11a. Reserve team football matches are an
opportunity for coaches to ... new players.
11b. It was a gruesome sight at the scene of
the crime and it made my ... run cold.
12a. Are you going to ... the bill, or shall we go
Dutch this time?
12b. I decided not to bring the car and I came
on ... this time.
13a. All work and no ... makes Jack a dull boy.
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 41

MEMBER MIX
13b. Shakespeare’s most famous ... is
probably Hamlet.
14a. You can’t judge a ... by its cover.
14b. If you want a low-cost flight, you need to
... at least one month in advance.
15a. I don’t know how you can justify such a
position. You haven’t got a leg to ... on.
15b. I can’t ... it when you keep nagging me
all the time. How about giving me some peace
for a change?
ANSWERS: 1. lie 2. eye 3. part 4. own
5. room 6. treat 7. swallow 8. fine 9. party
10. back 11. blood 12. foot 13. play 14. book
15. stand
Homographs are different words that are spelt
the same, ROSE (the flower) and ROSE (the
past tense of TO RISE), for example. Now
find the homographs that fit into the following
pairs of sentences:
1a. If you ... the way, I’ll follow behind you.
1b. The … in the pencil is broken. Have you
got a sharpener, please?
2a. Why did you ... the letter up? I hadn’t read
it yet.
2b. I thought the news would upset you, but
surprisingly you didn’t shed a ... .
3a. They had such a blazing ... with each
other that I thought they were going to come
to blows.
3b. We had front ... stalls for the play so we
were sitting right next to the stage.
4a. I’m one of the very few people who have
been lucky enough to hear the group play ... .
4b. People who ... in glass houses shouldn’t
throw stones.
5a. In case of fire, you should ... the alarm.
5b. Although they got lost along the way, they
eventually arrived home safe and ... .
6a. I did all the homework you set but I’m
afraid I ... it at home.
6b. I had no money ... so I had to ask a friend
to lend me some.
7a. It’s time you learnt the difference between
what’s ... and wrong.
7b. I thought you were going to be late again,
42 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
but fortunately you arrived ... on time.
8a. The coffee beans are roasted then ... into
powder.
8b. Don’t get too excited just yet because
things could still go wrong and you need to
keep your feet on the ... .
9a. It’s time we brought matters to a ... and
had a face-to-face meeting with each other in
an attempt to clear the air.
9b. I’m ... over heels in love with you and
you’re the answer to all my prayers.
10a. The ruling of the judge was highly controversial
and there were many who considered
that he had not been ... and had failed to act
impartially.
10b. Why should I always have to do all the
dirty work? It’s ... not fair!
11a. You need to be ... with the children or
else they’ll walk all over you.
11b. I work for a ... that makes software for
computers.
12a. We don’t have a dishwasher so we do
the washing-up in the kitchen ... .
12b. When the Titanic was built, its designers
What’s a Life Worth?
proudly claimed it would never ... .
13a. You’ve still got plenty of time. The plane’s
not ... to take off for another two hours yet.
13b. ... to the high level of unemployment in
this country, a lot of young people are going
overseas in search of work.
14a. If you pass a wishing ..., throw a coin in
and maybe your dreams will come true.
14b. If you’re not feeling ..., you should make
an appointment to see a doctor.
15a. I’m looking forward to going away, but
I’m going to ... you and I just wish you could
come with me.
15b. A ... is as good as a mile.
16a. I wanted to buy you a birthday ... but I
don’t have any money so I baked you a cake
instead and put a candle on it.
16b. They say there’s no time like the ..., so
it’s important you make the most of it.
ANSWERS: 1. lead 2. tear 3. row 4. live
5. sound 6. left 7. right 8. ground 9. head
10. just 11. firm 12. sink 13. due 14. well
15. miss 16. presen
Michael Berman
In the shamanic story presented in this article a father, to save his life, gives his daughter’s soul
away, but ultimately she gets her revenge. It was told to Vladimir Bogoras by Ai´wan, a Maritime
Chukchee man, at Mariinsky Post, October 1900, and taken from Bogoras, W. (1910) Chukchee
Mythology, Leiden & New York.
The term shamanic story is used here to describe a story that has either been based on or
inspired by a shamanic journey (a numinous experience in non-ordinary reality) or one that
contains a number of the elements typical of such a journey.
Vladimir Germanovich Bogoras (1865-1936) was a Russian writer and anthropologist, especially
known for his studies of the Chukchee people. He had the opportunity to study them in North-
Eastern Siberia from 1889-1899 when he was exiled there for what was labelled by the authorities
as “revolutionary activity”.
In the English-language teaching classroom the story could perhaps be used as a springboard
into a discussion on arranged marriages or belief in the supernatural. Alternatively, you might
like to consider the following question with your class: what would you be prepared to sacrifice to
save yourself if your life was at risk?
Sacrifice to the Sea
There lived one time a Maritime man. He had eight children. The youngest was a girl. One day

he went to hunt walrus. A storm came up,
and he was carried out to sea. He was tossed
about and nearly drowned. Then he said to
the sea, “Oh, sea! Calm yourself! Do so, that
I may still look upon the world! I will give you
the best that I have, the nearest to my heart,
the foremost dog, the leader of the team, one
with a spotted skin I will give you.” The sea
did not calm itself. “Oh, then, my youngest
daughter, unmarried, a good one, clad in spotted
skins! I will give her to you!” After that the
sea smoothed down. He landed on the shore.
Then he went up the shore, and entered the
house. All the children were with him except
the daughter, who still remained on the shore.
The mother came out from the house. “Oh,
oh, my child! You have roughed the storm!”
She was quite sad. She looked down at the
ground, and said, “Yes!” — “Come in, change
your clothes, put on some dry ones.” She
entered, downcast, as before. Just as she
changed her clothes, the father entered. He
took her by the hand, took his spear, and
went to the seashore. Then he turned to the
sea, and said, “Oh sea! Do not be angry. That
which I promised, I give you now.” He pierced
her with the spear, and left the body lying
there on the shore. An abundance of blood
covered the whole beach. It grew dark. She
was lying on the sand lifeless. A certain man,
a kind of Sea-
Being (A´ñqa-va’ irġin) came to her and
pushed her lightly with his toe. “Hallo! Get
up! Let us go home!” Then after a little while,
again, “Hallo! Get up! Let us go home!” At last
she awoke and sat up: “Eġeġeġeġei´. I have
slept quite long.” He took her to his house
and married her. They lived quite well and
contented. They had a large reindeer-herd.
The daughter, of course, did not return home.
Since the father said nothing, her mother
thought, “Let me go and look for her! Where
may she be?” She arrived at the place. The
bloodstains were on the ground, but the body
had disappeared. She found and followed
some footprints along the seashore. At last
she came to a cliff. The tracks ran upward
to the very top. She climbed up, and found a
settlement on the very top. Her daughter was
busy scraping skins. “Oh, it is here you are
staying?” — “Yes.” She lived for some time
with her daughter; then the daughter said, “Go
and fetch father. I should like to see him also.”
The old man was brought and pampered with
food. The next morning the sea was rough
again. She said to her father, “Let us go and
have a look at the sea!” They went to the
very edge of the cliff. She said to him, “Look
down upon the sea! How rough it is again!” He
looked down upon the sea. She pushed him
from behind, and he fell down, broke his back,
and was taken by the sea. The end.
Told by Ai´wan, a Maritime Chukchee man, at
Mariinsky Post, October 1900 and taken from
Bogoras, W. (1910): Chukchee Mythology,
Leiden & New York.
Michael Berman
Michael Berman BA, MPhil (Wales), RSA Dip
TEFLA, LTCL Dip TESOL is currently a full-time
research student at Cardiff University and working
as a part-time teacher at Oxford House College in
London. Publications include “A Multiple Intelligences
Road to an ELT Classroom” and “The
Power of Metaphor” for Crown House Publishing
and “The Shaman and the Storyteller” for
Superscript. Michael has been involved in TESOL
for over thirty years and has given presentations
at Conferences in Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, the
Czech Republic, Cyprus, Finland, France, Georgia,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia,
Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the Ukraine and
Wales. Contact: Michaelberman@blueyonder.co.uk
Website: www.Thestoryteller.co.uk
Indian English
While talking to an ex-colleague a few weeks
ago, I was reminded just how many different
types there are of this language we call
English. Twenty-four years ago, I had the
good fortune to be the director of a brand new
private hospital in England. I commissioned it,
staffed it and then ran it for seven years.
One of the people I employed was a lovely,
young, aristocratic Indian Lady, called Ami
(pronounced ‘Army’). Her job was to charm
MEMBER MIX
the patients and look after their accounts.
She had been brought up in India and had
been educated at an English-speaking public
school there. Her husband, on the other hand,
had been born in England, of Indian parents,
and educated in England. He was a pharmacist
and was now running his own successful
business.
Two years earlier, his parents had sent him
over to their families in India to bring back
the young lady they had chosen for him to
marry. Negotiations had not taken very long
because his parents already knew the bride’s
family well. Nevertheless, his mother’s last
piece of advice to him, as he went through the
departure gate at Heathrow Airport, had been
to “make sure she’s got good teeth”. Well, he
came back with Ami. She had lovely teeth, a
radiant smile and a personality that charmed
us all.
She also spoke ‘Indian’ English. She told us
that her arranged marriage “will be definitely
much more secure than the ones that you are
having in England.” She knew, from the very
beginning, that she would be entering into
a relationship where both parties, who will
always be wanting to have the best for each
other, would be having to work hard to make
it successful. She would not be having the impediment
of a relationship formed during the
period of temporary insanity that, over here,
you are calling romantic love. Romantic love
is, possibly, being fun for a short while but it
was not being a basis for a lasting relationship;
oh, golly no.
You only have to read Damon Runyon’s comic
masterpiece, On Broadway, to realise just
what an unnecessary complication are all
these tenses that we use. In my edition of the
book, there are 49 short stories about New
York low-life during Prohibition. They are written
almost exclusively in the present tense: no
use of any past tenses and precious little of
the future, or anything else. Yet, it works and
it’s wonderful.
Anyway, during the next two years that she
was with us, Ami’s language, its rhythm and
vocabulary became more like ours. But ours
changed a bit as well. Instead of saying
“I’m on my way”, or “I’ll be right down”, we
all ended up saying, “Oh, I’m coming very
quickly.”
Then one day, just before lunch, she came
into my office and said that she would like
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 43

to be registering for maternity leave. She
was going to have a baby and I was the first
person in the hospital she was telling. So,
we sorted out the dates and then I said that
we had better go down and have lunch and,
there, she could tell all her friends the good
news. Everyone congratulated her, of course.
My colleague, the finance director, said, “Ami,
that’s wonderful news. When’s the happy
event?”
“Oh,” she said, with a shy smile, “six weeks
ago.”
John Raggett
MEMBER MIX
The Place of a ‘Résumé’ in English for Occupational
Purposes (EOP)
A Practitioner’s Perspective
1.0. ENGLISH IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT
English is taught in most of the Asian countries
as a foreign language and it is accepted
by the takers as an international lingua franca.
In that sense, it is taught and learnt as a
second or sometimes even as a third or a
fourth language and is essential for many job
applications in these countries; English also
has a vital role to play as a unifying factor.
To cite an example, in Tamilnadu, a Dravidian
state in India, most of the people speak
Tamil, a two-thousand-year-old language,
as their mother tongue. Hence a southerner
in Tamilnadu may have Telugu, Kannada or
Malayalam as the mother tongue, but he or
she should be proficient in using the regional
language Tamil for maintaining the ‘identity’
in the main stream. They need, however, to
master English for occupational and academic
purposes and he or she should also be familiar
with Hindi for fulfilling national needs. The
case is true in the northern part of India too,
where Hindi replaces the regional language.
In general, all students have to master not
less than three languages to obtain better job
prospects.
1.1. ENGLISH FOR THE JOB MARKET IN
INDIA
Foreign companies are fast entering the job
44 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
markets of India and they are looking for the
best to appoint as managers of their firms.
Apart from the usual qualifications, they are
also looking for interpersonal skills and an
ability to deal with the unexpected. Globalisation
means competition in the job market and
only the best will win.
2.0. A PORTRAIT OF YOUNGSTERS IN
INDIA
Young Indians are used to the fast food
culture and the mushrooming of educational
institutions offering more or less instant
degrees naturally appeals. These colleges
offer easy degrees but the young people are
disappointed afterwards when they have to
struggle to gain a place in the job market,
exchanging the pleasure palace of Xanadu for
the trials of the bullring. Reality kicks in when
they have to submit a résumé.
3.0 THE LACUNAE IN ELT
The world of entry for youngsters seeking jobs
is dinosaurian in magnitude and the entrant
appears just a Lilliputian in the outside world;
it takes considerable time to digest reality
and to shed the ego. Whose fault is this? The
instructor of English Language Teaching (ELT)
should have said that there is a difference
between the English for Academic Purposes
(EAP) and EOP. EAP is a sharp and minute
tool; a skilled craftsman makes objects using
it. A hammer shatters glass, but rather forges
steel. Is it too much to assume that the trainer
should have taught how the hammer is to be
handled?
4.0. THE COMMON MISTAKES OF A
‘RÉSUMÉ’
The primary mistake of a résumé presenter
is to exaggerate the academic achievements,
ignoring the expectations of the employer.
Often there exists confusion between a
résumé and curriculum vitae (CV). The latter
is what one has studied, taught, written,
researched and exhibited. A résumé is a
quick summary of what one has done, leading
to an in-depth discussion in the interview. So
there is no need to drown the employer in
verbiage when a résumé is forwarded. Often
the résumé presenter forgets that there will be
many more to play the musical chords more
melodiously than he or she does. But usually
employers are realistic in their expectations;
they don’t cherish the sweetness of the
melody composed by a novice.
5.0. THE ROLE OF ELT
We can therefore say that the English teacher
has a great deal of responsibility to make the
student aware of the importance of a résumé.
which after all is the first contact that the
employer has with the applicant. It has to be
balanced – showing the merits and the willingness
to make up the weaknesses.
A résumé is not the stereotypical summary
of a lesson that is kept ready for the examination,
whatever be the question asked. A
résumé has to perform a function: the function
of obtaining the outcome. The expectations
and needs of the employer are to be assessed
primarily and then a write-up comes
to the focus. Inflated and bloated statements
may cause disturbance in the long run.
A résumé is not an exercise that is closed with
the submission of it. Firstly it has to do the job
of winning the toss*; secondly it has to do the
function of standing testimony to the qualities
described. Any gap in between will cause
disturbance in the working or functional relationship.
The ELT teacher becomes prominent
here in telling the youngsters during EAP that
one has to be sincere in expressions; “I shall
be insincere within, but pretend intelligently
when I speak” is the greatest myth that one
can have.
* “winning the toss” is a term derived from the
English sport of cricket, a sport subsequently
exported to the rest of the British Empire. Before
a game starts, the umpire tosses a coin.
The captain of one team calls “heads”. The
other captain, by default, must have “tails”.
Whichever one has chosen the correct face
showing when the coin comes to rest then has
the right to decide whether his team should
bat or field. So, in life, generally, “to win the
toss” is to be one step ahead; to have the ability
to choose the circumstances in which you
do something. Ed.
5.1. THE MULTIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES
OF ELT
So ELT is a medium where multiple crafts are
taught. Grammatically accurate English is the
need of EAP, and agreeable and communicative
English are the needs of EOP. If we look
deep, one is not different from the other. It is
good to remember Jaques of As You Like It
– one has to play all the seven stages of life,

each one efficiently and effectively, no running
away from any one of them. ELT should
be designed, like a tall banyan tree offering
shade and shelter to animals, birds, humans
and reptiles, to nurture different abilities and
skills. Teaching ‘content’ alone in the classes
of ELT or having an obsession to complete
the syllabus will only produce undernourished
children to this society. So it is obligatory for
an instructor of ELT to tell the student that a
‘résumé’ should be prepared remembering
that it is a touchstone of the real-life game and
this instruction is to be given in the classroom.
So the practical needs of the student and
not the theoretical recommendations of the
experts or the whimsical fancies of the instructors
should decide the curriculum and the
syllabi of ELT.
Visuvasam Prakash
Dr V. Prakash has been in the field of English
Language Teaching (ELT) for the past 30 years.
Having taught Literature and ESL (ELT) to the
undergraduate and the postgraduate students at
the tertiary education in India (an approximate
number of 50,000), he has established himself as
an innovative instructor of English. At present he
holds the position of the Head of the Department
of English in Sacred Heart College, India. Some
of his publications are: “The Inner Dimension of a
Personality”, “An Intensive Course in Functional
English”, “Hints on Making Short Speeches”,
“Strengthen Your English – Book One”, “Blend of
English Usage with Journalism”. His presentations
have been accepted as talks and workshops by
the organisers of the International Conferences in
Aberdeen, Taiwan, Sharjah, Hawaii and California.
MEMBER MIX
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 45

Baden
Workshop: The best thing you can do for
your students?
Look after Yourself!
Presenter: Sandra Ondraschek-Norris
Date: 22nd June 2007
As teachers, we are all familiar with the
concept of burn-out, so anything aimed at
preventing us from being sucked into that
particular black hole is to be welcomed with
open arms (or at least open minds).
If teacher trainer and counsellor Sandra
Ondraschek-Norris had come bearing only a
mysterious potion promising a panacea for all
our various woes and ailments, we might have
been forgiven a healthy dose of scepticism.
As it was, and as we all know, there’s much
more to it than that.
One of the workshop’s stated aims was to
instill an awareness of self-management, with
an especial focus on the word resilience – or
the ability to bounce back, as we collectively
understood it. This included learning about
how resilience works best for each individual;
recognising the warning signs for things which
get us down; and practising something called
distancing techniques. If I understood it correctly,
this involves mentally detaching yourself
as far as possible from the source of any
conflict or stress, so that you are able to put it
into some kind of perspective. At one point we
were floating – metaphorically, of course – not
only above the problem, but above the school,
the country, the world and possibly higher,
depending on your head for heights, that is.
Another tip was to introduce into our lessons
60 seconds of quiet time (or, in Sandra’s
words: just take a moment to...). The benefit
of this is to relax both teacher and students
by focussing on such mundane matters as
the weather, or the journey to class. Interest-
46 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
REGIONS News and Events
ingly, there was also a short discussion on
the positive effects of yawning: how it aids the
body physiologically, for example, and why
it doesn’t necessarily mean that the student
yawning in class is bored (phew!). Just for
good measure, we were even encouraged
to have a good old yawn ourselves in order
to sample the benefits first-hand. Much fun it
was, too.
Amidst all the theory and the jargon (hot
buttons and thinking traps are two memorable
phrases I took home with me), there was
clearly much common sense and a practical
focus on how we can learn to know and look
after ourselves better. Burn-out, we were told,
is invariably preceeded by warning signs, so
the trick is to recognise your own warning
signs and act on them accordingly, before it’s
too late. To paraphrase what I think was one
of Sandra’s own paraphrases (and a very nice
one at that): how do we go on kindling fires
without burning out ourselves?
Kevin Foster
Graubünden
Workshop: Cambridge FCE – Focus on
Paper 2
Presenter: John Potts
Date: 1st September 2007
Within a relaxed and congenial atmosphere
we looked at FCE (Paper 2) student exam
preparation criteria. The workshop highlighted
some important criteria necessary for teachers
to successfully evaluate and assist the
student.
Anecdotes are always difficult to carry off at
the best of times, but even more so during
a seminar. Obviously, experience shows
because all of John Potts’s anecdotes were
both really funny and relevant to the point
being made.
During the workshop, we analyzed several
constructive examples of exam questions and
their subsequent evaluation assessments
which demonstrated a clear, practical guide to
accurate student appraisal.
The suggestions and hints regarding writing
and language activities provided a valuable
source of practical advice which can be simply
and effectively implemented in the classroom.
The forthcoming changes to the exam paper
content were also briefly reviewed and
discussed. However, as far as the FCE writing
section is concerned, these changes will be
minimal.
The seminar provided a useful approach
to the question of how best to prepare the
student for the writing section of the FCE
exam paper.
Practical guidelines of how to achieve this
were effectively demonstrated by John.
For example, while correcting a student’s
writing task it is useful to highlight the posi-

News and Events
tive aspects as well as the problem areas.
Furthermore, it would be especially constructive
to give a writing task report along with the
corrected text. This would provide clarity and
avoid misunderstandings for both the student
and teacher.
John’s pragmatic approach to the subject as
well as the diverse handouts and booklets distributed
during the workshop will provide the
participants with a valuable ongoing source of
information, advice and reference.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
John on behalf of all the workshop participants
for such a lively, informative and entertaining
presentation.
Anna Steffner
Valais
Workshop: Reading with Graded Readers
Presenter: Susanne Clavadetscher
Date: 14th May 2007
Joined by her Monday-evening audience at
the HES-SO Valais Wallis in Sierre, Susanne
began by explaining Longman’s reason for
introducing Graded Readers: to get students
into reading for gist with relative ease and,
most importantly, enjoyment.
During the 90-minute interactive workshop,
we became familiar not only with the wide
range of Readers currently available, but
also and especially with the impressive array
of additional materials on hand for the busy
teacher: Teacher’s Guides, Placement Test,
Fact Sheets, Tests and Audio Packs.
After a brainstorming session, Susanne supplemented
our ideas on before-, during- and
after-reading activities with a selection of her
own examples, encouraging us to try some of
them out with the hilarious Mrs. Doubtfire:
Before
� Guess the storyline by looking at the cover
and chapter headings.
� Discuss the theme of marriage – for
example, what makes a good one!
� If the DVD is available (and of course
many students will be familiar with Mrs.
Doubtfire), play a short extract and, with
the sound off, get students to work in pairs,
one questioning the other about what s/he
can see on the screen.
During
� Discuss the characters and recall the story
so far.
� Match dialogue and/or events to the
relevant characters.
� Choose a character and write his/her diary.
� Perform role-plays.
� Listen to extracts from the accompanying
CD.
After
� Discuss alternative endings.
� Continue the story.
� Write a review for the class magazine.
REGIONS
� Cast a film version of the book – which
celebrity (or student) should play which
character?
On the question of which level to select, we
were advised to use the Placement Test or, if
possible, distribute Readers of various levels
for students to experiment with, the idea being
they shouldn’t need to look up more than a
dozen words per page if at the appropriate
level.
Finally, we learnt about the new Penguin
Active Reading series, ideal for providing
extra activities, project work, access to related
websites and an interactive CD-ROM into the
bargain.
Many thanks to Susanne for a worthwhile and
enriching evening, from which we all came
away with plenty of ideas for our first/next
Reader class!
Barbara Althaus
For the latest information on
upcoming ETAS events, visit our
website at www.e-tas.ch
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 47

English for academic study: Vocabulary
Colin Campbell
Garnet Publishing Ltd
Coursebook (195 pages)
ISBN 0-978185964898-8
English for academic study is a series
introducing new university students to presessional
courses in language skills, helping
them to develop strategies and knowledge for
reading and writing skills in particular. English
for academic study: Vocabulary is a self-study
book aimed at students having an IELTS level
between 5.0 and 7.0. This is a representation
of a bandwidth pre-B2 to a good C1 CEF
level.
The book is comprised of ten units, of which
the first five are concerned with raising a
reader’s awareness of the need to assess a
word’s definitions, its class, family, as well as
to note any collocations and specific grammar
to which the word may be linked. The
remaining five units offer the reader academic
wordlists (AWL) and diverse exercises. The
appendices include an alphabetized version
of each academic word sublist, an achievement
test and the key to the exercises found
in each unit.
Readers will find an interesting introduction
to the book, in which the author makes the
suggestion of working through the book unit
by unit. Tips on retaining vocabulary words
such as repetition, or following the age-old
axiom: the more you see a word, the more it
becomes attached to your long-term memory,
follow through with advising the reader on the
importance of keeping a vocabulary notebook
and especially jotting down how the word is
used.
Forgetting that we also review general
education and teacher resource books, my
first impression of this book was that it was
too simplified for academic study. I would
think that the majority of language learners
would already be aware of the necessities
in vocabulary learning. EFL teachers surely
elucidate their students into the intricacies of
learning words. On the other hand, this book
is thorough and lightweight, meaning the
basics taught in units 1-5 are studied or put to
use in glimpses of specific vocabulary as the
book briefly dips into diverse fields such as
education, health, business, finance,
48 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
REVIEWS a Look at Books
economics, environment, etc. Each AWL
sublist unit has the reader climb the rungs of
a ladder: bottom to top – meaning of words,
multi-meaning words, word classes, word
families, prefixes, collocations, grammar and
a review. The reader is employed to discover
‘word entirety’ as they work their way through
300 of the possible 560 word families of AWL.
For this reason, yes, this book is recommended
to all learners embarking on studying
at university or other form of higher education
and especially recommendable for EFL
language learners. Provided the reader
works through the whole book, the ways and
means of vocabulary learning will certainly be
instilled. The other advantage is the addition
made to their academic vocabulary base, or
polishing of it. Considering my proficiency
students and their request for vocabulary lists,
I now know where to look!
Janet Joos
Oxford Wordpower Dictionary
Oxford University Press 2006
New 3rd edition with CD-ROM
IBSN 0-19439925-7
This dictionary is recommended for intermediate
learners and professes not only to help
students build their vocabulary fast, but also
to help them learn how to use the new words.
It claims to contain 36,000 examples of how
words are used and 4,400 collocations. (Sorry,
I am unable to verify these figures.) Weighing
in at 700gr and measuring 20x13x3.5 cm, I
would consider it to be of a suitable size for
accompanying students to their classes – as
opposed to for pressing flowers at home. The
dictionary begins with a clear ‘Guide to the
dictionary’ as well as a ‘Wordpower workout’,
which trains the learner to use the dictionary
optimally.
The headwords stand out clearly in blue, and
there are some nice illustrations. The ‘Oxford
3000 TM keywords’, the 3,000 words considered
the most important to know, are denoted
by a key icon. Grammar patterns go a little
further than in the average dictionary in that
they include extra help with certain words; for
example, by informing the learner what they
cannot say.
The learner is offered the usual irregular verbs
list, phonetic spellings, geographical names,
punctuation, and models for letter writing.
E-mails and text messages also receive a
mention, as does telephoning. Additionally,
there is a brief summary of tenses and conditionals.
The passive, reported speech, verb
patterns, modals, prefixes and suffixes are
all dealt with. Although, by necessity, these
aspects are extremely condensed, I believe
this section could be very useful for reference.
Two pages are devoted to tips for learning
vocabulary and a further page to important
differences between British and American
English. Dotted throughout the dictionary and
highlighted in blue boxes are snippets of information
headed ‘more’, ‘help’, ‘topic’, ‘grammar’
or ‘other words for’. For example, under
the headword ‘insect’, in a ‘help’ box, we learn
that: some other small animals, for example
spiders, are often also called insects although
this is technically incorrect. There are indeed
many interesting titbits offered, including a
recipe for Shepherd’s Pie.
Accompanying the dictionary are a 32-page
activity booklet and a CD-ROM. The latter is
reasonably easy to navigate and offers the
complete Wordpower Dictionary as well as
the Oxford Learner’s Wordfinder Dictionary.
‘The Oxford Genie’ is also featured. It enables
learners to look up words in e-mails or online.
(Provided they are less ‘technically
challenged’ than I am.) Additionally, examstyle
exercises and games for extra practice
are provided.
What is missing from this dictionary? Well,
I did notice a total absence of offensive or
taboo words. Perhaps learners are always
sheltered from vulgarisms until they reach
the advanced threshold – I am not sure. In
any case this dictionary would definitely be
no help for learners hoping to increase their
score in ‘Rude-Word-Scrabble’. For all other
purposes, however, I believe it to be a very
practical and interesting publication.
Diana Herzog

a Look at Books
Professional English in Use: Finance
Ian Mackenzie
Cambridge University Press 2006
ISBN 0-521-61627-1
As an integral part of the English Vocabulary
in Use series, this self-study manual is
composed of 50 units dealing with technical
vocabulary specific to the field of Finance.
Within this series is the all-new Professional
English in Use series, which targets a more
restrictive and technical readership in the
areas of Law, Information Communications
Technology, Medicine and Finance. This
means that a true effort is being made by
Cambridge to finally cover the individual and
highly specific fields that make up Professional
English. Does this mean that we can expect
to look forward to future works in areas such
as Accounting, Management, Marketing, and
others in domains such as Chemistry, Biology
and myriads of other subjects?
This particular volume is specifically intended
for students in the intermediate to advanced
levels (B1-C2) and rightly so as the content
is rather technical. Like most of the publications
in this series, it can be used either in the
classroom, as supplementary study material
or as a means of teaching oneself the intricacies
of the finance world. It takes an in-depth
look at key concepts, which are part of daily
routine in the financial world. Ian is no novice
in the field as he has published previous
works in the same domain both with CUP and
elsewhere. The book meets a visible need
and prepares students for the new Cambridge
International Certificate in Financial English.
Much like the other books in the English in
Use series, this one is very practical in terms
of acquiring and making use of key concepts
and language. The “over to you” section at
the end of each lesson is a good attempt at
putting this newly-acquired competence into
practical everyday use in the thought-provoking
situations provided.
Vincent Vandersluis
Skills in English
Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
Level 2
Speaking Level 3
Terry Phillips and Anna Phillips
Garnet Education
ISBN 1-85964791-X
ISBN 1-85964782-0
ISBN 1-85964783-9
ISBN 1-85964781-2
ISBN 1-85964780-4
This is a skills-based course with 3 levels for
beginners to upper-intermediate level. The
course is designed to prepare students for
skills-based examinations such as the International
English Language Testing System
(IELTS).
There are four books per level. Each book
covers a skill; reading, writing, speaking and
listening, and there is a Teacher’s Book and
test package within the set.
All the books are linked by the same continuing
theme and are designed to be used
interchangeably.
I loved the flexibility this course offers with
the possibility of choosing the skills covered
in each lesson, all linked by the same theme.
There are 4 lessons in a theme and each
of the 4 lessons are based around a learning
technique within the skill being covered.
These techniques are continued throughout
the book. The writing skills book covers
vocabulary, writing, learning new skills and
applying new skills.
There are also skills checks throughout the
books which are either grammatical or directly
based on the skill being covered. In the listening
book, for example, there is a skills check
for making notes and another for using
comparatives.
The books are set out very clearly and have a
good amount of written and visual elements.
They are easy to understand and in general
each new lesson starts on a new page so it is
easy for the students to follow.
If I had a criticism of the book it would be the
length. There are only 10 themes per book
and although there are 4 lessons per theme
there is the tendency to cover 2 lessons at a
time from just 2 of the books depending on
the length of the lesson. I did particularly like
REVIEWS
the themed wordlists that identified the words
by their grammatical name, and there are final
summaries of the wordlists at the end of the
book which are organised thematically and
alphabetically.
The Teacher’s Book is also very well set out
and very clear to follow. There are, however, a
lot of blank pages after every lesson which is
ideal for writing notes but tends to be irregular.
The Teacher’s Book is great because it has
a small copy of the Student’s Books in the
corner so you do not have to keep referring to
the Student’s Book, which is really ideal in this
course as there are so many books. There is
also a methodology note which is very helpful
and useful to refer to.
In general I really liked this course and I would
recommend it to anyone preparing for a skillsbased
exam. Rather than focusing on exam
preparation, the books focus on the skills
needed for skills-based exams. I thoroughly
enjoyed using this course and there was a lot
of positive feedback from the students.
Louise Gladwin
Skills in English: Reading Level 3
2nd edition, 2005
Terry Phillips and Anna Phillips
Garnet Education
Coursebook and Resource Book
ISBN: 1-85964792-8
Teacher’s Book ISBN: 1-85964796-0
Garnet’s Reading Level 3 book in their comprehensive
four-level Skills in English course
is for intermediate to upper-intermediate
learners of English with a score of 5.0-5.5 on
the IELTS or 500-527 on the TOEFL. Although
it is not a strategy book, it drills the skills
they test and raises learners’ general level of
language ability. Its teaching method is testpresent-test,
which intends first to sensitize
learners by raising their awareness and then
to present, produce and revise skills. Within
the series of interrelated books, it revises and
augments theme-related vocabulary as well
as academic reading skills.
The beginning of each unit emphasizes
building up vocabulary. Previously introduced
words printed in red are revised while new
words printed in green are introduced in
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 49

context. At the back of the book the lexis is
grouped thematically and listed alphabetically.
What kinds of reading skills are we talking
about? These include finding the main point
of an article, learning precise vocabulary,
mastering negative prefixes, finding the main
information in active and passive sentences,
analyzing complex sentences containing
relative clauses and/or participles, looking for
evidence, understanding internal definitions,
predicting, understanding the writer’s attitude
and making inferences.
Its ten topics include education, daily life, work
and business, science, the physical world, culture
and civilization, labor-saving devices, arts
and literature, sports and leisure, and nutrition
and health. Each four-page unit is meant to be
covered in two two-hour classes. Treating topics
which learners can relate to helps motivate
and activate them. For example, unit three
provides a survey questionnaire containing
14 factors which people looking for a job take
into consideration. After reading the relevant
articles in the Resource Book, learners can
interview their classmates who rank these
factors, then evaluate and tabulate the results,
and finally write a report or an article. Thus,
utilizing exercises like this also helps transmit
academic methods by learning by doing.
The substantial Teacher’s Book contains
answer keys, supplementary information, tips,
special language and culture notes especially
geared for Arabic students. Notes for students
of other cultures can be found on the website
along with a downloadable test for each unit,
a revision test after units 1-5, a final test after
unit 10, and vocabulary and grammar games.
The high-quality pdfs, printable, adaptable
and resizable, require access to broadband,
but downloading them still takes a lot of time.
Reading Resources containing one article
per theme provides a considerable amount
of input, which can be discussed or used to
generate writing tasks.
I like the boxes with the ‘skills checks’ which
could be adapted for board work. They assume
students have been exposed to the
key points of the unit, but that they are not
yet able to use them correctly. In addition, the
authentic texts are brimming with the grammatical
structures being handled, while the
exercises focus on locating and manipulating
them.
Based on the assumption that some
50 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
REVIEWS a Look at Books
learners need to focus on certain skills more
than others, the books in the series are published
separately. Thus, teachers can focus
on one skill at a time or combine segments
of it. Cost-wise they are by no means more
economical than traditional four-skills-in-one
coursebooks, but this one practices valuable
reading skills needed to excel on tests or in
academic life in a focused manner. Learners
of English who are about to begin a course
of studies using English on a tertiary level
would find working through Reading Level 3
beneficial.
Margret Rohmeder
Telephone English
John Hughes
Macmillan 2006
ISBN 1-40508221-6
The title may be simple and straightforward,
but it’s a topic that makes many ESL students
cringe. Telephone English aims to help learners
feel more confident when using the phone.
Divided into five language review units, the
book covers both everyday and business
situations. Thanks to the clear contents page,
it’s easy for teachers and students to find
exercises related to specific tasks like taking
messages, confirming arrangements, selling
on the phone, etc. For pairwork, there are
about 30 role-plays.
In addition to the answer key, the back of the
book also includes complete listening scripts
plus a convenient phrase bank of useful
expressions. Meanwhile, the accompanying
CD has a secure pouch attached to the back
cover. The CD itself is of good quality and
offers a range of accents.
The book’s layout is simple and features just
a few black-and-white illustrations. Having
watched students struggle to write on pages
bursting with fancy design elements, I welcome
the extra white space. As for the content,
it’s spot-on. I tested it on some students,
and they found it to be interesting, useful and
realistic. Used on its own or as a supplement
to a standard coursebook, Telephone English
is a good investment.
Susan Vogel-Misicka
If you would like to write a review for the
ETAS Journal and earn the review copy, contact
Nicola Martignoni at bookreview@e-tas.ch
Books to Review
GRAMMAR
RAYMOND MURPHY
Essential Grammar in Use new edition with
CD-ROM, Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0 521675437
MICHAEL McCARTHY and RONALD CARTER
Cambridge Grammar of English with CD-ROM
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0 521674393
DEREK SELLEN
Fusion, a reference and practice book in
vocabulary and grammar (Basic to intermediate)
with Audio CD-ROM, BlackCat Publishing
ISBN 978 88 53006172
HESTER LOTT
Real English Grammar (Intermediate)
Marshall Cavendish Education
ISBN 0 462007448
HESTER LOTT
Real English Grammar (Pre-Intermediate)
Marshall Cavendish Education
ISBN 0 462007448
NORMAN COE, MARK HARRISON and KEN PATERSON
Oxford Practice Grammar (Basic)
with CD-ROM, Oxford University Press 2006
ISBN 0 194309142
Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary new edition with
CD-ROM, Cambridge University Press
ISBN 052 1682022
Oxford Student’s Dictionary B2-C1
Oxford University Press
ISBN 0 194317474
SKILLS
RICHARD HARRISON
New Headway Academic Skills 1
Student’s Book, Oxford University Press
ISBN 978 0 194715584
SARAH PHILPOT
New Headway Academic Skills 2
Student’s Book, Oxford University Press
ISBN 978 0 194715676
LESLEY CURNICK
New Headway Academic Skills 3
Student’s Book, Oxford University Press
ISBN 978 0 194715768
MARTIN HEWINGS
English Pronunciation in Use Advanced with
Audio CDs and CD-ROM, Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0 521693769
ANN BAKER
Tree or Three?
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0 521685276
ANN BAKER
Ship or Sheep?
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0 521606738
BOB DIGNEN
50 ways to improve your presentation skills
Summertown Publishing 2007
ISBN 978 1 902741 86 4
COLIN CAMPBELL and JONATHAN SMITH
English for academic study: listening
Garnet Education 2007
Course Book ISBN 978 1 85964986-2
JOAN McCORMACK and SEBASTIAN WATKINS

Books to Review
English for academic study: speaking
Garnet Education 2007
Course Book ISBN 978 85964990-9
JONATHAN SMITH and ANNETTE MARGOLIS
English for academic study: pronunciation
Garnet Education 2007
Course Book ISBN 978 185964982-4
Transferable Academic Skills Kit
12 essential steps to academic success
(contains all 12 student modules)
Garnet Education
ISBN 978 185964927-5
JEREMY HARMER, ANA ACEVEDO, CAROL LETHABY with
CHERYL PELTERET
Just, Listening and Speaking (Pre-Intermediate)
Marshall Cavendish Education 2007
ISBN 0-462-00777-4
JEREMY HARMER, ANA ACEVEDO, CAROL LETHABY with
CHERYL PELTERET
Just, Vocabulary (Pre-Intermediate)
Marshall Cavendish Education 2007
ISBN 0-462-00776-6
JEREMY HARMER, ANA ACEVEDO, CAROL LETHABY with
CHERYL PELTERET
Just, Reading and Writing (Pre-Intermediate)
Marshall Cavendish Education 2007
ISBN 0-462-00774-X
ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
PENNY MCKAY and JENNI GUSE
5 Minute Activities for Young Learners
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521691345
NICK BILBROUGH
Dialogue Activities
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521689519
CINDY LEANEY
Dictionary Activities
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521690409
GILLIAN D. BROWN AND SALLY RICE
Professional English in Use Law
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521685429
SANTIAGO REMACHA ESTERAS and ELENA MARCO
FABRE
Professional English in Use ICT
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521685436
IAN MACKENZIE
Professional English in Use Finance
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521616270
ERIC GLENDINNING and RON HOWARD
Professional English in Use Medicine
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521682015
SHEELAGH DELLER and CHRISTINE PRICE
Teaching Other Subjects Through English (CLIL)
Oxford University Press
ISBN 0-19-442578-0
KEITH HARDING
English for Specific Purposes
Oxford University Press
ISBN 0-19-442575-9
JANE SPIRO
Storybuilding
Oxford University Press
ISBN 0-19-442193-5
GILLIAN PORTER LADOUSSE
Role Play
Oxford University Press
ISBN 0-19-442191-1
COURSES
LELIO PALLINI
Connections - Cross-curricular exercises and tests
Black Cat Publishing 2007
With Audio CD ISBN 88-530-0697-4
JUDY GARTON-SPRENGER and PHILIP PROWSE
Inspiration
Macmillan 2007
Student’s Book 4 ISBN 1-405-02950-6
LINDSEY CLANDFIELD
Straightforward (Beginner)
Macmillan 2007
Student’s Book ISBN 0-230-02076-4
Straightforward Portfolio (Elementary)
Macmillan
ISBN 1-4050-9580-6
PHILIP KERR and CERI JONES
Straightforward (Upper-Intermediate)
Macmillan 2007
Student’s Book ISBN 0-230-02080-1
SUE KAY and VAUGHAN JONES
New InsideOut (Beginner)
Macmillan 2007
Student’s Book with CD-ROM ISBN 1-4050-9946-2
PETER MAGGS and CATHERINE SMITH
Workbook with key
SUE KAY and VAUGHAN JONES
New InsideOut (Elementary)
Macmillan 2007
Student’s Book with CD-ROM ISBN 1-4050-9949-3
BILL BOWLER and SUE PARMINTER
Move (Elementary)
Macmillan 2007
Coursebook with CD-ROM ISBN 1-4050-9512-9
REBECCA ROB BENNE and JON HIRD
Move (Advanced)
Macmillan 2007
Coursebook with CD-ROM ISBN 1-4050-9514-3
BUSINESS/PROFESSIONAL COURSES
ERIC BABER
50 ways to improve your Business English
using the internet
Summertown Publishing 2007
ISBN 1-902-741-89-5
JOHN ALLISON with PAUL EMMERSON
The Business (Intermediate)
Macmillan 2007
Student’s Book with DVD-ROM ISBN 1-4050-8369-0
Teacher’s Book ISBN 1-4050-8186-3
GUY BROOK-HART, NORMAN WHITBY and CAMBRIDGE
ESOL
Business Benchmark Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate
BEC edition
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 9780521671170
GUY BROOK-HART, NORMAN WHITBY and CAMBRIDGE
ESOL
Business Benchmark Upper-Intermediate BEC edition
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 9780521671163
GUY BROOK-HART, NORMAN WHITBY and CAMBRIDGE
ESOL
Business Benchmark Advanced BEC edition
Cambridge University Press
REVIEWS
ISBN 9780521672955
PAUL EMMERSON
Business English Handbook (Advanced)
Macmillan 2007
For class and self study ISBN 1-4050-8605-9
MARIE KAVANAGH, DAVID GORDON SMITH, PAT
PLEDGER, EVAN FRENDO,
SEAN MALONEY, ROSMARY RICHEY, REBECCA CHAP-
MAN, KENNETH THOMSON, MARION GRUSSENDORF,
and SYLEE GORE
Express (specialized Business English books)
Oxford University Press
English for Accounting Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457909 4
English for the Automobile Industry Student’s Book and
MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457900 1
English for Customer Care Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457906 3
English for Emails Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457912 4
English for Human Resources Student’s Book and
MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457903 2
English for Marketing and Advertising Student’s Book and
MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457918 6
English for Meetings Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457933 9
English for Presentations Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457936 0
English for Socializing Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457939 1
English for Telephoning Student’s Book and MultiROM
ISBN 978 0 19 457927 8
EXAMS
ANNE ROBINSON
Fun for Starters
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521613583
ANNE ROBINSON
Fun for Movers
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521613620
ANNE ROBINSON
Fun for Flyers
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521613668
SCOTT THORNBURY and PETER WATKINS
The CELTA Course
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521692069
LOUISE HASHEMI and BARBARA THOMAS
Cambridge Grammar for PET
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978 0521601207
ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007 51

52 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
SERVICES Library Updates
RECENT ACQUISITIONS
Number Title Description
3007 A Communicative
Grammar of English
Innovative and reliable grammar, with clear
explanations, which employs a communicative rather
than a structural approach. Fully revised 3rd edition.
With separate workbook.
1232 Applied Linguistics Concise but comprehensive overview of the main
concerns of applied linguistics today, including
intercultural communication, the impact of new
technologies, the growth of English, foreign language
teaching, etc.
1229 Conversation:
from Description
to Pedagogy
1231 Cooperative Learning
and Second Language
Teaching
1233 Culture in Second
Language Teaching
and Learning
Comprehensive account of conversation in English
and its implications for the ELT classroom.
Systematic description of conversational English
(vocabulary, grammar, discourse, genre). Also
describes techniques for teaching conversation in
English.
Provides the grounding for cooperative learning
(student-centered approach to teaching grounded in
the belief that an individual's potential to succeed is
enhanced by working in groups), with discussion of
educational issues. Includes six case histories.
Addresses the impact of culture when learning to
interact, speak and write in a second language.
Provides insights into factors that affect the ways in
which learners construct meaning in a second
language.
1236 Describing Language This introduction to descriptive linguistics is
essentially practical in its orientation. Topics covered
include phonetics, prosody, word structure, syntax,
text and discourse structure, word and utterance
meaning, and non-verbal behaviour. (revised 2nd
edition)
1234 Developing a
Framework for
Designing a Diagnostic
Instrument for Oral
Skills Assessment
15488 ETAS Journal
7th AGM Special
Journal
15489 ETAS Journal
Summer 2007
Vol. 24 No. 3
3016 Oxford Practice
Grammar
- Advanced
3009 Oxford Practice
Grammar
- Intermediate
10106 The Business -
Intermediate
1235 The Cambridge
Encyclopedia of the
English Language
This doctoral research led to the development of a
framework for EFL teachers to use when designing
diagnostic oral skills assessments (i.e. speaking
tests) for their classes. This copy is dedicated to the
ETAS Library in appreciation of the ETAS members
who participated in the research process.
23rd ETAS AGM & Convention
Solothurn, January 2007
With keynote addresses and workshop reports.
Author(s) /
Editor(s)
Leech G. &
Svartvik J.
Publisher Category
Longman
2002
Cook G. OUP
2003
Thornbury S. &
Slade D.
McCafferty S.,
Jacobs G. &
DaSilva Iddings A.
C.
CUP
2006
CUP
2006
Hinkel E. (Ed.) CUP
1999
Graddol D.,
Cheshire J. &
Swann J.
OUP
1994
Grammar and
Language Practice
Methodology and
Linguistics
Methodology and
Linguistics
Methodology and
Linguistics
Methodology and
Linguistics
Methodology and
Linguistics
Salvisberg J. 2007 Methodology and
Linguistics
ETAS
2007
Special theme: ETAS and the World Lander S. (Ed.) ETAS
2007
Reference book with detailed explanations, practice
activities, extended texts for analysis and practice,
plus interactive exercises and tests on the CD-rom.
(New 2006 edition.) Helps students prepare for
advanced-level exams.
Reference & practice book with clear explanations,
practice activities, illustrated dialogues, regular
progress tests. With extra interactive exercises and
tests on CD-rom. (New 2006 edition.)
Multi-level business English course. Suitable for
students studying business at college or university, or
to working business people. With self-study DVD-
ROM, a flexible modular structure and detailed
language support. (SB, TB, DVD)
The most comprehensive general reference book on
the history, structure and worldwide use of English
ever written. (Updated paperback edition, 1997.)
Please remember to quote the Catalogue Number
when ordering a book. Thank you!
George Y. OUP
2006
Eastwood J. OUP
2006
Allison J.,
Emmerson P.
Macmillan
2007
Crystal D. CUP
1997
ETAS Journals
ETAS Journals
Grammar and
Language Practice
Grammar and
Language Practice
English for Special
Purposes: Business
English
Methodology and
Linguistics

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54 ETAS Journal 25/1 Winter 2007
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ETAS07.FH11 17.09.2007 10:44 Uhr Seite 3
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
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