Puzzles for ESOL learners (again!)
Why am I so obsessed with puzzles? Last week I got back from the fabulous QATESOL/QCAL mini-conference in Mackay, where I had to admit that some of the things I claim for puzzles can be argued against too; I’ve been thinking more about this since then. Are puzzles really non-elitist? I say how much I like the universality of crosswords, … Continue reading
Pre-employment for beginners: the resource list
From July 2017, our national AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program) will change. Providers will be offering both a Social and a Pre-Employment English stream – at all levels. Teachers are looking around the bookshelves to see what’s there that’s not out of date (agencies change names, print ads disappear…). Some may have concerns, addressed a decade ago in the 2006 AMEPRC paper Teaching Strategies – 2 … Continue reading
More CPSWE materials for prelim (literacy) learners
After my last post on materials for preliminary (CPSWE) learners here in Australia, I had some more suggestions; big thanks to Judy, Manjit, Lesley, Jakki and Natalie. (If I’ve missed anyone’s suggestions, please let me know.) I’ll update that post too. (UPDATE: I’m now teaching Initial Course and Course in EAL, but of course the resources listed here are just … Continue reading
Pre-employment English for beginners?
I’m going to give a link to my latest post from my other blog, at ‘The Book Next Door’. It’s a list of ways you could still use the ESL Extras reading books in a Pre-Employment class – not by pretending the books are all about employment, but by pulling out threads that invite discussion. It’s a massively long post – the kind … Continue reading








