Skip to content
Account
English Teachers Association Switzerland
  • EventsExpand
    • Calendar
    • National Events
    • Regional Events
    • Online Events
    • Partner Events
  • CommunitiesExpand
    • ETAS Regions
    • Special Interest Groups
    • Teacher-to-Teacher Projects
    • ETAS Partners
  • JournalExpand
    • ETAS Journal
    • Issues
    • Masthead
    • Call for Submissions / Articles
    • Guidelines
    • Editor’s Choice
    • ELT Material Reviews
    • ELT Material for Review
  • ResourcesExpand
    • ETAS Blog
    • Job BoardExpand
      • Add Job Posting
    • Living / Working in CH
    • Teaching EFL in CH
    • Education / Training
    • Becoming Research Literate
    • Teaching Resources
  • AboutExpand
    • Mission Statement
    • Who We Are
    • Galleries
    • Sponsorship / Advertising
    • Legal
    • Contact
    • History
  • Get InvolvedExpand
    • Member Benefits
    • Onboarding
    • ETAS Org Chart
    • Open Positions
    • Volunteer Perks
Become a Member
Account
English Teachers Association Switzerland
  • Spring 2015
  • Review

Thinking about Language Teaching: Selected Articles 1982-2011

Thinking about Language Teaching: Selected Articles 1982-2011
Michael Swan
Oxford University Press
2012
230 pages
ISBN: 978-0-19-442481-3

As the title suggests, this is not a resource book like others but an eclectic selection of Swan’s articles over the span of his career. Topics vary from Grammar (2011) to Language Teaching is Teaching Language (1996). Swan even includes H.G. Widdowson’s article, Against Dogma: A Reply to Michael Swan (1985), to give us a more balanced view on the communicative approach. The second section includes a delightful selection of satirical articles including The Use of Sensory Deprivation in Foreign Language Teaching (1982).

I rarely read these kinds of books, tending to stick to those that discuss approaches and methods. However, I found refreshing views on a variety of subjects along similar lines to Scott Thornbury’s Big Questions in ELT (2013). The articles are easy to read and entertaining and there were moments of COL (chuckle out loud). For example, in discussing the need for learning strategies, Swan comments that they are unnecessary for making an intelligent guess on when to use a Swedish phrase for ‘something is wrong with my gearbox’ (p. 11). However, Swan also makes serious points about diverse issues, such as how “often in language teaching, the activity takes over from the aim, and we end up doing things instead of teaching them” (p. 42).

This is a book for everyone: not only does Swan cover the range of subjects that a new teacher should be informed about, but his “polemic” (his own words, p. ix, Introduction) view on certain subjects, especially the Communicative Approach, which he believes “over-generalizes valid but limited insights until they become virtually meaningless” (p. 2), will make even the most experienced teacher reconsider their opinions. However, on the risk of quoting out of context, I urge you to read the whole article. I even found some articles useful for a review to be conducted for the M.A. TESOL I am taking up.

This is not a book to read in one sitting, but rather one where the reader would be advised to choose an article from time to time on a subject of interest, of which there are many: chunks, use of L1, textbooks, and grammar. Many topics that caught Swan’s attention 20 years ago are still subjects of debate today.

Swan’s down-to-earth style provides a refreshing change from certain highbrow articles in EFL journals, and makes us think: “That’s so obvious, why didn’t I think of that?’’ In fact, the subtitle of the article Chunks in the Classroom: Let’s Not Go Overboard could very well be the subtitle of the whole collection.

Rachael Harris


  • Spring 2015
  • Review

English Teachers Association Switzerland
1200 Geneva
Switzerland

E-mail: office@e-tas.ch
Phone: +41 79 623 3683

  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Legal Disclaimer
Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram

By accessing this website, you acknowledge your agreement with the terms of use. The inclusion of information, including weblinks, provided as a service by ETAS, does not signify any approval. recommendation or endorsement by ETAS.

© 2023 English Teachers Association Switzerland

Scroll to top
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • National Events
    • Regional Events
    • Online Events
    • Partner Events
  • Communities
    • ETAS Regions
    • Special Interest Groups
    • Teacher-to-Teacher Projects
    • ETAS Partners
  • Journal
    • ETAS Journal
    • Issues
    • Masthead
    • Call for Submissions / Articles
    • Guidelines
    • Editor’s Choice
    • ELT Material Reviews
    • ELT Material for Review
  • Resources
    • ETAS Blog
    • Job Board
      • Add Job Posting
    • Living / Working in CH
    • Teaching EFL in CH
    • Education / Training
    • Becoming Research Literate
    • Teaching Resources
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • Who We Are
    • Galleries
    • Sponsorship / Advertising
    • Legal
    • Contact
    • History
  • Get Involved
    • Member Benefits
    • Onboarding
    • ETAS Org Chart
    • Open Positions
    • Volunteer Perks
Search