Delta | Module One

Suggestions for
Reading
Advice to Candidates

In the Delta Module One exam candidates are not expected to quote or reference their reading, but
apply what they’ve learned about methodology and theory of ELT to specific tasks. Because the
course is short, you will need to be selective in what you need rather than plodding through books
from beginning to end.

Therefore, try to read as much as you can but don’t set yourself targets you can’t meet. “A little,
often” is a good policy. Please be assured that you are not expected to have read all the books on
the list before the course starts (or even by the end of it for that matter).

Here we list the most recent edition of each title, but older editions will usually do just as well.

General
● Bowen, T. & Marks, J. (1994), Inside Teaching, Heinemann
A general book for teacher development at Delta level, covering all the key areas of teaching.
Has thought-provoking questions and helpful commentaries.

● Larsen-Freeman, D. (2011), Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching [third edition],

OUP
Clearly and usefully reviews methods of foreign language teaching. The principles on which
they are based and the techniques associated with each method are explored.

● Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. (2006) How Languages are Learned (3rd ed.) (relevant chapters)
OUP
An accessible overview of first and second language acquisition and the bearing that
research findings in these areas have on classroom practice. Very readable.

● Littlewood, W. (1984), Foreign and Second Language Learning, CUP

Provides a comprehensive review of language learning processes. Is accessible and very
interesting, also quite short. An alternative to Lightbow & Spada.

● Cattlin, M. (2014), The Art of Lesson Planning, ebook

A straightforward and practical refresher on the basics of lesson planning

● Richards, J.C. (1990), The Language Teaching Matrix, CUP

An excellent introduction to many of the key issues in ELT. Informed and practical references
to classroom teaching.

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Suggestions for
Reading
● Richards, J.C & Rodgers, T.S. (2001), Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching
[second edition], CUP
This does the same as the Larsen-Freeman, but is more comprehensive.

● Rossner, R. & Bolitho, R. (eds.) (1990), Currents of Change in ELT, OUP

Similar to the Willis book below but a bit older. Read Michael Swan’s article criticising the
communicative approach and the reply form Henry Widdowson.

● Scrivener, J. (2011), Learning Teaching, Macmillan

A useful refresher on basic methodology, principles, procedures and techniques.

● Swan, M. & Smith, B. (2014), Learner English, CUP

A practical reference book which compares the relevant features of the students’ mother-
tongues with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems their
students have.

● Willis, J. & Willis, D. (1996), Challenge and Change in Language Teaching,

Heinemann
An interesting and relevant collection of articles on various issues in ELT. Start by reading the
introductory article by Tessa Woodward and then the ones on The Lexical Approach and
Task-Based Learning.

ELT Dictionaries
● Richards, J. & Schmidt, R. (2010), The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and
Applied Linguistics, Longman
As the title suggests, this is a bit more technical than the Thornbury below, but still accessible
and comprehensive

● Thornbury, S. (2006), An A-Z of ELT, Macmillan

A very useful resource, covering most of the jargon likely to come up at Delta level. However,
the lack of referencing / bibliography can be at times frustrating.

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Suggestions for
Reading
Language Reference

● Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (2006), The Cambridge Grammar of English, CUP

An up-to-date, corpus-based grammar. Deals very nicely with spoken language and with the
grey areas between grammar and lexis

● Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. (2003), A Communicative Grammar of English, Longman

Organises language by function / notion rather than structure. Therefore, a very useful
resource for systems assignments.

● Parrott, M. (2010), Grammar for Language Teaching, CUP

An accessible review of the kind of grammar which tends to come up in published materials.
Strong on learner problems.

● Swan, M. (2005), Practical English Usage, OUP

Very comprehensive, covering both grammar and tricky aspects of vocabulary. Occasionally
lacks depth, but invariably a good starting point for research.

Teacher Language Awareness

● Bolitho, R. & Tomlinson, B. (2005), Discover English, Macmillan

A language workbook with a wide variety of exercised designed to increase the ELT teacher’s
sensitivity to various aspects of the English language.

● Thornbury, S. (1997), About Language, CUP

An insightful series of tasks to help teachers analyse language and discover the underlying
system. Illustrated from authentic sources. Very useful preparation for the course.

Discourse

● Cook, G. (1989), Discourse, OUP

Accessible overview of discourse analysis including tasks (but sometimes no
commentaries). A pleasant read.

● McCarthy, M. (1991), Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers, CUP

Excellent overview with tasks and solutions. To start with read Chapter 1, then Chapter 5
on spoken discourse.

● Thornbury, S. (2005), Beyond the Sentence: introducing discourse analysis, Macmillan

A more recent work providing a practical introduction to the field.
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Suggestions for
Reading

Lexis

● Gairns, R. & Redman, S. (2010), Working with words, CUP

One of the first books for teachers about vocabulary. Still relevant and highly accessible.

● Lewis, M. (1993), The Lexical Approach, LTP

This book has two strands. The first is a reassessment on the nature of language and call
for a greater emphasis in lexis and a reduced role for grammar. The other strand of a
pulling together of all the evidence about learning languages from a variety of sources and
to develop an approach which takes account of these. Also:

● Lewis, M. (1997), Implementing the Lexical Approach, LTP

● Lewis, M. (2000), Teaching Collocations, LTP

● Morgan, J. & Rinvolucri, M. (2011), Vocabulary, OUP

An interesting compilation of vocabulary-based activities, catering to different learning
style. Activities are occasionally more avant-garde in nature.

● Schmitt, N. (2012), Vocabulary in Language Teaching, CUP

Similar to the Gairns & Redman above. More theoretical, yet still very much accessible.

● Thornbury, S. (2013), How to teach vocabulary, Pearson

A practical guide for teachers who want to learn more about teaching vocabulary. Provides
a good mix of theory and classroom activities.

Grammar

● Batstone, R. (1994), Grammar, OUP

An overview of different views of grammar including grammar as process and grammar as a
receptive skill.

● Close, R.A. (1992), A Teacher’s Grammar: the central problems of English, LTP
An overview of some fundamental concepts of English grammar. Rather than present a mass
of detail, Close concentrates on a core of central distinctions.

● Leech, G. (1997), Meaning and the English Verb, Longman

An updated classic, dealing in a practical way with tense, aspect, mood and the modal
auxiliaries.

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Suggestions for
Reading
● Lewis, M. (1986), The English Verb, LTP
A slightly different look at English grammar, full of implications for the language teacher.
Clearly and concisely written.

● Scrivener, J. (2010), Teaching English Grammar, Macmillan

A good resource for preparing and delivering grammar lessons. Useful section on clarifying
language.

● Thornbury, S. (2012), How to Teach Grammar, Longman

A practical guide to teaching grammar, with a good variety of sample lessons.

Pronunciation

● Dalton, C. & Seidlhofer, B. (1994), Pronunciation, OUP

A highly accesible look at theory, the relationship between theory and practice, and useful
suggestions for practical, classroom based research and materials evaluation.

● Kelly, G. (2000), How to teach pronunciation, Pearson

A highly accessible introduction to English pronunciation, which neatly integrates theory
and practice. The chapter on Connected Speech is particularly useful.

● Kenworthy, J. (1987), Teaching English Pronunciation, Longman

A comprehensive introduction to English pronunciation. Answers most questions about the
importance of teaching pronunciation.

● Roach, P. (2009), English Phonetics and Phonology – A practical course, CUP

Excellent for self-study. User-friendly, with plenty of tasks to cover the basics of phonology.

● Underhill, A. (2005), Sound foundations – Learning and Teaching Pronunciation,

Macmillan
A comprehensive look at theory, the relationship of theory to practice, and useful
suggestions for practical classroom activities.

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Suggestions for
Reading
Listening

● Anderson, A. & Lynch, T. (1988), Listening, OUP

Looks at what is involved in aural comprehension and how we can best go about selecting
and designing effective listening materials and activities.

● Field, J. (2009), Listening in the Language Classroom, OUP

A stimulating read, giving a clear account of the various processes involved in listening and
including plenty of practical examples.

● Wilson, J.J. (2008), How to teach listening, Pearson

This book is a useful review of the fairly basic approaches to teaching listening.

● White, G. (2010), Listening, OUP

A good resource for classroom listening activities, with an interesting focus on “listening in
real life”.

Speaking

● Brown, G. & Yule, G. (1983), Teaching Spoken Language, CUP

Based on the analysis of conversational English, this book includes principles and
techniques for teaching spoken production and listening comprehension, the differences
between spoken and written discourse and how to assess spoken language.

● Bygate, M. (1987), Speaking, OUP

A thorough account of principles and techniques involved in teaching oral communication.

● Nolasco, R. & Arthur, L. (2008), Conversation, OUP

A useful source of ideas for speaking activities. Easy to navigate, as activities are classified
by their accuracy or fluency focus and by level.

● Porter Ladousse, G. (2012), Role Play, OUP

A similar activity book to the one above, this time with the focus on role plays. Very
resourceful and creative.

● Thornbury, S. (2005), How to teach speaking, Pearson

Provides a straightforward description of the skills and characteristics of spoken English and
describes approaches to the teaching of speaking.
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Delta | Module One

Suggestions for
Reading

● Ur, P. (2012), Discussions that work, CUP

A comprehensive guide to setting up speaking activities. The first part is fairly theoretical,
followed by sample task-centred fluency practice classroom activities.

Reading

● Nuttal, C. (2005), Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, Heinemann

Examines the skills required to read effectively, the classroom strategies for developing
reading skills, features of texts and testing reading.

● Wallace, C. (1992), Reading, OUP

An up-to-date and thorough introduction to the field, including such areas as the reading
process itself, reading and social role, meaning and context, teaching approaches and
procedures, and materials.

● Grellet, F. (1981), Developing reading skills, CUP

A readable overview of the reading skills and how to develop them.

Writing
● Byrne, D. (1988), Teaching Writing Skills, Longman
A refresher of basic approaches and activities involved in delivering a coherent writing
programme.

● Harmer, J. (2014), How to teach writing, Pearson

A useful resource in terms of the mechanics of writing and responding / correcting
students’ written work.
● Hedge, T. (2005), Writing, OUP
Highly accessible, full of teaching ideas and some light theory.