March is hot in Saudi Arabia. Temperatures might not reach the barmy heights of mid-summer, when thermometers can on occasion tip 50 degrees Celsius, but averages for this month are still around 35˚C. Wherever you are in the world, extreme heat and alcohol binges are never a good mix, but they can prove to be deadly in the peculiar world of Middle East English language teaching, as was the case in early March, 2011.The facts of the case in question are ostensibly straightforward. O...

Across the world states are seeking out new and secure supplies of energy but this search is manifesting itself most visibly in Asia where rapid industrialisation in states such as China and India is fomenting a frantic scramble for energy resources. Due to entrenched societal inequities and widespread authoritarian governance, however, the pursuit of national energy security through transnational energy projects has resulted in devastating impacts on the human and environmental security o...

The justification for using games in the classroom has been well demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more co-operative group dynamics. The benefits are as follows:Affective:- games lower the affective filter- they encourage creative and spontaneous use of language- they also promote communicative competence- games are both motivating and funCognitive:

Why isn't he coming to class? Why does she come to class and not do anything? Why is he so confident of passing when he's done so little work? Why does she think she'll fail when she's working so hard? Why do they spend so much time talking about IELTS when this is a TOEFL preparation course? Does he even want to be in this room? It feels like she's deliberately trying to fail this course… why would that be?Do any of the above questions look familiar to you? How many of them have y...

Understanding Gifted Adolescents: Accepting the Exceptional addresses the basis of exclusive education for gifted adolescents from the theoretical perspective of social identity. Using the lens of social identity theory and adolescent development related to giftedness, this book builds the case for a curriculum for gifted adolescents. By providing a comprehensive foundation for exploring the concept of a more exclusive education scholastically, and debunking the “elitist” concept of gifted...

What exactly do we mean by classroom management? The way I see it, we have to split this particular subject right down the middle: we have the emotional side (the people) and we have the physical side (arranging furniture, placement of the whiteboard, seating plans, etc.).The various theories I'll be introducing and discussing over the course of several chapters in the first half of this book focus on the former, encompassing the methods of organization, administration, teaching an...

Mental Health Matters: Breaking the Silence, Igniting Hope, and Redefining Wellness is an inspiring collection of personal stories that shatter the stigma surrounding mental health. Grammy Award-winning legend Cheryl "Salt" James of the iconic rap duo Salt-N-Pepa lends her voice in a powerful foreword and chapter addressing the realities of mental health struggles.Featuring 22 co-authors, the book shares raw, deeply personal accounts from ...

Marking the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby, this deluxe edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 Great American Novel, is beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Adam Simpson.Widely considered to be the greatest American novel of all time, The Great Gatsby is the story of the wealthy, quixotic Jay Gatsby and his obsessive love for debutante Daisy Buchanan. It is also a cautionary tale of the American Dream in all its exuberance, decadence, hedo...

In many ways my first conference presentation marked a significant transition point in my career. Albeit a small step, I had made the jump from being teacher to being a contributing professional who was concerned about the advancement of English language teaching. For the first time I felt that I might be doing something that few others had done and therefore my travails might make for a suitable topic to present to other teachers. A local conference came up that was focused on a theme app...

Are you carrying a heavy burden of doubts, fears, anxiety, or depression? Sometimes life hits hard-you might have lost a job, a loved one, or simply feel overwhelmed.In Untie the Donkey, author Frances Simpson-a devout matriarch, preacher's daughter, and composer who found faith and wisdom through her own struggles with debilitating disease and constant pain-offers an enlightening new perspective on trusting God. This book will guide you toward la...

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author's "hilarious . . . idiosyncratic . . . delightful" and definitive companion to a global phenomenon ( Publishers Weekly).Douglas Adams's "six-part trilogy," The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy grew from a blip of a notion into an ever-expanding multimedia universe that amassed an unprecedented cult of followers and became an international sensation. As a young journalist, Neil Gaiman was given comp...

If you've already downloaded volume 1 of our series Parsnips in ELT, then you'll already have an idea of what this book is about. The PARSNIP is, as many of you will know, a reference to all those topics that are commonly left out of the standard ELT coursebook: Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, -Isms, Pork. Written by, Rob Howard, Noreen Lam, David Petrie, Adam Simpson, Mike Smith, T. Veigga and Phil Wade, this ebook has 7 lesson plans for ELT teachers that cover Politics, Alco...