Highlights / notes file: How to Teach English - Jeremy Harmer (notes)
My Uzbek summary of Harmer’s opening chapters: why people learn (EFL/ESL/ESP/EAP), settings (school vs language school, class size, in-company, virtual), and learner differences (age, learning preferences, level, background).
Key points (from my notes)
- Learner purpose determines emphasis, materials and target level; for us, EAP is mostly IELTS preparation.
- Class size changes method: large classes → more teaching from the front, pair/group work for interaction, efficient monitoring.
- In-school settings carry policy and syllabus constraints.
- Teachers must both prevent problem behaviour and respond to it well.
- Learning “styles” as preferences (VAK); Gardner’s multiple intelligences.
- Levels: beginners/false beginners → advanced; the intermediate plateau.
Connections
Learning styles are preferences, not a basis for matching · Know your learners before you plan · Visible success drives motivation - and the intermediate plateau · Behaviour management is mostly pre-emption