# Recommend me a good book or other resource on teaching. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655 "2007-08-23T16:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BornOfStardust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@BornOfStardust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornOfStardust)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/1 "2007-08-23T16:30:45Z")
I received a Fulbright grant to be an assistant English teacher in Germany this year. I’m very excited about it. I’ve received some very warm and sweet messages already from the headmistress, teachers, and students–the school is in a small town, and they have never had a native English speaker there to teach before. I feel that I will be welcome, and have a sense that in general I won’t be headed into some inner-city-public-school-like atmosphere. I also speak Germany pretty well already. A lot of things are in my favor. Still, I am a rookie teacher, and I figure I can use all the advice I can get for working creatively with students on foreign language. Any thoughts on good resources? Or thoughts, period? Danke! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/2 "2007-08-23T18:44:58Z")
I can’t really help you because I have no teaching qualifications whatsoever but I’m curious what type of school it is. That narrows down the age range a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/3 "2007-08-23T21:48:31Z")
Welcome to the wonderful world of being an English clown [well, Germany may be completely different to what I’m used to)! I’m sure your school will have a bunch of resource books for games, role-plays and various other activities. I’d recommend actively trying out as many different kinds of activities with each bunch of kids. I’ve been very surprised as to what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes a game works well with one group, but another very similar-seeming group is bored to tears with it. Don’t be afraid to say completely provocative things to liven up a dead class (don’t know about Germany, but it’s a big problem here, as debate seems a foreign concept in the classroom): “Girls should only wear skirts and dresses, not pants, because pants are for boys. That’s right, Lily. Tomorrow I want you to wear a skirt.” “People should be killed when they turn 70. Old people don’t work and use up all our medicine and hospital space, and they can’t really enjoy life anyway.” It depends on how you interact with your class, of course, but it’s helped jumpstart discussions in English, as they try to convince me why I’m wrong while I try to steer them into using language points from the lesson. Have fun with it. Do all the things you wish your teacher had done. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BornOfStardust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@BornOfStardust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornOfStardust)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/4 "2007-08-23T22:49:05Z")
LoL, Windwalker. Interesting ideas. I may not use those exactly ;), but I certainly do plan to have fun with it, and provoke where I can. The school is for 5th-10th graders. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/5 "2007-08-23T23:00:08Z")
Just an idle thought, but if you’re looking for advice and things, this might get more reactions in MPSIMS. Also, hi. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/6 "2007-08-24T00:53:44Z")
How about combining your knowledge of English with your experience of America? Bring some stuff from the US to start discussions. Show them an extract from a hit US TV show, or discuss gambling in Las Vegas, or US sport, or US food. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/7 "2007-08-24T03:52:29Z")
[Harry Wong’s _The First Days of School_](http://www.amazon.com/First-Days-School-Effective-Teacher/dp/0962936065/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6336208-4651856?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187927459&sr=1-1). Quite possibly the best ever written, hands on guide on how to set up a classroom and run it. It did me more good than any of the credential classes I took. ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-good-book-or-other-resource-on-teaching/416655/8 "2007-08-24T04:28:26Z")
Have a look at ‘[Learning Teaching](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Teaching-Jim-Scrivener/dp/1405013990)’ by Jim Scrivener. It’ll give you some good ideas on how to structure classes, and pointers on activities.