Order this book today from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Booktopia!
101 EFL Activities for Teaching University Students is filled with a variety of language learning activities that can be used throughout the semester. While designed with university teachers in mind, teachers of other subjects (and levels) will also find these activities useful in their classrooms.
The activities in this book relate to three major themes: the context of the university environment (students learn by talking about their lives as university
students), group dynamics – the stages of a group (the stages all students go through during a semester), and active learning (learning through actively using the course material, instead of
listening to a professor deliver a lecture).
The book is structured around the three main time periods of the semester: the beginning, the mid-period and the end. Activities in the first chapter are ideal for the first few weeks of class. The
aims of these activities include learning names, learning about the teacher, learning about other students, and understanding the syllabus. Activities in the second chapter are suitable for the
middle of the semester. The aims in this chapter include adding variety to lessons, reviewing material from previous weeks, talking about university life and giving feedback to the teacher.
Activities in the third chapter are for the last week of the semester. Aims here include reviewing the entire course, talking about future plans, and ending the semester with a positive
feeling.
This book also contains teacher development tips, short exercises designed to help teachers reflect on their own teaching and professional development in a university setting. In addition, the book
has a list of recommended readings and web resources for university teachers.
Testimonials for 101 EFL Activities for Teaching University Students:
Hall Houston provides an important resource for establishing a positive environment conducive to learning. Although 101 EFL Activities is geared for Teaching University Students, I have found it to have widespread appeal for educators at all levels. Having experience teaching 2nd and 3rd grade, middle school, high school, and university, I enjoyed thinking about how I would adapt these strategies for different ages and subject areas. This useful guide of strategies is one to include in your lesson planning.
- Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S. Author of Powerful Teaching, A Parent's Guide to Powerful Teaching
This book should prove very useful to those teaching university students ( or with some adaptation other subjects and levels). It offers activities which not only
provide useful language practice but deal with the social and psychological aspects of life at university: getting to know people, finding your way round the system, staying motivated and energised
in the middle of a long semester, and finding closure at the end of the semester. To be recommended!
- Jill Hadfield, Author of
Classroom Dynamics
Hall Houston has compiled a cornucopia of engaging and easy-to-implement activities for the ESL classroom, helpfully presented in tune to the rhythms of the semester. It
would be impossible to read this book and not find at least a few new ideas to spark the learning and participation of your students.
- James M. Lang, Author of
Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning
Whether you are a novice or an expert, in this resource book, you will find a range of engaging ideas for teaching English to the college student, for different stages
of a course. The ideas are easy-prep, can be adapted to any classroom, and are not only fun, but many encourage critical thinking - very appropriate for this target group. The 'Teacher Development
Tips' were a real bonus!
- Meredith MacAulay, EAP
teacher and teacher trainer at UNSWGlobal, Author of Energising EAP (the round)
This book focuses on some very engaging activities which both empower and motivate students to take charge of their own learning. By relating the topics to their own
lives, students really come to life with this great variety of simple activities. I highly recommend this book to university teachers who want to get students more involved and interacting with each
other!
- Robert Stroud, Associate
Professor, Hosei University, Japan and Editor of The University Grapevine Newsletter
This is an immensely useful book for language teachers working in university contexts. It provides them with a wealth of practical activities that they can use at
different stages of the academic year. The book's emphasis on active learning is bound to enable EFL students to enhance their language proficiency in a highly engaging manner.
- Dr. Daniel Xerri, Senior
Lecturer in TESOL, University of Malta and co-editor of English for 21st Century Skills (Express Publishing, 2020)
Book Reviews for 101 EFL Activities for Teaching University Students:
"This book is a must not only for university teachers but also for (teachers of) 7th to 12th graders. You will be entitled to find and follow enthralling, motivating activities that you may use or adapt to your classes, and promote their autonomy, engaging them in critical thinking and learner agency."
Judite Fiuza, APPI e-journal, June 2022
https://www.appi.pt/publications/appi-ejournal
"101 EFL Activities for Teaching University Students is an excellent fit for any novice university ELT teachers or indeed old hands who need to mix things up a bit... 101 EFL Activities is easy to use, easy to adapt, and has sound underlying principles. I think I’ll be picking this one up again in the near future."
Jonathan Turner, WAESOL Educator, July 2022
https://waesol.org/summer-2022-472
"Depending on the stage of your semester and the purpose of the activities (learning about the teacher or looking toward the future, for instance), select a few activities you want to try. Next time, when you grow tired of pulling the same old tricks in all courses, take out this book and you will find an activity that interests you."
Vien Cao, MWIS Newsletter (TESOL), July 2022
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolmwis/issues/2022-07-20/5.html
"For many teachers, fun is something that takes place after lessons have finished for the day. But using tasks carefully chosen from this cornucopia, because that’s what it really is, fun should soon be on the weekly menu throughout the academic year."
Wayne Trotman, EL Gazette, July 2022
https://www.elgazette.com/making-it-fun
"While the book’s title advertises itself as a resource for activities, Houston’s goal is to help teachers improve themselves...Keeping up engagement is an active decision a teacher must make for students to gain as much knowledge as they can. With Houston’s book in hand, there is no excuse that planning activities is too difficult."
Jaleesa Davis, MITESOL Messages, August 2022
https://www.mitesol.org/articles/august-2022-issue-mitesol-messages
"This is a really well-organised and accessible resource. It includes something for teachers of all levels. It’s particularly useful for those who are new to (university) teaching and are looking for ways encourage interaction, collaboration and reflection among learners. This would be a worthwhile purchase for EFL teachers whatever their teaching context – a great resource to dip into for inspiration."
Peter Clements, ELT Planning blog, September 2022
https://eltplanning.com/2022/09/09/review-101-efl-activities-for-teaching-university-students/
"101 EFL Activities for Teaching University Students is written in an engaging manner, and I think it would be a useful addition to any EFL/ESL teacher’s library. Using these resources would help lift and inspire even the dullest classroom with a range of interesting ideas and activities for teaching university students."
Kate Absolum, English Australia Journal, September 2022
https://eajournal.partica.online/digital/english-australia-journal-382/flipbook/58/
"Houston is clearly an old school practitioner who artfully manipulates learning and teaching with a magician’s finesse based on experience, empathy, energy and creativity. He also provides a wealth of internet-based resources to cater for the more digitally minded. This is an excellent manual for all EFL teachers at tertiary level and a ‘must have’ in the suitcases of inexperienced teachers starting out. I intend to keep my copy to hand on my (somewhat messy) desk and dip in regularly to enjoy Houston’s myriad of classroom creations."
Meg Shovelton, Modern English Teacher, September 2022
https://www.modernenglishteacher.com/101-efl-activities-for-teaching-university-students
"Hall Houston has compiled a handy reference book. Nearly every activity promotes some combination of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. The “Teacher Development Tips” alone make this work a valuable addition to any educator’s bookshelf. The book’s unique sequential organization deftly addresses teachers’ immediate needs without allowing them to lose sight of long-term learning objectives."
Dawson R. Lewis III, TexELT Journal, September 2022
https://textesolv.org/journal/
"There are not many EFL publications aimed at university students which focus on teaching English in general. If you are a learner at tertiary level, you will have seen that, done that, and bought the T-shirt. It is difficult for us teachers to motivate such learners, surprise them or push them to work harder. So, a ‘fresh’ book, with fresh innovative lesson ideas or activities is more than welcome."
Hanna Kryszewska, Humanising Language Teaching, October 2022
https://www.hltmag.co.uk/oct22/short-book-reviews
"The book is a valuable resource for English teachers – regardless their teaching context – as it offers a variety of engaging tasks which could be incorporated immediately to any lesson. If you are keen to add something different to your lessons or to supplement an activity, then this book will offer some practical tips to enhance the delivery of your teaching."
Martin Sketchley, ELT Experiences blog, December 2022
Print 