Book Review: Jason Anderson: Trinity Cert TESOL Companion
Disclaimer: The author of this Trinity Cert TESOL guide is a former colleague. I was asked to look at samples before publication and provided a number of quotes found in the book.
However, I still stand by what I say in the review: It’s a really useful reference for trainee teachers.
I’ve been working as a Course Director and Course Tutor on Trinity Cert TESOL courses since 2011. I love the practical nature of the course and find training teachers to be an incredibly rewarding job.
If you are thinking of becoming an English language teacher and want a quick and easy read about the basics of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) you can download my Amazon bestseller here: A Short Guide to TEFL.
But, the course can be really intense and this is partly due to its procedural aspects. On every course, we have to convey a great deal of information to the trainees about the different units and related documentation – this takes ages.
So, one reason why this book is so useful is that it clearly explains the nature of each unit, what the assignments and projects consist of, and what you have to do in order to pass them.
Another reason why this book is worth buying is that it follow’s Einstein’s notion of making things as simple as they need to be but no simpler. The book doesn’t talk down to the reader. Trinity Cert TESOL courses are considered to be as difficult as a second-year university programme, which means that trainee teachers have to use their grey cells; they are not spoon fed. It is perfectly pitched at an intelligent adult without any or much teaching experience.
In fact, I would suggest that this book is ideal for anybody taking a TEFL course (Trinity TESOL , Cambridge CELTA, TEFL). Although it has been specifically written for Trinity Cert TESOL trainees, much of it applies to any initial English language teacher training course.
Finally, this book is an essential reference and resource for any course trainer / tutor / provider as it is full of ideas for workshops and training sessions.
The author, Jason Anderson, has also published a number of other useful books and materials for teachers. Check out his website here: Jason Anderson.
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