ESOL teachers have to focus not just on teaching students English, but also on why and how they need to use English in real life. Because of this, The Oxford ESOL Handbook promotes the use of teaching activities that reflect situations in which learners have to use English in their everyday lives. This might range from saying hello to neighbours or writing a note to their children's teacher, to finding a job or attending a course of study.

   • Focuses on the students: their backgrounds, characteristics, experiences, and first languages, and shows how all these affect them as learners
   • Develops your understanding of how English works and what might make its structure confusing for learners, and shows you how to apply this knowledge to your teaching.
   • Gives teachers new to ESOL (for example teachers of English as a Foreign Language or of adult literacy) a complete introduction to ESOL teaching
   • Enables experienced ESOL teachers to check and update their knowledge of recent developments, new approaches, and research findings
   • Provides teacher trainers with a valuable resource for training ESOL teachers

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Introduction
 
1 Key concepts of language learning and teaching
 A definition of ESOL
 Terminology to refer to the learners
 Overview of ESOL delivery in the UK
 Further reading
 
2 The learners
 The learners' backgrounds
 English language and other skills
 Psychological aspects
 Tolerance and discrimination
 The culture of learning
 Further reading
 
3 The context of ESOL teaching
 The main characteristics of the ESOL class
 ESOL and literacy teaching
 The four language skills
 Further reading
 
4 Language analysis and language teaching
 Grammar
 Word order in English
 Vocabulary
 Language in context
 Further reading
 
5 The four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
 Listening
 Speaking
 Reading
 Writing
 Word, sentence, and text level
 Summary
 Further reading
 
6 Managing learning
 Language assessment
 Individual learning plans and target setting
 Planning and delivering lessons
 Meeting individual learning needs
 Using, creating, and adapting materials
 Giving formative feedback
 Working with external qualifications
 Further reading
 
7 Language support
 Defining types of provision
 Reflecting on language and course content
 Language audit
 Working out language levels on entry to and exit from the course
 Assessment and guidance
 Delivering support
 Monitoring and evaluation
 Establishing the demand for courses
 Summary
 Further reading
 
8 Reflective practice
 The attitudes and skills of the teacher
 Reflecting on classroom practice
 Summary
 Further reading
 
Glossary
 
Bibliography
 
Index

Philida Schellekens is an independent consultant,researcher and teacher trainer in the field of language learning andteaching, particularly English for migrants and refugees.