Lessons from Nothing: Activities for Language Teaching with Limited Time and Resources

by Bruce Marsland

Book Overview

This book is an invaluable resource for busy teachers everywhere who are looking for easy-to-use activities that do not require extensive facilities or preparation. It is a practical source of around 70 language teaching activities that encourage interaction and co-operation in the classroom. The activities included are suitable for immediate use and can be used with learners of all ages and levels. The activities are presented clearly and do not...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521627656
• ISBN13: 9780521627658
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Great filler activities.

When I first got the book, I was surprised by how thin and small it was. But it is full of activities that you can pull off at a moments notice. Not really appropriate for small children but great for older ones and adults.

Very handy book

I've used a couple of ideas from this book. It is very easy to use. The table of contents is very detailed. I like how the book is organized. He gives you activities to do with absolutely NO supplies all the way up to using a chalkboard and pen and paper with your students. Honestly I probably will not end up using MOST of the ideas in the book, but it does get me thinking and helps spark other ideas. Good price and good book. Would recommend for anyone needing ideas for activities to use with limited supplies. All ages appropriate.

Student-friendly and easy to implement

I find this book to be very useful as a resource full of suggestions for "starter" and/or "transitional" activities for the active ESL teacher who is looking for ways to bring variety and action to the ESL classroom. I've found many of the activities easy to implement and very student- friendly.

Fantastic resource for inspiration

I'm an English teacher in China, doing both classroom and private small-group teaching. Language learning definitely requires more than the "chalk and talk" approach that Mr. Marsland warns against, and his book is a great resource for avoiding such a bland style of teaching. Language learning should be engaging, and this book offers good inspiration for making it so. I have to cope with very unsatisfactory teaching materials oriented towards memorization and drills -- not good for achieving fluency. Also, I'm frequently asked to teach last-minute classes with little or no time to prepare. Resources are frequently limited to little more than a chalkboard, if that. It's easy to become frantic and stuck in a pattern of "Oh God, how do I fill this 90 minutes of class time? What do I do?!" Many thanks to Mr. Marsland for giving this concise, well-organized and thoughtful book. It's like a splash of cold water in my face when I make my own job more complicated than it has to be. /Lessons From Nothing/ is a nice reminder that you can easily turn "nothing" into "something" if you make it engaging and interactive.

Must Have No Matter Where You Are

This is a small compact book that has tons of activities that you can use with absolutely no resources. In many LDN nations there will be no resources at all. At times, not even a chalkboard. This book can however, be used anywhere, because it focuses on Communicative methodology and student-centered activities which allows for better development of L2 acquisition. No matter where you are teaching in the world, if your teaching TEFL/TESOL it should be on your shelf.