The Language Teaching Matrix by Jack C. Richards

The Language Teaching Matrix was a required text for the methodology component of my masters course in education that I took in 1994. It is scholarly, thorough, easy to read, and a worthy choice for any TESOL graduate program, but I'll have to admit that I didn't really enjoy using it. In Nunan's Second Language Teaching and Learning, which was published in 1999, we get to meet real students and hear humorous and occasionally humbling anecdotes. The Language Matrix, however, only talks of "the teacher" and "the learner", and the materials that Richards develops and uses are invariably generic and lifeless to be beyond belief. But then again, if you are one of the world's most successful EFL textbook writers, why change anything? Buy this book only if you love Jack Richards' textbooks and want to emulate his undeniable professionalism. Otherwise, go for Nunan's SLTL, which I think is far more useful and interesting to read.

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