The Best TEFL Books For TEFL Teachers

As English teachers, we always tell our students: one of the best ways to learn English is by reading it. Amiright? And guess what? The same goes for us English teachers: one of the best ways to learn about teaching English is by reading about it!

So let’s get to it. Let’s look at a few of the best TEFL books for the TEFL teacher. Plus, we asked TTA teacher trainer Yasmien to give us her thoughts on her faves.

The best TEFL books for the wannabe TEFL teacher

New to teaching English as a foreign language? Not sure if doing a TEFL course is the right choice for you? Reading a few books will introduce you to the realities of the field. 

Besides, a bit of reading before your TEFL course is never a bad idea.

For the soon-to-be TEFL teachers, these books will help you find your feet in the TEFL classroom.

Read more: Is TEFL Hard To Pass & Is It Worth It?

How Languages Are Learned

by Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada

This book is both interesting and informative. It provides information on language acquisition theory while also relating it to learning in the classroom and teaching techniques. It’s a practical guide but it’ll give you a glimpse into the realities of teaching English as a foreign language.

Mother Tongue

by Bill Bryson

An excellent book for those who want an easy read. It’s an introduction to the English language and all its idiosyncracies, written with such humour you’ll be laughing out loud while you read.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

by Lynne Truss

A page-turner for anyone with an interest in the English language. With chapters on apostrophes, commas, colons and semi-colons, among other punctuation marks, you might be surprised to know this book was an international bestseller – but it’s that good.

The best TEFL books for the TEFL trainee

 Teaching Practice: A Handbook for Teachers in Training

Roger Gower, Diane Phillips, and Steve Walters

This handbook is for ESL teacher trainees who would like to prepare for their teacher practice. If you are learning on the job, this is a great handbook to keep by your side. After each chapter, there are some handy tasks to utilise during your in-class practice, including planning and teaching lessons, handling observations, and reflecting on practice. 

This book really helped me understand what teacher practice entailed before I started my teacher training workshop. It showed me why teaching practice is necessary, dos and don’ts for the course, and gave me tips for how to engage with students. – Yasmien

Teach English as a Foreign Language: Teach Yourself

David Riddell

This handbook serves as a practical, yet simple guide for new TEFL teachers who teach adults. It provides basic instructions, examples, and suggestions on how to plan a lesson, how to teach different skills and provides different ways to teach grammar. 

Reading this book helped me experiment with different approaches to teaching grammar in my online adult classes. I find that my students respond better when I use the “situational presentations” technique when learning grammar, as it shows grammar in context, which really helps them understand the meaning and not just the grammar form. – Yasmien

Read more: How To Teach English To Adults

The best TEFL books for the newbie TEFL teacher

As a newbie TEFL teacher, you’re probably looking for some tips and tricks to help you in the classroom. Or maybe you want to explore teaching methodologies or theories of learning and build on your new knowledge.

Here are a few good TEFL books to help you get started teaching until you get the hang of it.

Oxford English Grammar Course

You may have heard of a very popular grammar reference book called English Grammar in Use. While we still believe that’s a great reference grammar book, the Oxford English Grammar Course is a newer book. With clear, simple grammar explanations it helps you understand even the most complex grammar point. What’s more, the explanations are suitable for you to use with your students.

Classroom Management Techniques

Jim Scrivener

A thought-provoking book that helps build teacher confidence. Focusing on classroom management, new teachers can learn ways to interact with students authentically, hone their personal teaching style through reflective questions, and use examples and activities in the classroom right away. You will find fresh ideas on how to handle varied class sizes, groups, and individual learners.

This book really changed my perspective on my teaching style and how to engage with my students. Through the reflective questions, I came to realise that I didn’t need to put on a teacher persona, but rather to be myself and be present. – Yasmien

Learning Teaching

by Jim Scrivener

This book is a great tool for teachers who want to refresh themselves on the content of their TEFL course and who would like to hone their skills further. A very readable book with notes on methodology as well as teaching ideas and lesson activities.

101 activities and resources for Teaching English Online 

Jackie Bolen

A recipe-style book for online ESL teachers that includes a variety of activities that are quick and easy to prepare for virtual classroom teaching. Resources mentioned are great for adding to your online teaching toolkit.

The How to Teach series

by Jeremy Harmer, Scott Thornbury and others

From How to Teach English to How to Teach Grammar to How to Teach for Exams to How to Teach English with Technology, this is an awesome series which covers every aspect of teaching English as a Foreign Language. Each book is simply written and easily readable and provides all the information you need for each component.

This book [How to Teach English] was a lifesaver when I first started out teaching Young Learners in South Korea. I found that applying the technique of asking students to put name cards on their desks and making notes about them on my class register was highly effective in learning about them and building rapport. – Yasmien

The best TEFL books for the experienced TEFL teacher

Now that you have a bit of experience under your belt, you should be thinking about upskilling yourself even further. It’s not possible to cover every concept of TEFL during the TEFL course. And the field of TEFL and our understanding of teaching and learning is expanding all the time.

Mother Tongue: The Story of the English Language

by Bill Bryson

History buffs look no further. This entertaining and humorous look at the fascinating history of the English language will give you greater insight into the language we teach. 

Teaching Unplugged

by Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury

Once you’ve spent some time in the classroom you should be brave enough to branch out and try a few new teaching methods.

Teaching Unplugged gives you a ton of activities you can use in your classroom.  It outlines how teachers can teach without using lesson plans, coursebooks, or prepared materials. It shows teachers how to embrace spontaneous teaching and learning, which is guided by students and not the teacher. The difference is, these activities don’t use materials of any kind. It might be a scary thought but it can truly make magic happen in the classroom.

The Dogme approach was especially useful when teaching English Summer and Winter Camps. It allowed me to be creative and let my students explore their agency in the classroom. – Yasmien

Read more: What Is Teaching Unplugged And How Do I Do It?

Developments in ESP: A multi-disciplinary approach

Dudley-Evans, T., & Saint John, M.-J

Covering the history, theory, and practice of English for Specific Purposes, this book explains the key elements of teaching ESP. ESL teachers will find guidance and examples on how to conduct needs analyses, create their own courses, and connect language teaching with various occupational and academic contexts. 

Read more: What Is English For Specific Purposes & How Do I Teach It?

How to Teach Business English

Evan Frendo

For those who want an intro to teaching Business English, this is a very handy, practical guide. It shows you how to curate relevant lesson courses and content, and conduct needs analyses specifically for corporate clients. It’s filled with activities to use in your own lesson, plus real case studies that show how the ideas in the book can work in your own class.

How ELT Publishing Works

By Janet Aitchison

After you’ve been teaching for a while, you might find yourself coming up with your own ideas for lesson plans and teaching materials. This is where this book comes in. How ELT Publishing Works is an ebook from the ELT Teacher 2 Writer series. The book provides an overview of the publishing process in the ELT field and offers tips on both writing, development and publishing.

The Resilient Educator: Empowering Teachers to Overcome Burnout and Redefine Success

Jaclyn Reuter

An inspirational account of a teacher having experienced burnout and her journey back to loving teaching. It’s an inspirational read with some guidance on how teachers can get back their mojo.

Bonus section: Must-have reference books for every TEFL teacher

Grammar Games and Activities

Peter Watcyn-Jones

This book is filled with grammar activities and games that you can adapt to any class level and use right away. Games, activities, and puzzles are fun and interactive for students to enjoy instead of just doing drills. 

Vocabulary (2nd Edition) — Resource Books for Teachers

John Morgan & Mario Rinvolucri

Packed with vocabulary activities that go beyond simple gap fills, this book also includes second language activities to spice things up when teaching vocabulary. Instructions are clear and provide guidance on how to implement each activity. There is a website where teachers have access to downloadable content as well. 

This book is a great tool to make vocabulary learning less one-dimensional. My students found that learning phrases, idioms, and collocations could actually be quite fun. – Yasmien

A-Z of ELT

Scott Thornbury

The ultimate ESL encyclopedia is an essential reference book for teachers of all levels. A-Z of ELT covers literally everything ESL related, such as methodologies, grammar, classroom practice, terminology, and phonology – to name a few. It’s not just definitions, either. Each concept explains the theory behind it, paired with real classroom strategies.

This book never gathers dust. I have used it throughout my ESL teaching career! In times where I have been unsure of a concept, I have always quickly flipped to the term and found a clear explanation and understanding. – Yasmien

There you have it. Just a few ideas of the best TEFL books to keep you entertained and informed, no matter where you are on your TEFL journey. 

Interested in teaching English as a foreign language? We can help! Sign up today for one of our TEFL courses and get started on your TEFL journey.

Author Bio

Written by

Kirsten Colquhoun

Kirsten Colquhoun is the Content Manager for The TEFL Academy. A graduate of Cambridge University and DELTA-qualified, she first started teaching kindergarten in Thailand in 2003. A South African, she has also taught in China, the UK, Spain, Qatar and South Africa, but these days she is a teacher trainer and freelance writer and editor. Read Kirsten Colquhoun's story →