- Sarah Mercer and Herbert Puchta’s 101 Psychological Tips
- Cambridge Handbook for Language Teachers
- Cambridge University Press, 2023
- ISBN: 978-1-00-934370-1
This title is number fourteen in the growing series of easy-to-read pocket editions from CUP, all written by ELT heavyweights such as Alan Maley, Penny Ur and Jeremy Harmer.
Sarah Mercer and Herbert Puchta also require little introduction; each are widely published
in both ELT and the psychology of learning. They have joined forces here to draw on current research and theory of psychology to provide practical tips to enable small changes in approach that should lead to positive outcomes both within and beyond the language classroom.
The tips revolve around three areas of influence: the language teacher’s own personal psychology, that of their learners, and that of their group as a whole. In order to be included, the authors applied two key criteria to each tip: they had to be relatively small and quickly applied, and there had to be concrete evidence in the research to indicate
previous beneficial outcomes of each.
As with all others in the series, this title is relatively short; each of the tips is covered concisely on a single page and a few references are provided for the interested reader to pursue. The authors state that the tips may be read in any order, but recommend covering Section A first; without the teacher’s head being in a healthy place, much less learning is likely to occur.
The book is organised around a core of six areas of the psychology of language learning
and teaching.
Section A presents 21 tips for the development of teacher wellbeing, an area the authors feel is ‘a crucial but often overlooked component of good practice’ (pages ix to x) as the teacher’s emotional state tends to impact on the whole classroom dynamic.
Tips here include focusing on strengths, being a good colleague, planning one’s own professional development and recognising the signs of burnout. The section ends with the suggestion to compile a personal wellbeing checklist based on the tips found most useful thus far; for example, do a random act of kindness once a week.
Section B focuses on ways the teacher can lead a group of learners with compassion,
authority and skill.
As it covers classroom management techniques and interpersonal skills, it would be of particular benefit to teachers new to the profession. Tip 25 is one to keep in mind at all times; this is devoted to ‘micromessages’, or the verbal or non-verbal acts of communication the teacher engages in, such as a single word or gesture that may affect the socio-emotional climate of the group.
The importance of positive micromessages cannot be overstated.
Section C deals with the socio-emotional climate within the classroom in greater depth, along with the diversity of group dynamics.
Tip 47 concerns regularly taking the temperature of the group by asking learners to respond anonymously to questions such as ‘How comfortable do you feel in the group?’ and ‘Which aspect of classroom life would you like to change?’
The remaining three sections focus solely on the learner. Section D introduces fourteen
tips to encourage learner engagement, such as introducing tasks that require prediction, regularly using stories, extending the wait time for learners to respond to questions, and
using cold-calling with care—i.e. encouraging the less boisterous to answer.
Tips for improving learner self-esteem in Section E include using peer feedback, and
getting learners to embrace mistakes. For school teachers, one other that appealed to me was contacting parents or caregivers with good news and praise about the children they
deal with.
The psychological tips in the final section on empowering learners includes two that can never be overestimated: encouraging students to keep a portfolio so they can reflect and detect progress, and—when possible—embracing all learners’ languages by introducing translanguaging.
