English Teaching Matters has been discontinued as of January 2011
General Guidelines
Please send your contributions in e-form, preferably as a Word document and use font type Arial. Rich-text is also acceptable. Give it a title and clearly state your name and which ELTA you belong to.
Use font size 14, bold print for the heading of the contribution. Use font size 12 for everything else. Put your name and any sub-headings in bold print.
Graphics and photos should be sent as separate files - not embedded in the article. Please send them in the best quality possible, preferably via email as JPGs. You may also burn your photos onto a CD and post this to one of the editors.
Photos taken with a normal digital camera are usually suitable for printing. The pixel measurement should an absolute minimum size of 1600 x 1200, and shouldn’t take up less than 1 MB space. Larger photos can be cropped but anything smaller is not suitable for printing, for the same reason photos taken with a mobile phone are unusable.
Quick check list
(have I remembered to include):
- Name and ELTA
- Separate graphics file
- Source all quotations where possible
- Spell check
- Word count
- Send to the Editorial team when ready:
- Early contributions are welcome but check the website for deadlines.
Feature articles
- 1000 - 1500 words
- Photos or graphics are usually necessary to visually break up a long text. If you don't have any relevant photos or graphics, please send a photo of yourself with a short biography. You can also send this in addition to accompanying photos or graphics.
Teaching Materials
- 500 - 1000 words
- Please provide a clear title, to include contributor's name and ELTA. If you send a game, please send instructions as to how to use it. Please state which level the materials are aimed at.
Event reviews
- 500 - 1000 words
- The heading should contain: the name of the workshop, the date and where it took place, the event reviewer's name, and which ELTA you belong to.
Here is an example of how it should look:
A Hot Time in Kirchheim 14 bold
Reviewed by Tanya Newman (ELTAS) 12 name old
A Workshop on One-to-One Language Coaching 12 bold
7 – 9 June 2007, Volkshochschule Business Centre, Kirchheim 12
Photos are very much appreciated. Check with other people who attended if you didn't manage to take any – someone may well have taken some photos.
Book reviews
- Approximately 500 words
- The heading should contain: the title of the book, what the set consists of (e.g. course book, CD-ROM etc.), the name of the book's author, the name of the publisher, the German ISBN, the shop price, the reviewer's name and which ELTA they belong to. Here are some ideas for things which you might like to comment on. By highlighting these features, you give readers a good impression and overview of the product under review. You do not need to include them all!
The layout:
- Is there an easy to follow guide to the units or chapters?
- What is the page layout like? What is the effect on the reader?
- What are the pictures like?
- Is there an answer key/a tapescript/English-German vocabulary list?
The content:
- What kind of learners is it aimed at?
- How appealing are the texts (to the target learner)?
- Even if you do not receive other resources from the package, outline what these are (CD/DVD-ROM, online materials, workbook). If you do get the material, how well do these complement the course book (e.g. recycling, extra practice, …)?
- How authentic (sounding) are the listening texts? Are students exposed to a wide variety of speakers/accents?
Try to write a balanced book review. If you don't like something, say why this is. If there's something you particularly like, give an example.
If the books have been sent to you via one of the ETM editors, they should have already scanned the cover. If you have the book from another source, please attach a high quality scan as a separate document.
Website recommendations
- Approximately 300 to 400 words
- Give the website address and a brief description and acknowledgment. Say if it’s free. The website should be useful for English Language Teaching, not just for fun although it may well be both!
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