This book is largely about the practice of teacher awareness with regard to the teacher’s own actions, reasons behind them, and the results they produce in learners. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching focuses on what, we as teachers do what we do in the classroom, and why we do it. The author has questioned discrepancies between teaching goals and aspirations, and their end results. These discrepancies can mostly be accounted for by the methods employed by teachers, in that, while the theories may be sound and intact, the practices do not in fact illicit desired responses from students.

Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching is divided into twelve chapters, most of which illustrate various teaching methods by recreating classroom lessons. In doing so, the book provides a form of observation that will allow readers to reflect on the methods employed, how successful they were and why. There are several fascinating chapters in the book that will compliment selections from the Teaching Knowledge Test course book, particularly Module 1. The chapter in Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching called “Desuggestopedia” would be an interesting supplement for Unit 9 on motivation in the TKT book. Additionally, the chapters on “The Direct Method” and “The Audio-Lingual Method” should be considered in conjunction with Unit 12, on the differences between first language and second language learning.