PhD, Cambridge English Teacher/Trainer
Cambridge International Examinations, EAP/ESP (aviation, business, legal & medical English Refresher Courses' Design, Teaching and Testing
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
A Harvard Business Review Special
by Frederick Herzberg
When Frederick Herzberg researched the
sources of employee motivation during the 1950s and 1960s, he discovered
a dichotomy that stills intrigues (and baffles) managers: The things
that make people satisfied and motivated on the job are different in
kind from the things that make them dissatisfied.
Ask workers what makes them unhappy at work, and you’ll hear about an annoying boss, a low salary, an uncomfortable work space, or stupid rules. Managed badly, environmental factors make people miserable, and they can certainly be demotivating. But even if managed brilliantly, they don’t motivate anybody to work much harder or smarter. People are motivated, instead, by interesting work, challenge, and increasing responsibility. These intrinsic factors answer people’s deep-seated need for growth and achievement.
Herzberg’s work influenced a generation of scholars and managers—but his conclusions don’t seem to have fully penetrated the American workplace, if the extraordinary attention still paid to compensation and incentive packages is any indication.
Ask workers what makes them unhappy at work, and you’ll hear about an annoying boss, a low salary, an uncomfortable work space, or stupid rules. Managed badly, environmental factors make people miserable, and they can certainly be demotivating. But even if managed brilliantly, they don’t motivate anybody to work much harder or smarter. People are motivated, instead, by interesting work, challenge, and increasing responsibility. These intrinsic factors answer people’s deep-seated need for growth and achievement.
Herzberg’s work influenced a generation of scholars and managers—but his conclusions don’t seem to have fully penetrated the American workplace, if the extraordinary attention still paid to compensation and incentive packages is any indication.
How many articles, books, speeches, and workshops have pleaded plaintively, “How do I get an employee to do what I want?”
The
psychology of motivation is tremendously complex, and what has been
unraveled with any degree of assurance is small indeed. But the dismal
ratio of knowledge to speculation has not dampened the enthusiasm for
new forms of snake oil that are constantly coming on the market, many of
them with academic testimonials. Doubtless this article will have no
depressing impact on the market for snake oil, but since the ideas
expressed in it have been tested in many corporations and other
organizations, it will help—I hope—to redress the imbalance in the
aforementioned ratio.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Friday, 18 May 2012
Pronunciation tips from bbclearningenglish.com
Alex has an undergraduate degree in Arabic and Turkish. She followed this with an MA in (Theoretical) Linguistics at University College London (UCL) and a PhD in Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) where she focused on Arabic phonology and phonetics.
She's also a CELTA-qualified English language teacher and spent a few years teaching English as a Foreign Language. At the time these videos were made in early 2008 Alex was lecturing part-time in the Linguistics Department at SOAS and was working as a Pronunciation Linguist in the BBC's Pronunciation Unit.
The videos were shot by J-P Newman and many thanks to Matt Cleghorn for his enormous contribution to their editing.
Thanks also to Professor J C Wells for his insights.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
On-line English Dictionaries
A couple of... Key ELT Resources:
The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English: Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
With clear definitions and useful study extras, this monolingual dictionary can help you on your way to becoming a confident, natural-sounding English speaker.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary is the best dictionary for general British English on Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Select "British English" from the list of dictionaries at the top of any page on Cambridge Dictionaries Online to search this dictionary.
Key Features
Understand the meaning
Clear, simple and accurate definitions using easy-to-understand language: check the definition for polyhedron. More advanced meanings are given for more common words: check all the meanings for nut.Find the meaning
Use the guidewords to identify the meaning that you are looking for. Look at the More Results panel next to the entry for hand.Learn how to use the word
Thousands of natural example sentences that show how the word is used in context: The entry for the verb protest shows that it is used with the preposition against.British English and American Pronunciation
Hear the words spoken online with thousands of recordings: Try listening to the two different pronunciations for the word sanctuary.Also available as a book
Get the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary from Cambridge ELT- 'Word partner' boxes show you how to use words in the most natural way.
- 'Extra help' section includes maps, illustrations and photos.
- 'Let's Talk' section focuses specifically on spoken English.
- 'Common mistakes' boxes help you avoid typical errors.
- Thesaurus panels help you widen your vocabulary.
Other dictionaries
- The Cambridge Essential Dictionary is suitable for elementary learners.
- The Cambridge Learner's Dictionary is suitable for intermediate learners.
- Intermediate and upper-intermediate students of American English may prefer to use the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary.
- The Cambridge Business English Dictionary contains definitions and examples of business terms.
Friday, 4 May 2012
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Sunday, 8 April 2012
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