Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

Need some advice.

The Training Centre manager here has plans to change the core curriculum from Headway to something more 'communicative and inspiring' as he puts it. He has asked for suggestions. Personally, I am perfectly happy with Headway and have been for some time but he is adamant about changing. He'd prefer something by Oxford or Cambridge.
Does anyone have any ideas re what texts are currently 'top of the pops' so to speak ? Alternatively, has anyone got any personal recommendations ?

Also, what do you think are the recommended current and 'communicative and inspiring' business english textbooks worth considering; starting at around intermediate and taking trainees through to upper intermediate and beyond. Does anyone have any experience with or views on International Express by Oxford, for example ?

Thanx a lot for advice or suggestions.
basil

[ntropy]

I found New Interchange to work quite well for my oil company trainees in Yemen although one of the Brit teachers thought it absolute "shite"

The students were happy with it.

[Sekhmet]

New Interchange IS good..... As well as loads of activities and listening stuff, there is so much scope for expanding...
Plus it's a good course. It lasts for loads of levels, and by the end, assuming you have used other materials, the students are pretty fluent.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

New Interchange is CRAP!

I actually cannot believe EFL guru Jack Richards wrote that series

I like American Headway series - I'm surprised you don't find it communicative - the sections in the text are a great springboard for other activities.

interesting

[moonraven]

I think all the textbook series are basically inappropriate for most of the students that we have. They reflect very much the arrogantly imperialist approach so esteemed by US and British governments. Here in Mexico the texts are particularly alienating, and I simply don't use them. I have put together programs here that basically cover skills and grammar level by level, with the indication that materials that are appropriate be used to improve reading and listening comprehension, as well as videos or excerpts that are interesting for Latin American students.

A lot of schools give lip service only to student-centered learning, as at the same time they slap down a text/multimedia series as "the program". Students really do learn better when the program is centered on them, but that means that teachers must create a meaningful dialog with their students--and not the unconscious and dismally uncreative "follow the book" approach. Students deserve better than that.

[Teacher in Rome]

For business English books, you could try Market Leader (Longman). They have a new level out for elementary students, and the other levels are pre-intermediate, intermediate and post-intermediate.

I like the series - there's a lot of good grammar and vocabulary - as well as interesting and motivating speaking and listening tasks.

[ls650]

Currently I'm teaching pre-intermediates with no text book. It seems to be working well.
I've always thought that a text book is like a crutch; it's good to lean on when you need it, but shouldn't be necessary.

[leeroy]

I feel that New Headway has sometimes been tarred with the same brush as the original (awful) Headway series. It's not that bad, and in fact I'm (technically) using it at the moment with a pre-int class.

As ls650 has described, the coursebook is really more something for me to fall back on. I imagine it's like this for quite a few of us, but it's reassuring for some students (and management!) that there is a curriculum (of sorts) being followed. We, as teachers, might feel confident in making flexible lessons "adapted to the students' needs" - others quite often do not.

I remember during my dogme phase that I abandoned all materials. Some students loved it, but some complained - it didn't feel enough like they were "really studying". They wanted to follow a book, I think it gave them a sense of progression (while we all really know that progression is not signified by how many pages of the book you've got through!).

Anyway...

Cutting Edge gets around quite a bit these days, though I'm in two minds about it. It's certainly communicative, each chapter has a fairly beefy task-based section and there are plenty of "do this with your partner" type activities.Some students find the layout quite abstract and confusing though, and beneath all of the fancy design and headings there is often not much actual content per page. Compared to some series, I think the listening tapes are (relatively) good.

Inside Out is also popular - it's a bit more down to Earth than Cutting Edge, and I find it a bit more user friendly. It's sometimes a bit dry and boring - although the resource packs are good.

Some people swear by English File , but it has always reminded me of a children's book somehow... Don't know why.

I don't know if they even sell the Reward coursebooks any more, but they were terrible.

[BethMac]

I really like the Quest series myself.

[moonraven]

I can't imagine students complaining about not having a textbook! I have been teaching Mexican students for 10 years and every time I have been in a situation where there was a textbook series in use--and I am talking about several, including a series when I was working as a director for Harmon Hall that was a Harmon Hall product--the students didn't like them. On the other hand, I have never had a complaint when I have not used a text, and students have been very content. If they complain to you when you aren't using a text I would guess it's because your lessons are not focused on the students.

[leeroy]

[Celeste]

I find that integrated skills books such as New Interchange or New Headway are okay as a rough guide to follow, but that they don't delve deeply enough into any one topic for the students to become competent using the structure or lexical set presented. I always find it necessary to supplement these kinds of books heavily with other materials or the students come away not knowing much. (I think that these books do this on purpose so that you'll buy the next book- it sort of keeps the students coming back for more as if enlightenment is just around the corner!)

[SueH]

Couple of points on the use of books: sometimes if you are sharing the teaching of a class with another teacher, especially if part-time and you don't meet often, a book can be a useful skeleton for determining who does what. Yes, I know we should all document etc, but this is the real world!

Anyway, I'm glad Leeroy that my discursive style (let's follow that white rabbit down that hole Kirwan) has a proper name.. dogme or student centred - I like that.

I've made up my own lessons of course, but in my situation am rarely able to re-use, so it makes a big overhead for prep. Students often like a book for the structure it imposes and apparent progress it records. Also in my adult classes (Italian as well) it acts as a convenient marker for the classes students have to miss.

[moonraven]

You must implement student-centered classes with lesson plans. If not, you will end up with a course in synchronized nose-picking.

In fact, now that you have given us a bit more information, I would now guess, Leeroy, that the reason students wanted to have a book during your planless phase is precisely because you had no plan and that made them feel very much like they weren't learning. Which they probably weren't....

[cimarch]

I've taught the BBC Progressive English course and found it a very useful basis, especially for students who want 'something different'. Some schools may dislike it as it covers British English, they all seem to prefer American for some reason, but it's a good book for adult learners; it doesn't insult their intelligence while being simple enough for them to understand.