Job Discussion Forums

[carnac]

Arrrgh!!
I will add my opinions later. I want to hear from you first.
Like Headway? (See? I'm being kind. Put "like" first). Why?
Hate it? Why?
Don't care because you don't use it, or aren't forced to use it?
If like or hate, please write why.
Gathering ammunition.

[leeroy]

It's boring as hell

[moonraven]

I suppose this thread was in response to my saying that at the mere mention of Headway a molotov cocktail appeared in my right hand....

Leeroy's reason is good enough for me--if it's boring and doesn't engage students and teacher, it's a negative tool.

[some waygug-in]

Intercahange is boring as hell too as are most of those EFL "all in One" coursebooks. I like to use reading textbooks and avoid the standard EFL books all together.

Not to denegrate the books though, when it comes to chosing a book, no book or series is going to be perfect. Each will have its own strengths and weaknesses. There is something to be said for having a coursebook though. After trying to work with none, I would rather use a coursebook than not, and just bring a lot of extra material to spice it up a bit.

Headway seems way too focused on grammar, especially at the lower levels. But then again, that may be good for certain types of students.


I've had better luck just picking and choosing from different books, some things in Headway are OK, some things are awful.

[spidey]

Headway...Interchange...etc...etc...they are all the same. You will always get different opinions on any given text.
IMHO...it's not the text which is boring or not, it's usually the teacher. A text is a text is a text. It's what you do with it that makes the difference. Currently I am using American Headway Starter with a group of beginner adults. I have to say that the class is a lot of fun and the students a really having a good time. And that's with classes that are basically centered around the text. Of course, we do other activities from time to time but with such a low level class I am more prone to sticking with lessons provided through the text. I figure the people that compiled the book have a lot more experience than I, besides, who am I to question it.
Class atmosphere, teacher/student rapport and experience far outweigh the contents of any text.

[moonraven]

I haven�t used a textbook series in years, mainly because there is none which speaks to the Latin American experience.

I have found that students prefer the more natural approach of not having a textbook�and in my classes they produce most of the material.

[spidey]

[moonraven]

Undoubtedly it's based on negative experiences.

As a teacher who believes in student centered classes, I am not there to do de-conditioning in regard to textbook series phobias. Since their past negative experiences and mine are congruent, I am 100% comfortable not using textbooks.

[distiller]

Unfortunately, the decision on which text book to use is not always in the hands of the teachers but often times the result of administrative decisions or other circumstances. I taught in Eastern Europe a few years ago and the school did not have enough money to buy post-soviet books for all the students yet insisted on using text books. There were some great stories in soviet books about capitalist slums and how some black kids go to the fair but they are not let in. And these were books from the 80s! In addition there was no money for photocopying either, although there was one photocopier. So you end up using some text books and then getting very creative with your limited resources. I feel that when teachers work strictly from a text book, however, they are more likely to just follow the plans and not cater the plan to the kids. Until you get a good curriculum and accompanying materials set up it is more difficult and thus not the first choice of many teachers.

[spidey]

Agreed.

However...I feel that if a teacher uses a textbook 0% of the time, then the students are missing out on a very important part of their learning experience. And also, the teacher is not taking advantage of a vital resource.

S

[distiller]

Yes, I think that to be honest we are not just teaching a language but a culture as well, especially if your students are looking to use their language skills abroad. Depending on the access you have to materials, a text book may be one of the few ways you have of presenting semi-authentic western materials, like travel brochures, reports, fairy tales, etc. I know that when I had no access to the internet or a copier that the textbook was a good source of material around which to formulate my own lessons.

[dyak]

A�, i quite like it... i'm clearly alone in this. I actually insisted it be the course book once, though the alternatives were Cutting Edge (Nooooo!) or English File (Nooo!). Headway does pile on the grammar at lower levels but i think it's done in an intelligent way, and you don't have to do it from cover to cover. But IMHO Inside Out is much better.

I agree it's down to the teacher at the end of the day, i've seen someone do wonderful things with the evil that is, 'English File 2'.

[basiltherat]

I think Headway is about as good as it can get at this time. I think that is reflected in the number of institutes that adopt it (especially here in Syria) the number of students/trainees who enjoy learning from it and, dare I say it, the number of instructors who are impressed by it. Personally, I have had great success with it ..... without having to supplement it with photocopied pages of Grammar In Use and the like and .... that's a great thing.
regards
basil

[moonraven]

Spidey wrote:

"I feel that if a teacher uses a textbook 0% of the time, then the students are missing out on a very important part of their learning experience. And also, the teacher is not taking advantage of a vital resource"

I see--you don't believe that teachers are capable of presenting other material that is better than the mush of the textbooks.

Maybe some aren't. This teacher is. And has successfully done so for many years.

[basiltherat]