Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

How many contact hours do you feel comfortable with in covering a unit of study in the New Headway series. I realize that there are several variables such as class size, trainee ability, nationality of trainees and the such. Also it will clearly depend on the particular book (Foundation needing fewer contact hours, I find, while the Upper Intermediate seems to need more).
Do you think the following sounds reasonable:

Class size: 15-20
Class ability : appropriate for the level
Average Contact hours per unit: Foundation/Elementary = 8 to 10 hours
Pre-Int/Intermediate = 10-12 hours
Upper-Intermediate = 12

These hours would include any additional material supplied where required and WB but not video stuff.

I think the authors' predictions are a little unfair.

Any views ?
Thnx
Basil

[Stephen Jones]

If you're teaching Arab students add at least 50% on to the hours you would use to teach Spanish, Italian or French students.

I would reckon around 200 hours a book.

[Deconstructor]

I suggest avoiding that retarded text at any cost. Though I think this is true for most ESL/EFL texts.

I create my own material: Great reading and listening stuff. I sometimes even record my own voice reading Poe's short strories and others.

[carnac]

Teaching adult Arab students, we allow about 5 hours a day, five days a week per Headway unit in a normal schedule, which permits thorough coverage of the unit plus time for teacher-produced extra materials. Then one week review before three-day exam for every five units. (cumulative)The rationale is that it is necessary to allow TIME for lessons to be assimilated. Not just wham, bam, present perfect.
Recently was forced into a two-units per week accelerated schedule for one particular class of older students, which produced a fifty-percent failure rate. Am having on-going "discussions" (read: kicking and screaming) with administration, point being that producing English speakers is not the same as producing Toyotas. Sigh. And that student personal prestige or family connections is not predictive of language ability.
(Decon, I agree, but there are NO good EFL texts I have seen -all the most readily available are ESL oriented. I have written about this elsewhere.)
Headway is far, far, far from ideal but gives a framework upon which to build. Or in the vernacular, it's "better'n nuthin!"

[Deconstructor]

[dyak]

[Deconstructor]

[basiltherat]

Decon
I can really appreciate wat you say about coursebooks and creating one's own material for your lessons. The problem in many cases is the restrictions placed upon us by our employers who demand that we use a particular coursebook and cover most if not all of the stuff included in it.
Out of choice, i think most of us would prefer to do as you do. Such lessons are especially possible if one is conducting either high level groups or 'conversation' or 'discussion' groups. However, to ignore grammatical points at lower levels, i feel, would be doing trainees a great diservice. I mean, how would they be able to use correct grammar if they dont even know (or cant suss out that) it exists and how/when it is used. I am curious to know how you deal with lower level e.g. foundation level groups. Do you also create your own stuff and base it 90% on trainee talk/work ?
Also, how are your students/trainees tested ? Are there grammar based tasks to complete, for example ?
regards
basil

ps btw, I am no grammar buff. In fact i probably despise dealing with it more than you do

[Stephen Jones]

If we're talking post First Certificate level Decon's method is fine. The closer you get to Profiiciency the more you should approximate to first language teaching methods. In all fairness to textbook writers if you are looking for genuine though provoking texts the advanced versions of "Headway" "Streamline" and many other books do a pretty good job of providing them.

Lower down wriiting your own textbook is fraught with problems. If it was that easy then Decon, or Moonraven or the others who claim never to use EFL textbooks could simply publish theirs and live in luxury. You will certainly be facing reasonable opposition from management who will need to have an integrated set of materials from beginner to intermediate, including video and audio material. When your class goes up to the next level there will need to be material that builds on the material you have already brought in.

[basiltherat]

[Deconstructor]

First of all, I could publish my own material if I weren't so damn lazy.

Secondly, the method I described can be adjusted for every level. I am presently teaching a level 1 class. They have very little language. I have this book called amazing Stories where each one is about 50 to 100 words with simple language.

Methodology:
1. The class is divided in half. Ss in a group of 3 or 4 read only the questions; underline important words, and understand the questions.
2.Ss predict some of the questions.
All this gives them a background to work with the text.
3. Each group is given one story. In each group S1 reads Q1 and everyone looks for the answers. The student who finds the answer, tells everyone else. If they agree, they write the answer down and go to Q2.
4. Once the questions are answered, Ss are paired and using their questions and answers only tell back the story to each other.
5.Once they are fluent enough, they're paired with a student from the other group as they tell their stories to each other.
6.Homework: Ss use their notes to write the story using the vocab from the text as well as their own.

Thus, I can keep students talking 95% of the time. They're constantly nagotiating, talking, participating in authentic language.

This methodology can be done with listening as well as video materials.

NOTE:Grammar is not forgotten. At the end of the activity, Ss can read again and discuss (for example) the simple past and how it's used. There are other ways also, but I can't go into it now because my class is about to start. I'll elaborate later.

Pardon the spelling errors if any. I had to do this really fast.

[basiltherat]

Decon
You asppear to be a shining path for us all - assuming you've had endless success stories with your style - maybe one day we'll all be able to do our own thing without restrictions from employers.
good luck
basil

[Deconstructor]

[31]

SSS

[Deconstructor]

MOD EDIT

My experience with Arab students has been mostly positive. They are an oral culture and pick up English extremely fast, at least the ones I've dealt with.