Job Discussion Forums

mapache · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 202 Location: Villahermosa

Hello Everyone,

I am curious what is the most popular English teaching system / book used for ESL in Mexico.

My favourite is Cambridge Interchange Third Edition Full Contact. This system is used in many private schools and public and private universities in Southern Mexico.
The audio program is excellent listening and conversation practice. It includes a workbook section, class activities and videos. I have used other systems but I think this one is the best. Any comments or other ideas?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Believe it or not, but You Tube is my favorite 'system', so to speak. If I had to pick an EFL series, it would be Market Leader by Longman, though the audio portion really sucks.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

At the university where I've been teaching for 10+ years, it seems that every couple of years we go through a time-to-change-the-system routine. These changes are instigated by things like changes in administration, current textbook no longer being published, someone important going to a conference and coming back with a "new and innovative" concept, or whatever. Teachers are then expected to create a new program without being given adequate time, materials, or funds to do so. The result is usually similar to recreating the wheel except that it comes out oblong at best and more often square.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

I spent an afternoon at the Londres Bookstore in Merida and spot checked their various ESL textbooks. They have a very large selection of several 100`s of books and quickly realized that the two British publishers, Cambridge and Oxford had, by far, the superior ESL materials.
I had been using the Cambridge Series, Passages and Side by Side at my previous teaching gig in Merida and am using Interchange and Passages here in Chiapas. I am pleased with both.
I had a private student who insisted on using a very bad Mexican generated textbook which consisted mostly of biographies of famous Mexicans. The book was simplistic and addressed only the needs of improving reading comprehension. The book is currently out of print, but I have seen it in used bookstores. There were numerous spelling errors.
There is also a very small pocket sized paperback that is published out of DF that likewise has 100`s of spelling errors and even outright incorrect definitions, that sells at the outdoor book sales in Merida. I use it for myself as a primer on Spanish words and was useful as my first introduction to learning Spanish, but I would not recommend it to anyone unless they were on an extremely limited budget. That book cost only 20 pesos. What you pay is what you get.

gordogringo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 159 Location: Tijuana

I tend to weave together my own material. As someone else said,they are for the most part not the best. But we often use Ingles para Latinos as a book. There are different grammatical errors in it like most but as we only have a few hours a week with each student they can take them with and practice on thier lunch breaks or in the evening with family. It is good for pronunciation as things are written phonetically below each phrase. I found it at Wal-Mart in Las Vegas a few years ago.

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

I also perfer the pick and choose method, tweeking materials to mesh better with my students personal lives, or go the Scott Thornbury no materials teaching route.

But if I had to choose one book, I'd choose New English File, from Oxford University Press. Why? It has the most through Teacher's Book I've ever seen. Reading every word of that Teacher's Book is as good as most TEFL courses in my mind. Laughing

thelmadatter · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject: textbooks

I, too, and not the biggest fan of textbooks. But Ill admit some of that has to do with the near-worship of whatever textbook we happen to be using at the moment. (Always the contrarian, I am)

I think that maybe textbooks are better for the lower levels. In the advanced levels (which I prefer) reliance on textbooks only holds students back. After all, like we discussed on another thread, the goal SHOULD be to get students to be able to use the language in the real world.

thelmadatter · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:55 pm Post subject: You Tube

hey Guy... I would like to know what/how you use YouTube. Ive found interesting stuff but suggestions for teaching would be cool.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Or the old standby...Football in the Groin on You Tube. No shortage of footage..

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=football+in+groin&search=Search

That first brings me back...a boring summer day in the Canadian woods. It's what happens when a country doesn't have baseball as a pastime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScDO0A19-_Y

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Good question...I've never found an easy answer. I do use internet in the class. Since I set it up the night before, the videos are already in cache to make it quicker...just bookmark the links or write a small webpage offline with the embedded links.

Hmm...since it's become a topic, I'll share this. For 2007, one of my pet projects is working with podcasts...to eliminate the need for internet or a laptop in the class completely and just go with an ipod.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536