Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

I've been asked to suggest new textbooks for next year. After working with grammar based books like Landmark, Headway and seeing that the trend is moving away from grammar, I'd like to know if anyone has experience with good non-grammar based books.

I've heard about COBUILD and Cutting Edge, but don't know much about these. Anyone have info about these or other good textbooks?

[spiral78]

There are few task-based textbooks on the market - if any. I work with TBL pretty extensively and it has always (so far) required extensive curriculum development in-house - largely a plus, in my view.

BUT I'll be happy to hear from anyone on the forum who has experience working with mass-produced TBL materials. It would be very relevant into....as I'm currently slamming out curriculum and would be VERY happy not to be reinventing the wheel. Again.

But I can quote Rod Ellis's recent book on TBLT to say that there are few, if any, developed courses...I hope he's wrong, but Rod's a smart, up-to-date guy, so far as I know...

And TBL in my experience (6 years of working almost exclusively with the approach in university settings and projects) really requires extensive customizing to the specific learning/teaching context to work well...

COBUILD is developed at the U. Birmingham, where I did my MA. They've got a good rep in terms of being up to date on SLA research findings.

Anyway, so far as research shows, 'moving away' from grammar based syllabuses essentially reflects the past 25 years of research - not that there is no place for grammar teaching in TEFL/TESL - there is a strong case for this, just that it's not the best basis for course design in terms of achieving learning.

[naturegirl321]

Right, which is strange. DOS also say that we shouldn't base everythign on grammar, a bit difficult when the textbook is based on that.

I really wish I had the luxury of spending lots of time planning lessons, but I have too many different classes, so I need a book with everything it in and then I could tweak it a bit for my students.

[spiral78]

I haven't spent the last six years planning lessons, but courses... a very different animal. For example, after a one-month period of course development last summer, we piloted new curriculum for one of our levels last fall in two consecutive semesters, tweaked it a bit, and sent it off to work for us for a few years.


Wouldn't your DOS possibly consider paying someone to do some curriculum design? Then, you could write and pilot courses based on something other than grammar (tasks, functions, whatever). This is a very useful kind of team task - tough and dull to do in a vacuum, as I am this summer. But very rewarding done in team mode, and when you can evaluate it through piloting stages, and then watch it work for a while...

No curriculum lasts forever, but one specially designed for a set of target learners can last a while, especially if it's set up to be adaptable given changing circumstances/needs.

[naturegirl321]

I don't know if she'd pay someone. It'd be easier to get a text book.

Any feedback on Streamline or English File?

[spiral78]

Sure, it's always easier to use someone else's work.

[coffeedrinker]

I've worked mainly with Cutting Edge and Headway, so my comparisons don't take that much into account, but I like Cutting Edge. One school used Headway up to pre-int and then Cutting Edge, which came to be the standard by which I judged other things (I liked the lower level H's and upper level CE's). I've used Cutting Edge on a tight schedule and like it well enough...there are fairly engaging texts and okay tasks. (I'm a celta+ experience, don't expect too much high level analysis from me!) The teacher's book has a lot more extra activities than Headway.

I used another Longman book for a few months...Focus on Grammar...and found it awful. All based on grammar (obviously) and very contrived contexts. I've used a few different Advanced level books like Advanced Matters - heavy on grammar - and Inside Out - very little grammar and kind of obscure points.

I haven't used English File the textbook, but have heard good things about it and have used lower level supplementary material from it a couple of times.

[johnnyappleseed]

The New English File books are excellent. They are very easy to work from, very communicative and fresh and they allow space to bring in activity, of any kind, in when necessary. There are photocopiable activities in the back of the TB a la cutting Edge.

I use the Cutting Edge TB activities fairly often. At one time, I was teaching "non-book conversation classes" and basing my lessons off many of those activities. I have no experience with the text books proper though.

I've worked a lot with Headway. It's okay, up to a certain level, but the English File books are much fresher.

[naturegirl321]

[coffeedrinker]

You know, I don't remember it well. I kind of use Cutting Edge as a reference point, and Inside Out was not "as" task based as it...but somewhat similar. It wasn't just "here's the point, here are the rules, practice it" - it had tasks though nothing is that memorable that I can think of it now.

What I do recall - and I did only work with the Advanced book - is that it was all very connected. The grammar was connected to the text or listening, which is generally a good thing, but I remember thinking that everything was somewhat dependent on the last activity.

It made it very hard to skip anything and still use the book. The grammar points were ones that my students at least found trivial for how much they are used, but still time-consuming somehow to learn/practice...never have I seen such a blah blah inversion, order of multiple adjectives, the placement and meaning of "just". I don't think it was useless, but a lot of students expect something meatier if that makes sense. Narrative tenses once again, past modals, conditionals verb patterns - more common things.

That said, I remember a few texts and they were fairly interesting. One had excerpts from Lonely Planet (complete with all the bizarre words they use) and students had to guess the city. There was something about culture and how often people interrupt each other.

I think MacMillan is the publisher? Is that the same as Market Leader and onestopenglish?

okay, after reading what I wrote, I guess I do remember a fair amount. Probably the tasks were like - read this restaurant review and then write your own...

[spiral78]

So, I see why most of you don't want to take the time to write your own courses...

"..they are very connected...uh, the tasks built on the ones before them...uh...you had to use them all or it didn't make sense....uh...."

The little bit of actual information I can extract from this indicates that the recycling nature of task-based courses at least made an impression on a teacher without clues, in that - yeah, learning focuses are recycled. That does kinda reflect how real L2 learning happens.

[spiral78]

Speaking as an L2 learner, rather than a teacher with quals., I mean.

[spiral78]

and vice versa.

Ok, now they'll lock the thread because I've been mean. I don't care - considerations of approaches to learning/teaching are RELEVANT, whether they fit in with people's time schedules/pay rates/energy levels/whatever...

[naturegirl321]

[spiral78]

Nope, I don't advocate writing my own courses, or books. But I do think, from long experience, that teaching teams writing courses togethe to fit their own teaching contexts is the ideal.

Yeah, it's more work than following a book. But it's also more rewarding in terms of professional development, team building, and meeting the needs of YOUR students.

TEAMWORK...it's not just for students@@