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randyj · Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:19 pm Post subject:

In the past I have successfully used "Functions of American English: Communication Activities for the Classroom", by Leo Jones and C. von Baeyer, CUP. It is true that a textbook and the teaching of oral English seems like an oxymoron, but Chinese students take a class much more seriously if the teacher has assigned a textbook. Also I am lazy and need structure in my life, but that's another story.

Song&Dance · Joined: 04 Jul 2008 Posts: 176

Song&Dance · Joined: 04 Jul 2008 Posts: 176

Language acquisition refers to the process of natural assimilation, involving intuition and subconscious learning, which is the product of real interactions between people where the learner is an active participant. Krashen

This eliminates text books and sound labs.

Song&Dance · Joined: 04 Jul 2008 Posts: 176

Textbooks for oral English? An oxymoron.

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

I agree with Vikuk (what's happening to me?). I can appreciate the Uns and Song&Dances of our forums, but there is EFL reality and EFL wishes. We all wish our students had the time to devote to learning English while pushing aside their Maths and Sciences to do so. We all wish we could get a classroom of 50 to do some of these innovative and interesting new concepts in expanding their spoken English. We all wish that we foreigners would be given the job of installing a new, modern, state-of-the-art English program in each and every high school, grade school and university around the country. But the reality is, it probably is not going to happen. Most schools have seen the comings and goings of "professional" "English" "teachers" for many years now and they seem to put little stock in our credentials or experience. The students have seen these same teachers come and go as well (sometimes more than one in the same school year). With the exception of maybe a very few schools, most are still only going to give you that class once or twice a week to work your spoken English miracles.

I'll repeat what I said earlier, one doesn't HAVE to have a textbook to help with a SPOKEN English class, but a good series that at least has dialogs, topic ideas, reading aloud, pronunciation and enunciation guides, vocabulary, etc. can't hurt, in my opinion.

Song&Dance · Joined: 04 Jul 2008 Posts: 176

Kev7176

You no longer have the right to CONVINCENGLY claim that it can't be done in China.

We have conclusively proven that it can and has been done in China at 6 different public unis. Eleven unrelated teachers, including two not so capable.

If you say it can't be done, that only means you can't do it.
But we also proved that even you can do it. Have you read the entire report, including the Appendix?