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[Freshnessben]

I'm looking for recommendations for textbooks for private lessons. What works well with Japanese students? I'd rather stick to British English, but anything's fine. The key criteria are steady progression, useful materials and a good layout. I teach a range of levels. Sorry to be quite generic. Any advice appreciated.

[Cool Teacher]

Passport

1000 Questions About Japan

Cutting Edge (for British but not so goood one-to-one perhaps )

Talk Your Head Off

[Glenski]

Assuming you are trying to teach only conversation lessons...


If you teach a variety of levels, can we assume they are not mixed together?

For steady progression, you'll need a book series usually. Popular ones include:
Spectrum
New Interchange
Murphy's series

[cornishmuppet]

Headway
English File
Natural English
Snapshot

are all British English, but being designed for the European market they're pretty 'thick' with vocab etc, even from the lower levels. They're all good books, but you'll find with a typical one hour a week class you'll cover like 15 pages in a year because Japanese naturally acquire the language slower due to the vast difference between theirs and ours.

With beginner adults I use Person to Person as it has an intro conversation, some grammar and a couple of pair work activities, all spread over several pages rather than crammed on to one page like you'll find with the above. Its American English, but as I don't use the CDs it makes little difference because I'm English anyway and my pronunciation is the model.

Glenski, no offence but I think Spectrum and Murphy are a little bit hardcore grammar for a lesson. Excellent to give as homework, but otherwise they remind me of my Japanese textbooks, all black and white with endless grammar exercises! Interchange is pretty decent though, I sometimes pick ideas out of that for my high school classes.

[Glenski]

No offense taken.

Spectrum is right up there with New Interchange and Headway and Side by Side. I'm surprised you feel that way about it.

As for Murphy, yes, by itself it is not all that useful, but very good for homework or even for quizzes and introduction to grammar points. Depends on the student's needs.

[cornishmuppet]

Maybe we're referring to different Spectrums. The ones I have were long ago left/donated by another teacher to my school and at a flick through looked pretty much like the Murphy. Perhaps I picked up a workbook by mistake. Admittedly I only gave it a fleeting glance through.

[Glenski]

Here's volume 6 in the Spectrum series I know/knew. They only had vol.4 when I taught it.
http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Communicative-Course-English-Student/dp/0138302332/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250862362&sr=8-2

[Freshnessben]

Thanks for your replies on this. The Interchange series seems to be a comprehensive approach. Is the teacher's handbook necessary for these textbooks, do you think? I find I always have to adapt textbook materials anyway, so having the lesson spelled out for me in the handbook wouldn't be of much use as far as I can see. Or am I just being tight?!

[Mr_Monkey]

I'm not a fan of the Interchange series. I like Cutting Edge a great deal, though. The teachers' books are generally very good (notably the Cutting Edge Advanced teachers' book, which is excellent).

In terms of language, I feel you should go with text books that are as thick with vocabulary as you can get (appropriate to level, of course) - the Japanese curriculum for compulsory education is heavy on grammar, and my experience is that generally Japanese learners' grammar is pretty good. What they need (and this is a generalisation) is vocabulary and fluency practice - they need something to 'stick on to' the grammar that they had drilled into them throughout school. It may be somewhat slow going initially, though, but I think it will be more beneficial to your learners in the long term if they have the words to communicate their ideas.

[cornishmuppet]

Glenski,

I checked this morning and the book I looked at is actually called 'Grammar Spectrum' by a guy called Ken Paterson, published in the mid 90s. Inside is pretty much the same as Murphy. Probably has no connection to that Spectrum you mentioned.

[Glenski]