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bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

Later this year myself and colleagues may put up a website of integrated skills and exam practice materials we�ve written for Gulf students, and have been using in our classes.

If you�d like to offer input into the types of materials you have most need of (for example exam practice for IELTS/PET etc.), suggestions most welcome. We�ll be writing a lot more stuff for the upcoming academic year. It�s time to say goodbye to coursebooks!

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Just as the computer was going to lead to the paperless office ! Ha!

fweewodewick · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 8

Thanks to the computer, I said goodbye to course books and exam practice books a while ago. BJE's idea is just what the Gulf needs (and other parts of the world for that matter). The major publishers have been churning out the same texts and ideas, albeit with different trendy book names, for the past two decades. What they have failed to understand is that people in different regions have different interests and needs. The PET and IELTS are laughable, with their perpetual advertising of English castles and Italian operas. This falls way outside the lives of Gulf students. If BJE and his/her pals can put online materials that would get students interested (i.e. something that isn't about living with your boyfriend who is a drug addict and has bacon for breakfast every morning), all power to them.

I can't help feeling course books will disappear, along with vinyl records and CDs. The world is changing and institutions and regions will soon start understanding their students need relevant materials. I expect scot47 will still be clinging for dear life to his/her 1979 edition of Streamline or Side by Side.

007 · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 1:40 pm Post subject:

I entirely agree, as they say, we are in the Digital age; everything is affected by the internet.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I didn't need the internet to get rid of coursebooks. The copy machine and word processor worked very well to achieve freedom from inappropriate materials.

Of course it did necessitate my dragging two big boxes of materials from country to country. Cool

VS

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:00 pm Post subject:

I agree that independence from silly coursebooks did not start with the advent of the internet, but said internet has made it a whole lot easier and more interesting. I find that, with a good internet connection, adequate printing/copying facilities and an in-class projector, there is never any need for a coursebook. Then again, I'm a pretty experienced teacher and teach relatively high levels - beginners (both teachers and students) may want the reassurance and structure of a coursebook at least some of the time, lousy though most of those books are.

I'm often surprised that one of the big EFL publishing companies hasn't yet got round to making a special edition of their books for the Middle East, given that it is quite a large market, and also that there are so many obvious taboos here. I'm sure most of us has had many an awkward experience in the classroom, deciding whether or not to skip the dialogues about 'dating', or the role plays about ordering two glasses of red wine. And let's not even get into the pics of women in shorts. I do think that these days, most Gulf students are not going to be exactly shocked or scandalised by such stuff - after all, even here in KSA, these books are on sale openly - it's just that it can be awkward and the topics are simply not relevant to the life of your average Saudi or Kuwaiti. Or to many other people the world over, come to think of it. Headway et al may be great for 17 year old Italian kids doing summer school in London, but are of little relevance or interest to just about anyone else.

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

Cleopatra · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:38 am Post subject:

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I think the website idea is a great one. As I moved to different jobs in the Gulf, it was amazing how much teacher developed teaching material was floating around various departments. For the exact reason that the textbooks sucked. Of course there were those teachers who refused to share their own stuff, but more happily shared. But... there was never any attempt by managements to organize all this into something useful to everyone. We teachers would keep asking that someone... anyone get release time to develop it... but not ONCE did any of those places agree. There were never enough teachers and the Ministries would never allow the extra person to be added to do this job.

The shortsightedness is really shocking when I think about it... what with listening to teachers in the Gulf saying the same things and making the same accurate complaints for the last 20 years.

I look forward to checking out the website bje...

VS

Cleopatra · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I expect that it is a reflection of having an itinerant teaching staff... many, if not most, of whom look no further than the end of their contract.

One would hope that as local management becomes more experienced, this would change. Or am I just indulging in wishful thinking again...

VS

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

fweewodewick · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 8

WD40 · Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 104

Having read most of the posts I must come to the conclusion that very few of the posters are experienced teachers who either know the market nor keep up to date with materials (coursebooks) that are appropriate to the region. The fact that management or educational institutes chose inappropriate coursebooks in the first place is no fault of the publisher. The 'Headway' series were never intended for the Middle east and yet it has been chosen and then used as a scapegoat for all those who say that coursebooks can not do the job. My experience with teachers in the Middle East is their inability to produce materials that are as effective as those produced in coursebooks or resource books. Perhaps it is because most EFL/ESL teachers are not material writers nor do they have the support necessary to pilot materials, get feedback from a variety of sources, then re-edit these materials before publishing them or placing them on an internet site.

If you look hard and near there is such a huge resource of materials totally approriate, with the advent of interactive coursebooks which can be adapted to suit the market as well as a growing number of titles being produced for the gulf including headway (academic skills for example)

Bje, if you are going to start writing decent, piloted materials and you have on average 10 hours per worksheet, then it will be a valuable resource to refer to. Good luck