Job Discussion Forums

[Sef]

I've just started teaching a couple of 1-to-1 classes and both students want to use Cutting Edge (one is Advanced, one is Pre-Int.) I'm doing my best but CE really doesn't seem to lend itself to 1-to-1 teaching. I'm pretty new to this field and I was wondering if anyone could recommend any alternative text books that I could either switch to or take ideas from.

[coffeedrinker]

I've taught one to one students off and on, sometimes using CE, and have not personally found a book that is great for it. Usually I look through a lot of books (which is of course easier if your school or the local british council has them!) and try to find pairwork oriented activities and fit them into the book's syllabus...or just do them independently.

I've also used Market Leader, which sometimes was better. I like the Rewards Resource Packs but these don't seem to be popular everywhere. Or maybe just try to get ahold of the same level books of different series like Headway or English file, and you may well find more activities on the same themes or vocab families or grammar points.

What I sometimes found more challenging was the parts of CE that have a box of vocabulary to "work out the meaning of or use your mini-dictionary"...this can work in class with groups but is obviously harder for one person to just guess. Either they know it or they don't. Sometimes I've done a sort of dictation where I read out six or eight sentences about me, the student writes down two or three words each to remember, and then tries to reconstruct the sentences and decide if they are true or false about me. Ideally I'll use a sentence that provides a good context so they can work out the meaning (so it's not always a matter of using the dictionary, or them guessing awkwardly, or you telling them the answer...or something written). Instead of sentences about me, they could also be statements to agree or disagree about, so you can get some speaking using the target vocabulary in too.

I realize this may not be the problem exactly. It depends on your students and what they want...as do book suggestions (which is of course what you asked for originally sorry I don't have more books)...

[Jetgirly]

I can't really suggest a textbook without knowing your students' objectives, but I can say that whenever I've one-to-one lessons with extremely dull students who hated talking, I have been so thankful to have Discussions: A to Z at my fingertips. It doesn't stand alone, but it's a great piece of a larger puzzle.

[Sef]

Both my students want to talk. In fact, the problem I'm having is that they ONLY want to talk. It's not such a problem with the advanced student - I just have to steer the conversation in a direction that forces her to practise a certain grammar point without realising it. It's more difficult with Mr. Pre-Int though.
I think I've seen the A-Z discussions book kicking around. I'll def check that. I hadn't considered using activities from Reward. I use it in classes all the time and sort of assumed it was all group work-y stuff.
Thanks for the suggestions

[Frizzie Lizzie]

I know OUP have a book called "Business One-to-One" - the advanced coursebook should be out by the end of this year, and the other two are written for pre-intermediate and intermediate (plus) levels.