Teacher Discussion Forums

I have recently started a new semester teaching English to adults. At the particular school I teach at I am free to teach the lessons as a choose. The problem is is that I have so many options and ideas and information it is hard for me to put it all together. I was using Molinsky/ Bliss's Foundations, but even that is not completely 100% structured. I guess with my personality and teaching style I need something that is highly structured, so that I can add my own touches to have an effective class. I just get overwelmed when I have to make-up a lesson plan from scratch.

My current class is made up of 6-8 low beggining adults, from every background imaginable. We are talking every corner of the globe. They are all very eager to excell in their English skills. They also really want to be better speakers first and for most, followed then by grammar, reading and writing. So if you know of a good book series, or know of some solid lesson plans, please let me know.

Sorry I can't help with the book--I found that the longer I taught, the harder it was to find a book that I liked. Whether or not you find a book that matches your style and the needs of your students, you may still have to supplement. (You know, the book that's great in conversational ideas skimps on grammar; the grammar book is dry and has no listening, etc etc.)

When I'm preparing for a new semester, I try to think of the kinds of exercises I want to do (Conversations, Dictations, Grammar [Yes, I teach grammar ] Writing, whatever) and I set up a plan. Dictation on Monday, Discussion on Tuesday, Writing on Wednesday, etc. Then I make a calendar of the whole semester. I plan when each new topic will begin. (Could be a week on shopping (I teach adults too), places, comparisons, etc.)

When I first started teaching, I prepared each night for the next day's lesson. I had to know exactly what I had done the day before, before I could plan the next steps, even thought I was using a book. As I became more experienced, I realized I was driving myself nuts and spending more time than necessary on the same task. (Remembering what had gone before and planning what would come next.) I decided to prepare a week at a time, making all the activities I would use, and then quickly sorting out each day which ones to use. That progressed to planning the semester in advance, without a book. It was a bit of a leap, but now that I've done it, I would find it hard to go back.

Oh dear, this wasn't quite what I intended to write when I started I hope you'll excuse me for possibly going off topic here.

The mistake of many TEFLers is that they believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution. That's not the case.
We need to know your students needs. What level do they have? What are their weaknesses?
In some cases, knowing where you teach, or who your students are, can goffer a good insight! In this case, I can't see the answer. Books are as good as you make them - most books are 'good', but each book has its own deficiencies, depending on your objectives.
I personally use books as a guide, not as an instruction manual. I think learning is most effective if the teacher and the students find out a modus operandi. A book is a tool to that.

Lorikeet! Wow, I am a new teacher and you just decribed me! I recently progressed from the plan-every-night method to the plan-every-week method, with just a few adjustments. I can't imagine planning a whole semester, but I'm sure I'll get there somehow! Question- I have never purchased the teacher's edition of a text, because I usually want the student version to make them copies. Are they really worth having? It seems that they are never in stock, always special order, so I've never had a chance to look through one.

RMS, in my rookie opinion, it is important to have a good grammar base before you can be a good conversationalist. I am using the Azar series, but I think Focus On Grammar (by Irene Schoenberg) would have been a better choice. It looks more communicative, and also, you can buy a placement test, which I find very useful ( I work free lance). Also, what Lorikeet said about planning week by week (or month by month) is really true. I was spending about two hours of prep for every hour of class when I did daily lesson plans, but now that I'm doing them weekly, I've cut that time in half! Good luck!

Congratulations on moving to a week-by-week prep Alexanndra! Although I currently don't really use a textbook, I've used them in the past, and have found that the teacher's editions vary in usefulness. I always try to look at the teacher's edition in case it can give me some ideas on presenting the material. If you teach in a school that has a bookstore where your students buy the books, you can often get a teacher's edition for free by contacting the publisher and referencing the purchase order. You may be able to get one anyway if you check the publisher.

I have to say that I go with Lorikeet's take on textbooks. I don't like using them. I find that they generally aren't well put together and generally are a waste of time. The advantage for a newbie is that they give some form of course structure, often grammatically based. (Please note that the structure I consider the advantage, as to the grammatically based side of things I accept that this may not necessarily be an advantage.) They also provide listenings and readings (which are difficult to prepare). My advice would be to establish a stock of supplementary activities and build this up. One thing that is worth doing is looking at the supplementary resources you have available to you. Textbooks are generally very weak on production, and it is still, unfortunately, the case that a lot of textbooks grammar sections are full of pointless gap fills. Look at the supplementary resources your school has available, photocopiable books and the like. These if well organised should help you fill in the gaps left by the book. Also as time goes by it will substantially reduce your prep. time. There is no need to constantly re-invent the wheel. Like myself (and probably most of the posters on this forum) you'll find that over time your range of activities expands and allows you to fill in the gaps left by the textbook.

This "bag of tricks" is also transferable if the school changes textbook, or you move to a school using different books. You may also come to the opinion, as I have done, that most textbooks are badly written and most things can be taught better without them. Personally, I can never find a textbook that meets my students' needs adequately and so have to draw on a range of sources. However, to take such an approach it is necessary to be able to develop clear aims and objectives at the start of the course; this also relies on being able to adequately assess their level which becomes easier with experience. This kind of course structure is something I wouldn't have been able to do starting out, so perhaps ideas about syllabus structure are what as a newbie you can get most benefit from a textbook for.

Also, personally, I would also advise you to go for something with strong readings and listenings if you can. These are the hardest thing to provide as a teacher, especially the listenings. There are plenty of good books of supplementary grammar stuff on the market; try looking at stuff by P. Ur (especially "Grammar Practice Activities"), J. Hadfield (Communication Games - there are three levels) and the Reward Supplementary Resource Books-not the textbooks which are abysmal.)