Plan smarter and get the most from your coursebook
Understand how coursebooks are organised and how they relate to the way students learn languages, so that you can plan your lessons smartly and add real value to the material.
This course provides a valuable service to EFL teachers. It makes us think beyond the idea that a textbook is a complete, instruction manual for teachers to ...
Read MoreThis course provides a valuable service to EFL teachers. It makes us think beyond the idea that a textbook is a complete, instruction manual for teachers to be followed activity by activity, page by page. It highlights the problems that come with this approach, an example being 'my students get through the material too quickly or not quickly enough'. It offers many suggestions to the teacher who wants a new approach, many of which can be tried out immediately, with a bit of preparation, and usually no 'technology requirements'. An example is to write questions that 'open' speaking by the students rather than restrict it. For example, 'do you know anyone who's really into unusual hobbies' as opposed to 'do you like stamp collecting'. The course is pretty flexible in that you can move backwards and forwards, revisit parts, take each set task as a substantial assignment or just something to think about. I set myself the minimum requirement of taking notes, which helped a great deal. Just by doing this, I really noticed a difference in my level of interest, enthusiasm and confidence towards using a textbook. I've done lots of online courses which consist of content, videos, questions/assignments. A key difference in this one was the presence of Andrew and his input throughout the course. Not only did I learn more, but I actually looked forward to to the next part. I would recommend this course to every EFL teacher, regardless of level of experience, on the assumption that we all have some involvement with textbooks and understand the need for preparation. I will continue to work on this course and encourage you to do it!
Read LessA well-structured course full of interesting ideas and tips, helping to teach (more) lexically. The most valuable thing for me - seeing it from the perspecti...
Read MoreA well-structured course full of interesting ideas and tips, helping to teach (more) lexically. The most valuable thing for me - seeing it from the perspective of coursebook writers, thank you for the detailed analysis and lots of useful bits to think of and to make use of, Andrew!
Read LessThanks a lot! It couldn't be more useful! a lot to think about and start implementing into my teaching!
Thanks a lot! It couldn't be more useful! a lot to think about and start implementing into my teaching!
Read LessI find this course extremely useful. I have already implemented some solutions. A lot of stuff to think about, great tasks. Thank you so much, Andrew
I find this course extremely useful. I have already implemented some solutions. A lot of stuff to think about, great tasks. Thank you so much, Andrew
Read LessCoursebooks Intro
FREE PREVIEWSome housekeeping ... and choosing your coursebook
Assessing how much time you have for the coursebook
Problem #1: I don't cover as much as I want
Completing the coursebook = completing the level
Assessing content and level of your coursebook
Language and learning
Problem #2: students don't make the progress I want
Task and Discussion points
The desire for photocopies and preparation: care and guilt
Some further issues with coursebooks and two common designs
Two mindsets and adding value
Task and Discussion points
Intro and outline: adding and supporting speaking
Questions about speaking
Recognising all the opportunities for speaking and the affordances they give
Exploiting affordances and covering grammar
From planning to classroom practice
Problem #7: The speaking task fails
Task and Discussion points
Supporting speaking through vocabulary: Introduction and outline
My vocabulary teaching
The Problem of Lexical Sets
Supporting speaking: choosing the right words
Plan better: examples models and patterns
Thinking about procedure and questions for vocabulary tasks
Plan better questions: exploring co-text
Plan better questions: exploring other aspects of word knowledge
Adding speaking: personal questions based on vocab
Tasks and points for discussion
Intro and outline: Texts and purpose
Plan smarter: assessing the texts in a coursebook
Plan better: Increase interest and engagement through speaking tasks
Plan quicker: simple tasks to focus on language
Plan better: integrating new tasks with the coursebook
Task and points for discussion
Intro and outline: methodology and recycling
Revision: you, your book and your students' notes
Making use of all the coursebook support
Making use of the wordlist and supporting homework
Revision and making use of students' notes
Task and points for discussion
Intro and outline: A final word on grammar
Task: planning a unit from Outcomes
Following a unit from Outcomes
Additional reading and links
Feedback