Apr 28, 2019 Coursebooks, Grammar, Lexis, Opinions A different kind of Beginner-level book 2 Just enough grammar and a spiral syllabusIn our last post on teaching beginner-level students, we stated this principle:While there is a value in noticing and practising a particular aspect of grammar or vocabulary, it will not be mastered in that lesson. Accurate production of words or grammar in conversation / writing will be acquired for […]
Apr 8, 2019 Beginners & Low levels, Chunks, Coursebooks, Developing materials, Grammar, Lexis What is a good coursebook for beginners? In a pevious post I explained why the typical syllabus at low levels is bad, but this does leave the question what is a good coursebook for beginners? Obviously, the short answer to this question is our own book Outcomes Beginner, but in this post and others I’m going to set out a bit more […]
Mar 28, 2019 Beginners & Low levels, Chunks, Core Principles, Coursebooks, Developing materials, Grammar Teaching grammar at low levels through chunks We could be teaching more grammar at low levels through grammaticalized chunks. We already do it sometimes, but we do it very inconsistently. Ironically, that’s because the syllabus at low levels is defined by teaching grammar, rather than being guided by what students need and want to say. Would you like some more chunks?The best […]
Mar 6, 2019 Beginners & Low levels, Coursebooks, Grammar, Teaching lexically How (not) to teach … the present continuous I have already suggested that one way is to teach the present continuous is through a chunk. But I know some do not want to teach it this way. Instead, the preference is to teach the present continuous meaning by meaning.Divide and rulesIt is curious how grammar is sometimes divided up. For example, while most […]
Jan 17, 2019 Classroom Activities, Grammar, Lexis, Opinions Translation: Tackling the Taboo part 2 In the first post on tackling the taboo that surrounds using any form of translation in the language classroom, I unpacked my own slow conversion, considered the roots of the English-only dogma, and explored why such positions were unsustainable. Today I’d like to move on to more practical matters and simply share seven activities that […]
