coursebooks Archives

The pronunciation problem: an interview with Laura Patsko

January 30, 2020September 12, 2017 by Tim Gifford

All things considered, it seems there is still some way to go before ELT course materials – and the teachers that use them – are able to address pronunciation in class appropriately and effectively.

Laura Patsko is a language consultant specialising in the practical applications of linguistic research. In this post, Laura addresses how pronunciation is currently being addressed by ELT publishers and content creators, and what could be done to better support English learners.

How we help our students to learn more by teaching them less

January 30, 2020February 19, 2016 by James Hoyle

Nick Robinson recently posted that ‘content is no longer king’ – and he’s right! ELT coursebooks tend to result in content-driven courses and teaching. But by switching our focus away from content and towards the overall learning experience, we’ve been able to slash our syllabus by 40% and, in doing so, improve the relevance and quality of learning without adding to teachers’ workload.

Guest post from James Hoyle of Go English.

Writing by numbers: The myth of coursebook creativity

January 31, 2020February 20, 2014 by Scott Thornbury

The second of a two-part series, by Scott Thornbury

Textbooks, generally speaking, don’t score high on the originality stakes. And for good reason.