Talk given at TESOL France 2013 Annual Colloquium. In person it was run as a workshop with ideas for each example discussed by participants before solutions were presented.

1. +
What To Do When You
Can‟t Chuck The Book
Federico Espinosa
TESOL France Annual Colloquium
November 24th, 2013

2. +
The Debate
Pro-Coursebooks
Anti-Coursebooks

3. +
The Debate
Pro-Coursebook

They provide structure and direction to a course

Help standardize instruction and quality across courses

More and more are based on authentic and learner corpora

Provide learners with a tangible display of progress

Provide guidance for inexperienced teachers

They are a great time saving tool
Source: Cambridge ELT Interview with Jack
C. Richards

4. +
The Debate
Anti-Coursebook

They inadvertently impose rigid methodologies


Leave little room for creativity


Littlejohn, 1998
Stifle opportunities for conversation and open discussion


Nunan, 1988
Transfer control of classroom time from the students to the
materials


Cunningsworth, 1995
Thornbury & Meddings, 2009
Put forward a specific version of truth, beliefs and morality which
do not correspond to the reality of every student.

Ilieva, 2000

5. +
The Reality
It‟s often not even up to us to choose

6. +
So, What CAN We Do?

7. +
First off….
Have you exhausted the materials?
Are you
sure??

Extra activities in the back of the coursebook.

Photocopiables in Teacher‟s Book

Games/Suggestions “hidden” in the TB Instructions

Teacher‟s Resource Disk

Materials Available on Publisher‟s Website

Student Workbook

Flashcard/Story Card Sets

Etc…

8. +
Ok, fine, the materials are lacking.
So what now?
 Adapt
 The
materials may
be ok, but need just
need a little tweaking
to work with your
group.
 Personalize
 Think
about your
students and make
it relevant to their
lives.
 Supplement
 The
material may be
good in itself but
need some follow up
to address other
known issues.
 Skip
 Maybe
the material
just doesn‟t fit your
class‟ needs. That‟s
fine. Skip it.

9. +
What must we ask ourselves before
we begin?

“Demand High Asks:

Are our learners capable of more, much more?

Have the tasks and techniques we use in class become rituals
and ends in themselves?

How can we stop „covering material‟ and focus on the potential
for deep learning?

What small tweaks and adjustments can we make to shift the
whole focus of our teaching towards getting that engine of
learning going?”
(Scrivner & Underhill, 2012)

10. +
Exam Preparation
Writing, Organization and PeerFeedback

11. +
The Students

A class of 14 adult Czechnative English teachers

Advanced (C1) CAE Prep

In a part-time Bachelor‟s
degree program in TEFL at
AKCENT College

VERY chatty

Struggle with written
organization

Exhausted (intensive weekend
course)

12. +
The Activity
p. 30 of Advanced Expert CAE
After activities focusing on
outline writing for a Review
(Part 2)

Task 1 – Discuss various methods of
outlining a writing task

Task 2 – Plan and write a film review

Task 3 – Compare with classmates

13. +
One Solution (Discussion)

Various strategies for text
organization are pinned up
around the room

Students walk around in
pairs/threes and discuss the
pros of each


They are asked to agree on
the best two
It‟s treated as a sort of museum
visit with music playing in the
background

14. +
One Solution (Planning & PeerEditing)

Students write a
plan/sketch/outline/draft for their
review

Each review plan gets a large postit placed next to it

Students all move one chair over
clockwise and have one minute to
read/skim their neighbor‟s plan and
write a short comment on the post
it.

A bell rings and they move over
another chair and have another
minute

Repeat until all have been read by
all, then discuss comments.

15. +
Young Learners
Story Reading with a Grammar
Focus

16. +
The Students

A class of 8 young learners (912 y/o)

Pre-Intermediate (A2)

In an extra-curricular English
class at IH Prague

A bit shy

Struggle with spelling

Like competition

17. +
The Activity
p. 35 of Messages 2
At the end of a unit focusing on
interesting trips and the past
simple.

Task 1 (Pre-reading): Look at the
pictures and put them in the correct
order.

Task 2 (Language Focus): Find 21
different verbs in the past simple.
Make a list.

Task 3 (Feedback): Retell the story
using the verbs.

18. +
One Solution (Pre-Reading)

Students are given one enlarged
and cut-out picture from the story.

They work in small groups to
discuss what is happening in their
picture, and to color it in.

The pictures are presented and
pinned up on the board.

Students work as a class to put
the pictures in the order which
makes the most sense.

Students read the story to
confirm.

19. +
One Solution (Language Focus)

To focus on the verbs. Students
are given a “Double Puzzle” of
the target verbs

They work in pairs to race each
other to discover the hidden
message

The first team gets a prize
(stickers work well, candy
works amazingly well)

20. +
One Solution (Personalization)

As a final task, students are
asked to write a story about
their life

They can use the verbs from
their Double Puzzle to guide
them

To fit the theme of the book,
mine wrote about their summer
vacation.

At the end each can give a
quick presentation of their story.

21. +
Teens
Vocabulary Exposition

22. +
The Students

A group of 12 teenagers (1318 y/o)

Advanced (C1)

In an extra-curricular English
course at IH Prague

Mixed Chatty/Introverted

Mixed Motivated/Unmotivated

Mixed Snarky/Eager

23. +
The Activity (1)
pp. 26 of Face2Face Advanced
Activity focused on introducing
some character adjectives.

Students are asked to “Tick the
words they know” and refer to the
glossary for the others.

Words: Courageous, Determined,
Meticulous, Generous, Trusting,
Thrifty, Confident, Spontaneous, &
Cautious.

24. +
The Activity (2)
p. 124 of Face2Face Advanced
Follow up activity to character
adjectives

Students are asked to look at
the negative equivalents of the
positive adjectives from before.

Words: Arrogant, Reckless,
Tight-Fisted, Finicky,
Extravagant, Gullible,
Obstinate, Impetuous, Timid.

25. +
One Solution (Part 1)

Students are given a post-it
with one of the character words
written on it.

The post-it goes on their
forehead (or back) without them
seeing it.

Students mill around the
classroom and elicit the
mystery words from each other.

26. +
One Solution (Part 2)

Once all the words have been
elicited, the corresponding
negative equivalents are posted
at various points around the
room.

Students start in the middle and
race to find their equivalent
negative word and stand by it.

Points are awarded to first few
to find it.

Students then read out both
adjectives to the class and
explain the difference.

27. +
General English
Extension of Theme

28. +
The Students

A group of 10 adults

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

Intensive 20 hours/week course
at a New York City Language
School

Mixed-nationality/language

Generally well-motivated

Chatty

29. +
The Activity
pp. 92-93 of American English
File 4
Unit focusing on creativity
and discovery.

Reading and Listening on
creativity and innovation.

Four-question quiz to
determine if you are creative or
not.

30. +
One Solution
Innovative Team Game

After the book‟s material
introducing innovation and the
short quiz, students get into
small groups

Each group draws three
random cards from this set of
normal objects

They are given time to come up
with a new product using all
three objects and produce a TV
commercial for it

31. +
In-Company
Functional Language

32. +
The Students

A group of 5 insurance
company executives

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

In-company class in a
conference room

Unmotivated

Tired (end of the day)

Not chatty

33. +
The Activity
p. 44 of Face2Face UpperIntermediate
Unit focusing on expressing
opinions.

Look at adjectives for expressing
opinions.

Read a short article about ecological
footprints.

Discuss the validity of this idea.

Branch off into discussion of other
suggested topics.

34. +
One Solution (Part One)

Students are each given a pile
of cut up scrap paper.

(Good use of that stack
sitting in your office)

They watch a video clip and are
asked to write down
contradictory phrases. One per
piece of paper.

After each view, the slips are
compared and re-written so that
each small group has one
complete set.

35. +
One Solution (Part Two)
Monty Python “Argument Clinic” Sketch

36. +
One Solution (Part Three)
p. 94 of Pronunciation Games
Photocopiables Book

Using their collected phrases,
students play this quick card
game.

They read their statement and
their team members compete to
be the first to correct it.

Extra Challenge: They draw
their phrase cards randomly to
avoid repetitive language.

37. +
But none of this works for me!
How could we adapt material for these contexts?

Large class sizes

One-to-ones

Mixed-ability classrooms

Very young learners

Illiterate students

Students with mobility
disability

Students unaccustomed to
a classroom environment

38. +
In Conclusion
•
Think about your class‟ needs
•
Think about your lesson aims
•
When life gives you lemons…

39. +
Background References

Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your Coursebook. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann ELT.

Ilieva, R. (2000). Exploring Culture in Texts Designed for Use in Adult ESL Classrooms.
TESL Canada Journal , 17 (2), 50-63.

Littlejohn, A. (1998). The Analysis of Langauge Teaching Materials: Inside the Trojan
Horse. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials Development in Language Teaching (pp. 190-216).
Camridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. (1988). The Learner-Centered Curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.

Richards, J. C. (2000, 3 14). The role of textbooks in a language program. Retrieved 11 10,
2013, from Cambridge ELT Online - Brazil: http://www.cambridge.org.br/authorsarticles/articles?the-role-of-textbooks-in-a-language-program&id=337

Thornbury, S., & Meddings, L. (2009). Teaching Unplugged: Dogme in ELT Teaching.
Surrey: DELTA Publishing.

Underhill, A., & Scrivner, J. (2012, March). Demand High ELT. Retrieved November 10,
2013, from http://demandhighelt.wordpress.com/

40. +
Materials References

Advanced Expert CAE by Jan Bell, Roger Gower and Drew Hyde (Pearson Longman,
2011)

American English File 4 by Clive Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig (Oxford University
Press, 2008)

Face2Face Advanced by Gillie Cunningham, Jan Bell & Chris Redston (Cambridge
University Press, 2009)

Face2Face Upper-Intetmediate by Chris Redston and Gillie Cunningham (Cambridge
University Press, 2007)

Messages 2 by Diana and Noel Goodey (Cambridge University Press, 2005)

Pronunciation Games Photocopiables by Mark Hancock (Cambridge University Press,
1996)

Monty Python Skit on YouTube: “Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl – Argument
Clinic”

PuzzleMaker Site: http://www.puzzlemaker.com

Disabled Access Friendly Campaign Site: http://www.disabled-accessfriendly.com/

41. +
Thank You !
A copy of the presentation slides can
be found at
http://tinyurl.com/workwiththebook
Or by scanning this QR code