Video is so ubiquitous in modern life that we sometimes take students’ comprehension for granted and fail to explore it to the fullest in class. This might happen because we’re not always clear about our goals. What exactly are we trying to achieve? Is it primarily for listening comprehension or something else? There’s nothing wrong, … Read more
This is a post I wrote before I became a full time author, back in 2011.
Over the past few months I’ve analyzed dozens of EFL / ESL textbooks (I’m using the terms interchangeably) put out by the mainstream publishing houses. For better and for worse, all these EFL / ESL textbooks have more similarities than differences, which means that it’s becoming increasingly harder to choose title A over title B. Here’s a summary of what I’ve found so far:
For this article to make sense to you, you need to agree with three basic premises: 1. Language learning can be regarded as a form of skill learning. 2. Controlled practice has a role to play as a sort of rehearsal, so to speak, for real-life communication down the road. 3. This rehearsal should bear … Read more