116 Part II: Putting Your Lesson Together
Most course books include the four skills – reading, writing, speaking, listen-
ing – as well as pronunciation. A good book caters for different learning styles
through varied activities, whereas your lesson plans probably tend to play
to your own strengths and learning style – it’s only natural. So for example, if
you like learning visually, you teach most of your lessons that way too. Using
a book helps you include activities that suit all types of learners. I mention
different learning styles and accommodating them in your presentations in
Chapter 5.
Published course books definitely have their place in TEFL and although you
may not choose to use one in every lesson, having them around provides
some read advantages:
✓ The course syllabus is clearly set out for you and the students.
✓ If each student has a book it reduces your preparation time including
photocopying.
✓ It’s easy for students to see their progress as they work their way
through the book.
✓ Authors and publishers have experience in the field so you feel sup-
ported and guided.
✓ Course books often come as part of a set that includes extra resources,
so they offer room for expansion and variety.
When you’re choosing a book for your students, keep a few points in mind:
✓ Books aren’t cheap, so find one that suits your students’ pockets.
✓ Consider the cultural suitability of the book. Will the class be able to
identify with the images and written content? Is there anything which
may seriously offend or upset your students such as constant references
to the pub if you’re dealing with a teetotal community?
Listing Popular Course Books and Published Resources
When it comes to course books, the majority are written in a series to cover
all the levels from elementary to advanced. (I explain the levels of EFL in
Chapter 4.) In most cases a school buys five books per level but an individual
teacher can make do with less.
Cambridge International Book Centre (www.eflbooks.co.uk) lists more
than 12,000 titles in English language teaching.
