Hi All,
I have been approached by a married couple who need decent English in their jobs. They are very busy people and I sense will not be as committed as any ESL teacher would want them to be))
I’m now trying to decide which course book I should pick and would appreciate your professional feedback on Face2Face (Cambridge), and Cutting Edge (Longman). If you are currently using either of these or used to teach with one of them, please respond:
- How fast do your students pick up conversational English with this course?
- Does it work better with a group or individually?
- It is effective all the way from Starter to Advanced?
- Do you just follow the course book or have to add some extra activities taken elsewhere?
- How long does one lesson last – 45 or 120 minutes?
Any comments will be welcome. Thanks a million!!!
Regards,
Tiana, Moscow, Russia
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Tiana,
I've never used Face2Face, but have used CE extensively, both as a course book in itself and to supplement other courses. It is a fantastic book with a good range of activities, and a well-planned, task based approach. You can adapt most of the lessons to smaller groups such as yours, and the book benefits from being designed with the learners in mind, and doesn't have the patronising feel that some other course books have when dealing with grammar and vocab. I'd definitely recommend it for your students.
With regard to effectiveness for all levels, it really depends on how you approach it. As with any course book, the student may feel that some parts are not so relevant to their needs, and you will have to adapt accordingly.
Stephen
Stephen, thanks so much for the detailed feedback!
I have been reading a lot about various course-books available out there. Ironically the more I read, the less confident I become. Yes, I’ve also talked to some of the teachers who have been equally complementary of the CE. They also mentioned New English File claiming it is a well-structured course that delivers good results.
Hopefully I will be able to take a pick soon.
Again, very appreciate your comments.
Kind regards,
Tiana
Hi Tiana,
I would certainly agree that Cutting Edge is a good all-round textbook. The task-based approach doesn't suit all teaching styles but if used correctly is as good as any book. I taught English to business people in St Petersburg, Russia for 1 year, mainly using Cutting Edge and I found it was good. As with all EFL textbooks it's seems to be aimed at Western European Learners and seems to work best with them. Personally, for Russian learners I tended to use parts of the book for the key grammar and perhaps vocabulary, using my own materials relevant to the learners for many of the skills (especially speaking).
Regards,
Ed