Tag: EFL

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Is My Textbook Just a Fancy Paperweight? Unveiling the Mysteries of Supplementary Material in ELT

Photo by Cottonbro Studio

by Katherine Reilly, originally published by ELT NEWS printed magazine.

As educators, we often contemplate the necessity of implementing supplementary materials to enhance and appease our students’ potential for learning. However, burdening ourselves with another ‘measly’ task while stacks of uncorrected papers demand our immediate attention is, in itself, a deterrent. Besides, we were told our shiny new textbooks are jam-packed with all the extra tools we need to offer students the most innovative and satisfying approach to embedding the language they so desire to command. ELT publishers have, without a doubt, made incredible advancements in offering the most accessible venue to learning, establishing their textbooks as the backbone of many language programs. Notwithstanding this marvelous feat, there are shortcomings which must be addressed, and addressed they shall! Fear not my disgruntled colleagues; when burdened with extra work, we always take it in our stride and never crib about it.

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My students complain that CLIL reading texts are too long and difficult to deal with… What should I do?

by Dimitris Primalis

Unlike traditional EFL (English as a Foreign Language) texts, which are graded and fairly simple for lower level class, texts in CLIL books are usually long and more demanding in terms of vocabulary, structure and are usually different in terms of task types (e.g. students may have to complete a Venn diagram). These features may bring to surface complaints by students and parents and add further pressure to the educator.  How can you deal with it?

Continue reading “My students complain that CLIL reading texts are too long and difficult to deal with… What should I do?”