Teach – Learn: A Student Created Content textbook

Sorry for not posting much lately but life happens and its been happening to me! Traveling and moving back to Canada, have got the best of me lately.

However, I’m still perpetually busy and the time “unplugged” has allowed me to think more about my English teaching methodology – SCC or Student Created Content. Read a whole rundown about it HERE.

It is something I’ve “grown” into as a thoughtful teacher. A method that while embracing the Communicative Language Approach, focuses it towards learning and student involvement. It is wholly constructivist in approach and espouses the view that language acquisition is intimately connected to notions of “self” and identity. The ego is the driving force of language development and “need” is harnessed and used as an engine as students create the materials they will use to practice English.

In the textbook culture of English teaching, usually the “experts” decide on both the scope and sequence (or in layman’s terms, the topics, structure and timing) of a language course. In a lesson, the students practice the textbook’s language and only at the end of the lesson/unit, get to personalize this content. I feel this is an artifice, it isn’t a natural way to learn effectively. Students should use their own world, their own thoughts, beliefs, culture, circumstance as the content. It should not be imposed nor manufactured from afar in Cambridge or Princeton.

I will be producing a nice essay on this – as part of a forward to a new textbook I’m working on. It will be available for purchase and also a true example of a “blended book” / ebook. Meaning, not only will teachers be able to share and photocopy it – each 2 page lesson will follow a set methodology and have additional multi media materials offered through EFL Classroom 2.0. I haven’t decided on a price yet but it will be low cost and in support of my efforts to promote free resources and access to materials for all learners and teachers online.

Here’s a peak at what I have so far. Fine many more materials for SCC HERE – to download and test out in your own classroom while I work on producing the textbook. Comments / advice appreciated!
(download here, the better edited version – SCC textbook in progress

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ddeubel

Teacher trainer, technology specialist, educational thinker...creator of EFL Classroom 2.0, a social networking site for thousands of EFL / ESL teachers and students around the world.

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