Making the most of your Textbook [antikvár]

Preface F 10R SOME TIME, many teachers have felt the need for a series of handbooks designed for ordinary teachers in ordinary classrooms. So many books these days seem to be written for privileged teachers in privileged environments - teachers with large classrooms, large budgets for expensive equipment, and small classes! Most of us are not so lucky: most ordinary teachers are short of almost everything except students. They have little time for elaborate theories and time-consuming classroom routines. In particular, they don't have time for long books full of complicated jargon. Longman Keys to Language Teaching have been written especially for the ordinary teacher. The books offer sound, practical, down-to-earth advice on basic techniques and approaches in the classroom. Most of the suggested activities can be adapted and used for almost any class, by any teacher. Making the most of your Textbook, had its origins in a BBC English by Radio summer school for teachers held at Westfield College in London a few years ago. During an 'Any Questions' session, the panel were asked a question about how one should use a textbook. My answer, which was that the needs of the student are more important than those of the book, seemed at the time to cause some surprise. Ever since then, it has struck me that far too little attention has been paid to this important question. Yet, for most of us, the textbook is the main weapon in our armoury. This book provides a few suggestions - and, we hope, not only food for thought, but fuel for action. Neville Grant