This book will help English come alive for secondary school students around the world who have been used to a grammar-driven syllabus and feel daunted by the challenge of speaking English spontaneously. Each unit contains a set of carefully graded tasks on different aspects of a popular topic, each with a ‘How do…’ title to set the scene. For each level, the task goals are engaging and clearly defined; they all have real-life relevance to young people in today’s society.
The material was developed based on the task-based learning method. By using this method, students gain the opportunity to use the language as if they were doing it outside the classroom, in authentic situations. The method was clearly presented in the introduction to the publication. Teachers who follow these recommendations will find their students more motivated and confident speaking.
The task cycles, which follow a spiral development, allow learners to communicate freely in a variety of different interactional settings, moving from exploratory, informal talk (to encourage fluency) to more formal situations (to develop both fluency and accuracy).
These in turn lead to a focus on language form where learners can practice new words, phrases and grammar in the context of the task, thus extending their linguistic repertoire. This methodology is clearly described, with rationale, in an excellent introduction. Teachers who follow the recommendations here will find their learners becoming more motivated, gaining confidence in speaking, and feeling good about using their English in today’s world.
https://www.expresspublishing.co.uk/lat/en/content/topics-tasks-english-communication-real-0
About the author
Dr. Gabriel Díaz Maggioli is a teacher who applies the lessons learned in the classroom to his roles as teacher educator, researcher, and writer. He works as Academic Advisor to the Institute of Education at Universidad ORT Uruguay. The author of 25 books, as well as numerous articles in professional and peer-refereed journals, Gabriel has been fortunate to share his work with colleagues in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He is the first Latinx President of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL).
https://www.iatefl.org/conference/gabriel-d-az-maggioli
Grounding his theory-in-praxis mostly on a Sociocultural perspective, Diaz Maggioli explores the connections among knowledge, learning, teaching and social mediation both in real and virtual settings. His work as a consultant has spanned curriculum reforms at the local and national level in Chile, Belize and Paraguay. He has acted as Visiting Professor in Japan, Spain and Ecuador and is a frequent presenter in education-related events in the Americas, the Middle East, Europe and East Asia.
