Almalang_Newsletter2022_EN_WEB

as its history and various parts. May be they’ve studied how to ride one, but have never actually done so. With CIC3 , first they ride with training wheels, and then by the end of the textbook, they don’t need to use them. That moment, when they can ride down the street in front of their home without any extra support—it’s pure magic. So now, after CIC3 , we have students who can ride short distances, like around their home and immediate neighborhood. That’s a big step, but once you can do that, where do you go next? You can’t just keep riding around in the same circles all the time. They need to go places, to explore, to have new adventures. That sense of discovery and ability to go any where they want, without fear or feeling constrained—that’s what creates that spark at that point. Bruno: That’s exactly it. CIC3 helps peo ple go from 0 to 1. Once you’re there, you really want to go from 1 to 2, and beyond. I feel that one ability that can really help learners be more flexible in conversation is letting go of the need

who actually want to learn English, as opposed to those who are only taking my class to fulfill a requirement. Bruno: Well, you make a good point. Higher level learners have different needs. When you teach students who have completed CIC3 , or work with learners who have already achieved that leap to having basic conversations on their own, it’s another challenge. I guess if you try using the exact same approach as we have in CIC3 , where each unit is organized around everyday topics that feature carefully selected Q&A patterns, it just doesn’t work as well.There isn’t that spark that was there when they were at the stage of making the leap from not speaking at all to speaking a little. Over time we’ve realized there is a need for something more. So, Jerry, what’s the next step? What comes after CIC3 ? Jerry: I like that bicycle analogy. CIC3 can be likened to teaching stu dents how to ride a bicycle. Until then, they’ve learned about the bicycle, such

Beyond CiC3 : What’s the Next Step?

Conversations in Class (CIC) has been our key English language product now for nearly 16 years. The co-authors of the third edition, Jerry Talandis and Bru no Vannieu, have been discussing what could come after it, for students who have already made the leap to having real-time conversations. Here is a sum mary of the exchanges they had over the past year. Bruno: I really believe that the third edi tion of Conversations in Class helps lower-level students make that leap from having had no experience in real time conversation to being able to have simple yet authentic conversations, over the course of a semester or two. And that’s a huge leap for many stu dents. It’s like that favorite saying of mine, “The difference between zero and one is infinite.” Jerry: Yup! It’s no longer just a “dream” for use in some possible future mo ment. With CIC , students can bypass that state of perpetual preparation and get to meaningful interaction right away, even at a basic level. And in addition to helping students, CIC has helped me grow as a teacher. In fact, that’s one of the things I’ve been reflecting on, about how easy I now find it to help shy and reticent students speak out. That abso lutely was not the case before I started using this book, and then got involved in developing its third edition.

Bruno: That’s great to hear! I’ve heard similar sentiments from other teachers.

Jerry: The thing is, in using the book over the years, I’ve noticed that it works best for those lower-level students. I have found it more challenging to use with higher-level learners, like those

Conversations in Class, Third Edition is organized around carefully selected Q&A patterns to help students make the leap to real-time conversation.

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