TO THE LIBRARY

In preparation for October, I dropped by the university library and picked up a teaching pack for New English File Pre-Intermediate for the A2 (Common European Framework) groups. I'll be using this system for a second semester, and my first impression, as it is stated clearly on the cover, is that it gets students to speak.  I'd been using Upstream for years, and it focuses on Writing and Grammar, so it is good to see another coursebook and compare.  Similarly the Headway books are an excellent tool to work on students' speaking skills.
It's not been made clear to me why, but I understand that Headway and Upstream have not been approved by the university board and they've opted for New English File and Cutting Edge.  I was sorry to see the above left on the shelves, but I suppose it's good to give them a break for a bit.
The library's been spruced up since our student days, with a nice reading area and a good backlog of publications in a number of languages.  They've turned the hall where we received our diplomas into an anthropological museum, which was fun to see. The corridors seem strangely calm and eerie.  A heavy lethargy fills the cafeteria and park. 
I was quite lucky to find the necessary teaching material, although CDs were a problem.  There is so much demand, and supply is low, I was left with nothing last semester, and taught from a photocopied Student's Book.  Luckily a lot of the material can be found online and I was able to stick to the book content without having to refer to other coursebooks.  I've always been a fan of teaching from more than one source, but with these courses you risk straying from the curriculum, as one of the main objectives is exam preparation.  My two priorities have been squeezing into the statutory 100 academic hours, and second-guessing the in-house exams' contents.  Without the necessary teaching and test materials it has been demotivating at times, but colleagues and pupils have been supportive and we've found a balance.  Hopefully this semester's objectives will be to teach the skills necessary to improve the student's proficiency, and provide an environment where they can effectively communicate in the language, regardless of all administrative setbacks.
Meanwhile we're off to lovely St. Vlas on the Black Sea coast.
More to come in October.