Assignment C, Part 1 - An Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
Use the checklist from unit 10 ('Evaluating course book material') to write a
general evaluation of the book - you won't be able to comment on all items as
you only have one unit and the contents, but say as much as you can.
This must be presented as a coherent essay, not just a list.
Then say whether you personally would like to use the book with an advanced
class and why or why not - this is just your opinion, so there is not a right or a
wrong response to this part. You do not need to refer to the class described for
part 2 of this assignment.
300 - 500 words
Through reviewing the Cutting Edge Advanced course book, I have been able
to come to a number of conclusions.
Firstly, the course book is very excellently structured. There is clearly a
warmer, main body and plenary that the students would be able to
independently work through. The course book also becomes gradually more
difficult throughout, starting with more basic continuous verb forms and
grammar, before ending with report writing, consequently conveying their own
personal ideas and thoughts in a structured essay. Craig (2013) also notes the
importance of this stating that more advanced learners will benefit from a
number of smaller activities leading up until the final graded assignment, as is
portrayed in the course book.
A further positive point of the course book is that it is appropriately graded to
more advanced students, and therefore would most definitely be a useful
course book to use. Many of the questions are presented in a way which
provokes discussion and conversation, through challenging the students to use
writing and dialogue as a means of discussing social issues, such as
globalisation. When used correctly this can lead students to develop a firmer
grasp of the language (Al-Mahrooqi and Roscoe, 2014).
Throughout the book, there are also many examples of the use of differing,
interesting activities. The book uses there activities to cover the full spectrum
of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), having effective
balance throughout the activities. Similarly, practice, recycling and revision are
used a great deal throughout the book, with a large amount of correction
activities used in order to review each students understanding of globalisation.
One of the few negatives of the course book is that there is not a teacher book
which contains information or answers for the teacher, which can be
occasionally helpful when trying to prompt conversation or offer assistance in
class (Zimmerman, 2014). This means that the teacher of this class will have
to have a certain level of understanding of globalisation, and global issues.
Use the checklist from unit 10 ('Evaluating course book material') to write a
general evaluation of the book - you won't be able to comment on all items as
you only have one unit and the contents, but say as much as you can.
This must be presented as a coherent essay, not just a list.
Then say whether you personally would like to use the book with an advanced
class and why or why not - this is just your opinion, so there is not a right or a
wrong response to this part. You do not need to refer to the class described for
part 2 of this assignment.
300 - 500 words
Through reviewing the Cutting Edge Advanced course book, I have been able
to come to a number of conclusions.
Firstly, the course book is very excellently structured. There is clearly a
warmer, main body and plenary that the students would be able to
independently work through. The course book also becomes gradually more
difficult throughout, starting with more basic continuous verb forms and
grammar, before ending with report writing, consequently conveying their own
personal ideas and thoughts in a structured essay. Craig (2013) also notes the
importance of this stating that more advanced learners will benefit from a
number of smaller activities leading up until the final graded assignment, as is
portrayed in the course book.
A further positive point of the course book is that it is appropriately graded to
more advanced students, and therefore would most definitely be a useful
course book to use. Many of the questions are presented in a way which
provokes discussion and conversation, through challenging the students to use
writing and dialogue as a means of discussing social issues, such as
globalisation. When used correctly this can lead students to develop a firmer
grasp of the language (Al-Mahrooqi and Roscoe, 2014).
Throughout the book, there are also many examples of the use of differing,
interesting activities. The book uses there activities to cover the full spectrum
of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), having effective
balance throughout the activities. Similarly, practice, recycling and revision are
used a great deal throughout the book, with a large amount of correction
activities used in order to review each students understanding of globalisation.
One of the few negatives of the course book is that there is not a teacher book
which contains information or answers for the teacher, which can be
occasionally helpful when trying to prompt conversation or offer assistance in
class (Zimmerman, 2014). This means that the teacher of this class will have
to have a certain level of understanding of globalisation, and global issues.
