At long last!

my name: Olivia Stepnowska
room: 1216B
sex: F
my birthdate: February 16, 07
time: 21:51
birth weight: 3,5 kg
length: 53 cm
head: 35 cm
chest: 35 cm
my doctor: JFP

The power of classics

We have to confess that we have fossilized in some aspects of our teaching here at GV. Forty five of our beginner students probably don’t realise that we are feeding them weekly with the ideas and learning materials which originated more than 17 years ago. Yes, it says clearly in the the book we use: ‘First published in 1990′! The only copy we possess is well tattered, the pages greyed and edges fraying from continuous thumbing. As a material object it desperately deserves a safe place in a rare print library showcase.

The book in question is ‘First Lessons’ by Jane Willis, a surprisingly little publication packing tons of invaluable, fresh ideas in its mere fifty pages.

We’ve been using it on and off for many years and it still remains a great source of inspiration for both teachers and students. With its minimalist approach the book pioneered something called today Task-based Learning and Teaching, then practically implemented by Dave and Jane Willis in their seminal ‘Cobuild Course’ series.

The main idea of task-based teaching is that students use language to communicate with others, but since beginners in English will not readily use many grammar rules, they have to be given step-by-step instruction in simple communication – first get learners to communicate, then help them to grammaticise. ‘First Lessons’ manage(s) this job admirably.

A few years ago we stopped searching for some archival copies of the book, the publisher had them all pulped, probably to use the recycled paper to print yet another ‘new’ English coursebook. Luckily, we’ve prepared a revised and revamped edition for our own use.

We listen to …

…’The Drift’ by Scott Walker, which we finally (way too late) got hold of last month. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, study this. In short, Walker is a London-based American artist who has managed to transcend the boundaries of pop and rock in his long, spanning some fifty years, career. He has gradually become a kind of musical recluse, releasing one album per decade, ‘The Drift being his latest.

It’s one of those records people either ditch straight away, or give themselves a second chance and treasure them for the rest of their lives. The former bunch, no doubt prevailing in this case, may question the artist’s sanity; the latter will grant him a cult status.

‘The Drift’ perplexes you, it knocks you dead, and it grows on you with every push of a button. Each song is a witty, elaborated mini-play about life and death in contemporary world ? all ten songs form an array of complex, cryptic, but compelling masterpieces. Sonically, the record brings together disciplined keybord-guitar-percussion textures, exotic instruments, orchestral noise, radio snippets and obscure real world sounds. Dark and beautiful. Get the drift. Cossacks are (mp3)

Lost on a Virgin train

Last Sunday, the passengers travelling from Rugby on the 6.50, Virgin operated, train between Birmingham and London Euston, had a chance to hear the following message through the train’s PA system:

‘Good morning, ladies and gentelmen, this is your driver speaking. I do hope none of you is planning on catching up on your sleep or reading during your journey as I shall be interrupting you with endless announcements about refreshment trolleys, smoking bans, emergency exits, unattended bags, mobile-free queiet zones, and the importance of keeping your feet off the seats. For those of you who can’t understand timetables or station signs, I shall also be maintaining a running commentary on our progress towards our destination. I get very lonely in my cabin, you know.

Our next scheduled station stop is Watford Gap …’