Discussions that Work: Task-centred Fluency Practice (Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers) (Paperback)

~ Penny Ur (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

' ... has a wealth of practical ideas which can be used in the classroom tomorrow.' Wendy Scott, Practical English Teaching

'Penny Ur writes lucidly and sensibly, emphasizing that in the classroom why you need to talk about something is more important than what you should talk about.' Donald Hawes, The Times Educational Supplement

Product Description

How can you make a discussion really work? What sort of activities produce genuine and enthusiastic exchanges of ideas? How can you prepare such exercises quickly and easily? These are some of the questions that Discussions that Work sets out to answer. The first part provides some general guidelines on the organisation of successful task-centred activities. The second part consists of some fifty practical examples which have been tried and found effective in the classroom. They range from fairly simple to complex and sophisticated, and can thus be used with a wide range of learners, from elementary to the most advanced, in both secondary and adult education.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 30, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521281695
• ISBN-13: 978-0521281690
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,309 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Discussions that may not always work., April 1, 2000

By	Chris Elvin (Kanagawa, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't know just how old this book is, but it reminds me of the kinds of language activities that I did as a pupil in English as my first language when I was eleven or twelve. There are lots of cognitive and logical activities and a few balloon debates, which are fun if you like that kind of stuff. However, these activities may not necessarily be the best way to promote fluency in your EFL class simply because they are mentally too taxing. They require silent reflection, which is not what you would want in your oral English lessons. The book is divided into two parts; The first section discusses general principles, which is both lucid and informative. The second section, which is about three quarters of the book, gives practical examples. The best activities for me in my high school teaching situation, are the simple ones which have a real-life purpose, such as planning for a trip or doing a survey, and which are easy enough to get students talking straight away. Overall, this book does have quite a lot of useful and workable activities and I'm pleased that I can refer to it from time to time. If you are an EFL teacher looking for new ideas for facilitating discussion in your language classes, then most likely, you will not be disappointed with this book.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional ! A well thought out resource for ESL teachers, August 3, 2004

By	Kimberly Fujioka "the research writer" (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book and, if you are an ESL instructor, you should too. The author, Penny Ur, successfully bridges that gap between ESL theory and pratical application. What is the "task-based" teaching approach to ESL ? It is NOT just assigning tasks and then moving around the classroom from group to group, correcting the student's English. Although this is what I observed many times in all the years I have been teaching ESL at the university level, this is not what task-based learning is about. It's about knowing the skills involved in performing language tasks then assigning them, based on the student's ability. Penny Ur takes the reader from the approach to application in her text.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great resource, June 11, 2005

By	K. Lee - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I teach an advanced oral English class for professionals, in China. I am very impressed with the books in this series, and with this one in particular. I received Discussions That Work a couple of weeks ago and have gone through it cover to cover. I was amazed to find that I could imagine my class discussing almost every topic given, participating in almost every activity suggested. This book is full of wonderful ideas, clearly presented by the author and requiring little advance preparation by me. Ms. Ur is a master at her craft. Highly recommended!