Which English Teaching Books Are Worth Using? Coursebook Reviews with Raise Up! – S01E48

Which English Teaching Books Are Worth Using? Coursebook Reviews and Raise Up – S01E48Which English teaching books are genuinely useful, and should teachers follow a coursebook from beginning to end?Gav and Em review some of their favourite general English, Business English and grammar books. Drawing on more than 40 years of combined teaching experience, they explain how coursebooks can provide structure, level-appropriate language and ready-made activities without controlling every stage of a lesson.They discuss the strengths and limitations of English File, Cutting Edge and Headway before comparing two popular Business English series: Market Leader and In Company. Which provides the best case studies? Which offers more authentic listening? And why can Business English coursebooks feel harder than general English books at the same stated level?They also recommend older resource books, including Inside Out and Reward, alongside grammar favourites by Michael Swan, Catherine Walter, Raymond Murphy, Michael Vince and Penny Ur.The episode concludes with a special contribution from teachers and materials writers Ila Coimbra and James Taylor, co-founders of Raise Up! They explain how their inclusive ELT coursebooks represent people, families and experiences often overlooked in mainstream materials. Topics include disability, faith, refugees, LGBTQIA+ communities, mental health, ethnicity and non-conventional families.You’ll also learn how the books are created, how teachers can contribute and how proceeds support organisations working for social justice.☕ Support the podcast:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod🌐 Find practical teaching ideas and resources:https://howtoenglishpod.comResourcesRaise Up!https://raiseupforelt.com/James Taylor’s ELT podcasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/3kZ6ubdXZipTx2YRdkvSudEnglish Filehttps://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/adult_courses/english_file_fourth_edition/Market Leaderhttps://www.pearson.com/english/catalogue/business-english/market-leader.htmlIn Companyhttps://www.macmillanenglish.com/catalogue/courses/business-english/in-company-30/course-informationCutting Edgehttps://www.pearson.com/english/catalogue/general-english/cutting-edge-3e.htmlHeadwayhttps://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/adult_courses/headway/How English Workshttps://books.google.co.uk/books/about/How_English_Works.html?id=ZUBPvdUx39ICEnglish Grammar in Usehttps://www.cambridge.org/gb/cambridgeenglish/catalog/grammar-vocabulary-and-pronunciation/english-grammar-use-5th-editionMichael Vincehttps://www.waterstones.com/author/michael-vince/298029Penny Urhttps://www.cambridge.org/gb/cambridgeenglish/authors/penny-urNew Inside Outhttps://www.macmillanenglish.com/catalogue/courses/adults-and-young-adults/new-inside-out/course-informationRewardhttps://www.eltbase.com/books-6-reward-intermediate-resource-packChapters00:00 Introduction: favourite English-teaching books00:52 How should teachers use coursebooks?03:06 Should every grammar point be taught?04:22 English File: grammar and communication07:39 English File or Cutting Edge?09:04 Headway and other general English books09:15 Market Leader for Business English11:34 In Company and authentic listening13:26 Who should choose the coursebook?14:20 Inside Out and Reward resources15:01 How English Works and grammar books16:24 Michael Vince, Raymond Murphy and Penny Ur17:12 Introducing the inclusive Raise Up! books19:50 Ila Coimbra and James Taylor20:53 Why representation matters in ELT22:19 What does genuine inclusion mean?22:58 How Raise Up! is created24:12 Supporting social-justice organisations25:10 Contributing to Raise Up!26:29 Gav and Em reflect on inclusive materials27:39 Preview of the listener-tips episodes28:24 Final recommendations and outro