I've been teaching groups of adults English conversation, and been using Side By Side 1 & 2 to brush up on their grammar. I've also used 'passport' since some of the students are interested in traveling. I'd like to change the textbook for the next semester, looking for something that has more conversation practice. Preferably with about 20 units or less, since I only have 20 hrs of teaching.
Could anyone recommend textbooks? Thank you.

Can you believe it?

I've taught 'Can you believe it?' once before. It covers some useful idioms.

I use 'Interchange' by Cambridge University Press.

'Headway' is also a pretty good series (Oxford University Press.)

Visit their sites and you can get them to send you free copies of the books. They are called 'exam copies' and they'll send you copies of up to 3 books for free.

Thanks a lot for the advice. I've ordered exam copies.

I am using Get together for my beginners class. And I can not belive a useful and well put together the book is. I am ordering exam copies myself to help in the promotion of the books. I am usually disheartend by the quality of the ESL material in Korea.

Mark, you are turning me into a real teacher, not an edutainer or a performing monkey as we are sometimes called.

Now if we can do something about my other pet peeve si using Aerial for publishing. Capital 'I's' should look like this "I" not this "l,"especially from an ESL standpoint.

Normally I'd recommend the English File series from OUP. The Original "English File" is less challenging than "New Engish File". Both are still available.

But 20 hours? Hmm - most coursebooks have enough to cover 80 hours or more. Students may dislike paying for a whole book and using only part of it.

I can't vouch for any of these as I've never used them, but to get some titles of short course for further consideration, click this link, then click "select a category" then click "short courses":

http://www.keltic.co.uk/shop/mainframe.asp

Others will no doubt disagree, but I have little positive to say about Side By Side.

That's great! but i'm not sure it has anything to do with me.

I really hope and I think it's true that more and more people are building careers over here (in Asia) and establishing the fact that we aren't entertainers but qualified professionala (at varying stages) that want to do this for a living. I've been here for 9 years and I seem to have earned a bit of respect where I am. The situation seems to be changing slowly around me where people expect the native English teachers to be knowledgable and not simply native speakers. I assume that will grow more with time and increasing competition for jobs.

Again, at least I hope so, anyway ...


look down at your keyboard