This article introduces a new series of educational materials, published by National Geographic Learning, a part of Cengage Learning, in 2014. Spanning beginner to advanced level, the LIFE books series is designed for EFL/ ESL students who aim at academic education. Using National Geographic materials, the book provides learners with real life lesson models encompassing global cultural awareness and issues. Thus, merging ecology, sociology, culturology, anthropology, technology, social studies, science and politics, it provides us, the English teachers, with a material that answers to the interdisciplinary, cross-curricular scheme of the 21 st century that our National Curriculum reformations have been attempting, but without providing a model ground for such a change in educational concept. The paper analyses the changes this global concept brings and sheds light on the changing demands on both students and teachers, should such an approach be adopted. Last but not least, it attempts at a critical assessment of the concept the LIFE series proposes. 1. Brief assessment of the current situation English textbooks, despite their visually improved form and an effort to aid to interactive lessons, are still perceived as a cut-and-dry must by most students. The discrepancy between the recent social push to proficiency in English in many fields and walks of life, be it from technical to medical, artistic to scientific, is not echoed by the English textbooks we are literally swarmed with.
Thus, we find ourselves supplying materials from BBC, NYT and other sources to engage students in topical issues and real English, since even CPE materials and books provide a simplified, distilled version of it. Our students try to mimic L2 ambiance by adopting as much input in L2 as available. In most cases though, particularly at lower and higher secondary school level, it is movies and PC games which provide most of the source for L2 acquisition. In either way, the increased input leads to increasing boredom with constructed texts and listening which feel artificial and too transparent in their one level task dimension. With the supply of sources students have at hand, be it entertainment or educational matter, it is more than obvious that if we are to engage them actively, we need to go far beyond regular textbooks, gap filling exercises and artificial dialogues whose only purpose is to train an examination skill. 2. Introducing LIFE, an English textbook by National Geographic Bringing the interdisciplinary into focus by law (In the Czech Republic, the so called SVP, or “School Educational Programme providing a national scheme for schools to profile their goals under unified frame for Educational Programme) has been accepted as merely a formal criterion, given that the concept stands on no solid ground and many schools have been trying to somehow accommodate their old traditional way to this framework. However justified the trend is, there has been a palpable lack of a concept that would provide a meaningful demonstration for such a change. For those teachers who wish to teach “out of the box” it has been feasible to integrate videos, news, movie excerpts or even academic articles to more advanced levels, bringing topical news and discussing affairs in Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Bosnia … wherever there was a conflict widely covered by media and therefore, with bountiful materials, to enhance the lessons both in linguistic and cognitive levels. The problem I encountered as more challenging was bringing this concept to young learners of A1, A2 levels, providing that they were too “old” for children songs and stories but curious and investigative enough to be challenged beyond the common prefabricated textbooks. As if in an answer to a wish, the LIFE series, officially launched in 2014, came with a skilful merge of unique features tailored to fill the above mentioned gaps: It promises to bring life to classroom. 2.1 The general concept of the LIFE series The concept of LIFE series is to increase the awareness of real life situations around us, provoke curiosity about global issues and transform English classes into “multicultural education”. Using the rich repertoire of National Geographic materials, photos, videos, studies, articles and vastness of issues covered, it unites expert pedagogical and linguistic approach to the content National Geographic stands for. There are several layers upon which lessons can be conducted. On the face of it, each unit is tightened by its topic, which is more like a leitmotif developed and expanded upon in all activities of a given unit. Starting with a fascinating photo (many of which can be identified as World Press Photos), it manages to personalize each experience, going from the basic, general, to a more subjective experience and from there, to a more generalizing grasp of the topic. It encourages to look beyond issues and topics raised in the units by listing projects, scientists and other aspects the students can easily Google and research further, having a real name and a real project at hand. 2.2 Organization of the book Each unit is carefully divided into A—F subsections, structurally mirrored in the Workbook series. In itself, this doesn’t come as a surprise. What does, though, is the novelty and the take of the articles, in both Students ́ book and Workbook. The interlinking of grammar, phrases and knowledge. Each unit opens up with a listening provoking debate and raising dissenting opinions with an enticing photo as an eye-catcher.
The A subsection presents a grammar item, and a text with practical examples of its use. The B section focuses on listening and vocabulary work, differences between synonyms, phrasal verbs, or set phrases. The topic is further developed into writing and speaking, placing emphasis on the newly acquired grammar. The C section consists of a dense article, presenting a challenging viewpoint on the topic, based either on a recent discovery, or an issue we, as a human race, need to change. Apart from the reading comprehension tasks, the section on critical thinking brings the true edge to each topic. Teaching students to analyse, synthesize, draw conclusions, predict in the light of the information provided, think of possible consequences and solution, this is the truly engaging part. The D section focuses on a real life situation and provided phrases for daily interaction.
The section E works on writing skills, providing a model example for each genre and again, real examples. The tasks are not taken away from reality and therefore not perceived as an exercise per se. E.g. when teaching to write a proposal, the task is based on a pre-activity of determining what part of our city would benefit from modernization. The students are directly linked to a palpable issue they can identify with. The F section is the most awaited by students, the video page. Carefully designed, with pre-watching, while-watching and post-watching parts, the videos take us into every corner of the world, presenting us with cultures unknown, with societies and their values we have not heard of. Apart from an engaging role, the videos are thought-provoking and argument-inspiring.
They very often lead to a problem solution or compromise-seeking discussion. With the information and visual support provided in the video /which is part of every textbook/, the students are well equipped for a discussion which would otherwise seem unrealistic and far-flung. Each unit is ended by a review page. 2.2.1. Practical demonstration of a unit (taken from LIFE intermediate, Unit 1) Starting with a photo of two girls in Brunei, wearing the most extraordinary colours, the listening brings us to think of the meaning of colours in our every day life. Of the difference in perception and in national customs and traditions. The photos shows colours that we, Europeans, would scarcely wear and thus it challenges us to think why we avoid bright colours and colour combinations in general. The section A further expands on the topic, showing a different insight: colour is not a marginal issue in our life, it is omnipresent and our lives are tightly connected to it. Students are lead to think how we use colours as badges of identity, personal or national. How we send different messages through colours and how that differs in fashion-conscious Europe and let us say, Quechua tribe in Peru (photo).
Grammar section presents the present simple and continuous, stative verbs and time expressions. Section B starts with eliciting students reaction about their own personal association with certain colours. As a pre-listening, it focuses on choosing the correct word for each definition (e.g. joy/ mourning: the word “mourning” would be new to intermediate students). The core of the listening, underlain by a bright picture of Indian women at a wedding ceremony, is about different meaning and associations of colours in different cultures (e.g. yellow – wisdom in India, red – the colour of love and passion and aggression in the Western World while it is a wedding colour in India.). The Grammar extended practice is again motivated by colours and the theoretical part is further practised in activities combining the application of the rules (e.g. present simple used for routines) and interest-igniting articles: the Blue People and their lifestyle, the Californian Yellow Fruit Festival, etc. The C section talks about the colour red as a colour of winners both in animal and human worlds. Besides drawing parallels to the perception of red as a dominant colour we have in common, it also suggests the sport team of similar ability is more likely to win if wearing the colour red. Therefore, the critical thinking tasks are to deduce the impact of the colour, synthesizing the animal and human worlds, and transporting this conclusion into sport domain, discussing whether red should be banned from official competitions.
