Interview questions in response to research question 1 and research question 2
Questions Aims
RQ 1: How do/have the teachers at -To explore teachers’ opinions on the
Viet My Anh perceive/ed of the in- in-used coursebook’s evaluation
used coursebook’s evaluation in their
course of teaching??
Q1.1: Do you often consider or
evaluate the coursebook and
material? If yes, how
Q1.2: What is your point of view on
the coursebook evaluation in terms of
teaching speaking skills?
RQ2: What are the opinions of
teachers at Viet My Anh in
evaluating the EVERYBODY UP
level 2’s package in terms of
teaching speaking skills
Q2.1 What is your point of view on
the coursebook in terms of
Overall learning objectives
Layout content
Activities and task
Support material
Q2.3 Would you mind
recommending some suggestion for
the package? (student book,
workbook, etc.)
RQ1
Do you often consider or evaluate the coursebook and material? If yes, please
specify how you have been implementing this action?
So, would you mind explain how you decide that a coursebook is suit for you, I
mean how do you decide the package is good enough?
Well, i think the coursbook from well-known publisher is the reliable sources
(qualified/authority). But, for me, i think coursebook should meet some points:
First, it helped to save time and energy in conducting the lesson. It is convenient to
follow the guidelines in syllabus, to teach as in teacher book show. I assume that the
authors did study and arrange content to support teaching and learning English.
next, content in the coursbook (vocab and grammar in particular) should be adequate and
suitable. I mean, leaners at this age is smart and easy to learn to remember the vocab. We
can see the effectiveness of learning through the quantities of new words and grammar
point that our students can remember and apply.
Another points need to concern is supporting materials. Normally, children in this age
love to play games (but in a “mức độ vừa phải” or we can delivrer the lesson in time!).
And games also help to learn vocab and grammar. Let me give an example, listen and
choose the correct item by tick or circle is easy to prepare and also can warm up.
You mean the language level is important.
Yes, with the voacab and grammar. The language level in a coursebook, however, should
be at the level defined by the MoET.
Could you specify what are your points that you say to check, that is some kind of
criteria in terms of evaluate the coursbook?
How to say, It is not a real evaluation, just a file to list out my notes on the coursebook
and material. For example, the way of teaching (like p-p-p presentation practice
production), is there any provided materials or hand outs, what point to focus on skills,
language type, and somehow the cultural content, that is, the appropriateness in
vietnamese context.
So may i summarize your points, some considerations included in your view of
coursebook are the way of teaching, the provided material, which skills to focus,
language type, and cultural content, is it correct?
Yes, I agrre with these points.
What is your point of view on the coursebook evaluation in terms of teaching
speaking skills?
Well, I prefer to say that we must see the language skills as a whole, that are 4 skills
( reading, listening, speaking writing) together. But for me, Speaking skills is a point
need to notice in particular, for through students’ speaking, we may find what need to
improve, what practices are effective, that we can implement in our teaching
In my experience, students at these ages [up to 10 years old] may love to sing or talk.
Many series of other coursebook seem integrate songs into the students book. Then, i
think teaching speaking skills necessarily include songs or rhythm. Another reason to
include songs is it may be interesting, follow learning’principle (Tomlinson’s SLA) that
children need to feel at ease, and to learn in various ways.
So, the coursebook need to support us as teachers to teach effectively by providing us
materials and build structure to present content of learning through songs, and of course
others.
Would you mind suggest your criteria to evaluate the coursebooK’s
appropriateness?
Sometimes I try to take some considerations to teach by look on the coursebook. Well, i
dont have any criteria, but i can give some points that I am used to note in using
courbook.
Uhm first, i will look at the teacher book to see whether it present any way of
presentation, how the authors deploy the unit, their teaching/learning objectives and
compare with the syllabus of the course
Then, i will check the materials, from the package, check whether the series include
useful materials (quiz, hand-outs) that help me to prepare for each lesson.
Another point that i concern is the content, especially in vocab and grammar
Ah and the structure of the coursebook. I’m afraid most the length of unit is too long and
it may cover some difficult point that i may take time to teach.
So, in sum, you mean you take the learning objectives or goals first, then the
additional materials or resources, the third point is the content, and finally, the
structure, am i correct?
Yes, I agree with these points that you have just repeated.
So, how do you perceive the coursebook’s evaluation as a user?
To be honest, i think this is a work for eudcational researcher and administrator. We,
teacher as the users, may find the strengths and find some points need to adapt to teach
effectively in the course. But i think it is hard to take any big change for the package.
[prescibe for use]
Another point is, we have hardly had any meeting or discuss with the educational
administrator, not to say the authors. I find that it is somehow having a distance between
the authors and me. Sometimes i have a point or ideas that i want to chat directly with
them [author] to get the book more suitable in Vietnamese and in my school (for
example, we can practice story telling with Vietnamese cultural context, that may
motivate students to practice speaking more)
Also, we teacher dont have any meeting together to share our stories. I want to take
observations in other teachers’ classes to see how they deliver the lesson in coursebook.
If we have dicussion on using the package, i think we can help each other to develop the
way of using the package better.
RQ2:
Would you mind describing the first impression for the coursebook. For example,
the design, the layout, etc?
... it could be the real-english for students to use in their daily life. When I look on the
syllabus at the first time, i saw that the vocab and the grammar is practical and easy for
children to learn (for example, they are going to learn words to express their feelings, and
words on jobs and career, and on foods too,). And on the layout, we can see the unit is
from easy level and familiar context to develop to harder level and more general, to the
world context (like countries in the world).
Well, thank you for these information. Then, could you please explain why do you
think these features in the package suitable for your teaching, that is Could you
please suggest some reviews in the first time to see the coursebook?
Various type of learning: kinesthetic, audio-visual, (draw-choose thing )read [SLA
principles
Leanring objective is fit with GENERAL EDUCATIonON ENGLISH LANGUAGE
CURRICULUM
YLW Practice: Movers, learner needs” test
Yes, please give some details in the very first access to the package, the
studentbook ?
So how do you describe your evaluation for the books, in terms of teaching
speaking?
I may say for me it is aprropriate to use the book
What is your point of view on the coursebook in terms of Overall learning
objectives?
The materials provide an appropriate balance of the four language skills. So, it is possible
to say that ‘EU’ is a multi-skills syllabus and therefore, covers and integrates both
productive (speaking and writing) and receptive skills (listening and reading). However,
it does place a larger emphasis on listening and speaking. There are much more activities
to practice for speaking.
the teachers agree that materials include and focus on the skills that the students need.
The students have been introduced to the countries in the world, that mean various
cultures.
With respect to pronunciation, the coursebook seemed to demonstrate that this was one of
the book's major strengths. One of the most effective point of each unit is the fact that the
phonics are introduce by consonants from easy to hard level. It is help to devoted to the
teaching of pronunciation.
Are there any recommendations for the coursebook, in terms of teaching speaking?
I would like to share about one discussion with a parent. The parent ask about whether
we add more grammartical content, and let the students take more quizs and exercises. I
have been explain to them that the coursebook series suit for learning authentic english,
and it must be learned follow the syllabus. Of course, quiz and exercise is necessary in a
appropriate manner.
Besides, some students ask for games regularly. And some seem not to sing a song again
and again. So may be it need to “đa dạng” more.