If you want to maximise the effectiveness of your lessons, you will probably need to adapt materials such as course books. Some published material can be rushed to print and not properly tried out, other resources may be a little uninspired (think of many listening activities) and some just won’t suit your students. This means you need to be selective and edit as required. However, this also gives you the opportunity to add some creativity and relevance! Feel free to add, develop, refine, connect, miss out, reduce (especially where it is too repetitive) and remove.

One of the best ways to ensure success is to integrate material into other activities/lessons and not treat each teaching session as a one-off. This way it is easier for students to appreciate the purpose of each activity. Also, where possible, look for ways of relating material to the students’ experience or culture. This will give you lots to discuss with your class!