I received a letter from H in Sheffield, UK, and H has graciously allowed me to post it here. (I hope that H will do an audio version too–because that’s what ETsEverywhere is all about).

Dear Kevin,

I applaud your efforts to create a new website of ESL audio materials, but in most respects your “site” is glaringly lacking.

May I point out that, unlike yours, most respectable ESL websites–UsingEnglish, Dave’s ESL cafe, etc.– include borders or flash banners devoted to advertisements. Thus, while we are browsing for material it is quite easy to look for ways to spend our money, or to pleasantly distract ourselves with thoughts thereof. This wasn’t possible at your “site.”

I also find your content bizarre. ESL material should be sober for adults, cute and cloying for the young learners. Not plain mad.

And I cannot suss out any reason for texts intended to appeal to Tajiks and such. Students should learn about the UK mostly, and some about America, and perhaps a little about Australia–maybe one text about a koala or something.

My ESL students prefer texts like “At the Tobbaconist’s” or “Mr. Brown on High Street,” and they prefer recordings made NOT by so-called genuine people but by actors—professionals, to wit—whose language is clearer and more practiced than the man on the street.

2) And while we are at it, English students want, deserve, and need to hear native English speakers, and nothing but. Your “Other Voices” section provides recordings of non-native English speakers, from places as far afield as Taiwan, Mexico, and Arizona. If a speaker’s English is not clean, better that students don’t understand it all; otherwise they will learn bad habits.

3) Songs, songs, songs. Really, now. I believe songs should be used in the classroom only as often as we listen to them in real life. I, like most people listen to one song a month (usually something by Gary Numan or In Sync).And Movement Songs? Students don’t learn a language by prancing about. Students learn by sitting at their desks and keeping their noses in the book. Oh, perhaps it’s not glamorous, perhaps it’s not fun, but it works.

Decades of research have not uncovered any method better than the “Three RE-’s Approach.”

A. Read – read a text
B. Recite – (recite the text aloud)
C. Redo – (redo steps A and B).

It is not easy to learn a language, nor is it fun; and the teacher is shirking responsibility if he doesn’t let on to his students. Study is how we learn. Study and hard work. Coupled with the motivational menace of frequent and weighty examinations.

Yours,
H
Sheffield, UK