What you can expect to see, and perhaps not see, in Callan English (3rd edition)
4th September 2023
New car models sometimes look radically different from their predecessors, but not always. If the outgoing model is a much-loved, tried-and-tested vehicle, many aspects of its design are likely to be retained, and for good reason. New features and technical improvements are often not instantly obvious, and many are under the bonnet, revealing themselves in the driving experience.
At the risk of stretching this analogy, Callan English, the new 3rd edition of our general English course, is similar. The Callan Method hasn’t changed at all, so each stage is still comprised of Lessons containing headwords, followed by explanations where useful, and then questions and answers to practise the headwords. As you use the new edition over the coming weeks and months, however, you’ll clearly see how the content has been improved.
You’ll notice that questions have been removed, replaced, or reworded. You’ll come across sections that have been streamlined or expanded, and some that are altogether new. You’ll notice how the stages and the Lessons within them are more consistent in terms of length, as are the dictations, and that many sections have been relocated. There are also many subtle but important changes in the general wording of content throughout the course, and enhanced practical help for teachers at lower levels. Much thought and work has gone into these changes, which are designed to improve learning and teaching, ensure that material is up to date and futureproof, and align the course more closely with CEFR expectations.
As well as all these improvements ‘under the bonnet’, there are also a few very significant ‘in-your-face’ developments. The Student’s Books now contain short Lesson Check exercises at the end of every Lesson, followed by notes pages so that students can jot things down without making their books look messy. Each Student’s Book contains a full phonemic chart at the back, and full-colour charts where appropriate (including two completely new ones). In the Teacher’s Books, you’ll immediately spot that the Stage Exams have been fundamentally redesigned to provide far better summative assessments of learning.
The final new developments will be within the Callan App. Coming soon and set to form one of four areas within the 3rd-edition Exercises module in the app will be a set of 56 Revision Tests. These will constitute an app-only feature, and will enable students to challenge themselves further outside lesson time. Each test targets three or four particular Lessons from the course, and you should encourage your students to do a specific test only after completing those target Lessons in class (i.e. after you remind them; there are prompts for this in your Teacher’s Book). Full audio for the 3rd edition is being recorded right now, and, once ready, this will be integrated for free within each eBook, be made available separately for students who have purchased printed books, and will also be used in the Question & Answer and Dictation areas of the 3rd-edition Exercises module.
There are other changes we could have mentioned here, but we hope the above has given you a taste of things to come with the new 3rd edition of Callan English. We’re delighted with the new course, and we hope you and all your learners will be too. Let us know!
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