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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Learning
COMPANIONS
I work in Greece, and I am planning on doing a presentation for my local TESOL branch about Companions. Does the rest of the world have them? I've never seen one other than here, but the phenomenon is pretty recent and I've been here for quite some time.
Companions are glorified translation glossaries of coursebooks. Some souped-up jobs have a few throwaway vocabulary exercises in them and some grammar explanations in Greek, but they remain, well...glorified translation glossaries.
Most teachers cordially dislike them, but their market penetration has been so phenomenal that we are basically forced to use them in the standard range of classes that we teach in private institutes here. It's either that or explain, time and time again, why we feel that students should not rely on them and hope that their parents actually believe us.
Companions are, as a rule, poorly written, badly translated, and cheaply printed and bound. They have become our reality because are a moneymaking machine for publishers, and they are designed for overworked, largely self-trained teachers without a lot of prep time, which is pretty much the rule here (and in a million other places, come to think of it).
So...do you have them? How do you use them, if at all?
Companions are glorified translation glossaries of coursebooks. Some souped-up jobs have a few throwaway vocabulary exercises in them and some grammar explanations in Greek, but they remain, well...glorified translation glossaries.
Most teachers cordially dislike them, but their market penetration has been so phenomenal that we are basically forced to use them in the standard range of classes that we teach in private institutes here. It's either that or explain, time and time again, why we feel that students should not rely on them and hope that their parents actually believe us.
Companions are, as a rule, poorly written, badly translated, and cheaply printed and bound. They have become our reality because are a moneymaking machine for publishers, and they are designed for overworked, largely self-trained teachers without a lot of prep time, which is pretty much the rule here (and in a million other places, come to think of it).
So...do you have them? How do you use them, if at all?
Top answer
On 7 Mar 2005 11:58:01 -0800, "credoquaabsurdum" [nq:1]I work in Greece, and I am planning on doing a presentation for my local TESOL branch about Companions. Does ... million other places, come to think of it).
- On 7 Mar 2005 11:58:01 -0800, "credoquaabsurdum" [nq:1]I work in Greece, and I am planning on doing a presentation for my local TESOL branch about Companions.
- Does ...
- million other places, come to think of it).
- do you have them?
- [/nq] They weren't about when I worked in a Frontesterio in the early 80's, but apart from that it sounds like nothing has changed in the world of Greek ELT!
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2 Answers
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On 7 Mar 2005 11:58:01 -0800, "credoquaabsurdum"
[nq:1]I work in Greece, and I am planning on doing a presentation for my local TESOL branch about Companions. Does ... million other places, come to think of it). So...do you have them? How do you use them, if at all?[/nq]
They weren't about when I worked in a Frontesterio in the early 80's, but apart from that it sounds like nothing has cha
[nq:1]I work in Greece, and I am planning on doing a presentation for my local TESOL branch about Companions. Does ... million other places, come to think of it). So...do you have them? How do you use them, if at all?[/nq]
They weren't about when I worked in a Frontesterio in the early 80's, but apart from that it sounds like nothing has cha
00
[nq:2]I work in Greece, and I am planning on doing ... have them? How do you use them, if at all?[/nq]
[nq:1]They weren't about when I worked in a Frontesterio in the early 80's, but apart from that it sounds like ... there's a locally published 'companion' to, say, 'Headway' or 'Cutting Edge'?I wonder what the orignal publishers think of that... DC[/nq]
OK...you're going to love this.
[nq:1]They weren't about when I worked in a Frontesterio in the early 80's, but apart from that it sounds like ... there's a locally published 'companion' to, say, 'Headway' or 'Cutting Edge'?I wonder what the orignal publishers think of that... DC[/nq]
OK...you're going to love this.
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