Centro de Estudios Gestalt

Maestra en Enseanza del Ingls

Book analysis

By

Claudia Lpez Viveros

Profesora Hortensia Reyes Mers

Final Project 1
 Book analysis
Quick Learning TOEFL 1A
2010
By Sergio Julio Ziga Chapa and Andrs Molina Enrquez
Cobrica: Mxico

I. Introduction
Hearing teachers comment on the ELT methods they apply in their classes is
rather uncommon nowadays. If so, they mostly boast of using the Communicative
approach. Books on the open market usually take the same route, CLT. However,
it seems that all these decades of research and improvements on ELT methods
are forgotten: the current approaches to ELT owe their existence to all the previous
methods. Many valuable principles from older methods have been taken,
readapted and reorganized to give birth to the trendiest approaches of our days.

In the present paper I will analyze a TOELF 1A book by the well-known English
institute Quick Learning, in order to find out the methods that underlie its teaching
principles and to corroborate if they match the goals and objectives the institute set
up at the beginning of the lessons and the course programme.

II. The book structure

The history of the institute Quick Learning is not easy to trace on the internet. Their
webpage only reveals few details about their procedures and method. They
guarantee that the first thing they teach their students is to think and speak English
with an excellent pronunciation. Their first aim being speaking, no written texts, no
grammatical rules and no homework will be shown or studied until the students
have learnt some English. In further levels, grammar accuracy takes an important
role in the classroom.
QLs main tool is a color chart inspired in the silent way method that has been
adapted to help students learn the phonetic sounds associated to each square, in
order to be able to reproduce words with progressive minimal error. This new color
chart was patented by QL and it has proven to be an effective tool to accurate
pronunciation, if taught properly. It contains all consonant and vowel sounds,
including diphthongs, as well as combined sounds that frequently appear in English
and that may represent a key aspect to English pronunciation, such as /r/, /l/,
/g/, /ks/, /gz/, /m/, /n/, /d/, /z/.

1.1 Color chart

The books employed by QL are strictly made by QL associates, this means, no

well-known or highly ELT recommended books or extra materials are used or
consulted in the institute. Teachers complement QL books with specific QLs
method procedures. Students course fee covers the QL books they are to study,
therefore, no photocopies are allowed, nor are other books necessary.
QL books are designed to last one month or one month and a half, depending on
the course. QL books look simple, the content is black and white; just a few images
are included. The color chart can be found in the inner side of the cover page. The
color chart is the only colored element in the book.

1.3 Color chart and Introduction

1.2 Cover page

TOEFL 1A book is divided into 20 lessons. The first page of each lesson contains
clear educational objectives and grammatical objectives. The content of the lesson
starts with a topic title about the grammatical aspect to study, then an explanation
of the language item or examples follow. After that, a series of exercises on the
topic are presented. Lastly, there is a vocabulary section in the form of the objects
of the color chart so that students write the transcription of each word from QL
code into English.

At the bottom of every single page of the book a section on idioms and phrasal
verbs can be found. The section includes: Expression, definition and example.
All pages background is the institutes logo, a family holding hands together
walking towards a rising sun. Different from other language centers, the book is a
tool and not the center of the class. The book itself is not attractive; the teacher is
obligated to complement it with specific institute procedures and type of activities.
Therefore, in the present paper there will be some references to the teachers
practice when needed to better address the institutes book analysis. Generally
speaking, the book addresses most of the macro-skills, listening, reading and
writing. Speaking is carried out by the teacher according to the circumstances and
language items to be learnt. In levels else than TOEFL, the speaking skill is one of
the major focus. For TOEFL it is not; it is rather focused on grammar and functions.

The book tackles all language systems, phonology, lexis, functions and grammar,
especially because it is TOEFL preparation. In lower levels, such as beginners,
students do not face any of these aspects except for the phonology and lexis part.
Quick Learning describes their method as fun, interesting and accurate. In the
introduction to the TOEFL book 1A they state:

you will become acquainted with the Test Of English as a Foreign

Language (TOEFL) that is required of most students intending to
study in the United States. You will become familiar with the kind of
questions asked in the test, and you will develop the basic skills to
deal with them

The main objective of the book is to help students learn the format of the TOEFL
paper-based exam, practice and develop the micro skills of the macro skills
encompassed in the exam: listening, grammar and reading. However, the writing
skills are also practiced in classes, along with sporadic speaking practice.

As mentioned in the introduction, no language center or book can be considered to

exclusively follow one method, but a combination of them, that is to say, an
approach. Quick Learning is not an exception. Analyzing their teaching practices a
plethora of methods can be detected such as Grammar-Translation, Audiolingual,
Direct, Silent way, and Communicative approach.
III. ELT methods in Quick Learnings book
I will explain the way the aforementioned methods are reflected in Quick Learnings
book TOEFL 1A and teaching practice.

Grammar-Translation method
In the TOEFL level of the institute, the grammar-translation method can be
reflected in the lessons content. There may be some long elaborate explanations
of grammar, including rules and application. Examples of the language items to be
learnt are offered. Students apply them to different examples. There are fill-in-the-
blank exercises in some lessons.

1.4 Grammar explanation. (Step 1) 1.5 Grammar explanation (Step 2)

Images 1.4 and 1.5 are an example of the explanation of the grammar rules QL
books offer. For this lesson the educational objective is for students to be able to
work our errors in their written expression. The grammatical objective is to identify
the function of a word from its use in a sentence. The grammar analysis (content)
is divided into three steps.

In the first step a sentence is decomposed into its smallest word units so as to
show the function of every word, the sentence being Jonathan took this photo
when he was sitting at the top of the ferris wheel. Next to the decomposed
sentence a set of explanation on the function of each word is given.
 1.6 Grammar analysis first step

In the second step it is analyzed the way each sentence element modifies,
expands information, etc. on the previous or following element of the sentence.
This is a semi-practical way to show the way each element has a function and
effect on the other elements of the sentence. In other words, this explanation
shows the interconnection of all the elements of a sentence.

1.7 Grammar analysis. Step 2

The third step consists of identifying different types of clauses within the sentence.
At this point, students were supposed to previously have studied different types of
clauses two lessons before. For that reason, the explanation of step three is brief
and not as detailed as the previous steps, which were studied previously as well.

1.8 Grammar analysis. Step 3

After the grammar explanations and examples, there comes the exercises section,
in which students have to label each underlined element with an N for noun and a
V for a verb in 30 different sentences. In this exercise students apply some of the
concepts they have learnt. However, the exercise does not include all the elements
students were taught. In further lessons some of these concepts are retaken to
refer to the parts of speech in longer speech units such as clauses or parts of a
sentence.

The other lessons have a very similar structure and they all include the same
sections, as previously mentioned. Hence, only the grammar explanations and type
of exercises, and nothing else, relate Quick Learning book to the grammar
translation method. There are no translations included, no use of L1, no readings
of the classical texts, etc.

Audiolingual method
Some principles of the audiolingual method can be found in the teaching
procedures and books content. Accurate pronunciation, use of minimal pairs,
control of structure of sound, form and order of L2, vocabulary acquisition, focus on
fluency, immediate reinforcement of successful responses in the classroom are the
most outstanding audiolingual features.

The color chart is the central element of QL teaching and the most characteristic
given that no other English institute in Mexico makes use of it or of any similar one.
The main goal of the color chart is to teach accurate pronunciation of the sounds of
English. In QL webpage they state that English is not pronounced the way it is
written, hence, the color chart aids students in making their vocal cords
pronounce those sounds they have never pronounced before because they do not
exist in Spanish. By using the color chart they decrease the phonetic vices that
are difficult to correct later on.
1.9 The color chart

The color chart is not an element belonging to the audiolingual method, but to the
silent way. It is considered in this method because of the purpose it seeks, which is
accurate pronunciation. Another way QL reinforces accurate pronunciation but that
does not appear in the book is the use of dialogue memorization and repetition
drills before the practice section takes place, especially in the previous levels to
TOEFL.

Phonetic exercises from the book reinforce the color chart. In other levels else than
TOEFL several sets of vowel and consonant minimal pairs appear. Vocabulary is
another main aspect to be taught in QL. For practical ends, vocabulary and
phonetics are combined into the same exercises in all QL levels at the end of every
lesson from the book.
2.0 Example of phonetic and vocabulary exercises

In these sections the main symbols of the color chart appear as a sound of a word,
students have to make the transcription of those sounds into the corresponding
letters involved. At first sight new vocabulary may seem to be taught in an isolated
way, however, according to QL teaching method, teachers have to recreate a
context to teach those words in context and find proper explanations to teach the
meaning of that vocabulary.

In lower levels, the new vocabulary is integrated to specific readings before the
exercises on phonetics and vocabulary appear. Therefore, students must learn first
the vocabulary in context and later they may practice the written form of the words
and their pronunciation.
2.1 Example of phonetic and vocabulary exercises. Words: likewise, bank, lockup.

2.2 Full page of phonetic and vocabulary exercises

In addition, at the bottom of every book page a small section of phrasal verbs or
idiomatic expressions is added, containing the expression with its definition and
one example.
2.3 Bottom-page vocabulary. Idiomatic 2.4 Bottom-page vocabulary. Phrasal
expression. verb.

Direct method
As used in many language centers around the world, the direct method is present
in Quick Learning procedures. Leaving aside the beginners level, where the lesson
objectives are written in Spanish on the board, there is strict use of English
throughout all the other levels.

According to the direct method, language is primarily speech, therefore students

must only use L2 and practice their speaking skills during most of the class. Writing
is practiced by creating paragraphs using reading passages as model. Culture and
the way native speakers live are integrated as well, especially at intermediate and
advanced levels at QL.

Teachers can recourse to realia or images representing the vocabulary. It is

desirable that students make a direct association between the target language and
meaning. However, when vocabulary is too complex to be shown through images,
then the teacher explains the meaning of the language item.

Pronunciation is another key aspect of the direct method, QLs main concern is
pronunciation as they state in their webpage when giving ten reasons to choose
Quick Learning over any other language institute. This aspect will be discussed
more in depth in the Silent way influence section.
Silent way
As mentioned in the previous description, the color chart, the characteristic
element of Quick Learning, was taken from the color chart of the Silent way
method. Originally, the color chart only contained color squares, not images. Quick
Learning adapted the color chart by adding representative images in order to make
the identification of each English sound easier.

The main goal of the color chart is to teach accurate pronunciation of all the
English vowel and consonant sounds. At the beginning of every lesson, teacher
and students study the color chart by pronouncing all the sounds with the teachers
aid. However, phonetics are not taught in an isolated way, as vocabulary is studied
in class, the teacher points out at the sounds that make up a word, students
pronounce. Words are usually studied in context.

The first section of the color chart consists of simple and composed vowel sounds,
with the exception of number 7, which is a combination of vowel and consonant.
Phonemes 8 and 9 are taught including the consonant sound in parenthesis,
however, they represent single sounds. According to the square numbers, the
phonetic symbols associated with each one are as follows: 1 //, 2 //, 3 //, 4 /e/,
5 //, 6 //, 7 /r/, 8 /(r)/, 9 /a:(r) /, 10 /u:/, 11 /i:/, 12 /er/, 13 //, 14 /:/, 15 /a/, 16
/e/, 17 /o/, 18 /ju:/, 19 /a/, 20 //, 21 /wa:/, 22 /w/, 23 /j/

2.5 First section of the color chart. Vowel sounds.

The second section of the color chart shows mostly consonant sounds. Some
squares represent vowel and consonant sounds combined. The numbers represent
the phonetic sounds as follows. 24 /p/, 25 /t/, 26 /z/, 27 /s/, 28 //, 29 /m/, 30 /n/, 31

/f/, 32 /v/, 33 /d/, 34 / /, 35 //, 36 /j/, 37 /l/, 38 /w/, 39 /k/, 40 /r/, 41 /b/, 42 /h/, 43
/g/, 44 //, 45 /t/, 46 //, 47 /l/, 48 /r/, 49 /d/, 50 /kw/, 51 /ks/, 52 /gz/, 53 //, 54
/d/, 55 /z/, 56 /hw/, 57 /m/, 58 /n/.

2.6 Second section of the color chart. Consonant sounds.

Even though the color chart may seem to be difficult to learn it has proven to be a
useful and successful way to pronounce English correctly. At the beginning of this
process, teachers must look for progress and not perfection, this being another
principle of the Silent way method.

In the teaching practice inside the classroom there are other features taken from
the Silent way. Regarding grammar, teachers model language units to be learnt
and segment structures with their fingers for learners to identify the number of
elements they must reproduce. Finger segmentation is also used for correction
purposes. According to this method, if the teacher provides the answers and
corrections, the learners will not learn.

Correction of grammar mistakes in spoken discourse is addressed in three stages.

The first and most relevant one is self-correction; it is prompted by teachers facial
gestures and indication of the wrong element with the finger segmentation of the
language unit. If students fail at correcting their own mistakes with this process,
then peer correction can be implemented. After several attempts, if all this fails,
then, the teacher may correct as a last resort. Nevertheless, teacher correction is
rarely seen because they have to try the other two types of correction exhaustively
until results are satisfactory. Teacher correction is usually frowned upon at QL and
is avoided at all costs.

2.7 Finger segmentation in error correction

Based on the premise that the learning process continues as a person sleeps, no
homework is assigned in the Silent way. Probably based on the same idea, or
trying to adjust to students lifestyles, in Quick Learning no homework is assigned
either.

Communicative approach
The communicative approach can be perceived to a certain degree in QL books
structures and it is complemented with the teachers practice and implementation
of communicative activities in the classroom. Speaking and writing play an
important role at QL because both are means of communication.

According to the method description, Quick Learning is concerned with spoken

communication in the first levels of instruction. As students move forward in their
learning process, they read and write the language. In the TOEFL level, spoken
communication is a somewhat left aside so as to focus on written expression and
more complex grammar understanding.

In the TOEFL level, students work with language at the discourse or

suprasentential level. They learn about cohesion and coherence. The language
items they study are part of a bigger context than mere sentences or small texts.
Since students attention is drawn to more specific details of language, when
practicing their writing skills, students are more aware of coherence and cohesion,
thus improving their communicative skills.

Students opinion always counts at Quick Learning; they are free to express
themselves in the performance section with the role plays they write. The context
of the language items is of extreme importance. There is no language item that
students learn without a context of application, although this is not encompassed in
the book, teachers are obligated to take care of the contextual aspect of the target
language.

Accuracy is an important aspect of both the CLT and QL method. Learning to use
language forms appropriately represents communicative competence. Students
are taught formal and informal vocabulary and grammar structures, hence, they
also consider the social context of the utterances. In the following image the
difference between its me and its I in terms of formality is discussed. The same
type of distinction is a common element of other QL books.
 2.8 Social context

IV. Conclusion

The Quick Learning method consists of a combination of methods. Depending on

the course level, the books will be more focused on some than on others. In the
TOEFL 1A book, the methods Grammar-translation, Audiolingual, Direct, Silent
way and communicative are the most influential.

Nevertheless, the book alone does not stand for the complete method by QL. It is
necessary to take a look at the teaching practice inside the classroom because the
book only functions as a complement of it and vice versa. Quick Learning books
are not available for sale given that they were not designed to be implemented in
any classroom, on the contrary, they were made up to serve specific teaching
procedures of the QL method.

Generally speaking, the books structure and the underlying methods

complemented with the teaching practice inside the classroom match each another.
The books content, the teaching procedures and combination of method principles
seem to match the educational and grammatical objectives stated at the beginning
of the lessons. The book meets its main objectives of getting students familiar with
the TOEFL test and most importantly, of developing the basic skills to deal with it.

If properly applied, the QL method seems to be a potentially successful one. It

recycles remarkable principles of the most representative ELT methods. The
emphasis on grammar and pronunciation accuracy, the amount of vocabulary
students are exposed to, the quality of the explanations, the implementation of
speaking activities, are the most outstanding and characteristic features of Quick
Learning.

The Quick Learning method offers an attractive and effective alternative to learning
English, if properly carried out. The method proves that communication in spite of
language is worthless. It reclaims the importance of accuracy without falling into
traditional vices, and it successfully gathers the macro skills and the language
systems.