Happy Birthday Mac Mag / Primera Clase!
Twenty years on...
In September 1988, a year after Heinemann ELT officially started in Spain, a four-page publication called Primera Clase began circulation. The idea was to provide a platform for teachers and authors to share ideas and activities, which is still the case 20 years on. After an initial print run of around 6000 copies, Primera Clase grew in size and circulation, even spreading into Portugal and continuing for a total of 43 issues until the summer of 2003 when it became The Macmillan Magazine (or Mac Mag for short). Five years and sixteen editions later, the magazine now boasts a circulation of close to 25 000 a term.
These last 20 years have seen many changes in the world of teaching, not only in terms of system reforms but also in teaching styles and pupil profiles. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked a selection of teachers, authors and editors to give us their impressions of how teaching has changed twenty years on.
Kate Melliss joined Heinemann (now Macmillan) in 1978. She is now Publishing Director for Spain and is in charge of all Macmillan’s ELT publishing for Spain.
How has English teaching in Spain changed over the last 20 years?
Believe it or not, 20 years ago I was a commissioning editor publishing Primary courses for global markets. I don’t know if any of your readers remember Snap but that was the first Primary course I ever published in 1984! Since I have been involved with Spain the demand for English to start at an earlier age has grown. When I published our first course for Infants in 2002, Robby Rabbit, there wasn’t a very big market at this level but with the more recent introduction of English in 1st cycle the demand for English is starting from a much earlier age. This trend is happening across Europe; learners of English are getting younger everywhere! In terms of other ELT trends there has been quite a swing back to grammar. The spirit of the Reforma back in the early 90s was all about communication and the emphasis was on oral skills, particularly at Primary. And now teachers are asking for more and more grammar, from 1st cycle Primary onwards. And at Bachillerato, where the focus has always been on writing and exams practice there is also now quite a big demand for more speaking practice, so the market never stands still.
I would definitely say the overall level of English has got higher in Spain over the last 20 years. The Common European Framework (CEF) has had quite an impact on positive attitudes towards language learning and alongside this there is an increasing demand for CLIL materials and other curriculum subjects taught through the medium of English. And of course the other huge change is the impact of technology on the classroom and the type of materials we produce.
In what ways have coursebooks changed?
Well, Spain has always been a very demanding and competitive market to publish for but the packages we now produce are far more complex and have many more components than they used to have 20 years ago. The digital revolution means that instead of producing cassettes and video we are now delivering student-facing websites (like the one which accompanies the Macmillan Secondary Course), CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and Interactive Whiteboard materials. And on the Macmillan website there is a whole range of supplementary materials accompanying our courses. The Mac Mag online also reflects this change.
How has your job changed over the last 20 years?
From starting off as an editor who was very ‘hands on’ in terms of the development of materials I am now Publishing Director of an editorial and design team (26 people based in the UK and Spain) so my job has changed hugely. Sadly I now spend most of my time managing a large team, monitoring schedules and preparing budgets but I still try not to lose touch with the classroom! I think it is very important that our books always reflect the reality of the classroom so every year I make sure that I visit classes and see our books being taught. I also like to get involved in the piloting stage of new projects so I always try and visit a few schools that have been kind enough to try out new materials for Macmillan. If any of you are reading this, thanks for all your input! It is invaluable. Many people find it very surprising that I have worked for the same company for all this time but the people in Macmillan are fantastic and Spain is a very exciting market to publish for.
Ana Soberón was an Infant and Primary teacher for 25 years. She currently works as a teacher trainer and writer. She is co-author of Robby Rabbit, Wonderland, Wonderworld and Bugs, which won a British Council Innovation Award in 2006.
How has English teaching in Spain changed over the last 20 years?
Looking back over the last 20 years of being an Infant and Primary English teacher and teacher trainer I’ve noticed how much more effective and well prepared teachers have become. The influence of the constructivist approach has revolutionized English teaching, with children playing a much more active role in their own learning. The communicative use of English as the classroom language has increased as a result. This approach implies a lot of dedication and preparation time, but teachers have taken it on board and focused their teaching much more towards children’s real needs. We are much more aware of new ideas and methods, and I think parents appreciate our efforts more and recognize that language learning is a complex process which needs time for results to show.
In what ways have coursebooks changed? Has this affected the way you approach a book as a writer?
In the past, most coursebooks – even for children – were planned around the functions of the language. These days there’s more of an understanding of the need to integrate language into child-centered activities. As an author I feel very fortunate because this approach allows for a much more imaginative writing process. It gives you the chance to include activities and materials which create a unique and stimulating atmosphere for children to enjoy, learn and progress in English. But it’s not just the books themselves which have changed. If you look at materials from 20 years ago the difference is striking. The audio cassette was the only support to the text books. Now the teacher has so many more options. CD ROMs and websites are much more attractive to children and show them that English is part of the real world in which they live.
Carol Read began teaching in Spain in 1984. She currently works as an educational consultant, teacher, teacher trainer and writer. She is co-author of English Club, Wonderland, Wonderworld, the Robby Rabbit series and Bugs, which won a British Council Innovation Award in 2006. Carol has also written 500 Activities for the primary classroom. Her most recent publication is Footprints (Macmillan, 2008).
How has English teaching in Spain changed over the last 20 years?
The last 20 years have seen a huge number of changes; changes that started slowly but which are now moving at an increasingly fast pace. 20 years ago there were very few children between the ages of 3 and 6 learning English and most teachers had neither the confidence nor the methodology to teach them successfully. At Primary level, reading and writing were largely a consolidation of oral and aural work and grammar was almost taboo. Now, with children starting earlier, they are ready to embrace literacy in English sooner, resulting in a more balanced approach towards the four skills. An earlier start has also boosted the case for introducing language awareness in Primary and getting children to actively notice grammar in appropriate child-friendly ways, sometimes beginning in Year 3.
In the last few years we have seen the repositioning of English as a basic school subject. English used to be the subject in the curriculum that was different because it had little meaningful content. The whole move towards content-based learning and CLIL, using English as a tool to learn about the world, is something that is happening particularly fast in Spain. We’re seeing materials responding to a need for content not just in English but through English; content with concepts that children need to know and with the language support and scaffolding that will enable them to learn about them in English. This trend also coincides with a greater emphasis on intercultural learning, with respect for diversity and tolerance as key aims, and the recognition that learning about other cultures strengthens your own cultural identity. The Common European Framework has reinforced these values. It has also brought about important changes in assessment, with the more holistic Portfolio assessment becoming ever more institutionalized.
In what ways have coursebooks changed? Has this affected the way you approach a book as a writer?
Some of the primary coursebooks which were around 20 years ago reflected little more than a watered-down version of what was used with teens and adults. Since then we’ve seen the eclectic and dynamic development of task and story-based methodologies which draw on mainstream Primary practice as well as applied linguistics and what we know about how children learn languages.
The barrier has been raised: children are starting English earlier, they are frequently doing more hours, including learning subjects from other areas of the curriculum, and being put in for more external exams. Coursebooks have had to adapt to this and become faster-paced. As an illustration, in English Club the past simple was introduced in Year 6, whereas in Footprints, it comes in Year 3. And when today’s pupils become tomorrow’s teachers, we may well find these changes accelerate even faster.
Tricia Reilly is a teacher, teacher trainer, author and former Primera Clase editor (1995 –1997). She came to Spain at the end of the 1980s and taught at the British Council in Madrid before going on to work as a teacher trainer. She now works mainly as a freelance materials writer and recently wrote the Skills Trainer and Exams Trainer for Definitions (Macmillan, 2008).
How has English teaching in Spain changed over the last 20 years?
Many teachers worry about falling standards and the fact that students seem to ‘know’ less now, but the focus of learning has changed from students having to reproduce facts wholesale to being encouraged to think for themselves. Nowadays education is much more learner-centred and students are a lot better equipped to learn because their knowledge is more real-world based. For example, you go into a classroom and they know loads more about technology than you!
How have coursebooks changed?
Coursebooks reflect this shift in the sense that they have got much closer to their audiences. Years ago the market was much wider, whereas nowadays books are much more market-specific. Bachillerato books are not just designed to follow the Ministry syllabus and all it’s specifications; they’re far more geared towards the interests of Spanish sixteen to eighteen year olds. English has become a vehicle for informing and learning about the real world. Texts often used to be painfully contrived to provide a springboard into the target grammar but now there’s a far greater emphasis on real content.
Has this changed the way you approach the book as a writer?
Yes. There’s certainly a greater responsibility for authors to understand their market and this is why many now tend to be based in the market itself. They know what teens are watching on television and what is in the news. Also, there’s a greater responsibility to write about serious issues that are familiar to students, while providing the support of language that will allow them to read, talk and write about these themes. There’s much more to take into account than just the cognitive abilities of the age group.
Violeta Serrano has taught ESO and Bachillerato in a private school in Madrid for 29 years. She was one of the earliest contributors to Primera Clase.
How has English teaching in Spain changed over the last 20 years?
My school may be atypical in some ways, as our English department has traditionally included many native teachers. We’ve always placed great emphasis on oral and aural communication skills, with English used as the classroom language at all times. But I do think that the methodology applied in English teaching today is more communicative and student-centred than in the past, with a notable shift from grammar-based to skills-based learning.
Over the years the administrative side of our job has increased with the prominence given to syllabus planning. However I think the biggest change has come from within society. Levels of motivation and self-discipline have declined; nowadays people are used to the ease and immediacy of Internet culture. A by-product of this is that students tend to take a less active role in their learning.
Maria Jesús Páramo is a teacher, teacher trainer and the author of the Time for English Exams Trainer and Target.
How has English teaching in Spain changed over the last 20 years?
I can’t believe twenty years have passed since my first lesson at an IES in El Ejido, Almeria. Many things have changed in TEFL since then. I started teaching BUP and COU, so I used to teach fourteen-year-old students upwards. Since the Reforma was implemented I have been teaching younger students. This has entailed changes in classroom management for which a university graduate like me was not at all prepared, so I took up courses on teaching young learners to apply my methodology to the new context.
Society has changed and therefore so has our approach to teaching. Twenty years ago, most students tended to be of Spanish origin, whereas nowadays our schools are multicultural. Diversity, in terms of abilities as well as backgrounds, has a much higher profile. Mixed ability never used to be such a core issue. Students were asked to keep up with the level the English teacher set; that was their job. Today, however, teachers need materials that cater for all abilities and learning styles to achieve their goal: a learner-centred curriculum. As for content, twenty years ago this was limited to the grammar. Oral production and comprehension (listening, speaking and pronunciation) were secondary in any syllabus. Now grammar is learned and practised in a meaningful and communicative way, both orally and in writing.
In what ways have coursebooks changed? Has this affected the way you approach a book as a writer?
Coursebooks have been instrumental in helping teachers cope with the changes. Writers now have to take a lot more into account when planning a book. The first step is always the syllabus design, which now not only has to include the grammar contents but also all the skills contents (reading, writing, listening, speaking and pronunciation). When designing a unit structure the same applies. Vocabulary has to be introduced in context and recycled both in comprehension and production activities to reinforce learning. No more meaningless lists! Grammar also has to be presented in context, and students are asked to deduce rules on form and use so that they become independent learners. But there is one overall aim: communication.
The need to cater for mixed ability means grading the difficulty of the exercises within the unit. At least three different levels should be offered as well as extra photocopiable material for students with special needs, including handwriting activities for those students who have never used our alphabet. Basically the bottom line is that the materials should meet both the teachers’ and students’ needs. Now I think we simply have a better grasp of what these are.
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