The first ever 'social media' English language teaching course book, called 'English Out There', has just been published

The English language teaching course book called 'English Out There - Intermediate TD4' enables schools, teachers and students to use the internet's free social networks and free internet telephony to make their English learning much more interactive, motivating, practical and inexpensive.

Not only does the first social media English course book challenge publishing convention (though not the latest research) about how people actually learn a second language; the methodology it applies also drastically lowers the financial barrier for millions of schools, teachers and students around the world who would like to integrate highly valuable native speaker practice into every single lesson for free.

Crucially, and what makes it so different, the course book enables any teacher to present modern vocabulary and situations to their students before facilitating and supporting focused interaction with native or fluent speakers, from any location in the world and at any time they want to.

Buyers of the course book also get the chance to access the rest of the 600 hours of materials on the website for half price, giving them an instant real practice modern English programme for under 40.00 British pounds. They are free to charge students what they like for lessons and keep all of the income themselves.

In the last two years web 2.0 social media, Skype and other IM (Instant Messaging) networks have begun enabling millions of people learning English to practise their new skills with native speakers all over the world for free. Millions of students are using online language social networks like Italki.com and Livemocha.com to connect with native speakers. There is even a Facebook app that tells you which of your friends is on Skype; potentially turning all of your foreign friends into language tutors. With the right teaching and learning materials real practice becomes much more effective and focused, giving learners a much better chance of being able to retain and re-use the language they just studied. Recent psycholinguistic research supports this.

London (UK) company Languages Out There (LOT) started using complete strangers for practice purposes during their lessons in 2001. They then identified a growing trend for online language practice in 2006 and have developed their unique teaching and learning materials specifically for use with social media. Their materials can be taught to classes anywhere (even using free public spaces and online virtual classrooms) before the students then approach members of the public, visit Second Life or use Skype and social media to get vital real practice of the language just taught.

For only £14.75 teachers and schools can buy one copy of English Out There (EOT) - Intermediate TD4 and legally photocopy the teachers' directions and associated student worksheets. One book can teach a whole class, instead of every single student needing their own copy. By purchasing the book the school or teacher can also get a 50% discount on another eleven levels (600 hours in total) of similar English materials for just £24.25 via the LOT website. That's just 6.5 pence per hour. There are six levels of twenty three-hour lessons for teachers to deliver and another six levels of one-to-one/self-study lesson plans with answers and MP3s for listening practice.

Teachers and students who use the materials are guided on how to practice the language in the lessons either in the real world or using free web technology. Each level requires students to undertake approximately ten hours of intensely focused speaking and listening practice although the social nature of the practice can easily and usefully extend that time online.

Using an internet café in the developing world it costs between three to six pounds per student per level for real online practice as part of a 60 hour course level. Formal English classes with native speaker teachers usually cost considerably more and provide a lot less effective real practice.

In their first review, carried out by influential online teachers' hub TEFL.net, LOT's materials were called '21st century'. The company is very small but is taking on the big publishers in the multi-billion pound global ELT publishing industry using standard digital media in the form of simple PDFs, MP3s and now print-on-demand publishing technology provided by Lulu.com.

Fellow online publishing innovator Michael Boezi, editorial director of Flatworldknowledge.com (one of Outsell Inc's 'ones to watch' in 2009) was recently moved to write to Jason West, founder of LOT saying,

"I love that you are using Skype as a tool here-it's so obvious that I can't believe that no one's thought of this already. Kudos to you guys for making it happen".

English Out There (EOT) - Intermediate TD4 is also the first English language course book that has involved thousands of hours of teaching to fee paying students over more than six years prior to publication. The end result is English language teaching materials that have been taught and tested more times prior to publication than possibly any others in the history of ELT publishing. Very few, if any, course books get published and already have student comments about them. The EOT program has consistently produced feedback such as,

"I think that the idea of going outside after learning grammar and vocabulary is perfect, because we can use them after the lessons. It's good to memorise them!!" – Natsu (Japan)

And…

"I've never thought that I would enjoy this school this much. I think everyone must try something like that once in a lifetime, I mean, going out for two hours, talking with people, it is just not good for your English, it is also good for your entire life". Arda (Turkey)

The first seven hundred EOT students provided anonymous feedback on their courses in London which lasted anything from a couple of days to five or more weeks. 93.80% thought that EOT had 'satisfied' their expectations for learning (marks 3, 4 and 5 out of 5) with 63.50% of clients giving the program either 4 or 5 for 'learning'. Overall 95% said they would recommend the Out There program.

LOT felt it would be useful for English teachers around the world to be able to get printed course book copies of their unique materials currently on their website for free trial members (24 lesson plans) and premium members (240 lesson plans). All lessons involve the immediate use of target language, either face to face in the real world, or online.

The first course book is now available to buy online at Lulu.com and can also be distributed through on and off line retailers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as being picked up by libraries around the world.

Founder of LOT, Jason West, is optimistic that English teachers around the world will embrace the Out There way of teaching English, "It has been hard work getting to this point, and we may have ruffled a few feathers on the way, but we feel vindicated with the TEFL.net review, our first for the materials, and the fact that there are an increasing number of people and organisations around the world who are keen to support our efforts to make ELT publishing more learner centred, more interactive, more effective and overall a much fairer and more sustainable trade for teachers and students everywhere'.

The English Out There Intermediate course - TD4 (TD meaning Teacher Delivered) consists of twenty three hour lesson plans with minute by minute instructions for teachers and each plan has between four and ten pages of attractive student worksheets written by teachers and experienced English language teaching writers. The materials were graphically designed by Guardian Professional, a division of Guardian News and Media (GNM) and include some GNM content, noticeably some humorous articles by Charlie Brooker, one of GNM's star writers. The lessons or 'units' focus on a specific topic and language focus and were planned around the most useful and up to date vocabulary and situations that needed to be communicable at that level. The EOT levels conform to The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and there are six in all from Beginner to Advanced with many topics appearing regularly in high stakes international English language oral examinations like IELTS (International English Language testing System) and TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language), taken by millions of students every year who worry about their speaking and listening skills.

LOT are also the creators of the first putative Meetup.com real English school, a 'school without walls'; made possible with their innovative teaching and learning materials some of which can be read in full for free on Scribd.com with some free audio MP3s on Podomatic.com for self-study listening practice. This summer in London, as usual, they are teaching almost 200 students Out There in the real world using free public spaces and the locals for effective practice of the language taught. This is the second year they have used their published course materials for their London summer school and the first year that they have completely out-sourced the teaching delivery of it.

About:

Languages Out There started teaching English Out There in London, in the UK, in 2001. Their real practice English lessons teach learners some new language and then get them using it with complete strangers or native or fluent online practice partners. The technique helps learners to overcome their fear of speaking and boosts their confidence and motivation levels.

In 2006 they started using Skype to make free online phone calls and quickly realised that their approach to teaching English was a perfect fit with the online environment and new web 2.0 communications technology.

Since then they have spent thousands of hours preparing their tried and tested materials for publication for use by teachers and learners both in the real world and online. The materials are available online now at:

Languages Out There

…and cost just 20 pence per lesson plan as part of an introductory annual membership price of £48 for individual users only. Teachers and students can try 24 lesson plans for free by signing up on the site. There are low level self-study materials with instructions translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish.

LOT recently beat Pearson plc to the publication of the first purpose built online English conversation practice course for social networking. They also became partners of Italki.com the second largest language social network in the world. The Italki.com/LOT partnership can be seen at:

Italki.com

Italki.com is a free online language exchange and social network and has over 500,000 members, it has also just added a platforms to enable online language teachers to be remunerated for their time and a teaching and learning materials marketplace.

Languages Out There has also just published a book called 'For Want of a Better Word' online. It has been endorsed by the world-famous psycholinguist and multi-million selling author of 'The Language Instinct', 'Words and Rules' and 'The Stuff of Thought', Steven Pinker, who says,

"A visual, verbal, and intellectual delight."

The book uses humour and sumptuous graphics to illustrate why the English language is so difficult to become highly proficient in. It is a call to action for the world's fluent English speakers and encourages them to help others to practise the language that they speak so well.

The book has been written by top advertising creatives Jaime Diskin and Jae Morrison who work for TBWA in London.

Issued by Languages Out There Ltd
For further information contact Jason West on +44 20 7193 7566 or by email at Jason@languagesoutthere.com or visit the website.

Useful links:
English Out There Intermediate TD4 on Lulu.com
http://www.lulu.com/content/7281074
Languages Out There website and materials with free limited membership
www.languagesoutthere.com
Statistical analysis of first 700 students' feedback
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/articles/english-out-there-london-course-statistics-2001-to-2003
TEFL.net review (our first)
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/articles/first-independent-review-LOT-materials-TEFL.net
Meetup.com English Out There lesson
http://www.meetup.com/English-Out-There-London-Intermediate-3-hour-taught-lesson/
Meetup.com English learners globally and those looking for an English Meetup
http://esl.meetup.com/
English Out There self-study Elementary listening practice MP3s
http://languagesoutthere.podomatic.com/
For Want of a Better Word – endorsed by Steven Pinker
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/articles/For-Want-Of-A-Better-Word-endorsed-by-Steven-Pinker