Tuesday, May 16, 2006
ESL Classics 04: Values Clarification
Values Clarification, Sidney Simon, Leland Howe, and Howard Kitschenbaum, Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-67095-2
This book was never intended as an ESL text, let’s be upfront about that. It’s intended as the “classic guide to discovering your truest feelings, beliefs, and goals”. So why is this an ESL classic?
Let me count the ways! It is superb for upper-intermediate/advanced discussions. Plus, it is excellent for community-building and ice-breaking. It includes an exceptionally wide variety of content formats, from imaginative lists of interview questions to roleplays to group discussions to what-would-you-dos to brainstorms to pattern searches to time management to discussion of what students have in their wallets/purses.
There are very few grammatical limitations to the use of any of these (real/unreal conditionals aside).
The variety means the content is nearly inexhaustible in any given class. Its open-ended nature means that students at many levels can benefit from it. My students have benefited from Values Clarification for more than fifteen years, in pairs, in small groups, and as entire classes. Classic! This is despite the fact that I have never used it for “values clarification”, which has its own agenda. It is a great tool.
Recommendation: Very classy, very classic.
This book was never intended as an ESL text, let’s be upfront about that. It’s intended as the “classic guide to discovering your truest feelings, beliefs, and goals”. So why is this an ESL classic?
Let me count the ways! It is superb for upper-intermediate/advanced discussions. Plus, it is excellent for community-building and ice-breaking. It includes an exceptionally wide variety of content formats, from imaginative lists of interview questions to roleplays to group discussions to what-would-you-dos to brainstorms to pattern searches to time management to discussion of what students have in their wallets/purses.
There are very few grammatical limitations to the use of any of these (real/unreal conditionals aside).
The variety means the content is nearly inexhaustible in any given class. Its open-ended nature means that students at many levels can benefit from it. My students have benefited from Values Clarification for more than fifteen years, in pairs, in small groups, and as entire classes. Classic! This is despite the fact that I have never used it for “values clarification”, which has its own agenda. It is a great tool.
Recommendation: Very classy, very classic.
