About the author: Peter Beech is Director of Anglo-Hellenic Teacher Training
Part one – finding what’s available
One question that new teachers often ask is how they can find course
books. These days, it’s easier than ever to find all the information we
need. It’s just a question of knowing where to start.
Conferences, publishers’ exhibitions and seminars
One of the best ways to be informed about the available publications
is to attend a conference which is accompanied by an exhibition. The
TESOL Greece (www.tesolgreece.org)
annual convention, which is held in March every year, is a great
opportunity to meet colleagues, attend professional development talks
and also browse the exhibition. Other TESOL Greece events throughout the
year are also often accompanied by small exhibitions of the latest
books from the publishers that sponsor the events.
Apart from the exhibitions accompanying conferences, there are also larger exhibitions such as the Foreign Languages Forum (www.eltnews.gr/about-the-forum) and the International Publishers Exhibition (www.ip-exhibitions.eu).
The talks at these are mainly commercial rather than professional, with
publishers’ representatives promoting their new publications. The main
focus is the exhibition rather than the talks, and you can browse
through the latest publications, join the publishers’ mailing lists, and
in some cases request free sample copies.
Individual publishers often organize their own events to promote
their new publications. Once you have joined their mailing lists, you
will receive details of these, or you can find them advertised in
publications like ELT News (www.eltnews.gr).
Similarly, the large examining boards organize seminars to inform
teachers about changes to the format of their exams. Exhibitions are
also held for their members by EUROPALSO in Attiki (www.europalso.gr) and local PALSO associations throughout Greece (www.palso.gr).
Specialist and online bookshops
Most bookshops stock some ELT coursebooks, and will be happy to order
any title you request, but in order to see a large selection of the
available publications, you need to go to a shop specializing in ELT
publications, like Floras (www.florasfun.gr).
If you already know what books you want, you can simply order them
online, but visiting the shop and seeing the books will give you a much
clearer idea of the range of what’s available.
Most of the Greek and International ELT publishers also sell their
own books through their websites, usually offering discount prices for
schools, and you can find books from all publishers to order online at www.books24.gr.
Publishers’ websites and catalogues
The easiest way to get basic information about the range of
publications available is to browse the publishers’ websites. Like the
international publishers, Greek publishers of ELT materials generally
have coursebooks for all ages and levels. Some of the Greek publishers,
like Express (www.expresspublishing.gr) produce a very wide range of materials, while some are more specialized – for example Betsis (www.andrewbetsiselt.gr) mainly produce materials for exam practice.
Most publishers still produce printed catalogues every year, and you
can receive these simply by joining their mailing list when you see them
at an exhibition or by phoning their offices. Some publish regular
periodicals which contain informative articles as well as details of the
latest publications – for example News & Views from Hillside Press (www.elthillside.com). Some of the publishers, such as Grivas (www.grivas.gr)
produce sample sections of their new books so you can get a good idea
of what they’re like without actually seeing the whole book.
Although it’s less common these days for publishers to send out large
numbers of sample copies, if you are an established school most
publishers will send you free copies of any books that you intend to
adopt.
The market has contracted in recent years, and many of the
international publishers are reducing their operations in Greece but
even so there are many companies producing excellent course books, and
it’s now easier than ever to find information about these. The next step
is knowing how to make the right choice from amongst all the available
materials, and that’s the topic of our next article.
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