PEARSON Longman and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) recently announced the creation of Academic Connections, an innovative series of textbooks and online software for English language learners. They say it’s based on years of research by ETS, and focuses on a set of academic skills that have been identified as critical to student success. Each level of the series, from beginning to advanced English, focuses on these skills as they are used in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Students read the textbook, then go to class to listen to a lecture. They then discuss the issues in small groups and hand in written responses. This opportunity to experience a “real-life” academic situation gives them a strong foundation in what is needed to succeed in a college environment.
The program blends face-to-face classwork with online study, which can help improve student performance with immediate feedback on homework, as well as more opportunities to read, write, listen to, and speak academic English.
