Extend Your Discussion

Topics relevant to living in UK towns and cities

Ted Power's Extend Your Discussion was published on 25th May 2024 and made available on Amazon as a 96-page paperback.

Having held ELT teaching posts in Algeria, Sweden and Spain as well as being appointed as Teaching Resources Manager at the English Language Centre in Brighton and Hove UK, I spent many years on the committee of my local residents association in my home UK city. For over ten years, I was my city suburb's representative on my local Council's Conservation Advisory Group. I have also been responsible for authoring my residents association's website for almost 20 years, which has given me full opportunity to explore the 14 topics selected for Extend Your Discussion.

The topics covered include art versus graffiti, climate change, community events, controlled parking zones, cost of living crisis, dogs, homes or open spaces, local history, neighbourhood disputes, the planning system, policing, refuse & recycling, residents associations and wildlife gardening.

Like its sister book Prepare for Discussion, Extend Your Discussion follows a sequence of exercises containing core vocabulary and useful colloquial expressions in the lead up to discussing each of the topics. In this way, it sets out to minimise the disappointment which can occur when learners are expected to discuss semi-specialist material without adequate preparation.

The exercise types and activities in Extend Your Discussion lend themselves to oral work in groups or pairs and are therefore suitable both for class teaching and one-to-one tuition.

Extend Your Discussion provides valuable practice material for learners studying in their own countries who wish to know about life in British towns and cities.

However, the material is especially relevant to learners of English living and/or studying in the UK who welcome the opportunity to converse with British people and take an active part in the local community.

Currently, the committee of my local residents association benefits from the presence of both a German and an Italian national. Interaction with people in your neighbourhood is very effective in improving language skills.

The exercise types

Please take the links below for examples of the exercise types you will find in the books as well as my thoughts on the value of these exercises in teaching discussion

• odd one out vocabulary exercise
• short texts for listening / reading comprehension or listening & writing tasks such as dictation
• dialogues for reading in pairs
• discussion questions
• themed crosswords including grids, clues and answer keys

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