Lessons from Leo Jones: what vintage ELT materials can still teach us (Part 1)

The coursebook problem
Every year, the ELT market is flooded with new coursebook editions, yet a handful of established titles refuse to be dislodged. Despite countless attempts to unseat them, series like English File (Latham-Koenig & Oxenden, 1996; 5th edition 2026) and Headway (Soars & Soars, 1991; 5th edition 2026) continue to dominate the classroom, though new entrants such as Outcomes (Deller & Walkley, 2024) have made some inroads. What is truly striking is the underlying uniformity across these titles, in both style and substance. They are almost universally defined by the densely . . .

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Charlie Ellis
Charlie Ellis
Charlie is a researcher and EFL teacher who writes on culture, politics, sport and specialty coffee. He has published several academic articles on political ideology and culture. His current projects include examining the thought of the political theorist and essayist Bernard Crick, and work on the rich cultural life of the Scottish artist and promoter of the visual and performing arts Richard Demarco. ---- Email: [email protected]