by Kate Cory-Wright Looking at the diagram below, you might think that it describes learners, not teachers, because

the influences that differentiate them are strikingly similar. Just like their students, teachers are affected by a host of factors filtered through their own experiences of learning a language or derived from their culture or influenced by their age, background, motivation, and personality.

Teachers are profoundly influenced by their own experiences in and out of the classroom. According to Jack C. Richards and Charles Lockhart, these experiences have a great effect on their ideas about teaching. Thus personal principles about teaching differ not only from individual to individual, but often can also be contradictory or unproven. Some typical beliefs include: Vocabulary is more important than grammar. Teaching grammar inductively is better than teaching it deductively. Reading texts should be read aloud by students. Accommodation of students' multiple intelligences and learning styles is needed in lesson preparation. In fact, there is no limit to the differences in pedagogical attitudes and principles among teachers who range from novice to experienced. Whether they are novices or experienced teachers, their classrooms range from teacher-centered to student-centered or accuracy-based to fluency-based approaches. Some teachers like to follow every step in a teacher's guide, while others barely use one at all, substituting their own strategies and materials for those suggested in the guide. Some teachers stick to tried-and-true classroom practices, while others strike out on their own to experiment with new techniques. Teachers are further affected by factors such as class size, class time, and the availability of resources. In other words, just as no two learners are alike, no two teachers are alike. The diverse world of teacher's guides With such diversity among teachers and their practices, it seems reasonable to rethink the content and direction of teacher's guides. At present, many guides are written so that they effectively appeal to only one kind of teaching style. For example, many are aimed solely at teachers with little training or experience; as a result, experienced teachers do not expect to benefit from the suggestions in teacher's guides and so see no reason to consult them. Other guides will do the opposite, leaving the novice teacher feeling completely lost. A new approach to the teacher's guide that attempts to anticipate the needs of all teachers is overdue. Is there anything that ALL teachers want to see in teacher's guides?

Fortunately, teachers tend to share certain expectations. Most teachers prefer interleaved teacher's guides that include the student's book pages side-by-side with teacher's notes, making it easy to refer to the student's book when preparing a class. And, certainly, interleaved guides offer the convenience of having everything arranged in one book instead of two. Fullcolor teacher's guides are also desirable, but most of all teachers want brief, clear teaching notes and an arrangement of the materials that helps them easily identify different sections. Most teachers even native speakers of English expect to have answer keys and audio scripts provided. And finally, a clear map of the book and a syllabus (or "Scope and Sequence" chart) are essentials for any teacher to refer to when planning a class. What else do teachers want to see in teacher's guides? A recent worldwide survey carried out by Cambridge University Press asked teachers for their ideas about the features that should be included in a teacher's guide. As expected, opinions varied from teacher to teacher and from country to country. Depending on their experience and teaching style, some teachers asked for oral tests, written tests, and quizzes. Others wanted learner-centered progress tests. Some teachers required grammar rules and detailed vocabulary glossaries, while others preferred a more inductive approach. Despite all the differences, a majority of teachers expressed a strong desire for a wide variety of resources, such as games, photocopiable activities, and other optional exercises designed to extend or enhance the lessons in the student's books. Is it possible to produce one book for everyone? With so many different preferences, can a publisher reasonably expect to design teacher's guides for every type of teaching style? To do so, the publisher must first ask teachers what they want from a guide in order to meet those needs and expectations. That is just what Cambridge University Press has done in preparing the Teacher's Edition for Interchange Third Edition. Interchange Third Edition Teacher's Edition To provide a teacher's guide that offers features suitable for as many teachers and teaching styles as possible, the authors and editors of Interchange Third Edition took a multilevel approach to the design of the Teacher's Edition. A step-by-step guide for new teachers The step-by-step teaching notes in the Teacher's Edition provide clear guidance and support for new teachers or teachers who are new to the series. A 'pick-and-choose' approach for experienced teachers Teachers who prefer to strike out on their own do not need to be confined to the step-by-step approach. Instead, they are free to be more adventurous. By selecting from the many resources provided in the Teacher's Edition, more experienced teachers can customize these resources according to the needs, age, and interests of their students. Such resources include: a Games bank, containing easy-to-prepare games for review and practice of recently learned language and vocabulary a Fresh ideas bank, providing creative new techniques for teachers to try in the classroom a Photocopiable activity for every unit, including surveys, learner training activities, board games, and cut-up games A graded approach The Teacher's Edition is organized as a graded approach to teacher support. Less experienced

teachers, or teachers who are not familiar with the series, can start out with the step-by-step approach and move gradually into the pick-and-choose approach as they become more comfortable with the materials and confident in their use. Teachers who adopt the pick-andchoose approach will find clearly marked options in the step-by-step notes where such choices can be easily implemented.

The graded approach means that the Teacher's Edition is "a good teacher's book [that] will help teachers function more effectively in the classroom, without constraining them unnecessarily," as proposed by David Nunan and Clarice Lamb. Teaching tips: a learn-as-you-go approach One criticism of teacher's guides is that they tend to prescribe a teaching style, encouraging teachers to "teach to the book, letting it make many of their instructional decisions." As a result, teachers "become 'de-skilled' through their overdependence on materials" (Richards and Lockhart). The Interchange Third Edition Teacher's Edition avoids prescription with a series of teaching tips designed to raise teachers' awareness of contemporary shifts in classroom techniques and deal with learning strategies, learning styles, inductive grammar, and studentcenteredness. In addition, teaching tips encourage teachers to assess their own teaching practices and opinions. For instance, the following tip addresses the use of the "listen and repeat" technique: TIP: To find out how your students learn best, try different methods (e.g., listen and repeat, listen and read silently, listen and mouth the words). Then ask your students which methods they find most useful. Such a level of support goes beyond the ordinary teacher's guide by providing a form of teacher training and is an important element of the Interchange Third Edition Teacher's Edition. Its graded design assists new teachers by giving them practical ideas. At the same time, experienced teachers are encouraged to reexamine and revitalize their classroom practices to help keep lessons fresh and the classroom interesting. As Nunan and Lamb point out, "The best manuals are not only useful guides to the materials they accompany, they can also act as a teacher-training course, providing tips." Teachers are not all the same, and guides written for them need to accommodate the diverse world of teachers. That is why the Interchange Third Edition Teacher's Edition has been redesigned to provide all teachers who have various levels of experience with a variety of options. References Dubin, F., and E. Olshtain. 1986. Course Design. Cambridge University Press. Nunan, D., and C. Lamb. 1996. The Self-Directed Teacher. Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. C., and C. Lockhart. 1994. Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms.Cambridge University Press.