What it takes to write a textbook for language learners

Ever wondered what goes into making language learning materials? It is not just about throwing together a few grammar exercises and calling it a day. The process is a blend of creativity, pedagogy, and a touch of technological magic. Whether it’s for the classroom or for online learning courses, the aim is always the same – to make language learning engaging, effective, and accessible. Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at how all of this comes together at inlingua. 

Questions, questions, questions! 

Before anything is written, wehave todo a deepdive into research. Through surveys and interviews, classroom visits and observations we try to understand our learners’ exact needs. Who are they? What challenges do they face? What keeps them motivated? What are their goals? Why do they want to learn a language? Once we have a clear picture of our learners, we start planning:How should we structure the material?Which techniquesshould we follow? A communicative approach, task-based learning, or a mix? (You’ll learn more about the unique inlingua method in next month’s blog.)What are the different components of our learning materials? What is the most sensible use of technology to go with them? What should the teachers’ resources look like? And what feels like a million more questions emergeto be answered! 

The fun part— content writing and the magic of design! 

Content writing usually happens in three stages. For the first – as ever – we start with our learners. What do we want them to learn while working through our materials? This means we have to write very clear goals for each unit and each key point of every unit. Next, we search for topics that will match the objectives and will be interesting, engaging, and relevant for the learners. Finally, catchy dialogues, real-world reading passages, and digestible grammar explanations are created to keep students interested. Exercises need to provide structured practice while also encouraging real, authentic communication. Matching audio and video materials bring language to life, making learning feel relevant. 

A greattextbookisn’tjust about words, it’s also about the design. A clear, intuitive layout makes it easier for students to navigate. Thoughtfully chosen visuals, like illustrations, infographics, and icons, support understanding without overwhelming the page. Digital elements add interactivity, from exercises with instant feedback, to quizzes that make learning more dynamic, and gamification features that motivate learners. 

The second most important people – the trainers! 

Trainer resources and training play a crucial roles in the process of writing learning materials. No matter how well-designed they are, their impact solely depends on how effectively teachers can use them in the classroom. That’s why we provide comprehensive trainertraining courses, guides, lesson plans, and additional support materials to help them bring the content to life. We support them with suggestedadditional classroom activities, differentiation strategies, as well as background information on the unit topics. These resources ensure that inlingua trainers have the confidence and flexibility to adapt lessons to their students’ needs. Our digital platformmy.inlingua offers all training courses and interactive tools that enabletrainers to have the same experience with our digital tools as our learners, so they can make the most of the resources available to them. 

Ready for publication! 

Once everything is polished, it’s time for publication. That means meticulous editing and proofreading to eliminate errors, followed by the final production process—whether that’s printing books or launching digital content. But even after release, the work isn’t done. Through a thorough feedback process, we monitor how learners and teachers interact with the materials, making regular updates to keep things fresh, relevant, and in line with new educational trends.Language learning evolves, and so must our resources. Whether it’s incorporating new research in linguistics, updating cultural references, or leveraging the latest educational technology, we are always refining and improving. This continuous development ensures that learners get the most out of their experience and stay motivated on their language-learning journey. 

Creating student books and digital learning materials is not just about assembling exercises, it is about crafting an immersive, effective learning experience. It takes research, creativity, and a lot of time to get it right, but when learners engage with the content and make progress, it is all worth it! 

Written by: Julia Silvère

 

How AI Authoring Tools are becoming the ultimate time-saver for language trainers

In the ever-evolving landscape of language learning, technology continues to reshape the way we teach, learn, and most recently also how we create our teaching content. The newest innovation, AI Authoring Tools based onLarge Language Models (LLMs), is set to fundamentally transform how educators and learners approach language acquisition. This blog delves deep into the features, benefits, and practical applications of the cutting-edge inlingua AI AuthoringTool – a prime example of utilising AI to the learners’ and trainers’ benefit. 

The Challenge of Increasing Learners’ Active Vocabulary 

Vocabulary acquisition is fundamental to language learning but creating meaningful and pedagogically sound vocabulary tasks that foster active use in language learners can be time-consuming and immensely difficult. If you are a teacher, you know how you or your colleagues often spend hours curating words, writing relevant definitions, ensuring contextual relevance, and balancing difficulty levels. Furthermore, poorly constructed lists will hinder progress, leading to frustration and disengagement in learners. A prime example of a lose-lose situation! 

This is exactly where AI Authoring Tools come into play. With only a few well-written prompts, the AI will create hundreds of vocabulary items, level-appropriate definitions, and set them into the right context, ready for learners to use in multiple languages. Additionally, it will create matching images for relevant vocabulary, as well as create authentic audios for listening and pronunciation practice. 

Let’s have a look at this, shall we? 

What can the inlingua AI Authoring Tool do?

  • Analyse Context: The tool can analyse text from any source—articles, dialogues, or learning materials—to extract contextually relevant vocabulary. 
  • Create Glossaries: Based on a trainer’s prompts, the tool will create relevant glossaries for any context in English, German, Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian, and Portuguese. 
  • Assess Difficulty Levels: By evaluating word frequency and linguistic complexity, the tool ensures that the vocabulary is appropriately challenging for learners at different proficiency levels. 
  • Provide Keywords, Definitions and Examples: The tool automatically generates concise keywords, definitions and example sentences tailored to the learner’s language level. 
  • Create Images: Depending on the vocabulary item, especially at a lower level, it is easier for a learner to understand its meaning through an image. The AI Authoring Tool will create it for you. 
  • Incorporate Customisation: Educators can fine-tune the lists by adding or removing words, adjusting definitions, or changing example sentences to align with specific teaching objectives. 

Key Benefits

  • Time Efficiency: Trainers can create high-quality vocabulary lists in minutes, freeing up time for lesson planning and other critical tasks.
  • Learner-Centric: The tool adapts to different proficiency levels, ensuring learners receive vocabulary that is both useful and achievable.
  • Enhanced Engagement: By incorporating words from authentic and engaging texts, the tool makes vocabulary learning more relevant and enjoyable.
  • Consistency and Accuracy: AI-driven suggestions ensure that vocabulary lists are pedagogically sound and linguistically accurate. 

This all sounds great, but what happens with the content once it’s created, I hear you ask. Well, have a look at the next paragraph: 

Great! But what now? 

As is the case with the inlingua AI Authoring Tool, most tools will be integrated or directly connected to your Learning Management System (LMS). Therefore, learners are able to access your AI-generated content from their accounts, usually in the form of engaging and fun activities. inlingua’s interactive LMS, my.inlingua, offers the following features to its users. 

  • Personalised Learning Paths: Activities and Tasks are continuously created based on the individual learner’s previous performance. 
  • Personalised Learning Context: Your student is super interested in a niche topic, and you have found out that talking about it is the quickest way for them to learn the target language? Trainers can create glossaries using the context of interest and assign it directly to individual learners. 
  • Speech-recognition: Learners can improve their pronunciation by using the integrated speech-recognition tool which gives them instant feedback. 
  • Self-Directed Learning: Learners can practise their vocabulary wherever and whenever they like. my.inlingua is available on a phone, tablet, and computer.
  • Assessment Preparation: They can use targeted AI-generated vocabulary lists to help them prepare for exams or specific language tasks. 
  • Additional post-lesson practice: During a speaking or writing lesson, there is usually a lot of new vocabulary that needs clarification. Trainers can simply create a glossary and let the AI do its magic, generating definitions and examples ready for learners to practise with. 
  • Pre-teach vocabulary: Learners can prepare for a lesson by practising the vocabulary before coming to class. 

Turning the focus on what truly matters 

AI Authoring Tools represent a significant leap forward in language learning technology. By simplifying the process of creating effective vocabulary exercises, we empower educators and learners alike. 

AI makes language learning more accessible, engaging, and effective for everyone. This tool is about revolutionising how languages are taught and learned. By providing educators with reliable, adaptable tools and enabling learners to take charge of their own progress, they can focus on what truly matters: mastering the language! 

The inlingua AI Authoring Tool is exclusively available to licensees and learners of official inlingua centres. If you would like more information on this, contact service@inlingua.com. 

Share your thoughts in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you!  Written by: Julia Silvère